Miami International Art Fair (last day)

MIA ended with an unexpected bang today for Mayer Fine Art, as some rare "I'll be backs" actually came back and acquired some more work from Norfolk's hardest working independently owned commercial fine arts gallery.

As soon as the doors opened at noon, a well-known Cuban-American doctor arrived and purchased an older Tim Tate 2005 piece which was being sold on behalf of the original owner, who is now retired and living the good life in Pensacola Beach. This clearly shows that Tate's older work still holds its own a few years into its life.

Soon after that a Boston couple on their way to visit Cuba fell in love with Sandra Ramos' work and acquired one of her 1993 series classic aquatint etchings. It was shaping to be a day for older work back on the market.

The Argentine couple who earlier in the week had acquired the Sheila Giolitti painting returned today and purchased an Alexey Terenin oil which had been haunting them since their original visit

A couple of hours later, the culmination of three days of negotiations ended with the major sale of two very large Alexey Terenins - one well over seven feet tall and six feet across and the other just slightly smaller. They are both heading to Pompano Beach and possibly represents the largest one day business day for MFA... ever.

When closing time came, to my horror I discovered that it was pouring down rain outside. Now the horrific task of trying to load a van full of artwork in the rain while ensuring that the work is protected began.

It is difficult enough to handle and load work properly in the best of times; it is a nightmare in bad weather, and I can testify to the marvel of seeing gallerists wheeling $100,000 paintings out in the rain to their vans and trucks.

We didn't do that. And to avoid it, we had to wrap the work in plastic, then cover it in plastic again, take it to the van, load it and then remove the wet outside plastic. This means that by midnight, although we were finished and all the art was loaded and safe, we were soaked to the bone and our feet were wet and spongy... ahhh the hidden glamorous life of the art dealer.

Tomorrow morning I head back home, and Sheila Giolitti heads to Palm Beach, where she will be taking part in Art Palm Beach later this week.

Miami International Art Fair (Sunday Report)

Good crowds again today, but selling remains tentative, although one of the Colombian galleries next to us finally broke the ice in style today with the sale of a $20,000 painting.

Over at MFA, we recuperated from yesterday's no sales day with a few more sales, although the big ticket items remain unsold. Sold today was another Alexey Terenin painting in the early afternoon, and I then sold four of my drawings throughout the day, finally breaking the ice. I was also invited by a local gallery (which also has a presence in Europe and South America) to participate in a group show later this summer.

Tomorrow is the last day of the fair, as it runs into a rare Monday work day. Then comes the always brutal task of repacking all the unsold work and driving it all back home.

Miami International Art Fair (Saturday Report)

Good crowds again today. The organizers have done a really good job of advertising (there are street banners everywhere) and there is significant volume all day.

Frustrating day for MFA though; one of those fair days of close calls, "I'll be backs" and the unexplainable inability to close clear sales.

Francis Acea, the tall, good-looking publisher of Miami Art Guide comes by and we have a very long chat about my Che Guevara video drawing and he plants an interesting dilemma in my mind (more on that later).

As the fair closes at 7PM, then I take my cousin and his family to dinner in Coral Gables at a Japanese restaurant. Afterwards we drop by a roof party in a gorgeous artists studio building in Wynwood. The 360 degree view is spectacular and there's also a heated pool on the roof. The bartender is a genius and his mojito making is good, but his gin and tonic with a drop of elderflower liqueur and key limes is magical.

I hear that there's a flat soon opening and perhaps going on the auction block... more on that later too.

The Dynamics of the DC Art Scene

The Art Dealers Association of Greater Washington, in partnership with The Kreeger Museum, are putting together a panel discussion on how Art Dealers, Collectors, Curators and Museum Directors interact to support the visual arts in the DC area.

The Kreeger Museum,
2401 Foxhall Road NW
Washington, DC 20007

Thursday, February 24, 2011
6:30pm - 9 pm

Tickets: $20 / The Kreeger Museum Members: $15
Includes a cheese and wine reception.

Preceding the panel discussion, guests will have an opportunity to view In Unison: 20 Washington, DC Artists, the culmination of a project initiated by artist Sam Gilliam, consisting of monoprints by 20 artists from the DC community, who typically work in different styles and mediums.

For reservations, call 202-338-3552.

Panelists include:
- Juliette Bethea, Collector
- Dr. Johnnetta Cole, Director, National Museum of African Art
- Judy A. Greenberg, Director, The Kreeger Museum
- Gisela Huberman, Collector (and proud owner of my work)
- Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator, American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center
- and moderator Bill Dunlap, Artist and Art Critic and TV talking head, and one of the 100 in my book about DC artists.

Considering the focus of the panel, am I the only one who finds it odd that missing from the panel are any art dealers?

Seventh Annual Bethesda Painting Awards

Deadline: Friday, February 25, 2011

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is currently accepting applications for the seventh annual Bethesda Painting Awards, a juried competition honoring four selected painters with $14,000 in prize monies. Deadline for submission is February 25, 2011. Up to nine finalists will be invited to display their work at a Bethesda gallery.

The competition will be juried this year by Philip Geiger, an art instructor at the University of Virginia; Evelyn Hankins, associate curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. and Jinchul Kim, a painting professor at Salisbury University.

The first place winner will be awarded $10,000; second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000. A “young” artist whose birth date is after February 25, 1981 may also be awarded $1,000.

Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. All original 2-D painting including oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and mixed media will be accepted. No reproductions.

Each artist must submit five digital files or slides, application and a non-refundable entry fee of $25.

Applications are available online at www.bethesda.org.

The Bethesda Painting Awards were established by my good friend and Bethesda philanthropist, art collector and community activist Carol Trawick in 2005.

WPA 2011 Artist Directory

Deadline: February 1, 2011

The Washington Project for the Arts has announced a call for submissions for its 2011 Artist Directory.

Published bi-annually, this four-color, 8.5 x 5.5 inch directory is the definitive listing of established and emerging contemporary artists throughout the Washington region. It is seen by more than 2,000 galleries, curators, art consultants, and interested art patrons. Copies are distributed to selected art critics and other members of the press, and to museums both in the region and outside the area. The 2011 Artist Directory will also be available for sale on the WPA website and at select area retail locations at the price of $9.95.

Each participating artist will be featured on a full page (8.5 x 5.5 inches). The page will include the artist's name, a color digital image of their work, their studio address and phone number, email address, web address, and their gallery affiliation.

