tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85541028545045932642024-03-20T03:19:26.337-07:00Stephen BoocksStephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-81447187879003376712013-03-12T12:31:00.001-07:002013-03-12T12:33:18.128-07:00Thinkin' bout the past<div class="MsoNormal">
I had been thinking about painting from the 80s over the past couple of weeks when I happened upon the <a href="http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/features/neo-expressionism-not-remembered/" target="_blank">February Art in America</a> featuring a piece looking back to a couple of issues from 82/83 dealing with questions of expressionism. I remember the issues well, pouring over them in my senior year of high school. I actually managed to keep a copy of these into the 90s.</div>
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It was right about that time when I saw show at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk that included a few Neo-Ex painters (Schnabel, Salle and a few others). Going into my senior year, I had been painting large-scale non-objective works but the new stuff that was coming out of New York, Germany and Italy was so exciting to a young punk like me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found I was drawn even more to a lot of the painters coming out of the East Village like <a href="http://www.rickprol.com/canvasslideshow.html" target="_blank">Rick Prol</a> and Stephen Lack and before long, I was making big, messy figurative work. I was also very involved in music, even playing in a number of punk bands and I believe there is something in this type of painting that fits well with the punk aesthetic.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQNuKwEGA0Rxcax6S14wKszOWv4yd-lIeOQJeMMSVNCRHi9AkzbFK_uTV_NJCMXgzhIDTphpTjwPuzYrlUDSes_j5UUZ1YSZ3ZE1NxT_FSiLEXmyv1LBfrdsImMOHDg3tMtWMvPNzmPuu/s1600/CRI_168611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQNuKwEGA0Rxcax6S14wKszOWv4yd-lIeOQJeMMSVNCRHi9AkzbFK_uTV_NJCMXgzhIDTphpTjwPuzYrlUDSes_j5UUZ1YSZ3ZE1NxT_FSiLEXmyv1LBfrdsImMOHDg3tMtWMvPNzmPuu/s400/CRI_168611.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenney- Them and Us (National Gallery of Art)</td></tr>
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Reading Raphael Rubenstein’s recent article, I realized that the original issues were probably the first time I had encountered the writing of Craig Owens and Hal Foster. At the time, I’m sure I sided with Donald Kuspit who supported these artists but also was very interested in Owens and Foster’s take on the movement.</div>
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Neo-ex had a pretty short heyday and these artists do not seem exert a great deal of influence in today’s art world. Obviously Kiefer is still in the thick of things but what about Schnabel, Salle, Chia or someone like Richard Boseman. I don’t see these artists on view at museums very often. I did have to smile the last time I was at the National Gallery and they had one of Neil Jenney’s pieces up.</div>
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Though much of this expressionist painting had more to do with style than substance, us young and idealistic art students seized on the opportunity to create in a purely expressive manner. I do think that artists of my generation still carry around a little of the spirit. You can see it in the handling of materials and palette. There is a spark I see in works made by painters between 45-50 years old even if we have grown up, somewhat. </div>
Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-3640371023611222562013-01-15T05:00:00.001-08:002013-01-15T05:03:38.365-08:00Signal to Noise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_999342679" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music" border="0" height="200" id="prodImage" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41u6BYPhDKL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Over the holidays, I received a lot of books (and Amazon gift certificates). Of the dozen or so books, I started off reading the Bob Mould autobiography since Lori wants to read it too. After that I've started digging into the more "serious" books. I've been particularly interested in <i>Audio Cultures: Readings in Modern Music</i> edited by Christoph Cox and Daniel Warner. The first section includes a number of essays that deal with the concepts of silence and noise in relation to modern music but also in everyday modes of listening.<br />
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In general, there is no such thing as silence, and noise would be defined as the interference in receiving signals. Noise is what we don't want to hear in order to better hear what we want to. This applies not only applies to music but to everyday sounds. There is also visual noise which gets in the way of properly receiving visual signals. The senses, smell and taste are not immune from noise either.<br />
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I have always been fascinated by art that uses for it signal what is generally referred to as noise. In everything, (whether visual art, music, food, wine) I seek a balance of signal, noise and silence. <br />
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Though I typically downplay intentionality in assessing art, it certainly does come into play. That said, the final product/assessment is made by the receiver. Results will vary.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Culture-Readings-Modern-Music/dp/0826416152/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358253520&sr=1-1&keywords=audio+culture">http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Culture-Readings-Modern-Music/dp/0826416152/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358253520&sr=1-1&keywords=audio+culture</a><br />
<br />Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-65939110777965442092013-01-02T16:06:00.000-08:002013-01-02T16:12:41.272-08:00Johns, Biography and Content<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just before heading to SOVA for the holidays, I finished Jill Johnston's book on Jasper Johns, <i>Pr</i><i>ivileged information</i>. I had some trouble getting through the book due to some stylistic issues. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Style issues aside, this book deepened my appreciation and
affinity for Johns’ work. Central to Johns’ method is the stripping of meaning
from the objects he has depicted, leaving flags, targets, numbers or whatever
as simply compositional elements. Basically he would say, “What you see is what
you get.” Possibly beginning with the crosshatch paintings in the 70s and more
obvious by the earlier 80s, Johns was using more coded information that
suggested actual subject matter and content. These paintings were dense and
somewhat impenetrable from critical perspective. While some recognized certain
imagery (Munch, Grunewald, etc) buried in these works, Johns would not discuss
what the images were or what they may mean to him personally. Johns followed
Duchamp’s theory that the viewer completes the art. I’ve always taken this to
mean that it is not for the artist to explain what a picture is about, whatever
the spectator gets from a piece is completely valid. It is also not important to know any biographical
information of an artist to experience the work. In the end, there is the work and
the audience, nothing more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some artists make their work to try to explain themselves to
the world. I have always made work for myself with the hopes that other would
find them interesting. Like Johns, I’m not interested in revealing myself to
the world yet it is hard not to use personal symbols or coding in my work.
Moving to a more minimalist has provided some distance from discussions of
“content.” I’m happy enough to reveal that the work is rooted in contemporary
music that generally leads to pleasant conversations about music, steering
clear of “meaning.”</span></div>
Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-55488475182351991812012-12-11T03:50:00.001-08:002012-12-11T03:58:32.650-08:00Top 10 Albums of 2012<div class="MsoNormal">
Ok, so I’m a geek that likes to compile lists. I have been
putting together a Top 10 list of albums for a few years and this year it was
extremely hard to narrow it down. I’ve even cheated by calling a tie for tenth
place because I could not decide which one to leave off. The two main factors
are: how much do I listen to the album and do I think I will still be listening
to them in a few years. Here they are (drum roll please):</div>
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1. Eno: LUX</div>
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2. Dirty Projectors: Swing Lo Magellan</div>
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3. Neil Young: Psychedelic Pill</div>
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4. Japandroids: Celebration Rock</div>
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5. Mountain Goats: Transcendental Youth</div>
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6. Dan Deacon: America</div>
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7. Grizzly Bear: Shield</div>
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8. Cloud Nothings: Attack on Memory</div>
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9. Bob Mould: Silver Age</div>
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10. (tie) Byrne/St Vincent: Love this Giant</div>
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10. (tie) Bob Dylan: Tempest</div>
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My list may appear overly eclectic with a mix of older guys
and younger groups but this year, so many musicians that I grew up loving
somehow managed to remember how to make great music. I seriously put Young’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psychedelic Pill</i> among his best albums-
maybe not as good as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tonight’s the Night</i>
or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Everyone Knows This is Nowhere</i> but
damn close. Bob Dylan at his best is…well…the best. His new album Tempest is no
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Highway 61</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blonde on Blonde</i> but falls somewhere in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blood on the Tracks/Desire</i> range. While Eno has made good music
over the past 30 years, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">LUX</i> is
possibly his best ambient album. It’s the follow up to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thursday Afternoon</i> that I stopped waiting for 20 years ago.
