Montrealing

Bus touring around the Montreal Gay Village

Touristin' in Montreal... can you see me?

Little Junes doesn't want to miss a thing!

Montreal, Canada

We're in Montreal, Canada, where the Professor is lecturing at a conference and I'm gallery hopping in order to write some impressions of Montreal art galleries, as well as meeting and delivering a commissioned piece to a local art collector.

We're staying in the old city, which is a great venue for walking with a stroller, although Little Junes' mom just informed him that she's weaning him out of the stroller pretty soon.

This is a great walking area, packed with tourists, entertainers and lots of people walking around with official-looking badges.

But first things first, and first of all is some good Canadian suds at a local joint off Rue de la Commune accompanied by a nice salad with smoked salmon.

 Tan is compliments of all the time outdoors in the last few days checking out the hole in the roof and clearing out fallen branches from the back yard.

Of course, while waiting I did some sketches on the paper provided... in the end we ended with a set of sketches of Anderson as :

• himself wearing his favorite orange Dolphins ball cap (gift from his padrino Jorge); 
• Junes as a bird; 
• Junes as a bicycle; 
• Junes as a pepper shaker.

Sorry about all the food stains.

Heh, heh...

Airborne

Flying out tonight and heading to Montreal, Canada for a week... no more storms while I'm gone.... please!

Uninformed art critic turns into misinformed opinionist

As someone who resolutely avoids the commercial side of the art world whenever possible and prefers to focus on the artwork itself, my impression of art fairs comes largely from written accounts. Fairs in places like Basel, Switzerland, Miami Beach and New York City have been represented as typically glitzy affairs in which most of the best work sells out during exclusive previews and to which the unwashed public is invited as a kind of afterthought. The idea of bringing this kind of art culture to Buffalo initially struck me, to put it nicely, as unexciting.

But judging only by a walk-through of the fair and of Larkinville Saturday morning, this sort of elitist vibe does not surface in Echo in any way. And while a typical complaint from attendees and exhibitors at other fairs is that they do not provide an ideal place to see or understand work, I found Echo to be a pretty extraordinary one.

This sort of initial misinformation/impressions - largely driven by ignorance - astounds me... how can someone be the art critic for a major city newspaper (we're talking Buffalo here; the second largest city in New York state!) and still has not been to an art fair in 2012!

He lives in New York state! A few hours away from the second largest epicenter of art fairs on the planet!

But more importantly for his readers, how can someone be a newspaper's art critic and still "resolutely avoids the commercial side of the art world whenever possible."

Yikes! And all along here we thought that Blake Gopnik was the only art critic who did that!

And where does that "typical complaint" come from? First heard for me...

Nearly everyone there... was extremely approachable and willing to talk to visitors about their work. That's something you don't get in many galleries...

 What??? Where does this gent get those impressions from? The 1990s?

There's more intellectual disservice to this Buffalo News readers in this article by  Colin Dabkowski and zero actual art review/criticism in the column... maybe I'm missing something, but his title is "Art Critic."

Makes my head hurt... Buffalo News, please send this guy down to NYC or Miami for the next cycle of art fairs so that he can open his eyes a little wider shut.

Heading back

I hear that electricity is back on in my neighborhood, so we're heading back...

Civilian tries to find solutions to the Corcoran's problems

As you surely know, today the Corcoran is in serious trouble, and your help and support is needed at this extremely critical time.

A quorum (not all) of the Board voted on June 5th to price the historic Flagg building that houses both the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Corcoran College of Art + Design. The process to sell the building is moving forward at an extremely rapid pace and the community still has not been invited into the conversation.

Like you, we believe that the Corcoran/Flagg building is an historic cultural icon, deeply tied to the history of Washington, D.C and the nation. Its proximity to the White House, Old Executive Building and National Mall is ideal placement for an art school and a museum, as the location is at the center of national activity and public discourse.

It would be detrimental for the Corcoran to be sold because it not only represents a very important part of this city and our country's history, but it also holds a significant place in current art dialogue. The Corcoran Flagg building (17th Street & New York Avenue, N.W.) is a National Historic Landmark, one of only 2,500 sites and buildings in the U.S. designated by the Secretary of the Interior, and it should be protected and preserved. We believe the solutions to keep the Corcoran where it is can be found within the community that admires, loves, utilizes, and needs it.