All current WPA members are eligible for publication in the Artist Directory. There is an additional registration fee that includes a copy of the Artist Directory. At this time, the registration fee is $75. The final registration deadline is February 1, 2011. No submissions will be accepted after this date.

All submissions will be handled through an online registration form on the WPA's website.

Each participating artist can upload one image to be featured on their page. Images must be submitted as .eps or .tif files in CMYK format. They must be 300dpi and as close as possible to, but no smaller than 6 inches on the longest side.

If you have any questions regarding the 2011 Artist Directory, please contact Blair Murphy, Membership Directory at bmurphy@wpadc.org or 202-234-7103 x 1.

Miami Biennial 2012

I am told that Miami is planning to host a Biennial next year. More as I find out more...

Miami International Art Fair (Opening Day)

Today was the official opening to the public and the crowds were pretty steady throughout the day and quite heavy at night. I also noticed that the champagne went from $14 a glass to $10 a glass. I suspect the price reduction was due to lack of interest in the $14 price.

There was a little drama across from us as yesterday the union guys working the fair (installing booths, lights, etc.) broke an art piece that was hanging in the booth directly across from us. That gallery (according to the owner) has done 41 fairs (I saw them at Scope last December) and he was furious.

Furious because last year, at the first MIA fair, the same thing happened to the same artist! Two fairs in a row the work crew damages the same artist's artwork. And furious because (according to him), no one took responsibility for the art damage, and once again this year, "nobody seen nuthin'"

And so he starts tearing down his booth - he's leaving the fair. Hi drama in Mya-a-mah!

An hour or two passes and he starts putting work back on the walls. Clearly he received some sort of agreement. I don't know what it was and it is none of my business.

This fires up Sheila from MFA, because her big Alexey Terenin painting has been damaged and no one is owning up to it. She goes away to shake up some trees and comes back with yet another form and another report.

First sale of the day occurs in the early afternoon as we sell two Sandra Ramos' etchings. The fact that two huge Sandra Ramos' paintings were recently acquired by the Miami Art Museum helps to make the sale to one Florida based collector.

The second sale is also a double-hitter, as MFA sells two Tim Tate sculptures to a local Florida collector. At the same time a cute New Jersey artist with a very original haircut buys one of my etchings - my first sale of the fair.

Charlottesville's Michael Fitts' works always attracts a lot of attention and generate a lot of sales. A local couple falls in love with his spoon painting but say that they will think about it and come back.

A few hours pass (with more threats to me because of the Che Guevara video drawing) before a dual state couple (they live half the year in NYC and half the year in Boca Raton) buys the Fitts' spoon painting. A few minutes later, and about three hours after they first expressed interest in the work, the other couple returns to buy it. They are shocked to see that it has sold.

I tell them that Picasso once said that the "best time to buy art is when you see it." They give me a venomous look and walk away.

The evening is rounded out with a wealthy Argentinean couple (these guys are dual country - they live half the year in Miami Beach and half the year in Buenos Aires) expresses interest in both Terenin and Sheila Giolitti's work.

For 90 minutes they debate before deciding to walk away and think about it. They come back 30 minutes later and buy the Giolitti, which will hang in their Buenos Aires home.

It's now 9PM and the fair is over, and by 9:30PM, exhausted and hungry and tired I head to Little Havana (where I'm staying at my cousin's house). These long nights are exhausting and my feet are killing me and as I drive on Calle Ocho I realize that I've left my cell phone at the booth and can't call home to say good night.

I'm also starving and stop at a sidewalk cookout joint with some sidewalk chairs on Calle Ocho and order a huge steak, yellow rice and steamed veggies for $12. The guy cooks it in front of me while describing the freshness of the meat and how delicious the yellow rice is.

While I wait they give me some complimentary frituras de malanga. They are delicious and so is my dinner as I eat it outside in the night breeze of Little Havana, next to some Cuban social club where lots of cute old Cuban guys in their 70s and 80s and all wearing guayaberas are all hanging outside on the sidewalk discussing baseball, Obama and local politics. There is one old guy wearing a 1970s disco shirt (and who looks like a lot like Ibrahim Ferrer) and he is defending Obama, while all the others are trashing him. I finish my late dinner, smell the words of a fiery but nonetheless a civil debate among old friends, and then head home to write this post and go to sleep happy that life is good.

Miami International Art Fair (Preview Day)

Yesterday I described the arrival of a damaged huge painting to Mayer Fine Art's focus booth at the MIA and how that cast a bad start to MIA for Norfolk's best art gallery.

I got up early today, drove to Rico Bakery (3401 Northwest 17th Avenue, Miami, FL 33142-5537 (305) 637-0707), where they make 2-3 dozen different Cuban pastelitos and a lot of really yummy baked food, and bought two dozen Cuban pastelitos (they give you a free one when you buy six), plus a generous breakfast sandwich (a fried egg with ham and cheese on a Cuban bread bun that is then put on that hot press that is also used to make the famous Cuban sandwich.

I drove to MIA and passed the food to some of our gallery neighbors (both of them are galleries from Bogota, Colombia) and to Frank and Helen from Philadelphia's hardworking Projects Gallery. By the way, Projects Gallery's Frank Hyder has one of the coolest installations that I've ever seen in any fair. It has everything that a good installation should have: cool, intelligent sculptural elements, sound and an intelligent sense (actually aura, not sense) of truly transforming a space (a whole booth in this case) into a distinctive work of art. I will do a video of this installation later this week.

About eleven or so, a nice Cuban guy with bright blue eyes (Proof that Anderson and Cameron Diaz are not the only ones) and with the unfortunate name of Fidel (for a Cuban in Miami anyway) shows up. He is the restorer with the task of fixing the damaged Alexey Terenin mega-painting.

I will blow the climax of the story by telling you that by the end of the day this guy will prove himself to be a magician as well.

It is seldom in my experience that I have seen an "expert" not only be an expert, but also an aficionado of his expertise and a true hero in this case. For my fellow galleristas: when you come to Miami, if you need any repair work, or stretching, or conservation, or framing, then Obrapia Fine Arts (1648 Southwest 8th Street
Miami, FL 33135-5220 (305) 646-6751) has my highest possible recommendation.

Fidel arrived, looked at the work and initially began to repair the two holes right on the spot. He did that easily and quickly, and after he was done, it was impossible to find them again. Because the painting had been laid flat during shipping (even though the crate was marked with giant letters with DO NOT LAY FLAT signs), the canvas had stretched and was wavy and bubbly and had several pressure marks. Sheila Giolitti needed it re-stretched, and it became clear that the only way to get it back to a taut canvas would be to un-frame it and re-tighten it. This is no easy task for a huge seven feet by seven feet work of art, and the decision was made to take the painting back to Obrapia's shop and work on it there.