Likewise, David Byrne has been hit or miss in his solo career with his best
work usually being part of a soundtrack project. Here he teams with one of my
favorite younger artists, St Vincent to craft a fabulous album of quirky,
off-kilter songs. </div>
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Closer to my age, Bob Mould has been spotty since Husker Du
broke up with nothing that I found compelling in years. <i>Silver Age</i> is perhaps
the record every Mould fan has waited for. The playing is urgent and the sound
is great. The songs may not have the bitter bite of his best Husker Du work but
since I’m much older now too, it hits the sweet spot for me. </div>
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I’m generally very forward looking and there are plenty of
newer bands/musicians in my Top 10. Dirty Projectors are one of the smartest,
most accomplished bands out there. At first I was disappointed with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Swing Low Magellan</i> since it seems more
“normal” that there last couple of albums but the songwriting is so strong as
is the playing. Japandroids, a guitar/drums duo, has probably spent the most
time playing in my studio this year. It's a fun, short set of great punk tunes. I’m a big
fan of John Darnielle/Mountain Goats and think this is his best album to date. His band has
really come together as a unit and the addition of horns to some track fills
out the sound. Dan Deacon is one of the most intriguing artists out there. He
studied classical composition and now drives around the country in a custom
built bio-diesel bus playing crazed electronic music with a large collective
group out of Baltimore. The first 5 songs are well-crafted pop/dance pieces
that really aren’t very commercial and the multi-section suite, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">America,</i> makes me think of what Aaron
Copeland may have done with computers and synthesizers. Grizzly Bear has
another album of amazingly beautiful songs constructed to allow plenty of space to
breathe. The production is absolutely perfect in creating a somewhat precious atmosphere. With Steve Albini recording the Cloud Nothings album, the sound is
again, perfect for this raggedy punk-ish group.</div>
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Here are a few albums that I ultimately left off of my list:</div>
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Swans: The Seer</div>
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Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!</div>
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Beach House: Bloom</div>
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The Walkmen: Heaven</div>
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Antlers: Undersea</div>
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Bang on a Can: Big Beautiful Dark & Scary</div>
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Sigur Ros: Valtari</div>
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Regina Spektor: What We Saw From The Cheap Seats</div>
Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-7721593002492502552012-09-30T09:52:00.000-07:002012-09-30T09:52:08.156-07:00DC Galleries 9.29.12
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As a practicing painter, I know that don’t get out to
galleries enough but lately, I have been trying to get better about that. I
haven’t been very active with my own blog either, so providing a wrap up after
one of these tours feels like the right thing to do.</div>
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Yesterday we needed to run into town for a couple of
things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our first stop was Dupont
Circle to take care of some details for Lori Anne’s <a href="http://laboocks.blogspot.com/2012/09/evidence-at-studio-gallery-1031-112412.html" target="_blank">upcoming solo show</a>. Just
down the street we stopped into <a href="http://www.crossmackenzie.com/" target="_blank">Cross MacKenzie</a>, a little hallway like gallery
that I had never noticed before. Massachusetts-based artist and writer <a href="http://lynhorton.net/" target="_blank">Lyn Horton</a> was showing a number of small to medium-sized drawings on paper with a
large wall drawing installation on the back wall. Horton, who received her MFA
from Cal Arts in the mid-70s, spending some time executing <a href="http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/lewittinfo.shtm" target="_blank">Sol LeWitt’s</a>wall drawings. Horton is also a noted jazz writer, covering some of the
contemporary improvised music’s most challenging performers such as <a href="http://www.wadadaleosmith.com/pages/bio.html" target="_blank">Leo WadadaSmith</a> to others on the fringes like DJ Spooky and Thurston Moore. Her drawings
feature looping, interconnected white and gray lines on black surfaces. Many of
these works have long, tangled strands while other consist more of interlocking
shapes. There is a looseness that does provide a link to LeWitt and the improvised
music Horton writes about but something about the marks suggest a more studied, deliberate nature. In checking out Horton’s blog,
<a href="http://lynhorton.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The
Paradigm for Beauty</span></a>, I became more intrigued since she covers a lot of
the musicians I was listening to in the 90s and still play in the studio
from time to time. Unfortunately, yesterday was the final day of this show.</div>
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Next stop was <a href="http://www.galleryplanb.com/index.html" target="_blank">Gallery Plan B</a> and a show of new work by <a href="http://www.galleryplanb.com/artists/sheep-jones/artist.html" target="_blank">Sheep Jones</a>. Plan B is one of my favorite area galleries. They consistently show work
that surprises me. Often the images online will lead me to expect something
different that what I actually find. In this case, the images used on the
gallery’s website, had that sort of boxy, pallet knife look that I generally
run away from as fast as possible. In person, nothing could be further from the
truth. The surfaces of these painting were simply gorgeous. There were a few
botanical paintings, some figures, some paintings of roads and intersections
and a grouping on the back wall which surrounded a good-sized painting of a
beehive with numerous small paintings of bees. We’ve all seen shows where an
artist has some sort of style and then tries a bunch of different themes
playing to a wide variety of possible interests. For me, I quickly associated
many of these paintings with the dreaded human activity of working. Work can be
direct, hands making things or working the earth to help produce its bounty.
