Pixelated

latest website design complete

2011-06-22T22:21:00.011-04:00

Just wrapped up a pro bono project for non-profit group HSC. Hester Street Collaborative works with NYC residents to transform the quality of life in their schools and neighborhoods using an approach that combines design, education and advocacy, encouraging community voices to lead the way in improving their environment and rehabilitating neglected public spaces. The project was to rehabilitate and breathe new life into HSC's existing site.

Starting with the information architecture, we examined, re-prioritized, and condensed the content into a new, more cohesive, and streamlined hierarchy.

With the IA in place, I then moved forward with sketching up some wireframes further shaping the content into place.

Once a set of wireframes were decided upon it was time to come up with the actual visual design. Drawing upon aesthetics as well as functionality and usability, I sought solutions while staying within the framework of HSC branding guidelines.

to view the full site click HERE

special streamline

2011-06-05T16:05:00.007-04:00

"make it lonesome now, 'cause I'm a hobo myself sometimes"-Bukka White

I've been going through my old files lately and came across all these great train photos I collected while doing research for my book packaging project on hobo biographies. I've long been interested in trains and hobo mythology. Now a virtually extinct subject matter, its referenced heavily in old time blues and bluegrass music. Trains were a popular, (somewhat) easy, cheap mode of transportation that could take musicians and migrant workers from town to town in search of new and better opportunities. For me, the idea of trains spark my imagination and offer a sense of optimism, a chance for something better further down the line. In modern time with advances in technology and high security, train travel is dangerous and extremely difficult to manage.

2010-11-06T15:20:00.003-04:00

I've been watching this great internet broadcast show, The Big Web Show, about web design recently. Hosted by Jeffrey Zeldman a well known designer, writer, conference organizer. He brings in some very interesting people to talk about web design, technology, marketing, etc. Very informative and a pleasure to watch, it can be viewed on the web site or via itunes

ATTN jazz fans!

2010-08-16T22:53:00.006-04:00

Today NYT broke news of the acquisition of the storied Savory recordings by the National Jazz Musuem in Harlem! The recordings were made in the 30's-40's by the guy who eventually invented the LP. He used his own recording apparatus to record live jazz sets broadcast on the radio from the ballrooms and clubs around the city. Because of the restraints of 78's, recorded songs were limited to 3 min. but because Savory had devised his own personal way to record, he managed to record live impromptu sets 6-7 min long. These have never been heard before (except for the people who were there in the moment in 1930) This is an unbelievable historic breakthrough for jazz music preservation, not to mention jazz fans! This is the time machine taking us (not alive then) back to the moment when the spontanteous magic was happening. Because of copyright issues its yet unclear what form, or how available these recordings will be to the public in the forseeable future. What isn't explained in the article is why Mr. Savory held on to the recordings for so long, never letting anyone listen to them, and also, given that he knew how valuable they were, why he let them get so damaged? Alas, that may remain the mystery of the ages. But now, out of the darkness– into the light, comes the exciting jazz sounds of the 1930's unedited and uncut!

kool collage

2010-08-16T02:07:00.010-04:00

love these collages by Ellen Gallagher on view temporarily at MoMA.

"Repetition and revision are central to Gallagher’s treatment of advertisements that she appropriates from popular magazines like “Ebony,” “Our World,” and “Sepia” and uses in works like “eXelento” (2004) and “DeLuxe” (2004-05). Initially, Gallagher was drawn to the wig advertisements because of their grid-like structure. Later she realized that it was the accompanying language that attracted her, and she began to bring these ‘narratives’ into her paintings—making them function through the characters of the advertisements as a kind of chart of lost worlds. Although the work has often been interpreted strictly as an examination of race, Gallagher also suggests a more formal reading with respect to materials, processes, and insistences. From afar, the work appears abstract and minimal. Upon closer inspection, googly eyes, reconfigured wigs, tongues, and lips of minstrel caricatures multiply in detail. Gallagher has been influenced by the sublime aesthetics of Agnes Martin’s paintings as well the subtle shifts and repetitions of Gertrude Stein’s writing."- art21