Easily said, but that meant that Fidel would have to go and rent a truck, come back, pick up the painting from the Convention Center, take it to his shop, un-frame it, upgrade the stretcher bars, stretch it, re-frame it, drive it back to the Convention Center and hang it. And it was 3PM and the fair opens at 6PM.

Somehow this dude did it. At 5:30PM he was back with a beautifully taut painting, and not only had he fixed the tiny pricks, and not only had he re-stretched the saggy linen, and not only had he upgraded the stretcher bars and added a cross bar and four angle corners, but the amazing dude had also touched up the frame and eliminated all the nicks and bruises from it. And then he hung it.

And then he gave Mayer Fine Art the bill, and Sheila was shocked at how reasonable that bill was, and the amazing degree of professionalism and expertise and joy for the job shown by this talented conservator. And Obrapia Fine Arts got a well-earned tip on top of the bill from Mayer Fine Art. And not only that, but a lesson learned as well: from now on, MFA plans to ship all the large Terenin canvases to Obrapia ahead of the Miami fairs. They can stretch and frame it and deliver it to the fairs for a heck of a lot less than it would cost to frame it and then ship it to Miami and take a chance for damage during the shipping.

At 6PM the crowds started pouring in and we were essentially flooded with people and press. The food was hard to get at, as the food tables were surrounded by a mass of humanity, but we still had a good stock of pastelitos left.

First sale of the night was a gorgeous trompe l'oeil painting by Michael Fitts. It was sold to a French collector who paid in cash. He counted in French and kept making mistakes and giving us anywhere from 5-8 twenty dollar bills in what was supposed to be $100 counts (that's five $20 bills equals $100 for you folks in California). We all kept having to recount the money and after a while it was either a farce or I was beginning to suspect that this guy was doing it on purpose for some kind of a scam. Finally we got it under control, and we ended with a lot of Jacksons and Benjamins and he ended with a cool trompe l'oeil (on reclaimed metal) of paper airplanes.

All through the night I was being accosted over my Che Guevara video drawing. Even a member of the press warns me that I shouldn't have that piece in Miami. "Someone will take a hammer to it before the fair is over," he predicts. Once I explain the whole reverse meaning of the piece, he becomes more understanding. Later in the night he brings his wife over and I see her eyes rage with fury - he's the one having fun with her now. And he's the one that explains the work to her. At the end she congratulates me on a well-done piece.

At one point the video drawing is almost sold to a Venezuelan collector, but I begin to discuss the second video drawing that I'm now working on (Frida Kahlo) and he wants to see that one instead (once it is finished). I get his business card and kick myself.

MFA then sells an Erwin Timmers glass sculpture to a very well-known Florida art collector. Timmers will be pleased when he finds out who this collector is. The buyer tells me that he'll be flying to DC for the WPA Auction.

And just like that, the preview night is over at 10PM, and with all the drama of the damaged painting behind, we're now looking forward to the real opening (to the public) of the fair tomorrow.

Miami International Art Fair (Set up day)

The 5 AM cab ride from Potomac to Reagan National was pretty hairy considering that the streets of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Montgomery County were pretty icy and snowy, and there were more than one ice tail spins along Bells Mill Drive on the way to Seven Locks and Democracy Blvd and the Beltway.

The Beltway was pretty clear of snow and ice, but I am always shocked to discover how many cars are out there at 5 in the morning. Who are all these drivers and where the fuck are they all going at 5 AM?

My cab driver (I always call the same guy, his names is Bones, and he will get you from A to B every time on time. Once you have a dependable cab driver, one must return to the force every time). Bones is reliable, big and strong, a brilliant storyteller and really resembles that huge guy from the Green Mile.

So we get to DCA on time, in spite of a few spin-offs at the George Washington Parkway, and I'm loving Jet Blue because they don't charge a fee for luggage while most of the other airlines scam you out of $50 per round trip if you check in a bag; and because flight 1795 is leaving on time in spite of the ice and snow. But once we're in the plane, by the time we're de-iced it is is almost 90 minutes past departure time, but I'm cool because I am heading to Miami for the second Miami International Art Fair (MIA) at the Miami Beach Convention Center and it is in the 70s in Florida and according to the weather people, Florida is the only state in the union (including Hawaii) which doesn't have snow somewhere on the ground today. WTF happened to global warming?

When we land (it was a Navy landing by the way, because it was clearly the short runway), the tall, skinny flight attendant dude tells us that we've made up 30 minutes from our late departure, which as usual leads me to think: do they fly "faster" if they leave late?

Then I get a rental car, and as always marvel at all the bullshit car rental taxes in Florida that cost almost as much as the actual rental car cost, but I get a free upgrade to a minivan because they're out of "real" cars...

Then I drive to quickly see my parents before stopping over at Casablanca Bakery in Hialeah for the best pastelitos, papa rellena, croquetas, bacalao, yuca rellena, and Cuban bread in the area (and a full breakfast anytime for $3). They put it all in a nice box and I take it to my parents.

From there I drive to Little Havana, where I had left a bunch of my artwork in store at my cousin's house. I get there, load up the minivan and head to Miami Beach to meet Sheila, the hardworking artist and owner/director of Mayer Fine Art to help her set up in booth 105 of the fair.

At the MB Convention Center there's an army of people assembling booths and putting art shows together. This is the same floor, the same place where the "real" Art Basel Miami Beach takes place, and there's a feeling to being here that is quite unique.

Mayer Fine Art actually has two booths at this fair: one for gallery artists and one focus booth for their big selling European superuberartist Alexey Terenin.

Terenin deserves the focus booth (curated by Aldo Castillo).

Terenin... this Russian-born painter is an exceptional master of the marriage of the palette knife with the brush and with intensely psychological scenarios... and he sells like crazy!

For MIA, Sheila has chosen a huge Terenin painting, almost seven feet tall. She has spent over a thousand dollars getting it stretched, framed, crated and shipped to Miami Beach for the spotlight of a focus booth in this show.

When it arrives, it has been damaged in transit by the shipper, who has clearly ignored the DO NOT LAY FLAT markings on the crate. There are two huge gouge holes on the crate, which in turn have worked their way through the protective wood, board and plastic protection around the linen painting to just barely kiss the back of the painting with a sharp steel tooth of a yellow gear transport and bite the linen to leave a mark, almost invisible, on the canvas, and the tiniest of wounds to the paint itself.