For most of us though, work is less tangible. We get up early to drive to our
jobs then drive back home again. I get this feeling from the wonderful paintings
of roads and power lines. The intense activity of a beehive, where everyone has
a job to do, illustrates on a micro level the interconnectedness of human
activity.</div>
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Across the street, we stopped in at <a href="http://www.hemphillfinearts.com/" target="_blank">Hemphill </a>for William
Christenberry’s show. Christenberry tends to mix a lot of elements and you're
never quite sure what he will show. This exhibition contains paintings, constructions,
found objects and of course, photography. There is even a holographic Klan Room
piece on view as well. Though I never met him during my time at the Corcoran,
I’ve always been intrigued by his work.</div>
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In the same building, the lush digital photo-imagery of <a href="http://www.adamsongallery.org/artists/karen-knorr/" target="_blank">Karan Knorr was on view at Adamson</a>. The large-scale images collaged animals and birds
into interiors in Mughal and Rajput palaces, mausoleums, and holy sites in
India. I was particularly drawn to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Witness at the Tomb of Humayun. </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtFLFOFrMBwV4AAVyrLZdR5Fu-P8UkIlSsvSKguaC0dFVvC-Pxax5_YOMJbBORlHOSdDqQmGFCpmyLgWTbsVI_QI47gjARvvEor7FT1oZxd8IblZ2M9weX4LeJL2at48epEbeHIjCJP5w/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtFLFOFrMBwV4AAVyrLZdR5Fu-P8UkIlSsvSKguaC0dFVvC-Pxax5_YOMJbBORlHOSdDqQmGFCpmyLgWTbsVI_QI47gjARvvEor7FT1oZxd8IblZ2M9weX4LeJL2at48epEbeHIjCJP5w/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our final stop was <a href="http://www.civilianartprojects.com/index.html" target="_blank">Civilian Art Projects</a> where <a href="http://www.civilianartprojects.com/exhibitions/independence/15.html" target="_blank">Dan Tague’s show: "Independence in the Age of Decadence"</a> was on view. I didn’t know anything
about Tague but thought his pieces that use folded and crumbled paper money
to have its printed text to spell out such phases as “The Kid are Alright” or
“Resistance is Futile” looked pretty clever. Now, I generally scoff at clever
since once you’re on to it, its over. Tague’s work had more going on than
simply witty messages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent a
little time looking at Tague’s <a href="http://usdco.org/" target="_blank">US Department of Civil Obedience </a>work that was
shown in New Orleans, where he lives and works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The video that accompanies the show has Tague coming off
like a Stephen Colbert-like community organizer. It is unclear how much of this
may have actually been done and how much is just made up and in the end--it didn’t
really matter. We were surprisingly drawn into this show. It must have been an
odd sight to see a family of three standing in small bathroom listening to Tague’s
audio installation of statements being read in a straightforward manner. Check
this one out.</div>
Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-628170265184554432012-06-19T17:06:00.000-07:002012-06-19T17:30:17.944-07:00First Art Teacher<style>
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I often joke that the only thing I ever learned from an
instructor about technique was how to draw with an eraser from Franklin White.
There are plenty of things I picked up on regarding how to be an artist whether
from direct interaction or through the way instructors approached their own
work. In preparing a bio, I thought about some teachers that did affect my work
in different ways.</div>
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At about 15 years old, I began taking classes with Robin
Clair (Partin) at Kempsville High School in Va Beach. In a way, I think she
appeared to be a “real” artist. She definitely seemed nuts. She was always
running to the cafeteria to refill her gigantic coffee mug- this was long
before Starbucks would offer more coffee than one person should drink. By
chance (or perhaps by design) the women’s faculty restroom was right outside
the art studio door. She seemed to visit frequently and tended to smell of
cigarettes upon returning.</div>
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Ok, she may have been crazy but the Chrysler Museum in
Norfolk had purchased a large painting from her and it hung near the old entry.
She told me that she had to use a standard corn broom as a brush because it was
so large. Sensing my interest in art history and appreciation for the New York
School, she would constantly go in the back room and pull out materials and
tell me to do something with them. By my senior year, I was making 6’ paintings
with plaster gauze intended for use in making casts affixed to canvas
which was then covered in casting stone to create a wonderful mixture of textures.
From there I would cover the surface with chalk marks and then, at various
consistencies, apply gloss medium to the chalk to create color fields. Did I
mention that her work was somewhere between second generation Ab Ex and
Minimalist? She also turned me on to art journals, sending me home with copies
of Artforum, which given the amount of nudity in those pages, would get a
teacher in serious trouble today. Through Art in America and Artforum, I
discovered the Neo Ex painters and until recently I had given up abstraction.</div>
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She would frequently “quit” her job, disappearing for a few
days only to return, so when she pulled out a work on paper by her friend
Michael Goldberg (yes, that Michael Goldberg) and gave it to me because she
wasn’t coming back and she had nowhere to keep it on the boat she was living
on- well I knew it was temporary. It was a work on paper with various metal
leafing and powders that had definitely been compromised being rolled up so
long. I did some things to gently try to get its shape back but I knew my
“ownership” would be short lived. After less than a week she returned and said
she really should not have given it away. I knew she’d be back and the piece
should be returned but it was nice having for a short period of time. For some
bizarre reason, she traded me one of her pieces for the Goldberg, which I still
have and cherish today, though I need to clean a small bug out of the frame.</div>
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The last time I saw her was at the Chrysler Museum. I had
taken a year off from school to paint and figure out what I was going to do
with my life. At that point, I was riding high. I had just received a
Fellowship Grant from the Va Museum in Richmond and was getting ready to head
off to the Corcoran School of Art in DC. I had a piece in the Irene Leach Memorial
Exhibition at the Chrysler and being the young punk that I was, it was somewhat
sloppy with a frayed string of canvas hanging from the corner of the piece.
After congratulating me on the exhibition and the rest she literally started
hopping around the gallery in front of my piece yelling, “Pride in
Craftsmanship, Pride in Craftsmanship!”</div>
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It’s hard to quantify what I took from my experiences with
Ms Partin (as we called her then) but it definitely shaped the artist, and
perhaps, the person I would become.</div>
