The Artsy Fan-Favorite Reviews
Detail from The Three Kings-Vibrant portraits Photos: Claire Oliver Gallery & Jeffrey Deitch Gallery
AUTHOR: ARTSY CHOW ROAMER
artsy fan-favorites
A ROUND UP of reviews
I was recently looking through some stats to see which of my posts had garnered the most views and clicks on the ole interweb as they say. Turns out a lot of folks wanted to read about my more arty stuff like reviews on artists and their work, gallery exhibitions, a TV show about glass blowing and a rock star of a music legend. They liked them so much that I decided to do a round up of those favorites for a revisit with some links so you can go back and look at the full posts if you are so inclined. Fix your favorite cocktail and have a read! 🍸
Bisa Butler talks about her process
THE FABRIC PORTRAITS OF BISA BUTLER
The number one stand out for me and my readers was the post I did on the fabric portraits of artist Bisa Butler. I became aware of the stunning textile work of the New Jersey artist while flipping through a magazine. I turned the page and these fabulous colors, patterns and faces just leapt out at me. Nearly full-sized people stitched into quilts that stared back as if I were taking their photograph.
It caused me to stop and really study the quilt of four small African American girls in their Sunday best with white socks and black shoes smiling shyly back at the photographer; those faces telling a story captured in an archival black and white photograph that Butler used to produce the quilt.
That is what Bisa is doing with these portraits. She is a storyteller at heart and wants to “give back identity, history and legacy” to the faces in the many photographs she has looked through. Many of those pictures were untitled and others had simple titles like Negro Boys on Easter Morning. Who were those boys? What were they doing? How did they feel about being photographed and who took the pictures the viewer should ask.
The photographs were available online usually with just a notation of where the photos had been taken. Most of the photos will never be seen and that touched the storyteller heart of the artist. She felt they deserved better. African Americans have been marginalized over the years since slavery with no documentation of the names, their contributions to society and credit given for the building of this nation and the white wealth it spawned. Most people don’t even know that the White House was built by slaves.
Bisa continues the work of telling stories with photographs and they just get better and better. You can see her in the above video discussing her art and process and you can continue to see her work at Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem, New York and Jeffrey Deitch Gallery of New York and Los Angeles.
THOMAS DEANS SUMMER PLEASURES SERIES
I have written many exhibition reviews and blog posts over the years about my good friend Thomas and his gallery Thomas Deans Fine Art. For over twenty-one years now, he has been presenting his annual rotating summer exhibition called Summer Pleasures. The contemporary gallery is located on Miami Circle and normally hangs a diversity of work ranging from whimsical to serious. The show normally runs all summer and exhibits long-established artists while featuring emerging talent and new artists to the gallery.
This year he is also highlighting some of the beautiful little tresures from The Vault as he likes to call it which are the pieces he has actually collected himself over the years from other dealers. These exhibitions are my favorite kind as Thomas has a particular eye when it comes to presentation and hanging art. Instead of putting a single body of work together he likes to mix and match and they are usually some of the prettiest shows he does all year. Don’t miss it and you can read more about the artists and the gallery on this post and this post.
BLOWN AWAY-BEST IN GLASS
So imagine my surprise when I sat down in the dentist’s chair and the TV was tuned into Netflix showing a group of artists standing in front of their glory holes (yes, that is what they are called) softening glass for individual pieces. I asked the tech what the show was and she said it was a wonderful glass competition called Blown Away. She said you have to watch it to believe it so I went home and binge-watched all four seasons.
Artist Nick shows his talent on Season Four Photo: Blown Away
Then I wrote a blog post about it and turned a lot of other people on to the art of blowing glass. Many of you might remember that I had a gallery in Atlanta back in the day that specialized in glass from the Czech Republic where I Iived for a number of years. I love glass in all its forms and blowing is probably the most difficult to do. It is hot, sweaty, unforgiving work that you have to really love to do it. You can work in it for decades and still be learning new things about the medium. Look for this show on Netflix. I promise that you will love it and maybe look for your own piece of glass art to add to your collection.
This will give you an idea of what to expect
the photography of one shot gotts
I have always admired black and white photography. It is clean contemporary and works in any collection or interior design look. All of my family photos are in either sepia tone or black and white in my home and it makes a statement without taking over. Some of the best portrait work I have ever seen is by Andrew Gotts known in the industry as one shot Gotts.
When Andy was having an exhibition of some of his better known shots of celebrities in London, I wrote a post about it and there was A LOT of interest in reading about him, his work and the beautiful coffee table book that is still available on Amazon today called ICONS. Gotts began his career with a single shot of highly acclaimed English actor, writer, comedian and broadcaster Sir Stephen Fry. He only gave him 19 seconds so he HAD to work fast and that was the beginning of his career and style.