Two of them, as if a gigantic snake had brushed the rear of the painting with needle-like teeth. Two tiny pin-like pricks... almost invisible to the eye, but not to the ethics of a decent art dealer.

Within minutes Aldo Castillo has a conservation restorer on the line. He will come tomorrow morning to assess the damage and repair it on site. Sheila's investment in this yet unsold painting continues.

And so does this report from MIA... tomorrow.

WaPo Job Posting for Art Critic

From: Jennifer Crandell
Sent: 01/12/2011 05:53 PM EST
To: NEWS - All Newsroom
Subject: Job Posting: Art Critic

The Washington Post is looking for an outstanding visual art critic. This position requires a deep and ranging knowledge of art, a passion for it and an ability to convey that expertise to readers in an exciting and accessible way. The critic will be charged with reviewing the important Washington shows, and staying abreast of innovations and shifts in the arts scene nationally and in a city that treasures the arts, and has more museums than almost any other major metropolitan area. This is a high-profile, nationally recognized platform for powerful arts journalism.

Boldness, imagination and a willingness to confront controversy are requisites. This job also requires an ability to report and write news about art on deadline, as well as develop a formidable Web presence. We want a person with vision and depth of thought to carry on the Post's long tradition of brilliant art criticism. Interested candidates should please contact Rich Leiby (x 7325) or Peter Perl (x6188) by Jan. 18.

Interesting that three different friends at the WaPo managed to send me this within minutes of it being sent...

A while back I told you that there were three scenarions for the replacement of Blake Gopnik and in order of probability the three scenarios are:

1. WaPo gets a replacement for Gopnik from "in-house" by filling the position with someone already in the employment of the WaPo.

2. WaPo contracts a local DMV writer to contribute museum reviews and he/she shares the load with Dawson, already a contracted freelancer.

3. WaPo hires an outsider art critic from another newspaper below the "newspaper food chain" from the WaPo (same as they did with Gopnik).

I also told you that scenario one is the most probable because it is the least costly to the WaPo. By replacing Gopnik with a critic already in the employ of the WaPo, salary negotiations are easier, and the WaPo saves on moving expenses as well as travel expenses in interviewing applicants from outside the area. It also makes the paperwork a lot easier and in the end the payroll is one less as no one has had to be hired in order to replace Gopnik. If this scenario is the principal one, then this would be good news for the DMV art scene, as the logical replacement for Gopnik would be O'Sullivan. And he is already well-versed in the DMV art scene, knows everyone and everyone knows him, and would just have to move his desk from Weekend to Style. Cost to the WaPo?: A well-deserved pay raise bump to O'Sullivan. Cost to O'Sullivan?: He may end up writing reviews for both Style and Weekend and doubling his work load (and thus his paycheck?). Or Weekend would hire a freelancer to do some random visual art reviews every couple of months or so. An interesting twist to this scenario would be if Style got Dr. Claudia Rousseau, who (a) writes for the Gazette, which is owned by the Post and thus already within the Post financial borg, and (b) comes with a respectable and award winning provenance for critical art writing derived from many years of writing about art (in Spanish) for Latin American newspapers and locally for the Gazette, (c) she is a respected college professor on the subject of art and art history, and (d) would add some highly needed diversity to the ranks of Style critics. This internal email seems to add some meat to my guessing that the Gopnikmeister's replacement might/will come from "inside" the WaPo Borg.

Scenario two is the next most probable because it ends with a couple of freelancers (not Post employees) sharing the Gopnik load for Style. That means they save on insurance, 401(k), etc. If scenario two is the one, then one of these guys/gals is the pool of DMV art critics and artsy writers (in no particular order): Jeffry Cudlin, Claudia Rousseau, Maura Judkis, John Anderson, Kriston Capps, Kevin Mellema, John Blee, JW Mahoney, Lou Jacobson (he'd only do photography reviews), etc. and maybe some of those random names that show up once in a while in the back of the magazine reviews in the national artzines. The top two choices?: Cudlin or Rousseau. They are both award winning critics, well-known and respected in the DMV and I'm somewhat sure that they'd be interested in the job. Because of Cudlin's superb performance as a curator at the AAC, Cudlin is a double threat for moving up the food chain in the better paid curatorial food chain, and maybe he's more interested in following that line, but he'd still make an excellent Gopnik-replacement local choice (but not sure if he could do both jobs at once). Rousseau's strong points are discussed in the previous scenario, and also make her a formidable choice (if she's interested in the job). Because of Cudlin's success as a curator, I think Jeffry is probably more in tune with moving up the curatorial food chain (are you listening Hirshhorn?) and thus advantage Rousseau.

Scenario three is the least likely because it is the most expensive and time intensive for the Post. The new hire would have to be lured away from another newspaper, and be hired as a Post employee with all rights and benefits. This seems a long shot in this financially austere environment where the WaPo is early-retiring and letting go people of left and right. Four wild assed guesses: Fabiola Santiago from the Miami Herald, Alan Artner from the Chicago Tribune, Robert Pincus (formerly of the San Diego Union-Tribune) and Regina Hackett (formerly of the Seattle P.I.). My heart would be with Regina.

Comments welcomed; I am sure that I skipped some potential names in scenario two.

New Drawings

Here are some of the new works that I'm be taking to the Miami International Art Fair (MIA), which opens Thursday night at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Supergirl Flying Naked. Charcoal on Paper. 4.75 x 40 inches.

The Lilith, Running Away from Eden. Charcoal on paper. 39 x 10 inches.

Eve, Running Away from Eden. 22 x 18 inches. Charcoal on Paper.

Eve, Agonizing Over The Sin. Charcoal on Paper. 13 x 49 inches.

Adam's First Night Outside of Eden (Adam Alone While The Great Owl Watches).
8.5 x 22 inches. Charcoal on Paper.

Airborne

Heading down to Miami Beach to participate in the second annual Miami International Art Fair at the MB Convention Center and also to hang around with my parents. If you want to score some free passes to the fair, send me an email and I will email them to you.

Linn Meyers drawing at the Katzen

Linn Meyers: A Very Particular Moment "responds to the architecture of the museum by covering the walls with hand-drawn, repetitive, geometric lines—creating a hypnotic, meditative space. Meyers will spend two weeks in the museum creating her largest temporary drawing to-date on a 23 ft x 32 ft. wall in the museum’s third floor gallery."

The American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free. For more information, call 202-885-1300 or look on the Web here.