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</div>Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-69843163987911713752012-06-02T12:02:00.001-07:002012-06-02T12:02:38.462-07:00Artomatic Top Ten (and a few more)I had no problem coming up with a top ten this year so I'll have a few near misses at the end. I've seen quite a few other top ten lists and it is pretty clear most of us have preferences that lead to our choices. I don't usually find myself interested in a lot of work based in Relational Aesthetics or relying on the participation of others in its creation. It is not that these strategies can't produce great, profound art but usually these works tend to elicit a "so what" out of me. Often these types of works are simply too obvious to me, and others just are not executed very well. I'm not all that interested in realism and/or virtuosity for its own sake. I also don't find that some elaborate "installations" helped the work that was being show. So I find that works employing the strategies above tend to garner a lot of attention and even appear on a lot of Top Ten Lists. I guess my lists run more to work I would be drawn to in a normal gallery setting, even want to own. So ironically, many of the artists in my Top Ten do appear in other Top Tens. I would guess my outliers are based on my own agenda. For the most part, I have included links to the Artomatic Artists Profiles, when available.<br />
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Top Ten in no particular order:<br />
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<a href="http://artomatic.org/user/588">Matt MacIntire </a></div>
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<a href="http://artomatic.org/user/933">Gail Vollrath</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lynnputney.com/">Lynn Putney</a></div>
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<a href="http://artomatic.org/user/796">Kimberley Bursic</a></div>
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<a href="http://artomatic.org/user/259">Susanne Kasielke</a></div>
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<a href="http://artomatic.org/user/693">Emily Piccirillo</a></div>
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<a href="http://artomatic.org/user/754">Kelly Guerrero</a></div>
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<a href="http://artomatic.org/user/319">Michael Janis</a></div>
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Elizabeth Martin Brown</div>
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<a href="http://artomatic.org/user/412">Rita Elsner</a></div>
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Great glass artists <a href="http://artomatic.org/user/334" target="_blank">David D'Orio</a>, Joseph Corcoran and <a href="http://artomatic.org/user/272" target="_blank">Sean Hennessey</a> could have easily been included but I ended up just picking one and it is no secret that I'm a fan of Michael Janis' work. Many 2-D(ish) artists including Andrew Wodzianski, <a href="http://artomatic.org/user/601" target="_blank">Shanthi Chandrasekar,</a> <a href="http://artomatic.org/user/714" target="_blank">Lucio Palimieri,</a> <a href="http://artomatic.org/user/626" target="_blank">George Goetzke</a> and <a href="http://artomatic.org/user/287" target="_blank">Zofie Lang</a> are also excellent. <a href="http://artomatic.org/user/338" target="_blank">Erin Antognoli's</a> new work looks great and I really liked Sherrill Anne Gross' non-objective pieces. There was plenty of good photography but the room shared by <a href="http://artomatic.org/user/536" target="_blank">Julie Wolsztynski</a> and <a href="http://artomatic.org/user/358" target="_blank">Angela Kleis</a> stood out for me. There was even some standouts that I wouldn't normally be drawn to such as Melissa Miller's landscapes and Dana A Greaves' portraits which offered something more than the norm. I'm sure I missed a few good things and probably forgot a few too.</div>Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-19726760958234465852012-05-28T12:35:00.001-07:002012-05-28T12:35:47.120-07:00Thoughts on ArtomaticWith three shifts completed and some additional touring of the show, I'm ready to compile my top 10 list for the latest installment of Artomatic. The work is generally better this time than in 09, which was better than 08. There are probably 50-60 artists making really good work that would fit in at better galleries. In fact, many of the participants do have representation at these galleries.<br />
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There is a whole lot of work that seems pretty close to being there but for me there was something missing. A large percent of this group made ambitious work that was competent but lacking either a level of polished craft or originality. There were so many works that were well crafted but the content was so obvious that I just couldn't get interested. The inverse was true with really good ideas not crafted appropriately to convey the content. In short these came off as good student work to me, regardless of age or experience of the artists.<br />
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I find it interesting that there are a number of artists making what I would consider commercial work such as landscapes and portraits that I found really nice, often compelling. Stuff I think I would usually walk right by. There is still good territory to mine in those fields.<br />
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As expected, the glass artists were some of the best in the show. A few will make my top 10 and a couple may not just because I don't want most of my list to be glass.<br />
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Art blogger Lenny Campello has noted that there seems to be less porn and nudity this time around (he also noted the quality of glass). There is still plenty there and, except for a few exceptions they do nothing for me. It is amazing to me just how unsexy some of this work is. I keep thinking, just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do it.<br />
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There is a lot of bad work too. I get the same feeling sometimes at Artomatic that I do with the opening rounds of American Idol. Don't these people have friends that say, "No way man- You're just not any good." Its interesting that music is such a part of our lives and there are certain qualitative benchmarks that most people understand like playing/singing in tune that we can easily provide that "No Way, Man" speech. But perhaps, since art is not as much a part of our everyday lives- at least on a conscious level, these qualitative factors are simply not understood by most. This may be why folks will look at a Pollock and think they could do it. There seems to be a need for some to express themselves and there also seems to be a ready and willing support group in the visual arts field (and I would add poetry). A lot of bad art could look like "Art" to the layman and I would guess the entire support network.<br />
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Another bad art observation, why would someone pay $110 dollars and spend time working shifts to write or post a bunch of crap on their walls.<br />
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Overall, its a pretty good showing- hell, a day in Chelsea will usually only net about 3-4 shows that were worth the time so having 50-60 in one place is quite good.<br />
