Looking for a Art Restorer

I have a collector friend who is in desperate need of a qualified art restorer to restore a photo which has been attacked by mold from the verso.

Both art conservators that I've used in the past have moved to Florida and this lady would rather deal with someone local... send me an email if you readers recommend someone...

Sarah Hood Salomon at Photoworks

I am going to start the review of this very attractive photography exhibition by Sarah Hood Salomon by scolding the gallery where it is being staged: Glen Echo Photoworks.

This is 2013, and for a gallery to have such an outdated website as this one is... is unprofessional and bothersome. Today it was featuring a show that closed last March... tsk, tsk.

That's a shame, because Glen Echo Photoworks is one of the jewels of our area's art scene; with their exhibitions, classes, talks, etc. they are a giant part of not only our photography scene, but also of our arts tapestry in general.

To make matters worse, the photographer's website was also failing to load (using either IE or Firefox).. when it rains it pours...

On exhibition are 24 color photos that use camera motion and slow shutter speeds in order to "compress transitional qualities of light into one image." What they do accomplish is the delivery of sensually beautiful images that once again impress upon me what a gifted photographer can deliver.

The first photo that we see is "Sunset at the Chesapeake." It is an explosion of color and cool, fuzzy vertical lines that transform the landscape into a surreal beauty and a new version of the Chesapeake.

"Winter Winds" is so well done that it almost explodes in front of your face with the whooosh of a storm, while "Man in Brown Suit" and "Odd Man Out" are both a little ghostly in the way that the figures have been shaken.

"Outside Dr. Ong's Office" is perhaps the best example of what this photographer can accomplish with her technique. I found this image to be a riot of color and almost an eulogy to string theory within a cyclone of warm colors - staying on the brainy theme, "Rt. 27" perhaps gives us an unintended insight into either the way that the Big Bang may have looked like or what the end of the Universe may look like.

It's all about color.

All of the pieces were also professionally presented and framed in museum mats to full conservation standards and priced really, really well; they were a steal at $325 framed and $225 matted.

Kordas

Here are the vintage Korda photographs which have been sent to the University of Oregon as part of an extended loan.

Alberto Díaz Gutiérrez, better known as Alberto Korda or simply Korda (September 14, 1928 in Havana, Cuba – May 25, 2001 in Paris, France) was the Cuban photographer who took the most reproduced photograph in history and documented some of the early days of the Cuban Revolution as it quickly evolved into the genocidal, racist, mass-murdering dictatorship that still oppresses the Cuban people and caused the Cuban Diaspora.

All images of the Korda photographs are by Pete Duvall, who is a wizard at photographing artwork.

Fidel y Niño (1960)

Prueba de una Cortadora de Caña (1962)

Ché Encima del Tractor (1962)

Ché con Hombre y Maquinaria (1962)

Miliciana (1962)

Fidel Jugando Golf (1959)

Guerrillero Heroico (1960)

David y Goliath (1959)

Ché y Raul (1961)

Ché Apoyando al Baston de Golf (1959)

Ché Arreglando el Tractor (1962)

Fidel Aprendiendo a Esquiar en Rusia (1962)

Fidel Sobre la Nieve en Rusia (1962)

Juego de Golf con Fidel (1959)

Fidel y Ché Pescando (1959)

Prueba de una Cortadora de Caña 2 (1962)

Ché Mirando con Anteojos (1960)

The two Kordas below remain with the collectors here in the DC area:

Jean Paul Sartre (1960)

Jean Paul Sartre (1960)

Call for Art

Fermentation Festival and Exhibit: Call for Art - The Gallery at Convergence

            Since the beginning of civilization fermentation has mystified humans. Ancient legends say we were taught by sacred beings to make fermented beverages containing a magical substance, a spirit that awakens dormant capacities within us.

            A cursory look at the process of fermentation reveals connections with our personal experiences of transformation. Fermenting implies agitation, excitement or tumult. It is the process by which old ideas, habits and patterns are overturned and new insight is introduced to strengthen us and ensure our flourishing. As artists our creative experience often ferments from initial intent into surprising transformations. It is our growth process.