MIA

Later this week I'll be heading down to Miami Beach to participate in the second annual Miami International Art Fair at the MB Convention Center and also to hang around with my parents. If you want to score some free passes to the fair, send me an email and I will email them to you.

If I have time, later I will post some of the new 2011 drawings that I've created for this fair.

Draw from the model

I'm always being asked by artists where they can go and draw from the live model. There are many places in the DMV where one can just show up, or sign up and draw from the live model.

One cool place is the Del Ray Artisans Gallery. These sessions operate on a drop-in basis so there is no need to register in advance. Bring your supplies and join them at the gallery to draw or paint their live models. They don't supply easels - only plenty of chairs - but you are welcome to bring your own if you want to use one. All skill levels are welcome.

Gesture Sessions (two hours)

Come to the gesture sessions to loosen up and participate in a fun, fast-paced drawing experience. These two-hour sessions are composed primarily of series of dynamic 1-5 minute poses. One or two favorite poses may be revisited for 10-15 minutes at the end of each session.

Short Pose Sessions (two or three hours)

Short pose sessions are made up entirely of poses lasting 5-15 minutes. These sessions are a wonderful way to get in lots of drawing practice with a wide variety of poses.

Short/Long Pose Sessions (three hours)

The three-hour short/long pose sessions start with some short 1-5 minute warm-up poses and progressively move into longer poses lasting 10-45 minutes. These sessions provide a great opportunity to hone your drawing and observation skills.

Long Pose Sessions (two or three hours)

For people wanting to spend an extended amount of time on a pose, go to their long pose sessions. These sessions will be composed of two long poses with perhaps a few warm-ups at the start. Please no acrylics or oils; pastels, watercolor and ink are welcome.

The fee for each three-hour session is $8 for DRA members and $10 for non-members. Two-hour sessions are $6 for members and $8 for non-members. Please check the Del Ray Artisans calendar www.thedelrayartisans.org for upcoming dates and times. If you have any questions, please contact Katherine Rand at 703.836.1468 or DRA.LifeDrawing@gmail.com.

Rousseau on Michael Enn Sirvet

Claudia Rousseau on Michael Enn Sirvet at Reyes + Davis Gallery

The solo exhibit of Michael Enn Sirvet’s sculpture at Reyes + Davis Gallery (923 F St NW) has been extended to January 15, 2011. Thus, those who haven’t seen it still have a week to see this extraordinary work.

Sirvet’s trajectory over the past few years has been exactly that: extraordinary. I first saw and reviewed his work at the Glenview Mansion in Rockville in June 2004, impressed by his combination of organic shapes, exquisite craft and mathematical brilliance. Since then, the core of his practice remains the same, but the challenges he sets himself, and the risks he’s willing to take to achieve them, have grown and changed. This is perhaps the best thing we can say about an artist—that he/she is working in a trajectory, new things building on what came before, new creativity coming out of a thorough investigation of each new idea, and going forward with that.

Sirvet is a structural engineer by training and employment for a decade before he decided to go full time as an artist in 2008. It is evident to even the casual observer that this background both informs and strengthens his art work. Nothing is haphazard. Everything is carefully planned, organized and impeccably created.

Yet, there’s a wild side to this artist, one that relates to the woods and the backcountry. And that’s here too. Leaf forms made of aluminum, which also look like frozen fire. Hanging pieces that recall beehives in the perfection of their structure, but are also industrial in their materials. Wood, aluminum, brass, bent to remake the hidden perfection of nature evident in works whose aesthetic is thoroughly grounded in it.

Art image of the day again (after tonight's shocker)...


And perhaps the biggest playoff upset in football history?

The Power of the Web

Remember when I complained here that I couldn't find Naranja Agria anywhere in the DMV?

Well, today when I got home I received the pleasant surprise of having a gallon of the stuff delivered to my front door from CubanFoodMarket.com and a gift from one of you who has been thanked separately.

Do I have the nicest friends on the planet or what?

I see more yummy recipes coming in the future.

In Unison: 20 Washington, DC Artists

Next week the Kreeger Museum will open In Unison: 20 Washington, DC Artists, an exhibition derived from a monoprint project initiated by DC artist Sam Gilliam.

Gilliam "invited 19 established and respected painters, sculptors, printmakers, digital media and installation artists working in different styles, to join him in creating several print portfolios. Each made a set of five monoprints, one of which was chosen for the show by Sam Gilliam, Judy A. Greenberg, Director of The Kreeger Museum, Marsha Mateyka of the Marsha Mateyka Gallery and Claudia Rousseau, art critic and art historian."

As stated by Rousseau, “Creating a group portfolio and exhibiting together express the ideas of unity and identity that are underlying motives of the project, and which are vital to sustaining a thriving artistic community.”

The exhibition will be on view at The Kreeger Museum from January 15 – February 26, 2011. The invited artists are:

▪ bk.iamART.Adams
▪ Akili Ron Anderson
▪ Sondra N. Arkin
▪ Paula Crawford
▪ Sheila Crider
▪ Edgar Endress
▪ Helen Frederick
▪ Claudia Aziza Gibson-Hunter
▪ Sam Gilliam
▪ Susan Goldman
▪ Tom Green
▪ Martha Jackson-Jarvis
▪ Walter Kravitz
▪ Gina Marie Lewis
▪ EJ Montgomery
▪ Michael Platt
▪ Carol A. Beane
▪ Al Smith
▪ Renée Stout
▪ Joyce Wellman
▪ Yuriko Yamaguchi

Millennium Arts Salon is the exclusive sponsor of this major exhibition at the Kreeger. Several well-known names in the list, plus quite a few that are new to me; I'm really looking forward to seeing this exhibition.

Wanna go to a DC opening tomorrow?

"Celebrate Gay Marriage" is the January show at the Foundry Gallery (located at 1314 18th St, NW) and it opens tomorrow.

The show includes juried works selected on their ability to visually represent the theme of gay marriage. Show runs Jan 5 through Jan 30. Hours: M-F, 1 to 7pm; Sat & Sun, 12 to 6pm. Opening reception Fri. Jan 7, 6 to 8pm.

Professor/Dr. Jonathan Katz, co-curator of now notorious National Portrait Gallery's "Hide/Seek" exhibition, will deliver a lecture on Sat. Jan 15 at 4:00 pm. Questions, please call 202-463-0203.

Blake Gopnik Replacement Application

(Via WCP)

Congrats!