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<br />Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-25187241185671533302012-04-18T15:07:00.004-07:002012-04-18T15:14:49.480-07:00First New Post in a WhileIt is hard to believe that I haven't posted anything yet this year. I have transitioned from representational painting to non-objective. I still like this series and may come back to it but I felt I needed a change. Here is the latest (last?) one (I'm Embarrassed to Admit You Hit a Soft Spot In My Heart 44" x 60").<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAKGqTMEz7M4q4e8oTPIr7INTqRR-uRWcnJbZ-KX0StJzaRklSxDLzERbMEpwNPaNChuwRRfmmrylUG-k04T8Rbe4dlj8gO1ietOsSadNJU3n2iJ_9k_UWFcJ4sH6d98pD2ukTSzoemRW/s1600/B-I%2527m+embarassed+to+admit+it+hit+a+soft+spot+in+my+heart.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAKGqTMEz7M4q4e8oTPIr7INTqRR-uRWcnJbZ-KX0StJzaRklSxDLzERbMEpwNPaNChuwRRfmmrylUG-k04T8Rbe4dlj8gO1ietOsSadNJU3n2iJ_9k_UWFcJ4sH6d98pD2ukTSzoemRW/s320/B-I%2527m+embarassed+to+admit+it+hit+a+soft+spot+in+my+heart.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732866639887772850" /></a>Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-82974709584190678752011-12-28T10:27:00.000-08:002011-12-28T10:44:39.866-08:00In The New YearThe crazy crush that I find myself in each December has passed. I've been considering what direction my work should take. I am very happy with my current paintings but have to realize that they have not gained an audience. I believe these painting will make more sense when shown together so I do plan on continuing the series and searching for a place to show them. From the beginning, I saw this series as a step towards abstraction and now I feel like I am ready to work non-objectively for the first time since completing a project during my first semester at the Corcoran.<br /><br />I have also been planning a multimedia project for a couple of months. At this point, I am expecting the project to take around a year to come together, perhaps continuing indefinitely. <br /><br />I spent much of the early part of 2011 working on Material World and only exhibited my work at Artomatic@Frederick. It still may be some time before I show again but I am looking forward to resetting the studio and getting down to work.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-47783194048616856982011-11-04T19:22:00.000-07:002011-11-04T19:50:34.403-07:00NYC TripI went up to NYC two weeks ago for a wine tasting event (day job) and haven't had the time to write up my thoughts. Before I get to the art, I thought I'd do a quick post on the wine and food aspect of the trip.<br /><br />First the wine- Best Wine Saxum Syrah (I can see why Wine Spectator has this as their #1 wine last year.) Very close were two Aussie Shiraz- Two Hands Ares and Mollydooker Velvet Glove. The Cheval Blanc was my favorite Bordeaux followed closely by Lafite and Haut-Brion. The Bruno Giacosa Barolo was awesome. I made a point of tasting a number of Pinot Noirs since it is generally not my favorite varietal but the Kosta Brown was fantastic (could this be the wine of the year this year?) as well as the AP Vin, Bergstom and Beaux Freres. For California cab- my pick goes to Staglin. I was very intrigued with the blend that Brian Loring was pouring.<br /><br />For food, I had a couple of burgers from places that had been suggested. HB Burgers was fine. Its the bar and grill version of Heartland Brewing. Beers were ok, burgers were fine, Nothing special. Tried the Shake Shack burger on Friday. Again, a weaker version of Five Guys with good crinkle cut fries. BTW- when you are going to a tasting expecting to taste 60-80 wines, you need protein before hand. Of course, I spit at the tastings, there is no other way to taste that many. When I organized my notes on Friday morning, I realized that I had tasted 85 wines Thursday night. Anyway, For lunch on Saturday, we met a friend in Chelsea were we had lunch at the Half King- better burger than either of the recommended burger places.<br /><br />On Friday, we had lunch at a Bobby Flay restaurant, Cafe Americain which was recommended to us by some folks at Food & Wine Magazine. They know what they are talking about- one of the best steaks I've ever had. The spice rub worked perfectly with the house-made steak sauce. Since I believe I make a great steak, I don't usually order them out but since Flay is a grill kind of guy, I figured I'd give it a go- and there was the protein thing too.<br /><br />On Saturday, we ended up on Mulberry Street at dinner time. We found a place that didn't seem like a tourist trap, Da Nico's. There was no slick guy trying to hustle us to a table. They appeared to have plenty of regulars that the owners were greeting. The food was very good if not great but we had a lovely time. A nice, completely unknown to me, Nero was recommended by the waiter.<br /><br />Surprise food experience- truly kick ass meatballs in the MoMA cafe!Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-28614732657635924652011-10-24T12:20:00.000-07:002011-10-24T13:01:01.571-07:00My Favorites from Artomatic@FrederickHere are a few of my favorites from Artomatic@Frederick. I wish I had taken pictures since I had some difficulty finding sites or images by a number of these artists. So, make sure you go and when your there, make a point of seeing these spaces.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Brain Slagle</span>- I helped Brain and his father put together the base portion of Corn Crib. It really turned out beautifully.<br /><a href="http://www.artiqueunderground.com/artist/28">http://www.artiqueunderground.com/artist/28</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Jeff and Kristin Bohlander</span>- First I want to thank them for the additional reflected light. Jeff's collages and Kristin's mixed media sculptures are very different. Having spouse that is an artist, I think it is so interesting when couples make work very differently. I think it just has to be that way.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Jennifer Bernhard Hatfield-</span> Quirky, wonderfully crafted pieces<br /><a href="http://www.jenniferbernhardhatfield.com/">http://www.jenniferbernhardhatfield.com/</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Roberta Staat</span>- I'm sucker for good drawing. Though there are a lot of cow artwork out there, I really like these for the technique.<br /><a href="http://staatworks.com/node/149">http://staatworks.com/node/149</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rhonda J Smith-</span> Her prints with added collage and embroidered elements convey a mystical quality that touches on universal themes<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Kristin Partridge-</span> Hard to not like something this lovely<br /><a href="http://kristinpartridge.com/photography/alternative-process-photographs.htm">http://kristinpartridge.com/photography/alternative-process-photographs.htm</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Deborah Winram-</span> Her keepsake piece is intriguing. It is made of small jars containing, for the most part, delicate reminders of the past. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Michael Winger-</span> Excellent sculptures with wood, twine and other natural elements. I was particularly taken by the wall piece.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-82347455764053044652011-10-04T16:45:00.000-07:002011-10-04T17:51:01.583-07:00Whaddya Know?I read an interesting piece at <a href="http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/45750">Wine Spectator Online</a> today by writer Matt Kramer. He is a fascinating wine writer, though I don't always agree with him (well, not very often at all actually) but I find his positions to be thought provoking, challenging to my own ideas.<br /><br />The article begins by quoting NYT writer, Eric Asimov on the confidence beer drinkers have about enjoying the beverage vs the anxiety wine consumers have about wine. Where it gets interesting is when Kramer brings in Adam Gopnik's critique of "elitist" wine writers. Kramer does a good job of taking down Asimov and Gopnik's arguments but the analogy of wine writing to contemporary art criticism got me thinking.<br /><br />OK, so having a dual life as a wine educator/retailer and a contemporary artist that actually reads Artforum. I think that just might make me qualified to chime in on this one.<br /><br />I believe it is true that you can gain more pleasure through knowledge. Here I'm talking about wine, art, music, poetry, etc. I get more out of wine now than I did 15 years ago. I also get more out of music since I've learned more about how music is constructed. But one thing I find is true, I don't usually decide something that I did not like initially all of the sudden becomes better because I came to understand it more. <br /><br />Around the age of 13 or so, I first read T.S. Eliot. I'm not sure that I understood much of it but I was intrigued by it. Over the years, I kept coming back to his work and by my senior year of college, I had dove deep into his world, creating a suite of paintings based on his life and work. Clearly, my appreciation grew with knowledge but from the start, I knew his work was great.