Please go here to sign the Change.org petition.

See the below articles:
Maintaining the Artistic Vision of the Corcoran
- June 14, 2012 (The Washington Postl)

Comments on the above

Corcoran Gallery Considers Selling Building, Moving Elsewhere
- June 4, 2012 (Washington City Paper)

Link to all Post articles

Developers cool on Corcoran Gallery of Art reuse
- June 5, 2012 (Washington Business Journal)

Ideas, solutions suggestions should be sent to: savethecorcoran@gmail.com

Twitter: savethecorcoran
Facebook: SaveTheCorcoran  
website: www.savethecorcoran.org

Irish Review

I'm currently in a show titled Eureka! at the Blue Leaf Gallery in Dublin, Ireland. The show focuses on artists whose work incorporates technology into their work.

Deirdre Mulrooney has a nice review of the show in Vulgo; read it here.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: July 27,  2012. 

The Cleveland County Arts Council is accepting two and three dimensional art for an upcoming competitive exhibition based on the theme of baseball. The exhibit coincides with the 2012 American Legion World Series in Shelby, August 17 – 21, 2012. Artwork must pertain to or depict baseball. 

The American Legion Baseball Commission will sponsor a $500 Purchase Award. The winning piece of artwork will be placed in the Keeter Stadium. The Cleveland County Arts Council invites artists 18 and older to submit work to the “Baseball as Art” Exhibit & Competition. Work must be original, created by the artist within the last two years and not previously entered in a competition at the Arts Center. 

All two dimensional entries must be ready to hang with picture wire on the back. No saw tooth hangers. The Arts Council reserves the right to reject any entry that requires special installation. Entries may be two and three dimensional but limited to paintings, drawings, sculpture, print-making, photography, and fine craft. There is a $25.00 non-refundable entry fee for up to three (3) entries. Additional entries $5 each (max. 5 entries). Make checks payable to the Cleveland County Arts Council. Shipping to and from the Arts Council is the responsibility of the artist. Deadline to receive accepted work at the Arts Center is July 27th, 2012 and must include a prepaid shipping label or a call tag, check or postage for return shipping. Please include any special packing and/or installation instructions. Any work arriving in packaging not sturdy enough to return/reuse will be returned COD. Cleveland County Arts Council, 111 S. Washington St., Shelby, NC 28150. For more information, visit: http://www.ccartscouncil.org

Happy 4th!

"Radio Flyer Flag" by Ross Palmer Beecher

La Cerca

In Spanish, fence is cerca, which oddly enough is the same word for "near."

A big chunk of our back fence was wiped out by a large tree branch which fell during Derechogeddon 2012 and darn nearly took out the entire section of the fence.

Feh!

Hoyo

You are looking at the hole on our roof caused by the fact that Derechogeddon 2012 broke off the top of our neighbor's tree, which then fell on our roof, poked this hole, then rolled off, taking out the gutter in the process, and now lays in our backyard awaiting the insurance man to come over and see what happens next.

Still no power in the house or neighborhood.

The Spanish word for hole is hoyo (pronounced o-yo).

Ouch!

Derechogeddon 2012

Derechogeddon 2012 devastated our backyard, from what pics the neighbors have sent us... no power and no water and no Campellos... a visiting friend staying at the house is now holding up the fort.

Krispy Kream, Belsano, PA

Krispy Kream Drive-In, Belsano, PA... oh yeah... the ice cream was as good as it looked...

Oil City, PA

Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania that is known in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. After the first oil wells were drilled nearby in the 1850s, Oil City became central in the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker State, and Wolf's Head motor oil companies. Tourism plays a prominent role in the region by promoting oil heritage sites, nature trails, and Victorian architecture. The population was 10,557 at the 2010 census.

 We're here for the wedding of a friend; lots of DMV area artists are also here... pictures later.

Born today...

Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish painter is 435 years old today... and King Henry VIII of England was also born on this day.

But neither one of them can stand up to the genius of Mel Brooks, who was born on this day in 1926.

Mazl-tov! It's good to be the King!