To all the FY11 grant recipients from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

The grantees in the Artists Fellowship Program are:

Adam Davies
Alexandra Silverthorne
Alexis E. Gillespie
Anna U. Edholm Davis
Asmara Beraki
Avish Khebrehzadeh
Barbara Josephs Liotta
Brandon W. Bloch
Colin Winterbottom
Cory Oberndorfer
Eleanor Walton
Erik Sandberg
Gediyon Kifle
Janis Goodman
John James Anderson
Joshua Cogan
Judy A. Southerland
Kenneth George
Khanh H. Le
Marta Perez Garcia
Mary J. Early
Mia Feuer
Michael Dax Iacovone
Michelle Herman
Molly Springfield
Rik Freeman
Ruth Stenstrom
Scott G. Brooks
Tim Tate
Virginia N. Durrin

There are some new names (new to me anyway) on the list, but I'm happy to see that 10 of the 30 "must-live-in-DC" grantees are in my 100 Artists of Washington, DC book. That's a pretty good batting score. There are also several names on this list which will be invited for volume two.

You can pre-order the book on Amazon here.

Art image of the day (after yesterday's shocker)...



Makes me wonder: is there another professional (or any other athletic team for that matter) that actually has a "real" piece of art as a logo, such as the Seattle Seahawks have in the above Pacific Northwest art piece?

The Reconquista ends

Today is the 519th anniversary of the surrender of King Boabdil (real name Abu 'abd-Allah Muhammad XII), who surrendered the last Moorish Kingdom in Europe, Granada, to the Spanish forces of Isabel The First, The Warrior Queen of Castile and León, and Ferdinand The Fifth, King of Aragon.

The Moors forever left behind them the beautiful fortress of La Alhambra (where the story of Rapunzel allegedly took place) and the legend of the "last sigh of the Moor."

Legend has it that as the Moorish royal party left the city and headed towards exile, they reached a point which overlooked the city of Granada, and Muhammad XII, in looking at the city and the green valley around it, burst into tears. When his mother saw this, she said to him: "Thou dost weep like a woman for what thou could not defend as a man."

The conquest of Granada ended the 700 year Reconquista of the Iberian peninsula, eventually created the Kingdom of Spain, and most importantly, according to Cuban culinary legend, it also accounted for the creation of the Cuban dish known as Moros y Cristianos ("Moors and Christians") or white rice and black beans, which was created years later in homage to this final victory.

MIA

The Miami International Art Fair is next on my radar as I will be flying down there in a few days to help Mayer Fine Art with the fair work and to hawk some of my own artwork. My Philly dealer, the hardworking Projects Gallery will also be there, as they were there last year for MIA's inaugural year and did gangbusters.

No DMV art dealers are exhibiting in this fair, which is very heavy on Florida and Latin American galleries. From what I see here, several galleries from Art Basel, Scope, Art Miami stayed behind and are exhibiting at MIA.

They figured out that this "new" fair did really well on its debut year and are hoping 2011 will even be better. More later....

Happy MMXI!

Happy 2011 to all of you... and don't think that I've forgotten to gloat over the Washington Huskies super upset over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

Expect to see the Huskies QB Jake Locker, who ended his college career with this upset that puts the Washington Huskies on the road back to respectability, to go early in the next NFL draft.

Next for me? The Miami International Art Fair at the Miami Beach Convention Center January 13-17. Send me an email if you'd like some free tickets.

Nope

No, I don't know how that 2008 post got in here earlier... but happy New Year's from the Poconos!

Congrats!



To my next door neighbor George Borden, whose gorgeous "Flying the Potomac" photograph, was chosen as one of the 10 Most Memorable Images of 2010 by the CP.

Here's the CP's Top 10 DMV photography shows and the whole Arts Review issue here.

Book Cover: Who are they?


The book cover for the 100 Artists of Washington, DC book was chosen and designed by the publisher. As I noted three months ago:

The publisher declined my suggestion of one art image on the cover and instead is opting for a collage of thumbnails of artists' portraits of their choosing.

I had suggested to them that one strong art image on the cover would be best. They opted for the thumbnail collage because that has been the standard for other art books in this "100" series.

I suspect that they chose the cover thumbnails based on what their graphic design department feels are the "best portraits" from a portrait viewpoint. I had zero input into the chosen images, other than the initial version of the cover had two thumbnails that I suggested they switch (which they did). The artists on the final cover are (in no particular order):

Amy Lin, David D'Orio, Malik Lloyd, Kathryn Cornelius, Michael B. Platt, Craig Kraft, Marie Ringwald, Judy Byron, Byron Peck, Joseph Barbaccia, Victoria F. Gaitán, Lisa Brotman, Maggie Michael, Pat Goslee, Scott G. Brooks, Erik Sandberg, Melissa Ichiuji and Rik Freeman.

Seventh Annual Bethesda Painting Awards

Deadline: Friday, February 25, 2011

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is currently accepting applications for the seventh annual Bethesda Painting Awards, a juried competition honoring four selected painters with $14,000 in prize monies. Deadline for submission is February 25, 2011. Up to nine finalists will be invited to display their work at a Bethesda gallery.

The competition will be juried this year by Philip Geiger, an art instructor at the University of Virginia; Evelyn Hankins, associate curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. and Jinchul Kim, a painting professor at Salisbury University.

The first place winner will be awarded $10,000; second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000. A “young” artist whose birth date is after February 25, 1981 may also be awarded $1,000.

Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. All original 2-D painting including oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and mixed media will be accepted. No reproductions.

Each artist must submit five digital files or slides, application and a non-refundable entry fee of $25.

Applications are available online at www.bethesda.org.

The Bethesda Painting Awards were established by my good friend and Bethesda philanthropist, art collector and community activist Carol Trawick in 2005.

Book Cover


Here's the book cover for the 100 Artists of Washington, DC book.

Book Details

ISBN: 9780764337789
Size: 8 1/2 x 11
Illustrations: 735+ images
Pages: 224
Availability: Jun 2011
Binding: Hard Cover
Price: $50

You can order the book from the publisher here. It will also be at most major DMV area bookstores after it is released. You can also get it at various other online book dealers here and at Amazon at a really good price here.

Galleys are in

They changed the name from 100 Washington Artists to 100 Washington DC Artists, but in any event, the galleys for the book are ready for proof reading.

I also have to cull down a significant number of images from the book. That will be the hardest editing.

Feh!

Jacobson on MEG's Small Works

When the Multiple Exposures Gallery says it’s putting on a Small Works Show, they aren’t kidding. In an era when digital technology has pushed prints ever larger, none of the 39 photographic works in the show – curated by D.C art fixture F. Lennox Campello – is bigger than a breadbox, and some, like Karen Keating’s 1930s-snapshot-looking image of cabanas in Florida, are quite petite.

