Color: Field and Form, Part 11

Part 1: Truitt, Appleby, Jackson, Shils, Donaldson
Part 2: Estrada-Vega, Johnston, Korman, Gimblett

Part 3: Aaron, Chong, Glessner, Mattera

Part 4: Von Heyl

Part 5: Goodwin

Part 6: Florian 

Part 7: Hicks, Lasserre

Part 8: Hoke, Kline 

Part 9: Haussmann, Rumford. Derbes, Johnston, Lipton, Mittenthal, Wright, Dancy, Boyajian

Part 10: Hudson Valley: Fishman, Goodman, Natale, Azara, Bjork



50 Shades of Gray

.

We're at the penultimate post in this series with work by Fran Shalom, Debra Ramsay and Martha Clippinger. Their solo exhibitions took place in New York City in late winter and throughout the spring. All three artists share color as an integral element expressed via a kind of organic geometry. Ramsay and Clippinger express their esthetic by material means--encaustic and wood, respectively. Clippinger is the sculptor of the group, repurposing what appear to be lumberyard castoffs, though you could make a case for the work as painting.

.

.

Fran Shalom

The Painting Center.

Flimflam, 2012, oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches

.

.

Formal and quirky, Fran Shalom's paintings are typically small to easel size with a glorious sense of color. Shalom employs a personal language that embodies geometric and biomorphic shapes for the telling, dipping into a visual Esperanto shared by painters like Andrew Masullo, Stephen Mueller and Thomas Nozkowski. 

 

Shalom's next solo is at John Davis Gallery in Hudson, October 11 - November 4. You can read an interview with her on the Lisa Pressman Art Blog.

Installation view from the entrance, looking into the middle gallery, with Flimflam on the short wall

 

Below: The far right corner of the long wall you see in the image above, swinging around to a third wall

 

Wiggleroom, 2011, oil on wood, 22 x 28 inches

.

Below: The end of that third wall with Wiggleroom on the short fourth wall 

.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.

.

Debra Ramsay

Blank Space, Desire Lines, April 19 - May 19

.

Cruel Desire, 2012

.

.

In landscape architecture, "desire lines" are the intuitively effective paths created by people walking from one point to another, ignoring the architecturally imposed placement of concrete walkways. In Desire Lines, we see the intuitively effective path Debra Ramsay has taken in her practice. Working with the materiality of encaustic paint, Ramsay operates within  predetermined systems that she has set for herself--spatial divisions or, here in the work shown, fixed divisions of time--and then allows chance to affect the outcome. In the works you see here, she has poured the molten paint from a fixed point, allowing the paint to find its intuitive path, guided by gravity, the cooling of the paint, and the angle at which the artist holds the painting.

Installation view from the entry, showing Cruel Desire.

Odd Days, 2012.

 

First Breath. 2012

Paintings shown are encaustic on panel, approximately 12 x 12 inches

.

. . . . . . . . . .

 .

.

Martha Clippinger

Elizabeth Harris Gallery, Hopscotch, January 5 -  February 4

Andalusia, 2010, acrylic on wood

.

 

Martha Clippinger's small painted sculptures, constructed from irregular wood scraps, are funky and imperfect. I mean that in the most positive way, for while the edges may be unfinished each idea is complete. There's a geometric sense of order that rubs up against an anarchic sensibility. I like that. You can see a connection to the work of Richard Tuttle, of course, but these works have their own presence, playful yet pushy. An inspired installation placed the pieces on the floor, at eye level, in corners, even high overhead on the wall, offering an engagement with the work--part sculpture, part painting--that complemented its eccentric character.

 

View into the gallery's smaller second space, showing Andalusia, left, high on wall. My own photos of this exhibition did not turn out well, so all photos are from the Elizabeth Harris Gallery website

Reflection, 2010, acrylic on wood

Below: Installation view showing Reflection on back wall

s.wall, 2010, acrylic on wood

 

Below: Installation view looking toward entry, showing the placement of the sculpture

.

Please consider a voluntary annual donation of $20 to support this blog. If you scroll down the sidebar from the top, you'll find a Paypal link. Thank you. And big, big thanks to all the readers who have done so already!

Touching Up

50 Shades of Gray

The Color: Field and Form series to date

.
UPDATED: Sunday, August, 26
By now you've all read the story and seen the pictures of what happened when Cecilia Gimenez, an amateur painter, undertook the "restoration" of a 19th-century fresco of Jesus, Ecce Homo, in the small church of the Santuario de Misericordia in Borgia, Spain. (Story here from El Pais, where it originated, and here from Gawker in translated retelling.)  The result was, um, less than expected.

