Crashing Gestures

That's exactly the feeling I had upon seeing this inspiring piece by Georges Noel. And even though it was done in 1984, it looks fresh and classical at the same time. Visit his Website to see more by this talented Frenchman.

Caroline Dimnik Contemporary Fine Art has some surprising images.
(click on Artists and then Georges Noel)
And if you're like me and still haven't gotten your fill, there's always good old Google Images.

Beautiful Scribbles

or should I say elegant tangled lines ?

detail of Bon Chance 2

I've had the distinct pleasure of making the acquaintance of Allen C. Smith aka Denny Smith and watching his oeuvre expand and mature. It wasn't that many years ago that he was working plein-air on a 15ft "painting" of sailboats at the Keuka Lake Art Fair in Hammonds Port, NY. and a friendship was born. Back then he was using wax crayons and both the subject matter and the medium seemed meant for each other. Later he began a series of geo-minimal compositions using graphite; these were amazingly elegant and luxurious and a quantum leap in seriousness. But alas, these too had inherent problems which lead him to experiment with yet, other mediums.  He's currently working in water color and his Bon Chance Series is particularly interesting because he's using both rules and chance to determine the colors, lines and layers in these grid-oriented compositions. Once, during a studio visit he explained how that when he sets his mind free and gets into his "zone", that the motions of his painting are akin to scribbling - unplanned gestures that are free of intellectual guidance; and the enjoyment he fells when the physical supersedes the mental. Obviously it's all under control, and it was special to be privy to this artist's inner guidance system.

Visit his Website to view his Portfolio.

You'll find studio and installation shots on his Blog.


Image is a detail of a painting and from his Website.

Intellectual Scribbles

Jonathan Lasker in his studio in New York from Lars Bohman Gallery on Vimeo.


   I won't say that the paintings of Jonathan Lasker are an acquired taste, it's just that they seem so simple, even cute at first.  It takes a little while to fully appreciate what's happening on the canvas and in his head. If you'll watch the video, it's time well spent and you'll come to understand and appreciate his interesting and thoughtful oeuvre. Notice how even his small sketches are thoroughly well done and could be immediately framed for show.

He's well represented by several galleries and some Google Image Searching will show you the breadth of his career.

Please click on the Lars Bohman Link under the video to see works from the 80's which will just blow your mind.

Drawing Your Dreams

There are people who can draw and then there are people who make amazing things. When Julian Kreimer paints realistically, he calls them "Observations". So when you see his abstract paintings and drawings, at first it's hard to reconcile the two, quite different styles. In this thoroughly enjoyable studio visit-Video by Gorky's Granddaughter, the answers are funny, thought-provoking and inspiring. Enjoy !

This image is from his Website.

A Smattering Of Gestures

Ah, the mechanics of painting. When I look at Elise Freda's paintings, they feel like simple recipes with no salt or sugar added. Or maybe they're dance steps for the mind. At any rate, there's a sense that she's gone far enough, decided to stop and that's that. (bring your own magic)

This image is from her Website, where there's plenty of work to enjoy.

Enticing Textures

If you'll enlarge and study this painting ('Dream of Pollock' (for Kirk Varnedoe), 2007) by Martin Kline for just a minute, you'll get past the ho-hum feeling that he's emulating Pollock: he's not. The center area of this work is just a clue to the magnificent and colorful/textural paintings you'll find on his WEBSITE.  (3 pages of paintings)   I especially appreciate how he uses the color and grain of the panel supports to compliment his handiwork. It's unfortunate that the site's images don't enlarge, so I'm showing you this picture from a set of nineteen from his Show at Gowen Contemporary Gallery which includes installation shots and examples of other facets of his oeuvre.


Image from Gowen Contemporary.

Doodling With Power Tools

When DJ Simpson doodles, he does it in a big way. Using wooden support, laminate and/or industrial paints, he makes his marks with a router. I'd be curious to know his music choices; blaring over the mechanical din and shower of wood particles. You'll find a short Statement here.

The image is from Sies + Hoke Gallery and his 2006 Exhibition images. He has some smaller works in pinks and yellow that are quite charming.

Other images can be found at Sue Crockford Gallery and it's worth a look to see his installation at Gowen Contemporary.

A Thicket Of Gestures

Some of Martha Sedgwick's paintings make you just want to stick you fingers right into them and rip till you get through to the other side; or at least find out what is on the other side. And I mean that in a good way. She's been working with marks and gestures for a while now and it's definitely her train-of-thought. Please do spend a little time snooping around her Website and see where she's been visually - very interesting. I was pretty amazed by her Gull Pond Series from 2002 and 03 (in the Archives) and hope she revisits that style again . They make for quite a juxtaposition with the snap-crackle of this one.