The CP's Louis Jacobson reviews the show I curated at Alexandria's MEG.

Corcoran seeks Canadian help

The financially precarious Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., has retained an outside consultant group to determine how the institution can continue to survive, and whether its operation should remain linked to that of the Corcoran College of Art + Design. The gallery and college also plan to lease their adjacent parking lot to a local developer, who will erect an eight-story office building on the site, which was once slated for a Frank Gehry-designed expansion to the Corcoran. In a recent telephone interview, the Corcoran's director and CEO, Fred Bollerer, said that the deal will reap around $1 million per year in rent, but will not provide more space for the institution.

While Bollerer declined to identify the developer until a deal is signed, he said that the Corcoran has hired Toronto-based consultants Lord Cultural Resources to develop ideas for the institution's future. The college has been growing, but the museum operation is "unsustainable," he says, adding that while there is no plan to divest the collection it is not clear what form the museum will take in the future.

Read the whole piece by Jason Edward Kaufman in artinfo.com here.

I have a few ideas of my own; easy ideas; homegrown ideas that I suspect will not be on "Toronto-based consultants Lord Cultural Resources"'s radar.

They know my email address.

Cuban Pollo Anaranjado

Just sort of made this up the other night when I had to use half a bottle of Naranja Agria (sour orange) juice, which is one of the key not so secret ingredients of Cuban cooking. I had a couple of bottles that I picked up in Miami last December. You'll need 3-5 boneless chicken breasts or any other boneless chicken (I wonder what they do with the bones?).

Start by making a mojo of 2 cups of sour orange juice (Naranja Agria). If you can't find it in the DMV area (I haven't been able to find it anywhere, as it seems that none of the Central American/Mexican focused supermarkets and bodegas around here don't carry it, as it must not be used in their cooking), then just mix 2/3 orange juice with 1/3 lime juice.

Anyway, two cups naranja agria, four tablespoons brimming with chopped garlic, and 2 tablespoons dried oregano. Put that in a big ziplock baggie with the chicken and marinate overnight.

The next day, start by making a sofrito. The basic sofrito recipe has green and/or red peppers in it, but I don't like either, so I skip them, but you don't have to. Here's a basic sofrito recipe.

I just heat up a few bottle dashes of olive oil in a large pan, some salt and pepper to taste, add one large chopped onion (chopped very small) and lots of chopped garlic and cook them until onions are translucent, then add some tomato sauce and chopped cilantro and that's a basic sofrito without peppers.

Then take the chicken out of the mojo bag and add and brown the chicken in the sofrito.

Once it is browned, add the naranja agria mojo to the pan; it should cover the chicken.

Add a couple of laurel leaves and bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or so, then add olives (the manzanilla kind stuffed with pimentos work the best) and also add about half a cup of raisins.

If you want to eat this as a main course, then add a few chopped potatoes at this point and cook in low heat until the chicken is tender and the potatoes are done.

Otherwise make some rice (and a salad) and put the chicken and the naranja agria sauce on top of the rice.

Enjoy!

Best guitar picks ever?

Nothing fancy, no fancy picking... but perhaps the best guitar notes in the history of rock...

Snow coming?

No problem! Especially now that we have this little monster in the garage.

For Xmas, three other neighbors and us chipped in and bought the Craftsman 179cc 24'' path Two-stage Snowblower. Now we're armed and dangerous.

You see, the Soviet Socialist Republic of Montgomery County does not clean our cul de sac street of snow until (generally) 2-3 days after they've cleaned the rest of the neighborhood. During last year's snow we were stranded and without electricity for several days.

Snow? No problem!

WTF?

Tell me it isn't so...

Christmas 2010: The opening of the loot


It all started the usual way...

But soon it was clear that the favorite Christmas loot opening thing for Anderson Lennox Franklin Lars Timothy Angus Pict Eric Florencio Brude James Tiberius Campello Anderson Cruzata Jaspersen Alonso Zaar Marrero Karling Comba Noren Dalke Hartsell y Lennox to do was to put the Christmas wrapping paper in the recycling bag...


















And towards the end it was: "look Ma, no eyes..."

Merry Christmas!

The Giving Season, by David FeBland, Oil on Canvas, 2007

Bola de Nieve

On Nochebuena, a little short video of Bola de Nieve singing his classic Ay! Mamá Inés.

Mamá Inés (Mother Inés) was a famous Cuban character. She was an African slave brought to Cuba who achieved fame through the song that Bola de Nieve (and many others) sings. According to Juan Perez's wonderful website on traditional Cuban characters, the song (rhythm credited to Emilio Grenet) begins with "Ay Mamá Inés, ay Mamá Inés, todos los negros tomamos café".

Mamá Inés lived with her beautiful daughter Belén in the Jesus Maria neighborhood of Old Havana. Cuban songwriter Moisés Simons added the classical lines of the song, where Mamá Inés is looking for Belén.

"Belén, Belén, Belén en dónde estabas metía,
que en todo Jesús María yo te busqué y no te encontré".

And Belén answers her mother:

"Yo estaba en casa e Mariana
Que ayer me mandó a buscar."

Then, after that singers tend to improvise the lines...

Feliz Nochebuena!

Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays!

Nochebuena tomorrow

Since tomorrow night is Nochebuena, I recall last year when I was preparing a classic Nochebuena Cuban feast for the in-laws. One of the key ingredients in the 24 hour marinade for Cuban roast pork is orange juice (sour oranges if possible).

When I was looking for the orange juice (I swear we had some) and couldn't find any, my wife suggested that I substitute it with some diet Pineapple soda that we happened to have in the cupboard.

As I dug out some oranges to get the juice out of them the old-fashioned way, I thought to myself that it is no wonder that one doesn't see too many Swedish restaurants around.

Tonight there's a sweets and booze party at the ole homestead, but the fare for tomorrow tonight:

Cuban Roasted Pork
Mariquitas with Mojo Sauce for Dipping
Sweet Corn Tamales
Broiled Yucca with Garlic Mojo
Broiled Ňame with Olive Oil
Moros y Cristianos (Rice and Black Bean Soup)
Cuban Nochebuena Salad

And from our family to all: a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Terrific 2011 to all!