<br /><br />So take wine, many of my colleagues prefer wines that some would define as sophisticated. These wines may have mineral or earthy characteristics. As a guy selling wine, this is how I describe them to customers. To friends, I would say they tasted like rocks and dirt. No amount of elevated understanding will cause me to like these flavors. I know people that do naturally prefer wines like these, but for the most part, wine geeks "grow" to like these wines.<br /><br />I'm pretty sure I know what Paul McCarthy is doing but I find his work to be ugly and well, kind of stupid. It has been a long time since art has shocked me, so let's go with stupid. Likewise for Jeff Koons. Never once did I think these guys were making great art. Money- yes. Art-no. Somewhere some tastemakers decided this was good art and we are expected to fall in line. In art, as with wine, I believe in trusting yourself.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-7292407165034246262011-09-29T16:29:00.000-07:002011-09-29T16:41:31.416-07:00At Once I Knew I Was Not Magnificent<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4qI5Ig1Gq-PVXwxJVWr4mda37G1TOMbFBQeBqUlh_aVGP4m_cXf-D1bJrs6vCcbgsYXgFFI_xnTMeDDmChpsHvg_pnRaM6Z-z3beu8kkebZsiDRYMtrVkyETT7fP9aQQ7amuWlV2jR2X/s1600/at+once.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4qI5Ig1Gq-PVXwxJVWr4mda37G1TOMbFBQeBqUlh_aVGP4m_cXf-D1bJrs6vCcbgsYXgFFI_xnTMeDDmChpsHvg_pnRaM6Z-z3beu8kkebZsiDRYMtrVkyETT7fP9aQQ7amuWlV2jR2X/s320/at+once.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657928003513968706" /></a>This painting was begun at the same time as <span style="font-style:italic;">Standing on the Shoulders of Giants</span>. Here, I returned to an image I have worked with in the past. Like a book or shoe, the design of a chair is has basically remained the same for centuries. This is actually my dining room chair. It is very solid (and heavy). Like the shoe, I set a single image against a extremely worked background. The chair is a strong image so it does not necessarily recede into the background here, rather it fits nicely into its surroundings. <br /><br />The title comes from the song <span style="font-style:italic;">Holocene</span> by Bon Iver. I believe I heard Justin Vernon say in an interview that the song, especially that line, was about a very bad night in a bar.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-74669896312546683882011-09-29T16:09:00.000-07:002011-09-29T16:29:05.343-07:00Standing on the Shoulders of Giants<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjLeEzHiVa5rxpnQL_4fKSYdDyp99mlLl37DAeX9MMo2CyLDxKJlRmxoc4sbUjUjTNHXPlyTWSFcrCGgMXq0VMGnWpSYGBt_GXckFZpBo4K1PQzgnYQhmS8bADBaNQqVqQIrFFmYKTZX4/s1600/standingontheshoulders.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 296px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjLeEzHiVa5rxpnQL_4fKSYdDyp99mlLl37DAeX9MMo2CyLDxKJlRmxoc4sbUjUjTNHXPlyTWSFcrCGgMXq0VMGnWpSYGBt_GXckFZpBo4K1PQzgnYQhmS8bADBaNQqVqQIrFFmYKTZX4/s320/standingontheshoulders.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657922650466992754" /></a>This painting grew out of my Guston readings. Like Guston, I wanted to paint an object that is part of my everyday world. I saw this as a celebration of a thing that is well crafted and built to last. The design for a basic shoe has not changed for a long, long time. I was also striving for immediacy in getting the image down, using a projected image to get the placement just right. A funny thing happened as I worked on the piece. It became less about the shoe, or I should say less a celebration of this functional object. As in life, the shoe is begins to get lost in its surroundings. The large color fields, consisting of dozens of layers of paint, quickly draw a viewer's interest away from the shoe. I believe this painting will be a pivotal one. The push-pull between the mundane and sublime has opened up avenues of explorations.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-55223727009842527402011-09-26T16:40:00.000-07:002011-09-29T15:26:49.010-07:00For Guston (Books)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjsGCnQY3vRrEXIehg1BE_iyZbrgLDC4OyrcpfkKDCpyE12WjQew5vR3sEcoZo4BixDY-PeAWQqS7kEsLOpBaSbODXrRYht4XwOpnPW2C33Bq3wjZNBLB7G91qKGH2zZ5MozLFIwz6IV6/s1600/Book1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 318px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjsGCnQY3vRrEXIehg1BE_iyZbrgLDC4OyrcpfkKDCpyE12WjQew5vR3sEcoZo4BixDY-PeAWQqS7kEsLOpBaSbODXrRYht4XwOpnPW2C33Bq3wjZNBLB7G91qKGH2zZ5MozLFIwz6IV6/s320/Book1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656820575432345362" /></a>Last Spring, I spent a few weeks with my right arm in a sling then about 6 weeks of physical therapy. During this period, I spent a lot of time reading, especially the writings and statements of Philip Guston and his friend Morton Feldman. It was fascinating to note that Guston's views never changed much, even when he made the "shocking" break from abstraction to figuration. I was drawn to his use of a limited amount of everyday objects and their placement on the canvas. Watching film of Guston at work also inspired me to be more direct in my painting, getting it down quickly. Guston was described as the best read high school drop out ever. I decided to paint a stack of books since this was an image Guston painted over and over again, plus it is a nice play on my last name. Well, the direct thing didn't work out though this was record time for me at around one month to produce. I had already begun work on a couple of other paintings but I realized that I was being drawn to the background as much as to the pile of books. This was more obvious in the next couple of paintings where there is only a single object depicted. I am intrigued by having this celebration of everyday battle and perhaps lose to the empty background. This is more pronounced in the work that follows.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-1664512024166046662011-09-26T16:18:00.000-07:002011-09-26T16:39:09.503-07:00The Richter Resolution<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IKfQfrX2mjnq74LeclTW22Uj5J65fA4TeE6c8ekhwM_ltw6QBzDu5jKItWNodYZRwNSSzHfH_al3EPfKaD-AEb5hSy8TLuJeYTcIEYY3aB_DAsfefvHxGkWwg49CySrUW4kp6LESLg1t/s1600/Shoe+projection.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IKfQfrX2mjnq74LeclTW22Uj5J65fA4TeE6c8ekhwM_ltw6QBzDu5jKItWNodYZRwNSSzHfH_al3EPfKaD-AEb5hSy8TLuJeYTcIEYY3aB_DAsfefvHxGkWwg49CySrUW4kp6LESLg1t/s320/Shoe+projection.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656813722219099074" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCVnU_XbfGbU_0nZzlZsEebu-BKVXusaycgNCxBBO6MkJNtdSe1R3cpI9e8QUWuMg3JmAL7vW74KPoH0fH18jd17fTNLB2619DpxMkCl0UhV1iqan9ZwlTJoiO1rORRP62F8QJY6Cv0Ro/s1600/Shoe+on+canvas+2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCVnU_XbfGbU_0nZzlZsEebu-BKVXusaycgNCxBBO6MkJNtdSe1R3cpI9e8QUWuMg3JmAL7vW74KPoH0fH18jd17fTNLB2619DpxMkCl0UhV1iqan9ZwlTJoiO1rORRP62F8QJY6Cv0Ro/s320/Shoe+on+canvas+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656814022364109714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cdqy9jRjXCYx34EUTwjNFpNL-Om_vcKOjxUa04qGB7aF6NDJfIkkXwXGHHBXfqcuHuxTZlNpYkvSU7CYszihjp8PQhIvBP927LsCrm97AUJsNmlBGzyuqqJdOubaEel8K0wMrTkgq7rT/s1600/StandingOnTheShouldersOfGiants_best_hirez.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cdqy9jRjXCYx34EUTwjNFpNL-Om_vcKOjxUa04qGB7aF6NDJfIkkXwXGHHBXfqcuHuxTZlNpYkvSU7CYszihjp8PQhIvBP927LsCrm97AUJsNmlBGzyuqqJdOubaEel8K0wMrTkgq7rT/s320/StandingOnTheShouldersOfGiants_best_hirez.