Sister Mary Malbec

Sister Mary Malbec, 10x4.5 inches, charcoal and conte on paper

Thomas Kinkade Museum

In the months before his death, Thomas Kinkade was "extremely focused" on establishing a museum of his artwork at his Monte Sereno home, his embattled girlfriend said in court papers filed Thursday.

"Thomas appreciated that while his art never received critical acclaim, he had legions of fans who were moved and uplifted by his art," Amy Pinto-Walsh wrote in a declaration filed in Santa Clara County probate court. "Thomas wanted to create this museum for his fans."

Pinto-Walsh said Kinkade took her on several trips to art museums -- including the Getty in Los Angeles -- for inspiration.

I can think of at least six artists whose work never received any critical acclaim but now have museums dedicated solely to their work... can you? Read the whole article quoted above here.

Sister Mary Merlot

Sister Mary Merlot, charcoal and conte on paper, 10x4.5 inches, c. 2012

Mid Atlantic Competition

Deadline for Submissions: August 3, 2012

October 9 – November 2, 2012
Public Reception: Sunday, October 14, from 2-4pm

The 2012 Hoyt Mid Atlantic Juried Art Exhibition showcases artists from the Mid Atlantic Region: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Viginia, Virginia and Washington, DC.

Juror:  Yours Truly

2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 1
2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 2

Winging it in Europe

Winging It!-In Europe: An Empty Nester's Plan for Travel: Designed for Those Young at Heart but Older of Body by Linda Stringer and Jim Stringer

I did a ton of illustrations for this book back in 1991 when I was living in Scotland and the authors were traveling around Europe gathering data for their book, which has become an underground classic of European travel tips... get a copy here. 

 

Wanna go to an opening tomorrow?

Painting into Sculpture is an exhibition (at Marlboro Gallery at Prince George's Community College curated by John Anderson) of "painting that embraces the physical space beyond the rectangle. The featured work explores the terrain where painting becomes sculptural through various methodologies: stacking panels, activating negative space, stripping the medium from the support, using objects that function as paint, shaping the canvas, and reducing the brush stroke to an object."

Featured artists include Dennis Dake, Don Kimes, J.T. Kirkland, Donald Martiny, Eugene Markowski, Kris Scheifele, and Dan Tulk.

The exhibition runs through July 19, with a reception June 28, 6:30 – 8:30 P.M.

Gallery Hours
9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Monday – Thursday
9:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. Friday
Contact: John Anderson, guest curator,
301-322-0959, andersjj@pgcc.edu
Or Tom Berault, Gallery Curator,
301-322-0967, beraulta@pgcc.edu

Returning to Aqua in December

A couple of days ago I was invited to exhibit at the 2012 Aqua Art Fair in Miami Beach; this will be my second Aqua and last year's was not only a terrific fair, but also a lot of fun!

Ali or Not?

The Muhammad Ali Center is suing a Michigan art donor, seeking to force the gallery to take back a gift of more than 180 pieces or allow the center to display it without any conditions set in the donation agreement.

At issue is the authenticity of Ali autographs on six pieces donated in 2009. The center says the signatures are not Ali's and are not in an online database that authenticates signed artwork.

Details here.

Susan Makara at Target

Stocking The Fridge

The notable Washington, DC art couple Dana Ellyn and Matt Sesow are keeping it local with their latest exhibition Stocking The Fridge. Known internationally for their whimsical, politically charged, and allegorically satirical paintings, Dana and Matt will "stock" the gallery with nearly 100 fresh, locally grown paintings.

Octobomb by Dana Ellyn

Stocking the Fridge will feature a selection of the best works from the couple's past 31 Days in July projects and include a painting from the first week of the 2012 edition. Matt and Dana's annual 31 Days in July began in 2003. The artists create 31 unique paintings inspired by the morning news from July. Each painting is a reflection of current events, mostly political, and showcases each artist's unique approach to painting.

Stocking The Fridge 

The Fridge

July 7 – July 29, 2012
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 7, 7-11pm

Man swipes Dali painting from art gallery

A thief who swiped a Salvador Dali painting off the wall of a New York art gallery may have escaped, but experts say the painting will likely be recovered when it comes back onto the art market.

Police are searching for a slim man with a receding hairline who walked into a Madison Avenue art gallery on Tuesday posing as a customer and walked out with the $150,000 Dali watercolor and ink painting in a large black shopping bag.