Kilt talking

Not only do I own (and wear quite often) a kilt, but unlike a lot of kilt-lovers out there, I am actually authorized to wear a kilt, which is an important thing in many kilt-wearing circles and useless elsewhere. And where it is important, it is ahhh... important. I've seen what happens when scotch and unauthorized kilt-wearing mix at the Celtic Games around here and in Braemar: drunk men rolling on the ground kicking and gouging.

I remember a few years ago when a tipsy Coast Guard dude told a very drunk retired Marine that he was wearing the Edzell tartan because he "liked the colors." Soon the two were rolling on the ground: the Coastie yelling blue murder and the jarhead (who had been stationed at RAF Edzell) trying to rip his kilt off.


That's the official US Navy Edzell tartan, an officially recognized and documented Scottish tartan (as opposed to plaids), which is authorized for wear to all personnel who were ever stationed or worked at the now closed Royal Air Force base in Edzell, Scotland, where I served from 1989-1992.

I have a US Navy Edzell tartan kilt (8 yards)... maybe I should post a pic of me wearing it.

And technically, I'm just saying, I could make claims to being entitled to wear also the Lennox tartan, as my mother's grandmother on her mother's side was from Clan Lennox and eventually ended in the Canary Islands during the Clearances.

Faithful to Two Worlds

He’s an artist on his way to his second war, and he wants to make one thing perfectly clear: He is not a Marine who paints, but a painter who fights.

A series of Lt. Col. David Richardson’s bold canvases, with their bright colors and geometric themes inspired by Homer’s “Iliad,” is on view in “Trojan War Years” at the Ralls Collection, a gallery in the Georgetown neighborhood here. The show, through Jan. 29, demonstrates his abstract style, emphasis on color and design, and the considerable influence of his tours of duty in Asia.

But for the last several months Colonel Richardson, 45, has been studying Pashto in preparation for his February deployment to Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan, where he will work with Afghan security forces.

Read this fascinating Michael Gordon article in The New York Times here.

Now we know...

Blake Gopnik says:

"My move is now official: Come Jan. 15, I will be writing about art and visual and aesthetic culture for Tina Brown's 'new' Newsweek, and coordinating art coverage for her 'old' Daily Beast. I'm tremendously excited by the opportunities that presents...."

We all wish the Gopnikmeister the best in his new NYC gig.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: Friday, January 14, 2011

The Crystal City Business Improvement District is seeking qualified artists to help produce a temporary, outdoor art exhibit featuring illuminated sculptures in the Crystal City Water Park. Selected artists will receive a grant of $5,000 to build and implement their concept.

Click here to download the submission packet.

Celebrate Gay Marriage

"Celebrate Gay Marriage" is the new January show at the Foundry Gallery (located at 1314 18th St, NW).

The show includes juried works selected on their ability to visually represent the theme of gay marriage. Show runs Jan 5 through Jan 30. Hours: M-F, 1 to 7pm; Sat & Sun, 12 to 6pm. Opening reception Fri Jan 7, 6 to 8pm.

Professor/Dr. Jonathan Katz, co-curator of now notorious National Portrait Gallery's "Hide/Seek" exhibition, will deliver a lecture on Sat. Jan 15 at 4:00 pm. Questions, please call 202-463-0203.

Seventh Annual Bethesda Painting Awards

Deadline: Friday, February 25, 2011

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is currently accepting applications for the seventh annual Bethesda Painting Awards, a juried competition honoring four selected painters with $14,000 in prize monies. Deadline for submission is February 25, 2011. Up to nine finalists will be invited to display their work at a Bethesda gallery.

The competition will be juried this year by Philip Geiger, an art instructor at the University of Virginia; Evelyn Hankins, associate curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. and Jinchul Kim, a painting professor at Salisbury University.

The first place winner will be awarded $10,000; second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000. A “young” artist whose birth date is after February 25, 1981 may also be awarded $1,000.

Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. All original 2-D painting including oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and mixed media will be accepted. No reproductions.

Each artist must submit five digital files or slides, application and a non-refundable entry fee of $25.

Applications are available online at www.bethesda.org.

The Bethesda Painting Awards were established by my good friend and Bethesda philanthropist, art collector and community activist Carol Trawick in 2005.

Artists' Websites: Dalya Luttwak

Dalya Luttwak has "been working since early 2007 on a series of sculptures depicting the root systems of various plants. The sources of these works are actual roots, which I literally dig up out of the earth. Sometimes I work from the roots themselves, other times I photograph, Xerox or make drawings of them in order to figure out how to physically and aesthetically make them into steel sculptures, how to connect the separate parts, and how to hang the final constructions from ceilings, on walls or place them on floors. The dramatic transformation of size, scale, and material lends the works metaphoric significance..."


Check out her website here.

Music to wrap Xmas presents by...

Other suggestions welcomed...

Blake Gopnik's best art of 2010

"The old masters are getting younger by the day. 2010 was a year -- maybe the first -- in which all of modern art has started feeling safely in the past, fully museum-able. There were fine shows of older work, but they rarely had the force of exhibitions exploring the last century. Here, in chronological order, are 10 shows that have stuck in my mind."

Rousseau on BlackRock

Walking into the art gallery at BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown feels almost like a breath of fresh air. The current exhibit features the large canvases of Carol Brown Goldberg, Sondra Arkin and Greg Minah.

Read the review online here.

(e)merge

More about (e)merge here including an interview by Isabelle Spicer with Mera Rubell.

Seen on Univision

Modern Family's Colombian-born actress/model Sofia Vergara is currently doing an ad for Comcast on Spanish-language TV.

Something seemed a little off from the Vergara on the ad and the Vergara Gloria character on Modern Family.

I could be wrong, but it looks to me that Vergara's Colombian character requires that the actress dye her hair black and darken her skin; I guess to make her fit the stereotype that Hollywood has for "Hispanics/Latinos."

Apparently Vergara is a natural blonde and has hazel eyes. According to several internet websites, although she was well-known in Spanish-language TV, she could not get any Hollywood gigs unless she dyed her hair dark to force her into a more "Latina" look. In fact Vergara has stated that:

“I’m a natural blonde. But when I started acting, I would go to auditions and they didn’t know where to put me because I was voluptuous and had the accent - but I had blonde hair. It was ignorance: They thought every Latin person looks like Salma Hayek. The moment I dyed my hair dark, it was, ‘Oh, she’s the hot Latin girl.’ I loved it. I’d always felt a little ‘too much’ as a blonde, like a big-mouth version of Pamela Anderson. Being brunette toned me down a bit.”

I'm just curious if now she also has to tan her skin a few shades in order to fit the way Hollywood wants her character to look like.

Makes my head hurt.