Treasure Map

2010-08-04T00:34:00.003-04:00

A subway station is being remodeled and recently they ripped out the station booth, only to reveal an old, old subway map that was behind it. pretty kool. I'm glad the system map has since been redesigned (although not a big fan of the latest incarnation) because this old one is confusing and hard read. If you click on the pix hopefully you can see enough detail.

website design

2010-06-15T00:01:00.006-04:00

I recently redesigned a website for non-profit group Comprehensive Development Inc. CDI is a support network in conjuction with Manhattan Night and Day School that provides tutoring and other services to help students get their high school diploma. CDI needed a modern upgrade and more streamlined navigation to their site. Using their existing logo and brand colors, I designed new layouts and art directed brand new photography for the redesign. Implementing lots of white space and focusing on the strong, student centered photographs created a clean, modern look that is easy to navigate and user friendly. Check out the full site HERE.

bring the curtain down

2010-06-03T23:08:00.006-04:00

So, last night I went to the final symposium for Marina Abramovic's, The Artist is Present. (the whole of which can be seen at the end of this post). It provided some satisfactory closure for me after closely following the performance for the last 3 months. I have to say I really notice the absence of the exhibit and, at the moment at least, feel a loss. MoMA conducted an interesting interview with Marina since the closing that provides insight into what the performance was like for her. A must read for anyone who has had an interest in the exhibit. and also the video below of the symposium which includes the performers who reenacted the some of the pieces.

Meshes of the Afternoon

2010-05-16T13:20:00.017-04:00

MoMA is running a small retrospective of Maya Deren's films and video (w/an accompaniment of three other women filmmakers inspired by her to round it out). Deren died at age 44 from a brain hemorrhage, allegedly due to malnutrition and amphetamine abuse, so unfortunately there is not a large amount of material to view. An avant-garde filmmaker/pioneer active in the 1940's, she is most famous for her (& then husband, Alexander Hammid) first film Meshes of the Afternoon. It was filmed using a small Bolex camera at their Los Angeles home. With a circular narrative and dreamlike symbolic imagery, the film shows duel view points from both a female and male perspective and possibly explores multiple personalities. It questions the power of perception and examines the line between real and perceived reality. There is debate whether this film can be considered surrealist. Music was added later composed by her third, much younger husband, Teiji Ito.

"Meshes of the Afternoon is one of the most influential works in American experimental cinema. A non-narrative work, it has been identified as a key example of the "trance film," in which a protagonist appears in a dreamlike state, and where the camera conveys his or her subjective focus. The central figure in Meshes of the Afternoon, played by Deren, is attuned to her unconscious mind and caught in a web of dream events that spill over into reality. Symbolic objects, such as a key and a knife, recur throughout the film; events are open-ended and interrupted. Deren explained that she wanted "to put on film the feeling which a human being experiences about an incident, rather than to record the incident accurately."
Made by Deren with her husband, cinematographer Alexander Hammid, Meshes of the Afternoon established the independent avant-garde movement in film in the United States, which is known as the New American Cinema. It directly inspired early works by Kenneth Anger, Stan Brakhage, and other major experimental filmmakers. Beautifully shot by Hammid, a leading documentary filmmaker and cameraman in Europe (where he used the surname Hackenschmied) before he moved to New York, the film makes new and startling use of such standard cinematic devices as montage editing and matte shots. Through her extensive writings, lectures, and films, Deren became the preeminent voice of avant-garde cinema in the 1940s and the early 1950s."
-MoMA collection
There is an interesting documentary on her life called In the Mirror of Maya Deren. A complex, multifaceted female I highly recommend exploring her work.