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656814024985479106" /></a>A while back, art critic Jerry Saltz published <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-03-02/art/the-richter-resolution/">The Richter Resolution</a><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> calling for a moratorium on the use of projection in the production of art, especially painting. Luckily for me the moratorium had expired when I purchased a little pocket sized projector. My newest paintings are the first time I have ever used projection. I've never been morally opposed to its use. I enjoy good art regardless of how it is produced. I just don't think my previous work would have benefited from projection. In these new works, I'm not trying to achieve type of photo-realistic verisimilitude. The placement of the object on the canvas was critical to these pieces and projection allowed me to play with size and placement until I felt it was right. Much of the drawing was ignored as the paintings progressed. Here I show the projection, the drawn object and the finished piece <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.</span></span> I would keep losing some of the details of the shoes as I would layer paint so I was constantly correcting the drawing. While I spent time and energy on the image, the painting is not about the shoe.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-89528781208431644972011-06-21T17:37:00.000-07:002011-06-21T18:12:41.588-07:00Getting It Back<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIh7cVyx5ydihndjwswmZE_HCmjZvio3BdfqfegxGkD2ytiEmslhyphenhyphenbxPAuZle864oJhpwja-8YtQuHdZXx8WQf7Nf4nattJamXrBDH_a9a_qzV-cDTG6dhYPEEVogNu3OKSATV62wbUuHQ/s1600/DSC_0571.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIh7cVyx5ydihndjwswmZE_HCmjZvio3BdfqfegxGkD2ytiEmslhyphenhyphenbxPAuZle864oJhpwja-8YtQuHdZXx8WQf7Nf4nattJamXrBDH_a9a_qzV-cDTG6dhYPEEVogNu3OKSATV62wbUuHQ/s320/DSC_0571.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620841272224482642" border="0" /></a>Wow, I haven't posted since April. In this time I have been doing what jazz musicians would call "woodshedding." I've been reading a ton, looking at a lot of art. I've gone through about 5 weeks of physical therapy on my right arm after a few weeks in a sling. Things are much, much better but there are still issues. I try to keep my whining to a minimum since others, say, Chuck Close, have worked through far worse.<br /><br />I really immersed myself in the world of Philip Guston and it is really showing in the work. Part of that world includes the work of the composer Morton Feldman. From Guston, I take the idea of working with the everyday to create enigmatic works. One thing I could not emulate is the immediacy of his work. He would paint and scrape and paint and scrape until the work would tell him that it was done. I started trying to free myself up in that manner but it just did not work for me. I laugh because I am making work that is directly in line with his but his own words would suggest that he would not like what I do.<br /><br />Guston was particularly interested with placement of objects on the picture plane. This is a big concern for me and is deeply informed by the minimal works of Feldman, where very spare compositions are constructed with only a few carefully placed notes/sounds.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUd6P2GXyvUFO4y_gZvNjFYWU7lNz-vRkn_TnszwJDx7Zl3iieMCfq-vOtRWaY9Fqp259N2V7bWseZZUGBKwvOCRmUAsg1jzW9P07vVQ-NQvKvttqa3APAf-HbJe0bdeQUrKyAjqWPlMW/s1600/DSC_0641.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUd6P2GXyvUFO4y_gZvNjFYWU7lNz-vRkn_TnszwJDx7Zl3iieMCfq-vOtRWaY9Fqp259N2V7bWseZZUGBKwvOCRmUAsg1jzW9P07vVQ-NQvKvttqa3APAf-HbJe0bdeQUrKyAjqWPlMW/s320/DSC_0641.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620841415689825394" border="0" /></a>I've completed a painting and a drawing of books that take a cue from Guston. Books are a huge part of my life and use of them as subject matter is not intended to be a play on my last name. I own tons of books, read as much as possible, I worked in a book store in college and my wife worked in libraries for more than 15 years. I've also been working on shoes, particularly a pair of Doc Martens I wore when I worked in a retail store, on my feet for 50-60 hours a week. They were beautiful shoes that did not let me down. Guston obviously painted many shoes and I don't think our reasons are that far off in exploring this subject.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-88185142235711073842011-04-20T16:04:00.000-07:002011-04-20T16:33:31.201-07:00Art & Music<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3mnOJ6J7IYeJh0QBYWEuIjRx6Sje6Wo57zlZp3uwD2ofjvTH-_ULGYz88IIvUcjC2kZ2Rmzpbgh9yR409DysXhaZHBCyajL9BxyCPhIECaBGCJ4bt6mq99ysfOluGg0wyevibSGkbT6z/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3mnOJ6J7IYeJh0QBYWEuIjRx6Sje6Wo57zlZp3uwD2ofjvTH-_ULGYz88IIvUcjC2kZ2Rmzpbgh9yR409DysXhaZHBCyajL9BxyCPhIECaBGCJ4bt6mq99ysfOluGg0wyevibSGkbT6z/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597812915668546626" border="0" /></a><br />Having my arm in a sling has taken me out of the studio for a while. I've spent a lot of time reading and listening to music. Both activities are generating ideas, making me want to get to the studio even more.<br /><br />I've been fascinated with Morton Feldman's music and how many of his ideas grew out of his associations with with members of the New York School. He was a very close friend of Philip Guston and composed two pieces titled <span style="font-style: italic;">For Philip Guston</span>, the second one lasting over 4 hours. One of his first breaks in the music world came when Jackson Pollock asked him to compose the score for the famous short film about Pollock from the early 50's. Other works include a shorter pieces <span style="font-style: italic;">For Franz Kline</span> and the gorgeous <span style="font-style: italic;">Rothko Chapel </span>which was commissioned by the Menils to celebrate<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>the anniversary of the opening of the chapel in Houston. Feldman was committed to abstraction in music, painting and all other art forms. This commitment caused a premanent rift with Guston as the painter began to re-introduce objects into his work during his last decade.<br /><br />Every artist I know is deeply interested in music though usually rock, not modern concert music. In writing the catalog <span style="font-style: italic;">Material World</span>, I described one artist's work as sharing qualities with the musician Brian Eno. Since Eno is one of my all time favorite artists, this was a very positive remark.<br /><br />A number of musicians are also serious visual artists. Eno has created numerous video and light installations. David Byrne of Talking Heads has worked in photography, film and installation. Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) quit music all together to concentrate on his painting for the last 20+ years of his life.<br /><br />I'll be exploring the subject more thoroughly in future posts.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-83093276492741210442011-04-04T15:42:00.000-07:002011-04-04T15:51:47.155-07:00MasterpieceWell, its a game actually. Earlier today I was discussing with another artist about how our childhoods may have played a role in our work. I remembered a game my family had in the early 70's called Masterpiece. My memory was you bought and sold art- knowing that you were selling a forgery or a Masterpiece. What was really cool was the game came with a lot of postcard images of real art- in our case, the work all was part of the collection of the Chicago Institute (no I don't remember this fact, I just looked it up). Even at that early age, I was drawn to the contemporary works more than the old masters. I think it would be cool to have a 2011 version but the $1m top value would simply be the entry level work.<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/Masterpiece-The-Art-Auction-Game/dp/B000MZZMVAStephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-55566661927613152482011-04-02T18:10:00.000-07:002011-04-02T18:27:22.444-07:00Material World is Winding Down<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlicjqtgfNv6zuHNHAcomhLYsUjKvDkNLXUaerWh07dCClckZwiNJRMWTt5gbTXO9wA8AfmxEti0tdZcBAhgV4Nlg5K9XQCDqoG8RgxsnwN4wVwP7ak7vAmbYmGq0MIQFeX7_nqw8se8dY/s1600/Material+World_Ringwald_Kirkland.