From left, Ecce Homo by Elias Garcia Martinez, two years ago; its condition last month; and just after repainting. Image from Gawker story 

.

Things got worse from there. The family of the artist is horrified, but the "restored" fresco has become a tourist attraction. Of course it has spawned a host of parodies. The following images are from Facebook, the Internet in general, and personal email messages:

Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa, men have named you.--Nat King Cole

But it took a Facebook post to maim you

.

The Last Restoration

.

.

My Facebook friend, Joe Merrell, posted this to my Timeline

.

Paint what you know, right Bob Ross?

.

Yes, you have the punchline for this one: The restoration really went to the dogs. That's Rowlf, of course

.

 

Then, just when I thought I was finished, my buddy Zach Alan sent me links to more. If I don't have attributions or if I get them wrong, please let know. My intention is to include not exclude.

.

Everyone knows the Sistine Chapel just got a restoration. So I'm surprised it was Adam's face that got the addition. From the Beast Jesus Restoration Society, where you'll see much more

 

Well, now we have to call it Piss-poor Christ, image via Zach Alan on Facebook

.

 

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." --Vincent Can Gogh

If, however, you hear that voice tell you to restore paintings, then by all means cut off your ear. Image via Zach Alan on Facebook

.

That whirring sound you hear is Gustav turning in his grave. From the  Behold Thee Face ov God blog

.

 

You can only imagine that face on the Rockwell Thanksgiving turkey. Image from Lynn Basa on Facebook via John Nagus 

.

 

Salvador Dali, Christ of St. John of the Cross, by Michael Jaecks via Lori Ellison

.

Munch's screamer would if he could. Image Via the Internet

.

 

 Andy's Marilyn gets a makeover in honor of Cecilia Gimenez's 15 minutes of fame

 

Fifty Shades of Gray

Marketing Mondays will return in mid September

Color: Field and Form will continue next week

.

Linda Cordner, Cinquefoil Gray, 2011, encaustic, 24 x 24 inches.

The buzz about Fifty Shades of Grey, the erotic romance with a surprisingly ardent audience, started me thinking about 50 shades of gray, the achromatic hue we are passionate about. I put out a call to my Facebook friends for images. Many responded. I added a few images from elsewhere on the Internet, and voilà, the post you see here. These tonalities of smoke and charcoal, fog and shadow, dust and ash invite intimate viewing. The difference, of course, is that the stimulation here is strictly retinal.  Thank you all for contributing your images. I wish I could have included them all.
.

Lisa Pressman, Dream, 2012, mixed media, 5 x 5 inches

.

.

Timothy Hawkesworth, Two Boats, 2012; oil, pencil, wax on paper,
40 x 36 inches. Courtesy of Littlejohn Contemporary, New York City
.

.

Mark Creegan, Value Scale, 2007; used paint rollers, wood, bungee cord, 53 x 12 inches

.

Nancy Natale, Dark Companion, 2011, mixed media on panel, 36 x 36 inches

..

...

Denyse Thomasos, Yves Bleu, 1999, acrylic on canvas, 78 x 72 inches

Thomas was not a Facebook friends--indeed, I didn't know her, though I was a fan of her work--but I've included a painting here to acknowledge her untimely passing

Image and obituary from Hyperallergic.com

.

Elisa D'Arrigo, Reconstructed, 2008; handmade paper, cloth, pigments, thread, acrylic medium,  15 x 11 x 8 inches
Image from the artist's website
.
..

Lynn Basa, Disturbance, 2011, oil and beeswax on panel, 10 x 10 inches
.
.

Stephen Maine, Vapors #V11-07909, 2011, ink on paper, 14 x 11 inches

.

Jane Guthridge, Light Triptych, 2012, encaustic monotype, 36 x 12 inches each

.

.

Lauri Lynxe Murphy, Hindsight 2, 2012, cut silk organza, 24 x 30 inches

.

Howard Hersh, Associating, 2009, encaustic on panel, 40 x 50 inches
.
.

Janet Filomeno, Delaware Series No. 12, 2007; mica, graphite, aluminum paint on canvas, 48 x 60 inches

.

.

Julia Schwartz, Driving into Big Sky, 2012, oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches
..
.

Wayne Montecalvo, Dorothy's Landing, 2012, pigment stick on glass

.
.

