The Big Painting Show- Layers of Abstraction by Eight Bay Area Artists
This month at Grey Loft Gallery, is a bombastic show called, “The Big Painting Show- Layers of Abstraction by Eight Bay Area Artists.” Gallery owner, Jan Watten says she wanted to curate a show of abstract art that would encompass you. Aside from the work being large and abstract, other things which the work has … Read more
Beyond the Rural and the Void
On a recent trip to Seattle, I stopped by the Linda Hodges Gallery to see Helen O’Toole’s majestic exhibit of her most recent work. On the first wall, nearest the window, a reddish toned painting beckons you to enter and discern whether they are in the midst of an organic mitosis or, entropy. Upon being … Read more
Grids
The use of the grid is one of the signifiers of modern art. Although the employment of crossing lines has been used for centuries by artists to organize pictorial space, the modernity of the grid began when these network of lines were used to create a space that is autonomous and had an end or, purpose … Read more
Ego and Art
I recently got reconnected to an old high school mate who has also taken the path of living the life as a full time artist. In response to my last post on Lightness-Darkness, he sent me some questions which I felt inclined to respond to, as they provided a means to further investigate the place of spirituality in my … Read more
Lightness-Darkness
An artist statement often contains an explanation of why you do the work you do, how you make decisions in the course of your work, and a bit about your current exploration. As my work changes with me, so do my statements. I have recently been re writing mine, as it has begun to follow … Read more
Words and Images
“ You cannot enter into any world for which you do not know the language.” Ludwig Wittgenstein Speaking about ones artwork is complicated because language entangles us in symbols which limits our understanding and ability to actually see the work. The same can be said of images. Whether we are making representational paintings or non … Read more
Impermanence
When the Buddha was asked to explain the teachings in a nutshell he said, “Everything changes.” Although we might understand this in theory, until we truly accept this reality, we will suffer. As a practitioner of meditation, a student of Buddhism and a practicing artist, this central fact has been the catalyst for the paradigm shift that has … Read more
Emily Pothast
Emily Pothast Interview In May, I had the opportunity to talk with Emily Pothast, a visual artist, musician, writer and curator. After a full weekend of playing hostess to a band that was on tour in Seattle, and before going to practice with her own group later that evening, Emily and I talked about the … Read more
My Broken Loom
Recently at the Gage Academy School of Art’s Steele Gallery, was an artist-curated exhibition, “My Broken Loom.” The set of preoccupations of curator and participating artist Kimberly Trowbridge, seen alongside studio companions Robert Hardgrave, Brian Cypher and Jenny Heishman, are centered around the personal experience culled through process art. During the artist talk, given on … Read more