Crude Portraits

George Condo has made a great career of painting his clown/monster-people "portraits" and his big Show at the New Museum provided plenty of those. Although I appreciate them and the stories they evoke, my true love are the works where he cuts up a bit; abstracts things with movement and gesture (especially his mixed media pieces). Most of those somehow remind me of De Kooning. This particular work goes even further, almost invoking graffiti and helps one to comprehend some of the inherent similarities in disparate art genres.

Image from AllArtNews.

Looping Gestures

An organic Mondrian ? No, it's the very confident work of Cary Griffith.
In a style that many artists have tried, he makes looping lines that cross and then colors in specific sections to create his bright, acrylic paintings that are at once fresh and reminiscent of modern masters.

Visit his Website and enjoy the music that plays as you view the images.

Image is from Artist-Listing.

Text & Cursive Gesture

Gabby Heit divvies up her oeuvre into themes or series. And one such series is to juxtapose her looping, cursive, crossing lines onto antique newspapers. She then gives life to these forms by coloring in certain sections and blushing in a background.

You'll find more examples of her work and a brief explanation at her Website.

Image is from her Website.

Calligraphy Beyond Words

.

.
.
There's a wonderful back-story about Carla Accardi that you'll want to pursue; she's another one of those artists whose ideas and visuals keep showing up in successive generations of contemporary artists.  In his review in OffOffOffArt, of her 2005 Show at Sperone Westwater, Jeffrey Cyphers Wright starts out by saying (quote) "Carla Accardi inhabits her own lexicon where Klee meets Haring, in a topography of hieroglyphs." - big clues to her oeuvre.

This image from studio-online; a 2008, vinyl on unprimed canvas, is akin to Matisse's "cut-outs" ( in relation to his earlier works). You'll see the similarities as you research her work.
.
.

Directional Paintings

.

.
I have an affinity for the various works by Phillip Buntin. He's mostly about mark-making and several of his styles reminded me of some creative directions I had wanted to explore. This piece in particular caught my eye because of the circles with the writing.
.
Visit his Website to see more.
.
Image is from design-milk.
.
.

Painting Lines

.
.

.
.
It was a long road with interesting twists and turns that brought us to the place where artists can present the gallery-goer with paintings of lines. It all makes sense, of course, but artists from days of yore would be quite amazed.
.
Before you read any wall text about energy or connectivity, your mind has already started to pursue a reasoning for what John Bonick's paintings might be about. Even though the subject matter is minimal, they do get us to thinking.
.
You'll find more examples of his work at Andrea Schwartz Gallery.
.
Image is from Art Business.
.
.

In Between The Lines

.

.
.
Jennifer Riley likes to play nice. When she colors she stays in the lines; and what beautiful lines they are indeed. This image, from her latest show at Allegra LaViola Gallery, is a departure from her more (and every bit as interesting) geometric works at Heskin Contemporary. 
.
You'll enjoy seeing her paintings in this James Kalm Video of the show. At 5:05 minutes in, Jennifer talks about the painting process and how she came to this new organic style.
.
.

Zippity-Do-Dah

.

.
.
That's the feeling I get from Angela Baker's marks and gestures over atmospheric backgrounds.
.
This image is from the George Lawson Gallery where you'll find more paintings with titles that, very appropriately, evoke movement. To see even more works on canvas or paper, visit her Website.
.
.

Beautiful Pastel Chaos

.
.

.
.
This small image of Richard Howe's work, from Kentler Gallery, doesn't begin to convey the beauty and the almost musical tonality of his oeuvre. His Artist Statement there is a bit of a put-off, but you can go HERE for the in-depth and interesting story of how and why these drawings came to be. There are six links to galleries of his work, on that same page.
.
.

Connecting The Dots

.
.

.
.
Nancy Berlin's oeuvre is about thought process and I'd be interested to know if the square dots mark the intersections of line or whether the lines join the marks together and does she talk out loud during the process . .  .
.
This image is from, and she's represented by Kathryn Markel Fine Arts.
.
.

Default Lines

.
.

.
.
Joseph James is represented by Galerie Anhava and after reading the short statement explaining how he makes his works, I'm still a bit confused; but it sure sounds like an interesting oeuvre. It seems slightly similar to the way I approach some paintings.
.
.
Image from Galerie Anhava.
.
.

Intimate Lines, Meaningful Dots

.
.

.
.
 Knowing that Pat Adams (b,1928) was a student of Max Beckmann, goes a long way in helping to understand her abstractions. She's represented by the Zabriskie Gallery, where you'll find images of her work, a Press Release and an Essay.
BigTown Gallery has four large images. (click on 8,9,10 & 11)
.
Image from Yaddo.
.
.