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlicjqtgfNv6zuHNHAcomhLYsUjKvDkNLXUaerWh07dCClckZwiNJRMWTt5gbTXO9wA8AfmxEti0tdZcBAhgV4Nlg5K9XQCDqoG8RgxsnwN4wVwP7ak7vAmbYmGq0MIQFeX7_nqw8se8dY/s320/Material+World_Ringwald_Kirkland.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591162470559598626" border="0" /></a>This great show has closed and tomorrow we take down the work. It is always a little sad to take down a good show and this is no exception. I've learned a lot through the process of putting this exhibit together. As in most endeavors, clear communication must be a key element if you are looking to be as successful as possible. This will be a top priority for me as I look to continue curating shows.<br /><br />The three key retail elements - Location, Location and Location certainly came into play. I admit, I assumed we would get people to come out to Hyattsville to see a show with so many top DMV artists but attendance at the opening and the gallery talks was good but not great.<br /><br />I put a lot of effort into documentation and the show will live on with through the online catalog.<br /><br />I appreciate the efforts of all the artists (Marie Ringwald, Matthew Langley, Michael Janis, Katherine Mann, Sherill Anne Gross and J.T. Kirkland) along with the help of my wife Lori Anne (editing and great general support) and my daughter Heather for video duties. Thanks again to Jesse Cohen and Fine Arts Ventures/artdc for the opportunity to mount this fantastic show.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-9619569817830286272011-03-11T16:14:00.000-08:002011-03-11T16:23:18.113-08:00Online Catalog Now AvailableWith the show opening tomorrow, artdc.com has posted the online catalog of the exhibition.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://artdc.com/2011/02/23/material-world/" target="_blank">http://artdc.com/2011/02/23/material-world/</a><br /><br />I'm extremely happy with how the catalog came out. We have some installation views along with statements from each artist and a short essay explaining the concept behind the show and how each artist fits the concept.<br /><br />Even if I didn't have anything to do with the show, I certainly wouldn't want to miss it. We have work some of the area's finest artists included. I look forward to seeing everyone.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-15234864846667918792011-03-06T17:22:00.000-08:002011-03-09T03:35:41.040-08:00Material World is Up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bYrY26EDVW_Xlt7pTwe6wgY1LiqPRIrf2UcskdtWaN0V2S_DASuPevLo0tniHs7LP1hGYOeWkraZCHZjUoWHeK5cSXKkaTDjmXnmZEdbtXH7cmaL2zS5JRDOj2mDEeQ3Lqekeaq-0Qy8/s1600/DSC_0356.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bYrY26EDVW_Xlt7pTwe6wgY1LiqPRIrf2UcskdtWaN0V2S_DASuPevLo0tniHs7LP1hGYOeWkraZCHZjUoWHeK5cSXKkaTDjmXnmZEdbtXH7cmaL2zS5JRDOj2mDEeQ3Lqekeaq-0Qy8/s320/DSC_0356.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581145284037645506" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWq41wXcUwZJG_KpyO4lAIfZAIpJ1f7woFA-GibavJ49BfLyMDh3NQ8cTYtskPD_nYOqmgofP0PKj9-7SOMHNRR0rv1AIgz-N7I_pFERkzVAF8nnDgr9rl4K0Kf6pSobHoeDL74kChCrDY/s1600/DSC_0352.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWq41wXcUwZJG_KpyO4lAIfZAIpJ1f7woFA-GibavJ49BfLyMDh3NQ8cTYtskPD_nYOqmgofP0PKj9-7SOMHNRR0rv1AIgz-N7I_pFERkzVAF8nnDgr9rl4K0Kf6pSobHoeDL74kChCrDY/s320/DSC_0352.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581145296689512306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMKdAF-2W-klTFOaJALtUmZhFotZiXIEXQXS-62kz8mimCm_RsKOUUqcOrlUOnrG0KuousbnR-LMLKJPz2d0_oj5r5SQapOB2sCdWW3Mf323RdSAYrXzVEgby1UI7K6s0bLFsrfQ2ZHse/s1600/DSC_0348.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMKdAF-2W-klTFOaJALtUmZhFotZiXIEXQXS-62kz8mimCm_RsKOUUqcOrlUOnrG0KuousbnR-LMLKJPz2d0_oj5r5SQapOB2sCdWW3Mf323RdSAYrXzVEgby1UI7K6s0bLFsrfQ2ZHse/s320/DSC_0348.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581145290273709234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfV-yX4Ulyy7ITj1-fs9oNISxJR0sEVMQgJ5hE-ePr6nF0JpMI2bjczphtPLN67eb_RkW1UN2XKx1_OylLoITE5LLuvNHwEjILHAFdbkWOiIHq1yg7lAsKvJom2jrx7UPVKp_54wGHBsA/s1600/DSC_0364.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfV-yX4Ulyy7ITj1-fs9oNISxJR0sEVMQgJ5hE-ePr6nF0JpMI2bjczphtPLN67eb_RkW1UN2XKx1_OylLoITE5LLuvNHwEjILHAFdbkWOiIHq1yg7lAsKvJom2jrx7UPVKp_54wGHBsA/s320/DSC_0364.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581145286377220658" border="0" /></a><br />Today, I met the artists at the gallery to hang the show. There are often unforeseen issues when you get to the actual point of hanging that sometimes require a last minute change which was the case today. We moved Michael Janis to a different wall because the movable wall was not going to allow enough space for the work. There is such depth to his pieces that viewers need to look from the sides as well as straight on. I knew the gallery was making some changes to the back room so I did not have a set plan for that area but the changes that were made did not effect the linear dimensions of hanging space but did allow for larger work than before. It turns out that we had just the right amount of art work with the addition of a piece by Peter Gordon which is part of the gallery's permanent collection. Here are some images of the installation.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-83920446423974433562011-03-05T04:14:00.000-08:002011-03-05T15:51:54.876-08:00In the Home StretchServing as curator for Material World has been a rewarding experience. It's been close to twenty years since I've put a show like this together. Some things haven't changed much. Artists are typically eager to have their work shown, especially in a truly professional space alongside other quality artists. What has changed is the abundance of talent available and the speed of communication.<br /><br />The DC area has a wealth of gifted artists working in very diverse ways. Given the title and theme of the show, I specifically sought to include artists working with different media who were not using standard techniques. With fragmentation of the area scene a common complaint, I was also interested showing artists of different generations who are at various points in their careers, even attempting to pull artists working in different parts of the region together. In meeting with the artists, I found that each was familiar with nearly all of the others in the show and some had actually worked together on projects. Perhaps the scene is not so fragmented after all.<br /><br />The speed of communication actually presented challenges and this is the area in which I learned the most. It all comes down to timing. With the proliferation of art websites and the influence of blogs, much information needs to be held until very close to the event. Print media still requires plenty of lead-time. Hopefully we have navigated this well and there will be a strong turnout.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554102854504593264.post-85790984730264486272011-01-07T17:16:00.000-08:002011-01-08T06:02:02.944-08:00Material World- artdc gallery Hyattsville, MD March 2011Things have quickly been falling into place for the show I am curating for the artdc gallery in Hyattsville. The show will be titled Material World and will focus on artists who use non-traditional materials or tradition materials in non-standard ways to produce their work. <br /><br />I've been reading the writings, lectures, etc of Philip Guston over the past week or so and he alludes to a special thing that occurs when you're not sure how a work was made and that you stop concerning yourself with that. The finest work takes on a life of its own and its production eludes the viewer and sometimes it maker. The artists I have selected for this show make work that must be taken on its own terms. The work is not about the material or technique yet they are integral to our experience of the work. While the viewer will inevitably wonder how these pieces where made, with appreciation for the craft involved- in the end, we are left to contemplate these works on their own merits.Stephen Boockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18172841559167115794noreply@blogger.com0