(this film is silent)

Cut To The Chase

2010-04-18T01:41:00.014-04:00

I love artist Greg Lamarche's beautiful, colorful, animated collages of geometric shapes and letterforms. Given his background as a graffiti writer, it makes sense his work is so graphic and bold. He shows a strong appreciation and playful wit towards typography and uses handcut letters from found objects for his collages. All images from Show & Tell Gallery in Toronto where he currently has an exhibition.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

2010-04-11T12:16:00.009-04:00

Update: Went and saw this tonite. It is terrifically funny and so entertaining. It originally started as a documentary about street artists but the filmer is more obsessive/compulsive than artistic which resulted in, well, Banksy took over to produce what you see today. There is a climax in the middle of the movie where tears were streaming down my face from laughter. Banksy has such a wonderful, witty sense of humor. Its in his art and delightfully comes through in film too. Although, at the end he claims this is the first and last for him. I kinda hope not!

The trailer is out for famous street artist, Banksy's, new film. I'm not sure if this is his film or a film about him? It was supposed to be about him but now its turned into a film about the photographer, Terry Guetta. Either way I think it looks interesting.

welcome to the future

2010-03-26T13:21:00.004-04:00

this. is. sick.
Adobe just released a preview for Photoshop CS5 with a new feature called "Content-Aware Fill". forget the clone stamp tool. now whenever you want to delete something yet make it look like nothing was ever there, just highlight the area, hit content-aware fill, and boom. done. wait. what's that noise? oh, listen closely and you can hear the screams of professional photo retouchers everywhere.

The Artist is Present

2010-03-13T23:55:00.006-05:00

I've gone to the Marina Abramovic exhibit at MoMA twice in as many days and plan many more visits during the next 3 month period. It is all kinds of fabulous and simply fascinates me. The artist is and will be present at the museum throughout the length of the exhibit sitting across a table from participating audience members who wish to enter into quiet contemplation with her. Also in the show are live models recreating pieces she did in the past with her collaborator and partner, Ulay. The models are, for most part nude, and stand or sit for long periods of time. One piece is a naked man and woman standing in opposite ends of a doorframe and viewers are encouraged to pass between them. In another 2 people stand facing across from each other with their index fingers extended but just shy of touching and remain like that motionless. There is also video, photo, and sculptural representations of her past work. Most are about pushing the body (and hence the mind) to the edge of their limits. Others seem to portray the monotony and repetitiveness of life and routine. One is particularly funny, recreating Slavic superstitions like exposing your genitals to the rain will make the rain stop? Every time I go I see something new or see it in a different way and then its somehow reassuring or comforting to look down at the 2nd floor atrium and see Marina herself sitting there, in quiet contemplation. Her work brings up so many questions in my mind and really generates alot of thoughts and ideas about her, life, and my own perceptions.

This performance retrospective traces the prolific career of Marina Abramović (Yugoslav, b. 1946) with approximately fifty works spanning over four decades of her early interventions and sound pieces, video works, installations, photographs, solo performances, and collaborative performances made with Ulay (Uwe Laysiepen). In an endeavor to transmit the presence of the artist and make her historical performances accessible to a larger audience, the exhibition includes the first live re-performances of Abramović’s works by other people ever to be undertaken in a museum setting. In addition, a new, original work performed by Abramović will mark the longest duration of time that she has performed a single solo piece.

bingo

2010-03-05T00:15:00.003-05:00

(via CFH)

what I'm reading now

2010-02-28T01:39:00.008-05:00

newest from one of my favorite writers. I feel in love with Coetzee with Disgrace and never looked back.

I like short stories because they're convenient for subway and gym reading. Meloy's fiction is fast and sweet.

another short story collection (I actually don't have a short attention span). describing her characters in great detail and with touches of welcome humor, Munro's prose sucks you into another world.

this one I have yet to crack open, it won the National Book award this year and takes place in NYC in the 70's

Has this ever happened to you?

2010-02-14T04:03:00.004-05:00

This comic illustrating "design by committee" is literal and correct. (also good to laugh with/at). does anyone know how to avoid or deal with this situation? care to share your experiences and heartaches?