Read more here

Gene Davis: Craigslist Art Find of the Week

$1500 via Craigslist! Check it out here - Gene Davis auction prices here.

Michael O'Sullivan's Artomatic Picks

Michael O'Sullivan is the Washington Post's art critic and certainly the one art critic who has been there the longest, thus giving him an experienced and deep eye and knowledge about the DMV art scene. Below are his AOM picks in alphabetical order followed by the floor where the artist is exhibiting:

M. Helene Baribeau (mixed media knit sculpture) 04

Stephanie Booth (photography/needlework) 09

Brash (poetry) everywhere

Peter Byer (illustration) 08

Justin Cameron (installation) 08

Valeria Caflisch (painting and mixed media sculpture) 07

David D’Orio (glass and mixed media sculpture) 08

Cavan Fleming (painting) 04

Eric Gordon/DC Creepers (drawing) 11

Kelly Guerrero (sculpture) 08

James Halloran (painting) 08

Dale Hunt (painting) 09

Rose Jaffe (drawing) 02

Glen Kessler (painting/pastel) 01

Paul Mericle (painting) 07

Greg Minah (painting) 03

Cory Oberndorfer (painting) 11

Thomas Petzwinkler (photography/video) 10

Lynn Putney (painting) 08

Henrik Sundqvist (printmaking) 08

Christian Tribastone (drawings/works on paper) 09

Edmond van der Bijl (sculpture) 02

Steve Wanna (mixed media/installation)09

Stephanie J. Williams (painting) 08

Joanna Knox Yoder (photography) 11

Unleashed at Strathmore

There is a very cool exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore (which unfortunately ends June 23) focusing on the unlikely theme of dogs in art. It's titled Strathmore Unleashed, and of course it includes work by the ubercanine artist William Wegman, but it is Kathryn Freedman and Anna Dibble who steal the show with their intelligent, entertaining approach to the subject.

Admirer by Kathryn Freedman

Kathryn Freedman's Admirer approaches the subject by presenting us with a sexy, superbly composed painting in which the thematic subject (the dog) shares the focus of the piece with the beauty of the female body. It is also a little funny in that the canine is standing by, ready to be called and approach its human, while the feline on the right, is (of course) ignoring everyone.

Their Wolf Ancestors by Anna Dibble

Anna Dibble's immensely funny and immensely smart paintings blend two of my favorite things in art: visual art and text. The above one tells us that:

“Felix, who’d limped into the bar to try and dull the trauma of alteration surgery, realized he’d made a mistake. Buster, an office acquaintance, pontificated about how their wolf ancestors royally screwed up by allowing themselves to be domesticated. This idea irritated Felix. He was rather attached to regular kibble and the blue couch at the Chapmans’. He decided against a 2^nd glass of Pinot.”

Go see this show before it ends!

Rousseau on Bethesda Painting Awards

Dr. Claudia Rousseau has an excellent review of the Bethesda Painting Awards currently on exhibition at Gallery B, the former Fraser Gallery in Bethesda currently managed by the Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District.

Read it here.

Opportunity for Artists

Mid Atlantic Competition

Deadline for Submissions: August 3, 2012

October 9 – November 2, 2012
Public Reception: Sunday, October 14, from 2-4pm

The 2012 Hoyt Mid Atlantic Juried Art Exhibition showcases artists from the Mid Atlantic Region: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Viginia and Washington, DC.

Juror:  Yours Truly

2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 1
2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 2

Rousseau on Artomatic

Dr. Claudia Rousseau is the highly respected art critic for the Gazette newspapers, which are owned by the Washington Post and it has always been a mystery to me why the WaPo doesn't also publish her gallery reviews as they do with some other Gazette articles. Dr. Rousseau is also a member of the faculty at Montgomery College. In any event, she recently went to Artomatic and keyed her impressions to my review of AOM. Her impressions are in blue.

Every year the overall "quality" of AOM improves and this year is noticeably better looking and more professional-looking than any other year.

Well, I wouldn't say better than any other year, but I will agree that the presentation was better.  Not sure about the art being better.

There's a lot less porn in AOM this year. In fact, there's a lot less nudes of all kinds.

Good. 

The range of the quality of the work, even in a postmodern world where everything is art, still ranges from the mind-boggling bad to the artistically sublime.

