William J. O Brian Untitled 2014 felt on felt 71" x 71"
shanecampbellgallery.com
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Alan Davie
Alan Davie Entrance For A Red Temple No. 1 1960 oil on canvas 84" x 68"
tate.org.uk
Alan Davie has always been one of my favorite U.K artists. He was a true maverick in the best sense of the word. He died last year in his 90's and was painting up until the end. His influence lives on through his work and spirit. I am so fortunate to own one of his etchings.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Susan Carr
Susan Carr Untitled 2015 spray paint and lil stick on bristol 19" x 24"
thepaintingsdreamincolor.blogspot.com
Susan Carr is a FB friend and painter living on the east coast. I am impressed by the way she approaches current ideas in contemporary painting. Direct, impulsive, driven to find an authentic voice in the sea of images and ideas that float through the painting milieu.
She pushes the idea that painting can be more than what others think it should be. Using thick impasto, collage, and unorthodox approaches to her search, Susan has found a way to make an impression on me.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Steve Gibson
Steve Gibson Untitled (Agave) 2015 oil on linen 18" x 18"
stevegibsonart.com
I have been working on some smaller paintings recently. These substitute for drawing which for me is another thing entirely. Using wet on wet and tinting with subtle washes of indigo I am trying to set a mood or feeling with these. My goal is to relay a nocturnal kind of quietude and peaceful revery. The reason is personal and hopefully authentic. I do not usually engage in political or social events here but recently I have felt overwhelmed a bit. Hope this is not too maudlin but that is the way I feel right now.
Frank Lobdell
Frank Lobdell (1921-2013) Untitled 2000 etching with soft ground and aquatint 22.5" x 16.75"
dolbychadwickgallery.com
Lobdell was a bay area figure painter in the 50's along with Elmer Bischoff, Richard Diebenkorn and David Park. He graduated from SFAI and taught at Stanford. Lobdell was a major player in the Bay Area Figurative School. In the 60s my friend Jon Pittman was taking classes from Lobdell. Pittman worked in his own idiosyncratic manner which is to say smallish funky paintings. He and Lobdell had many discussions regarding scale and its importance. Needless to say, they did not agree on much. However, upon graduation Pittman brought a bottle of bourbon to Lobdell's studio and after much drinking and discussion came to at least a truce. Jon is still doing his smallish drawings and paintings and they are beautiful, personal and sometime absurd. I will post some of his work in the future.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Monday, November 23, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Friday, November 20, 2015
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Chuck Webster
Chuck Webster The Slider 2015 oil on panel 80" x 64"
zevitasmarcus.com
Chuck Webster's new paintings done over the past 18 months are striking in their simplicity as well as there nuanced graphic forms and surfaces. The new gallery Zevitas Marcus in Culver City is bringing some interesting new painters to town. Steven Zevitas has a gallery in Boston and is a publisher of New American Paintings. So far he and his partner have demonstrated a penchant for east coast painters but mentioned that So. Cal. artists are in the pipeline as well. Webster is one of the most interesting so far. I will be interested to see what the future brings. With ACME Los Angeles, Kordansky and Vielmetter this gallery looks to definitely be new stop for viewing painters in LA.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Mandy Lyn Ford
Mandy Lyn Ford Audiophile 2015 gesso, acrylic and super gel on canvas adhered to wood panel 11" x 9"
mandylynford.com
Friday, November 13, 2015
Thursday, November 12, 2015
James Ensor
James Ensor The Banquet Of The Starved 1915 oil on canvas 45.5" x 57.25"
metmuseum.org
An early favorite of mine, James Ensor demonstrated an exceptional understanding of the human condition. His painting embodied the strength of his conviction and an authentic approach to his craft. His work was part of the lineage of other northern European painters before him like Bosch and Bruegel.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
John Pule
John Pule The Great World (To Ha) 2012 enamel, ink, oil stick, polyurethane and varnish
79" x 79"
kwgallery.com
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Ritual Board
Ritual Board(Wenena Geerua) circa 1950 Siane People New Guinea wood, paint, feathers fiber 55 1/8"
metmuseum.org
When I lived in Australia in the late 60's, I traveled to Northern Queensland. While in Cairns, I thought I might take a flight to New Guinea which was not too much further north by plane. The idea of going to a place that was wild and relatively untouched by civilization seemed an exotic and adventuresome thing at the time. As it turned out so did another fellow named Rockefeller. The Met was the recipient of most of his collection of Oceania art that he shipped home. Unfortunately, he never made it home to see it in its beautiful display. Perhaps it was a fortunate twist of fate that I didn't take that plane trip. Who knows.
Oceanic art is another touchstone in my life.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Pinwheel Quilt
Pinwheel Quilt 1930 Unidentified Maker (J.L.) 84" x 71"
metmuseum.org
The nice thing about an encyclopedic museum like the Met in NYC is the broad range of objects of cultural interest they own and display. Amish quilts have always been of interest to my wife and I. She and her family were quilters and we have many in our home. The difference in the Amish quilts and many early American quilts, was the care and quality they put into the utilitarian object they made. Hard to find that quality today. The hand made quality, attention to detail and love that goes into this craft is something I pine for.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Karen Schifano
Karen Schifano Inside Winter 2015 acrylic on canvas 24" x 30"
karenschifano.com
Schifano says in her artist statement that "painting is thought melded into feeling". I could not agree more. Her work walks a fine line between object, portal and narrative. Deceptively simple compositions allow the viewer to observe surface as well as interpret wider meaning in each work. Line and form combine to seduce the viewer into a world that is both fiction and fact. The deliberateness in each work is evident with deft brush work and well thought out compositions.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Mimi Lauter
Mimi Lauter Untitled 2015 soft pastel and oil pastel on paper 18.5" x 14.5"
shanecampbellgallery.com
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Thomas Nozkowski
Thomas Nozkowski Untitled 1998 oil on panel 16" x 20"
danielweinberggallery.com
Thomas Nozkowski is an amazing painter. His inventiveness never ceases to amaze me. Working consistently on a small format his work holds so much more power than one would think it could.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Emil Holmer
Emil Holmer Manual 2012 mixed media on canvas 106" x 94.5"
emilholmer.com
Holmer paints like a man possessed. He uses every possible visual technique including collage, printing, as well as a plethora of traditional painting tools including his fingers.
He references Kippenberger, Oehlen, Salle as well as Guston and others of that generation.
However, he ultimately comes up with his own painting vocabulary and solutions. I have to say I am impressed with his verve.