            Convergence is calling artists to submit works that express, share or observe fermentation in a creative, personal, spiritual or global sense. You are invited to share what is fermenting inside you!

*All media considered including 2D, 3D, multi-media, installations and performance. Open to all artists.

*Entry Deadline: 10 am, August 24, 2013

*Email jpg images of artwork and entry form to office@convergenceccf.net by 10am on August 24, 2013

*Payment should be dropped off/mailed to Convergence Office, ATTN: Christina Perry, 1801 N. Quaker Ln, Alexandria, VA 22302. $15 per entry (up to 4 pieces per entry).

*For multi-media, installations, or performance pieces please write and send in a proposal.

Important Dates:

•   Call for art launches: June 25, 2013

•   Deadline for submissions: 10am, August 24, 2013

•   Artists notification: August 27, 2013

•   Hanging: Tuesday, Wednesday, September 3 and 4th, 2013

•   Exhibition: Thursday, September 5th - Monday, October 28, 2013

•   Opening Reception: Saturday, September 14, 2013, 10am-3pm

•   Closing Party: TBD

•   Deinstall: TBD

Submission Details: Please submit a digital image of your entry. You may submit up to 4 pieces total per entry.

 

    Submission Fees: $15 per entry made payable to Convergence.

•     Artists are invited to submit up to four (4) pieces of original art. All media including painting, photography, mixed media, fiber/textile, sculpture, and other high quality fine art. Convergence encourages submissions of cutting edge, experimental, and high energy styles.
•     Artists will be notified of the curator's selection by August 27, 2013 
•     Shipping costs (including return shipping) are the responsibility of the artists. Detailed shipping instructions will be sent with the curators' notification.
•     Participating artists will be asked to sign an "Artist's Loan Agreement," which includes a liability waiver and permission to use any images for promotional purposes, as well as other terms.

Exhibition:

•     Artwork previously exhibited at Convergence is not eligible.
•     All artwork selected must be ready for exhibition: framed when appropriate, delivered with necessary hardware.
•     Finished and framed art should not exceed 48” in any direction. All art on paper must be framed and under glass or plexiglass. Work on canvas should finished sides or be framed.
•     All artwork must be labeled on the back with the artist name, phone number, title of work, medium, and price
•     Artists are required to provide a current Artist Statement and Bio limited to 1 page to be included in the Gallery Notebook.
•     All artwork must remain on exhibit for the duration of the show and will not be removed prior to Tuesday, October 29, 2013.
•     A donation of 15% of art sales will be made to Convergence by the artist. All sales are handled by the artist.

Accepted Artist Responsibilities:

•    Artists are responsible for drop off/pick up as well as delivery of sold artworks.
•     All taxes are the sole responsibility of the artist.
•     Convergence requests each art publicize the exhibit and opening on their websites, blog, and/or Facebook.
•     All artists MUST volunteer for a show job, see list on Entry Form. Sign up sheet will be available at Artwork Receiving.

Use Rights: by submitting artwork for the exhibition, accepted artists grant Convergence the right to use their images for the purpose of marketing he exhibition, marketing Convergence’s programs and display on the Convergence website. Artists grant the use of their image(s) as stated without further contact or compensation from Convergence. Artist’s credit is provided with any use.

Liability: Artwork and submission materials will be handled with all possible care. Convergence will not be responsible or liable for loss or damage from any cause whatsoever. Entering this exhibition shall constitute understanding and agreement on the part of the artist with the conditions stated. Insurance, if desired, is the sole responsibility of the artist.

If you have any questions please contact the Gallery Coordinator, Christina Perry at 703-998-6260 or email: office@convergenceccf.net

Call for Scary Art

Deadline: August 1, 2013

BFSD (BIG FAT SCARY DEAL) Purdue University Galleries is curating exhibit of contemporary art that is edgy, weird, unsettling and scary. Open to US artists. Oct 21 - Dec 8, 2013. Any media, limit 8 feet tall or 10 feet wide. Selections from jpeg or video files - no PowerPoints. Artists responsible for shipping. No entry fee.

