Farrell Brickhouse: Counter – Punching with Paint

I have been following Farrell Brickhouse’s work since 2014, when he showed his work at Life on Mars in Bushwick. You do not just “view” Brickhouse’s paintings, you experience them on a deeply intimate level. He unabashadly talks about painting in relation to “soul” and “subconscience”. As a painter who can show an outstanding body of work which convincingly resurects these modernist notions from oblivion, he also freshens these notions for the next generation of artists. Farrell Brickhouse graciously conducted with me the following interview. Continue reading “Farrell Brickhouse: Counter – Punching with Paint”

Quotidian Metamorphosis at the Rockland Center for the Arts

As part of their Spring exhibits addressing Climate Change, The Rockland Center for the Arts features three exhibitions – two solo shows: Quotidian Metamorphosis featuring works by Jaynie Crimmins  and Aqueous Remains  featuring  Aurora Robson , as well as The Tipping Point, a group show featuring J. Henry Fair, David Maisel, Alison Moritsugu, Richard Parrish, and Jill Pelto.

Jaynie Crimmins, Accumulations #4 , 12” x 12” x 12”D,  shredded household mail, thread over armature mounted on wood, 2016, photo courtesy of Cibele Vieira

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Meet the artists at Wave Hill’s Open Studios

Tamara Kostianovsky, trunk 4. photo courtesy of the artist

Wave Hill* is a twenty eight acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the spectacular Hudson River and Palisades. Wave Hill aims to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts. For the ninth consecutive year, Wave Hill opens Glyndor Gallery as workspace for selected New York-area artists, giving them the unique opportunity to explore the winter landscape and  develop innovative work based on direct observation  from nature. Continue reading “Meet the artists at Wave Hill’s Open Studios”

Then She Did at The Plaxall Gallery

Allison Sommers, photo courtesy of the artist

The mixed media exhibition “Then She Did” at Plaxall aims to speak instead of shout, invite discussion instead of criticism. It presents diverse approaches on sexuality, strength, femininity, independence, support,  societal norms and roles, methodology, art, and activism.  Curators Lori Zimmer and Melissa McCaig-Welles  say that the featured artists  Alexandra Momin, Alice Mizrachi, Alison Mosshart, Allison Sommers, Audrey Dimola, Caitlin Harris, Chinon Maria, Elizabeth Winnel, Indie 184, Janette Beckman, Joanne Leah, Karen Dimit, Kathryn Rose, Katrina del Mar, Kendra Heisler, Lady Pink, Marne Lucas, Paola Martinez, Queen Andrea, Rebecca Reeve, Swoon, Vahge and Vicky Barranguet  choose who they want to be,  how they want to think, and how they want to influence others. They take us on a journey through the personal revolutions of everyday women in America, whose diverse methods and beliefs are only stronger when unified.  Continue reading “Then She Did at The Plaxall Gallery”

Slow Motion at john Doe

Michael Chandler Flying Ground oil on canvas 80 x 70 in. (203.2 x 177.8 cm.) Painted in 2000, photo courtesy of the artist
Michael Chandler, Flying Ground, oil on canvas
80 x 70 in. (203.2 x 177.8 cm.)
Painted in 2000, photo courtesy of the artist

The two person show at John Doe juxtaposes Michael Chandler’s paintings and  Charlie Rubin’s photographs. Both artists deliver meditative and vivid abstractions – Chandler makes visceral paintings founded in nature but informed by the rhythm of the city and Rubin  explores the artifice of place, and the post-Instagram void. Continue reading “Slow Motion at john Doe”

Internalized Borders at John Jay

Francisco Donoso, Between Passages, installation, 2018 image, photo courtesy of the artist
Francisco Donoso, Between Passages, installation, 2018, photo courtesy of the artist

Curated by Maria de Los Angeles and Susan Noyes Platt, the group show “Internalized Borders” at John Jay  College of Criminal Justice examines the various ways in which language and legal systems create internal and external borders. It addresses urgent issues of  immigration, detention, and deportation; especially focusing on how these issues are related to fear, criminalization of identity, economics of migration, and  perception of otherness. Continue reading “Internalized Borders at John Jay”

James Castle: People, Places & Things at the NY Studio School

James Castle (1899-1977), Untitled (drive-through tree), n.d. Found paper, soot, 5 7/8 x 7 3/4 in. CAS09-0179 © 2008 James Castle Collection and Archive LP, All Rights Reserved
James Castle (1899-1977), Untitled (drive-through tree), n.d. Found paper, soot, 5 7/8 x 7 3/4 in. CAS09-0179
© 2008 James Castle Collection and Archive LP, All Rights Reserved

The exhibition James Castle: People, Places & Things, curated by Karen Wilkin and currently on view at the New York Studio School Gallery, features over fifty important works and ephemera, surveying Castle’s diverse modes of working. It runs the gamut from his well-known drawings of farmyards and interiors to the less familiar depictions of house, machines, clothing, and people, to his books and objects. It includes even more rarely exhibited objects – some sources for his imagery borrowed from the James Castle Collection and Archive LP and from the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation. In her curatorial statement Wilkin says she aims to affirm why Castle should be regarded as an American master. Indeed, the breadth of his work is jaw dropping and the emotional resonance is deeply moving.

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Objects from the End of Western Civilisation at Norte Maar

Kevin Curran, Objects from the End of Western Civilisation
Kevin Curran, Objects from the End of Western Civilisation

All Photos courtesy of the artist and Norte Maar Cypress Hills Gallery

In his exhibition at Norte Maar Cypress Hills gallery, Kevin Curran uses interior design elements as a departure point for an installation – combining  wallpaper, rugs, vases, framed works on paper,  wall-mounted and free standing sculptures. His surfaces merge opulent materials like crystals and gold leaf, with rough-hewn casual aesthetic. This exhibition includes drawings that refer to Afghan war rugs as well as political tensions in the US. The symmetry of rug design paired with natural and man made forces of destruction highlights the fine line between an orderly society and chaos. The imagery brings together a little boy’s enthusiasm for rockets, trucks and guns with the perspective of an adult’s anxiety driven by real world events.  Continue reading “Objects from the End of Western Civilisation at Norte Maar”

Return to Light at The Green Door

Rico Gatson, Natalie Moore, Paul D’Agostino
Rico Gatson, Natalie Moore, Paul D’Agostino

All Photos courtesy Susan Sechler Luss

The Green Door gallery was created at the Divine Mercy Cultural Center to foster a sense of community in the Williamsburg neighborhood. The venue was initiated  by Father Thomas Vassalotti, who, along with Father Paul Anel of Heart’s Home, reached out to the artist and curator Elisa Jensen with the wish to connect to the many artists in the neighborhood.

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