The Americans

2010-02-14T01:28:00.015-05:00

Robert Frank, Swiss, unobtrusive, nice, with that little camera that he raises and snaps with one hand he sucked a sad poem right out of America onto film, taking rank among the tragic poets of the world.
To Robert Frank I now give this message: You got eyes.

– Jack Kerouac

Excerpt from The Americans

I wanted to post some pictures by photographer Robert Frank whose seminal book, The Americans, was published 52 yrs ago. Preceding Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander and Garry Winogrand by a decade, he captured America in a raw informal way that most likely offered a viewpoint only an outsider could provide. Swiss born Frank arrived on American shores in 1947 at the age of 23. From 1955 to 1956 he drove a used Ford across the country traveling through 30 states and taking 27,000 pictures, he financed his trip with a fellowship from the Guggenheim. From this was born his defining work, The Americans. He later went on to produce other books of photography as well as 31 films and videos including Cocksucker, a documentary of the Rolling Stones, that has been restricted by copyright use. He also made the film Pull My Daisy with Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. I enjoy the spontaneity and truth in Frank's photos. Most things you see from the 50's are forced, conformist, and generally fake. These photos pull back the veneer and show a glimpse of real humans living in real time. A true artist.

Arcadia

2009-12-09T23:44:00.004-05:00

"Nature frees our minds, but as we search for that release, we see no reason to let go of the confines of our constructed lives." So is the introduction to a new architecture book, Arcadia: Cross-Country Style Architecture and Design. With winter descending I've been spending pretty much all my time indoors, in spaces that are small, dark, and uninspiring. Looking at the pictures in this book, however, create a drool factor and a desire to suddenly move to Switzerland! Being indoors wouldn't be so bad if you could feel like you were still somehow connected to the outside environment. "This book profiles architects, designers and artists who are embracing nature and creating provocative rural hideaways that adapt to their surrounding habitats and their special topographical and extreme climatic conditions and challenges." pix from Sight Unseen.

Mix it up

2009-11-27T23:48:00.003-05:00

My friend Shamus Fatzinger, a career photographer, just sent me a link to some of the paintings he's done. I like the way he incorporates photography into his painting along with mixed media, found objects, and untraditional canvases. Here are a couple of my favorites.

The Skeleton in My Closet Has Moved Back Out to the Garden

2009-10-18T23:14:00.008-04:00

Super jazzed about the new John Lurie exhibit at Fredericks and Freiser gallery. Lurie best known as the frontman for avant garde jazz group, the Lounge Lizards, is also a prolific painter. He's been exhibiting for awhile and has 2 books published about his paintings John Lurie, A Fine Example of Art and Learn to Draw. I love his paintings for their humor and interesting pairing of colors and rough primitive style. He paints predominantly in watercolors although there's some oils in this exhibit. I'm also seeing some Francis Bacon qualities showing up in terms of long brush strokes in the backgrounds. His work seems to be maturing and is stepping away from the childlike playfulness that was dominant in his earlier work.
From the press release:

Like his music, the work has a broken, childlike quality that gives a glimpse into an visionary world. Alternatively exposing or addressing the larger, enduring myths of our culture through sketches of seemingly lost childhood reveries, John Lurie’s paintings presents his musings through interpretive storytelling—haunting, poignant, or puerile as the outcome may ultimately be. Glenn O’Brien writes, “Like Thelonious Monk, Lurie knows how to exploit the seemingly wrong note, the wrong color. It is a private language of hieroglyphics reflecting his unique self-education. His paintings, while sometimes pointedly primitive, are beautifully crafted with a refined obstinacy.”

all images from Fredericks & Freiser

The Red Book

2009-09-21T23:43:00.008-04:00

NY Times posted some interesting news about the upcoming publication of psychologist Carl Jung's secret, private, psychic exploration book, the Red Book. I'm really looking fwd to perusing this book as it looks really interesting, just the paintings alone hold a fascination. It does give one pause to consider the publication of this much guarded, very private book. It was, as Jung describes it, his soul. What happens when it enters a capitalist system to be made a commodity for all to buy? Or is it to the benefit and enrichment of society that such a seminal work will be available to inspire others to explore their inner worlds?