Details: Craig Martin, Director
765-494-3061
 http://cla.purdue.edu/galleries
email: cdmartin@purdue.edu

Vintage Korda on its way to Oregon

See that shrink wrapped photo lying on my kitchen island and awaiting for an art courier to pick it up (which she did yesterday)? - that's the very first, original, vintage Korda photograph of the Argentinean psychopath Ernesto Guevara de La Serna Lynch, known to most of the world as Ché and to many Cubans as El Chacal de La Cabaña.

That photo, together with 16 other vintage Kordas from 1959 - 1960s are heading to the Jordan Schnitzer Museum at The University of Oregon for an extended loan.

Korda's iconic photo of Guevara (titled "Guerrillero Heroico") is the most reproduced photograph in history, thanks to the billions of T-Shirts that it adorns. I am told that recent appraisals put its value at around $4.5 million dollars.

I'm glad that it is out of my house and on its way to the Great Pacific Northwest. It's a good thing that the kid has nerves of steel, as I picked it up from the owners' home in Chevy Chase and transported it to my home so that the courier could pick it up yesterday. She came with a crew that boxed it up in a very cool carrying case.

The world's most reproduced and iconic photograph (and perhaps the most expensive as well) made its way to a collector's home in the Greater DC area thanks to a very interesting series of events after Korda died a few years ago.

The two top most reproduced images in the world are bearded men: The Christ and Ché...  cough, cough...

Now it's on a permanent loan to Oregon, which this Fall begins to teach a new class on Guevara.

Admiral Frank Kelso

Sad to report that Admiral Frank Kelso passed away today after sustaining injuries after a fall.

I never served with him, but under him.

And he probably never even knew that he saved my butt when I was a very junior officer in the Navy and I did something under fire that drew a lot of harsh criticism from senior leadership in the Navy and to which Kelso (then Commander of the Navy's Sixth Fleet) sent an official message using the words "initiative that Commanders can only dream of" that pretty much saved that young officer's (me) Naval career.

Fair winds and following seas Admiral...

And the next Artomatic will be at...

You saw it first here... the next Artomatic will be at the old Hecht's warehouse on New York Avenue - that's a great location for Artomatic!

Frida Kahlo’s Closet is Opened 58 years After Her Death

"If you are a Frida Kahlo fan – and really, who isn’t – check out the new exhibit at the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico City.  It opened this past weekend and it takes us inside Frida’s long-locked closet."

Read the story by Diana Olivia Cave here.

Reworking Eve

I seldom do this, but after framing "Eve Sees Her Face for the First Time" and looking at it for a few days, I decided to re-work the pond/water area. Here's the final version heading to Glenn Aber Contemporary in New York for the fairs at the Hamptons.

This is an experimental public artwork that uses social media to create this final work of art. The concept is to offer a path to develop a collaborative effort between the artist and other people. 

The video drawing “Eve Sees Her Face for the First Time” showcases the faces of about 75 women from all over the world. When this piece was conceived, I put out a call via Facebook for women of all ages, ethnicities and races to send him an image of their faces for inclusion in the piece. 

The call went viral on Facebook and over 1,000 images of women came from all over the world (and are still coming!). This work contains about 75 rotating images of the first woman. Additionally, the piece can continue to “grow” and the collector of this piece has the option to continue to add more faces to the piece via an included USB connector, if so desired, and thus become a “contributor” to the work.

My next step with this series is to create the next piece with the ability to log onto the Internet and via Facebook (once the owner logs it into his/her Facebook account) to search for the Facebookian women who have given permission and donated their faces to the project.

I am in the process of beginning working with Facebook developers to have them create a "permission" that can be recognized by my work, so that it can "grab" the permitted image and insert it into the artwork.

Eve Sees Her Face for the First Time
Charcoal and Conte with Embedded Electronics
32 x 20 inches and framed to 40.5 x 28.5 inches

Previous version of the piece