The photographer manages to capture the personality of every person with an intimacy that is lovely to study. Dramatic lighting and the pose make all the difference in capturing the subject in a variety of ways; some are funny and some are quiet and thoughtfulf but each are beautiful whether snapping men or women. Take a read to see more of this fabulous work while sipping your favorite drink. Cheers!
blue spiral gallery
Asheville is a destination again after a devastating flood from a nasty storm! What a clean up it has been for the downtown and surrounding areas. Blue Spiral 1 has always been a favorite gallery of mine as there is no genre of art that is not represented at this beautiful large space in the hottest part of town. With so many artists it is hard to really tell their story in a single post but you will get a pretty good idea from the post if you click on the provided link.
The main and lower levels of the gallery house the curated exhibitions which is normally around twenty shows. That’s quite a bit of art to present to the general public with most galleries managing only around twelve. The upper level displays are what I like to call a collection of treasures from over 100 artists the gallery represents. This includes an unbelievably diverse range from paper, canvas and glass to sculpture, photography and more. The post centers on the reasons why this gallery is one of the best in the Southeast and is a must see for collectors in general. (Psssttt….I recently saw a post from one of my favorite comedians from my old stomping grounds of Knoxville, TN, Leeann Morgan, she was posing with the piece on the right as a new purchase! You go girl!)
five artists inspiring me to share
Some artists just stand out to you; they touch you. You are struck by something that can be hard to put into words. You might not be able to describe it but you know it when you see it. In the original post, I wanted to talk to my readers about 5 artists who inspired me; you know, the ones who do that thing and make you stand in front of their works and study them long and hard.
I got a lot of action on my choices of Harry Paul Ally, Fabiola Jean-Louis, Blockhead, Richard Painter and Rebecca Crowell. Harry and Rebecca are painters in a contemporary style but Harry focuses on the female perspective while Rebecca concentrates on texture, layering and movement in a sort of landscape style. Richard is into burning things essentially into wood while Blockhead (aka Chris Skeene) likes to carve it into images based on Pez candies with whimsical styling. Fabiola is a true mixed-media genius with haunting images that tell a story. Read the post and you will see why I say all will touch you in an inspiring way.
The Rockstar herself in cool form on the album cover
rockstar Dolly Parton
Whether it’s a new truck stop, a hotel, a theme park or a new album, when Dolly Parton does it, she does it big like other things she is so well known for. 😉 She is from my old stomping ground in the hills of Tennessee and I have been watching her since her days on the Cas Walker Show with Porter Wagner. The women is 80 and still able to belt out any genre of song you would like to hear. They wanted to give her a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but she didn’t think she had earned it so she just set about changing that and Rockstar was born.
The legend does a rock album to earn the status
The rockstar that was always there is on full view in this latest album. Dolly called on such greats as Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr for Let it Be, Sting for Every Breath You Take, Steven Tyler for I Want You Back, Stevie Nicks for What Has Rock and Roll Ever Done for You, Chris Stapleton for Night Moves, Lynyrd Skynyrd for Free Bird, Elton John for Don’t Let the Sun go Down on Me, and a whole buttload more. Not to mention her own versions of such classics as Stairway to Heaven, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Sweet Dreams and Hit Me with Your Best Shot. You’ll find a complete list here for this awesome album! Welcome to the hall of fame my queen.
like sculpture?
In this post I concentrated on just two of my favorite sculptors right, Eileen Braun and Kimo Minton. Eileen’s art is so unusual working in ceramics and mixed media. She first begins with a sketch. She draws everyday and considers it an important part of her creative meditation. While the pieces are 3-D, they are like suspended drawings in space, creating complex shadows on the wall as light passes through the forms. Bamboo reed is soaked in warm water until the reeds are pliable then manipulated to the desired shape; clamped, tied with cotton string and secured with adhesive and stained.
The form might then be robed in encaustic wax or metallic latex paint which has the ability to oxidize. The use of fabric or dress-maker’s pattern tissue creates more texture and a feeling of an emergence from a husk. As you can see from the photographs the results are a fantastic mix of texture, form and function. They can hang or be displayed on pedestals and work both in large and small scale.
Kimo brings a joyous improvisation to his work that is really based in music. When his partner Christine showed a 3 year-old girl named Bay one of his abstract woodcuts and asked, “Do you know what it is?” Without hesitation Bay answered, “Music”.
Kimo finds that will do for him. He tries to work in a way that is similar to jazz improvisation, letting his inspiration have free reign; carving while listening to some of his favorites like Brubeck, Gillespie and Nina Simone. Just as some music does not need words, some pictures do not need subjects to be understood. Viewers can see some ethnic references in the pieces and feel a retro vibe just like the music he listens to. Check out the longer post for more info on both of these exciting artists!
final thoughts
As you can see, I have clearly written about a lot of different artists, galleries, music and shows from my artsy kind of view. You should check out other blog posts that haven’t even been mentioned here under Artful Ideal. There you can read about plays, dance, book reviews and other types of things you might like.
Hey, don’t be a stranger! Let me hear from you and some important news will be coming your way soon. Be on the look out for it so you can sign up and be first to get all the 411 when it drops. Until next time…
Cheers,
Artsy Chow Roamer
Follow me on You Tube, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter
art
If you enjoyed what you read, click on the button below!
Why? You’ll get free tips on how to start your own amazing art collection (even on a budget) plus other great stuff I promise you’ll want!