From the article:

"about halfway through the Red Book — after he has traversed a desert, scrambled up mountains, carried God on his back, committed murder, visited hell; and after he has had long and inconclusive talks with his guru, Philemon, a man with bullhorns and a long beard who flaps around on kingfisher wings — Jung is feeling understandably tired and insane. This is when his soul, a female figure who surfaces periodically throughout the book, shows up again. She tells him not to fear madness but to accept it, even to tap into it as a source of creativity. “If you want to find paths, you should also not spurn madness, since it makes up such a great part of your nature.”

The Red Book is not an easy journey — it wasn’t for Jung, it wasn’t for his family, nor for Shamdasani, and neither will it be for readers. The book is bombastic, baroque and like so much else about Carl Jung, a willful oddity, synched with an antediluvian and mystical reality. The text is dense, often poetic, always strange. The art is arresting and also strange. Even today, its publication feels risky, like an exposure. But then again, it is possible Jung intended it as such. In 1959, after having left the book more or less untouched for 30 or so years, he penned a brief epilogue, acknowledging the central dilemma in considering the book’s fate. “To the superficial observer,” he wrote, “it will appear like madness.” Yet the very fact he wrote an epilogue seems to indicate that he trusted his words would someday find the right audience."

The actual book itself will be making an appearance on New York soil when it will be shown at the Rubin Museum.

In the spirit of RMA's exhibition The Red Book of C.G. Jung, personalities from all walks of life--including performance artist Marina Abramovic, film director John Boorman, actress Kathleen Chalfant, entrepreneur Robin Chase, writer and activist David Harvey, graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister, painter Philip Taaffe, Tibet scholar Robert Thurman, novelist Gloria Vanderbilt, and many others--will be paired on stage with a psychoanalyst and invited to free associate, using a folio from Jung's Red Book as a starting point. The pair will then explore in conversation the themes that develop.

Handpainted Signage

2009-08-23T13:02:00.007-04:00

I came across these really kool photos of hand painted store signs from West Africa. I love the typography and also the portraiture along with the bold colors. These are so fun to look at and inspiring. As with most places on the globe, hand drawn works are slowly methodically going the way of the computer and desktop publishing. I myself often feel conflicted between my computer graphic design work and traditional tactile fine arts. I guess there's room in life for both and its a fine balance to maintain.

all pix from Voodoo Funk blog

Waste Not

2009-08-10T00:33:00.004-04:00

A few pix from chinese artist Song Dong's installation at MOMA titled Waste Not. It's the complete contents of his mother's house over the last 50 yrs. It's an interesting an idea and visually appealing to see objects set up so neatly in rows etc outside of a house setting. I overheard one person exclaiming its too much stuff and that all this couldn't possibly come from one woman in China's house. Meanwhile the average American house would have 10x more than that. over 50yrs? it wouldn't even fit in the museum. I didn't think it seemed like alot esp for the time span. I think its just harder to visualize since its out of context.

Moonmilk

2009-08-06T01:47:00.012-04:00

I love alot of the photos from the new Ryan McGinley exhibition. Its showing in London but I'm hoping it will make its way over here. The pix have a great sci-fi feel and I love the combination of eerie colors juxtaposed with the other worldly looking landscapes of the caves they're taken in. Really kool. (pix from Alison Jacques Gallery)

Creative Time

2009-07-12T22:41:00.008-04:00

I went to Governor's Island to check out some of the art in Creative Time's latest exhibit, This World and Nearer Ones. My favorite work by far was by artist Anthony McCall. McCall uses light as medium which reminds me of another favorite lighting artist, James Turell. The work titled, Between You and I, is housed in a chapel on the island and is encased in complete darkness. 2 lights in the ceiling beam down through mist being sprayed in the air. The result is seemingly tactile shapes but the illusion is they are completely ethereal and you can in fact walk through and around these shapes. The exhibit is playful and dream like and time is easily lost track of while in there. After taking many pictures I walked back outside into the blinding sunlight and present reality happy for the temporary respite. Here is the official description:

"Consisting of two elegantly simple light projectionss, Between You and I expands on the two basic components of cinema, time and light, in order to create a spectacular, immersive environment. As the projected light beams slowly travel through mist, they begin to carve out sculptural shapes in space. The fields of light interact with one another, the visitors in the space, and the striking architecture of historic St. Cornelius Chapel. Though the 2 shapes never meet they are in a constant play–suggesting that, like 2 human companions, they attempt to comprehend themselves in relation to one another."

random

2009-06-04T23:06:00.005-04:00

ran across this painting hiding in the bushes in central park

what does it all mean!?!

Scraps of Bacon

2009-05-25T14:04:00.014-04:00

I visited the Met to see the new retrospective of Francis Bacon.

The exhibit is well curated and represents the span of his work

well. From the musueum:

The first major exhibition in New York in twenty years devoted to one of the most compelling painters of the twentieth century,Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective features some 130 works--sixty-five paintings and as many archival items from public and private collections from around the world--that span the entirety of the artist’s full and celebrated career. Marking the centenary of the artist’s birth in Dublin in 1909, the exhibition brings together the most significant works from each period of Bacon’s career, focusing on the key subjects and themes that run through his extraordinary creative output. The presentation affords the most comprehensive examination to date of Bacon’s sources and working processes, offering a reevaluation of the artist’s work in light of a range of new interpretations and archival materials that have emerged since his death in 1992.

I haven't seen a retrospective of his work in over a decade so it was a supreme joy to get up close to the paintings and be able to see and feel them again. One of the things I like about his paintings is the tactile feel and almost sculptural quality about them. I also like the juxtaposition between calm and stillness and chaos and violence that embodies the majority of his paintings.

Coney Island

2009-05-25T00:16:00.008-04:00

Took a friend to Coney Island this past wk. It was before memorial day and therefore kinda empty. We went to Sideshows by the Seashore of course. No visit to Coney Island is complete without a visit to the Sideshow. They've added some new acts too so it was fun. I got picked to go on stage and pull a sword out of the sword swallower's throat that was really intimidating actually and I could feel it moving out of her throat! but it all ended well. My favorite thing about Coney Island is all the hand painted signs. I know Espo did a few of them. I don't know who else is out there painting but its always a joy to look at them.

Cherry Blossom Festival

2009-05-10T13:22:00.005-04:00

I love the Cherry Blossom Festival held at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, so much fun and so beautiful.

Gallery Visits

2009-04-25T22:13:00.012-04:00

The Yayoi Kusama show at Gagosian is pretty great. She's still doing the polka dots but it looks different from anything I've yet seen. The dots are smaller, not perfectly symetrical, there's an illusion of texture, and the colors are neon bright. Your eyes literally vibrate when you look at the canvases, its pretty fun.

I think Deitch Projects has to be my most favorite gallery. They consistently have interesting, cutting edge, fun shows that seem to rotate frequently. Currently its Matt Greene, Pictures of Women. Multilayered paintings and collage of female figures in a refreshingly nonexploitative way. "It is his hope to address the feminist critique of the male gaze while acknowledging its existence. By removing specific details of individuality from the subjects in the paintings, Greene seeks to study the role of looking in human sexuality with the objective eye of a botanist in the field." I love the geometric shapes, the bright colors on black, and the layering of wax and paint all making for a rich, rewarding viewing experience.

From the press release:

Greene presents large-scale works that further his investigations into the connections between sexual fetish, the female figure, and forms of nature. Asserting that painting occupies an inherently ambiguous space between fantasy and material, Greene's landscapes depict environments in which multilayered images superimpose themselves over the experience of reality. Faceless androgynous figures engage in ritualized behavior in spaces resembling holograph viewing rooms from science fiction; gridded chambers into which fantasies are projected. These works incorporate drawing and photography interchangeably and indifferently; the heavily textured surfaces that emerge are dripped with thick coatings of varnish that trap the images like insects in amber.