So many people you stand there and ask "what were they thinking?"  10 seconds of your attention.

There are several brand new (at least to me) artists in AOM who can show anywhere right now. Agreed.

There is a lot of art about The Beatles and blues musicians. Why Beatles?  But true.

There's more video art than I expected. I never saw Tim Tate's video? 

There are a lot more well-known DMV area "gallery" artists in this AOM than any previous one (except the first one in 1999). I also saw this, and noticed that when I was drawn to something it often turned out to be someone I already knew fairly well.

There's a lot of artists working with discarded computer boards and parts. Eric Celarier is the best.

There are a lot of glass artists and every single one of them is really good. Amazing.  And they keep getting better.

There are a lot of dark room style galleries and a lot of "blue light" art. Really hated most of it.

There is a lot of artwork about Obama.

There is a lot of left-wing nuttery artwork.

There are a lot of really good sculptures. Davide Prete's exhibit was lost in a sea of junk.  His work is actually fascinating, based on mathematically derived shapes. 

There are a lot of artists who make it really hard for someone interested in buying their work to get the basic details (how much is it and how do I buy it?) This was still very true.  Even their identities were often obscure. 

I thought that listing the artists by first name on the program was absurd. 

I liked:

David D'Orio's bicycle sculpture installation.  When I was there, the radio was tuned to some guy on a right wing rant.  Perfect.

Joseph Corcoran.  Wrote his name down as someone to remember. 

Greg Minah.  Interesting that when I first saw his work I didn't like it, but now it does really stand out.

Emily Piccirillo.  

Andrew Wodzianski

Frank Warren's video about Post Secret.  Yes, we all know the story, but I was really caught by the video presentation.

Michael Janis.  His work just keeps moving forward into new and interesting tracks.

Blair Jackson photographs.  Made me stop moving for a while. First time seeing this artist.

Michele Banks.   Would love one of those petri dishes.

Ellen Hill.  Wonderful work that also is evolving.

That's 10, but I also liked:

Linda Lowery (big paintings of crying babies)

Nicolas Zimbro  (he was a former student of mine)

Maryann Pranulis  (abstract paintings)

Lola Lombard  (dresses)

Eileen Williams  (collages)

RSVP: Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: June 30, 2012

Later this year I will be honored to jury RSVP 2012 for The New Wilmington Arts Association. They support the careers of artists by providing opportunities for uncensored experimentation, professional presentation, and critical dialogue and RSVP is their annual juried exhibition open to all artists and media.

You can download the prospectus here - hurry and do not leave it to the last minute!

Elephant

Anderson Campello, Elephant, Mixed Media on paper, 11x14 inches, circa 2012

Hoyt Call for Artists

Mid Atlantic Competition

Deadline for Submissions: August 3, 2012

October 9 – November 2, 2012
Public Reception: Sunday, October 14, from 2-4pm

The 2012 Hoyt Mid Atlantic Juried Art Exhibition showcases artists from the Mid Atlantic Region: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Viginia, Virginia and Washington, DC.

Juror:  Yours Truly

2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 1
2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 2

Opportunity for Artists

Call to Artists

Join us to put on a one day

Addiction and Art Exhibition

at the

IntNSA Conference

Annual Education Conference of the International Nurses Society on Addiction

Artists are invited to submit original artworks on the theme of drug addiction and recovery (drugs include alcohol, tobacco, illegal or prescription drugs). Artists accepted for the show will be asked to attend the exhibition to discuss their work with visitors 5:30 - 8:00 PM on September 5, 2012. Submissions will be juried because there is limited exhibition space. Conference attendees will select the prize winners (1st $300, 2nd $200 and 3rd $100)

The exhibition will be at the
Madison Hotel, 1177 15th St., NW Washington, DC
September 5, 2012
Deadline for Submissions: August 1, 2012

For submission details download the call at addictionandart.org/shows.html#intnsa_call

Mici on Parris

Bora Mici has an interesting article titled Being a Local Artist - An Insider's Perspective in the Gaithersburg Patch...

"Preparing and designing a solo show is a great responsibility since you represent yourself, your art, your view of the world," said Parris, of Gaithersburg, who is now a veteran of the local art scene..

Read it here.