Sandra Quinn, Bija 2, 2010, ink on paper, 5.5 X 7 inches

.

.

Sky Pape,  Untitled (Image 3913), 2012, water and sumi ink on paper, app. 12 x 16 inches. Image from Facebook

..

Toby Sisson, Familiar Asylum VI, 2011, encaustic and graphite on wood, 12 x 12 inches

.

.

Patti Russotti, Yin Yang VI, 2011, scan-o-gram printed on paper, 23 x 25 inches

.

Laura Moriarty, Passed Scenes, 2009, monotype on gampi, 25 x 39 inches

..

.

Diane Englander, White Forms, 2011, diptych, 14 x 11 inches each

..
.

Cynde Goldman, Morning Light, photograph

.

Gelah Penn, Polyglot #5, 2012; graphite, acrylic, monofilament on yupo, 23 x 21 x 2 inches

.

.

Bryan Cypher, Untitled, 2012, acrylic and graphite on paper, 1ches

.

Marc Cheetham, PW-30, 2011, acrylic on gozo moriki paper,  9
.

.

Jeanne Heifetz, Surface Tension, Basalt Layers,  2007, glass rods and steel mesh, 10 x 10 inches

.

.

James Austin Murray, I Could Look at You Forever, 2012, oil on canvas,  48 x 48 inches
.

.

Altoon Sultan, Grays, 2012, egg tempera on calfskin parchment, 5 x 7 inches.

.

Mary Bucci McCoy,  Sleeper, 2010, acrylic on plywood panel, 16 x 16 x 3 inches

.
.

Susan Schwalb, Aurora 36, 2012; silver/gold/copper/aluminum/pewter/tinpoint, black gesso on paper, 9 x 9 inches

.

.

Paul Behnke, Speeder, 2012, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 inches

.

.

Elizabeth Sheppell, Fat Series, No. 24, 2012, acrylic on panel. 6 x 6 inches

.

Julie Torres, Can't Stand Losing You, 2012, acrylic on panel, 8 x 8 inches
.
.

Loouise P. Sloane, Gray Texture 23, 2009, latex paint, caulking on metal, 11 x 7 inches

.

.

Lynette Haggard, Rhythmo No. 19, 2012, mixed media on Arches, 20 x 13 inches

.

.

Mira M. White, Love the Earth, 2011, graphite and beeswax on 300 lb. hotpress, 11 x 15 inches
.
..

Joanne Mattera, Untitled (for now), 2012, graphite on 300 lb. hotpress Fabriano, 22 x 30 inches
.
.

James Erikson, IR, 2009, ink wash on Okawara paper, 8 x 12 inches.

.

Louise Weinberg, Notice, 2006, collage and ink, 10 x 8 inches
.
.

Gudrun Mertes-Frady, Orbits, 2012, oil and wax on wood panel, 18 x 18 inches
.
.

.Larry Schulte, Untitled, 1998, woven and painted paper, 54 x 54 inches
.

Laird Campbell, Untitled No. 53, 2012, multiple-pass inkjet print on canvas, 50 x 40 inches; image from Facebook

..

.

Gregory Wright, Reaching Out, 2010, encaustic and mixed media on panel, 30 x 36 inches

.

.

Marjorie Kaye, Proper Padding, 1996, graphite on bristol, 12 x 9 inches

.

.

Martie Negri, Silent River Silver Garden, glass, 19 x 19 x 8
.

.

Christine Aaron, Winter Trees, 2009, paperlith and encaustic on board, 12 x 12 inches

.

.

Cherie Mittenthal,  Landscape with Mast, 2012, encaustic on paper, 12 x 9 inches

.

.

Dorothy Cochran, Waiting, 1996, aquatint etching, 40 x 28 inches

.

.

Linda Colsh, The Long Run, 2012, fiber, 40 x 40 inches

..

With the preceding work called The Long Run, the one that follows could easily be called "The Last Stand."  It's not, it's Self Portrait, but it does take the last stand in 50 Shades of Gray, both the title and substance of this post.

.

Marlk Staff Brandl, Self Portrait, 2009, oil on canvas, 75 x 32 inches

.

.

Please consider a voluntary annual donation of $20. A post like this takes about three days of  full-time work to organize, edit and caption. If you scroll down the sidebar from the top, you'll find a Paypal link. Your donation will help me continue to maintain this blog. Thank you. And big, big thanks to all the readers who have done so already!