And some kool street art down in the Lower East Side.

Night time is the right time

2009-04-21T23:23:00.001-04:00

Structures

2009-04-16T02:00:00.002-04:00

Been taking alot of architecture pictures lately.

Animation

2009-04-15T01:21:00.006-04:00

So, today I went to NY Times website and found a video by one of my favorite teachers from the School of Visual Arts, Jeffrey Scher. I took Jeff's class for motion graphics and he had a huge influence on me. Jeff is a wonderful font of knowledge about all things film and animation as well as talented artist and genuinely warm and generous person. The video is animation of paintings of flowers in celebration of spring with accompanying musical score. (unfortunately I can't embed it and just have to link it). Another place to see Jeff's work is at the IFC theatre. They show his animation film for the whole no smoking, eating, talking message but its saturated with color and movement and is thoroughly enjoyable.

Grey Tuesday

2009-04-15T01:15:00.003-04:00

It was wet and cold spring day here in nyc today. Looking forward to the warmth. I still managed to find some things to look at though...

April is the Cruelest Month

2009-04-06T00:54:00.007-04:00

I'm feeling spring has finally sprung! It's been a looong winter thaw. But you know the saying, April showers bring May flowers, yeah! In order to celebrate my month (ahem), I'm posting the first paragraph of the poem, The Waste Land, by T.S. Eliot. If you're interested in reading the whole poem (its too long to post), it can be found here.

The Waste Land 1922
T.S. Eliot (1888–1965)

I. THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD

APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.
Bin gar keine Russin, stamm' aus Litauen, echt deutsch.
And when we were children, staying at the archduke's,
My cousin's, he took me out on a sled,
And I was frightened. He said, Marie,
Marie, hold on tight. And down we went.
In the mountains, there you feel free.
I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter.

Ellsworth Kelly

2009-04-05T01:15:00.005-04:00

His paintings are so crisp, and clean, and graphically delicious.

Tomoo Gokita

2009-04-01T00:34:00.005-04:00

Totally into Tomoo Gokita right now. He currently has a show at ATM gallery. If you're in New York, GO.

Xylor Jane

2009-03-30T00:21:00.014-04:00

I had a chance to see Xylor Jane's exhibit this weekend at Canada gallery down in Chinatown. Ms. Jane was there herself which was a surprise and a little exciting. I first came across her work in an issue of ANP Quarterly, which is a free quarterly put out by RVCA. Her paintings develop based on mathematics and complex grids.

From the press release:

For this latest show the paintings plot the time period of our lives, marking the days and months that built the recent past (1960-80) and span several decades into the future. Each day is marked with a point of specific color. These colors are counted, hues are shifted and new systemic patterns are built and overlaid onto each painting. Illustrations of irrational number sequences (Pi or Phi), a run of prime or triangular numbers, and palindromic numeric sequences are drawn, overlaid, mirrored, and flipped. The conflation of autobiographical time and deep (geological) time, through the overlay of infinite number successions translate for Ms. Jane into the near death experience of each painting. An overt investment in pattern drives the paintings to a place where they fall from comprehension, and return to a visual tapestry of the absurd and sublime.

If you think the exhibit description is mind blowing you should see the paintings themselves. They are part optical illusion, part hypnotic, and part incomprehensible. My favorite ones had silver backgrounds and an almost imperceptible shift of pastel rainbow colors that when taken as a whole formed a pattern but up close seemed to almost disappear off the canvas. The sheer detail and repetitiveness of the canvasses was at times overwhelming to me. To say that her work is meditative is an understatement.

(all pix from Canada's website)

Welcome

2009-03-30T00:16:00.001-04:00

This blog is intended to be a space for musings about art, design, photography, etc. Mostly anything visual that catches my attention and inspires me to share it.