Thanks!

Yesterday at work, a couple came into the gallery to look at a detroit artist's work. It turns out the couple are supporters and avid readers of this blog. The woman told me that because of pictures she saw on kristin beaver's show at meadow brook, they went out and purchased a piece of beaver's work! How cool is that! When things like that happen I get really excited because I feel that on some level the blog is making a difference! Thanks to all of you that read and follow detroit arts!

Motor City and Majestic

Rachel Timlin at Motor City: Generic Brand Ties

dry erase ties...for all those forgetful men...now you have no excuses!



Davin Brainard at Majestic Cafe: a production designer from the upcoming film "My Blueberry Nights" bought one of his paintings to use in the film! Pretty cool,huh?

A brief history of detroit arts

You all have probably heard by now that art critic for the News Joy Colby has stepped down and is moving to St Louis. She writes a farewell story for Metro Times and gives detroit youngsters a history of detroit arts! Check out her story...it is a great read! There will be a tribute for Joy at Lola's Tuesday July 11, 6-8pm comments at 7pm. Contact 313.962.0483 or mschwartz@roycemusic.com for more details.

RICHRICHRICH: round 3

Don't miss the third installment of RICHRICHRICH this saturday - THE PAINTING SHOW. The opening/gathering is from 8-12pm. I hear every third attendee will receive sparklers!

New York artist Wendy White







and Ann Arbor artist Curtis Glenn.

klimt in the news

The value of art is a funny thing. I am sure everyone hasn't missed this Klimt in the news. It sold for a record breaking $135 million dollars! It seems like what bits of art information that make it to the "real" news are always something about some ridiculous artist, a new museum or of coarse...have to do with money. I was watching the "Daily Show" and even Jon Stewart had something to make fun (bottom clip second to right, watch it it is really funny!) of about the piece going for such a high price. If you stop and think about it....what really makes this worth anything? Check out this story in the LA Times. Do old men, wealthy men only buy paintings as investments?

detroit cranbrook designer in the news...

The image above is a picture I took at Cranbrook of  Scott Klinker's (head of the graduate 3d design major) new furniture prototypes. The below image is from a current article in Newsweek! Klinker has joined forces with Bryce Moore, owner of Context - a furniture company in Royal Oak to sell Klinker's pieces. I first saw his furniture featured in the last issue of Interior Design Mag....which means these team has been receiving a lot of good press! Go Detroit!

When Making Art Becomes a Night at the Beach

Since when does art involve a whole lotta alcohol, selling booze without a license, trespassing on federal park property, hanging out on a beach with a bunch of hipsters in brooklyn? Well...that was the piece. Confused? Read the story in the times.

contemporary figuration: klein gallery

Do I ever love summer openings! This group show had an interesting variety of figurative work: everything from Pearlstein and ny painters to local detroit artists.

alex katz - litho

pearlstein

bo bartlett

charles pompilius - (detroit) above and below. Charles was at the show and I had the pleasure of chatting with him about his painting. I have high respect for his works that take such a long time to complete.

pearlstein

robert wilbert - this piece sold! I normally am not drawn to more traditional still life painting but I do admire wilbert's works.

katz - original painting - a nice piece to have if you are looking to start a collection but I really enjoy katz's large scale figurative/landscape works.

kristin beaver - these two beauties were snatched up at her solo meadow brook show by david klein. I think these pieces are great to see at the gallery mixed among other great figurative painters like Fischl, Freud, Pearlstein...and many others. They give vitality to an otherwise reserved show and balance a show of famous national talent and local talent. This is one of those shows that really highlights the detroit artists in the show...don't forget charles pompilius a detroit painter too!

dj hall - this piece was not a favorite...it's not that I don't appreciate realism but I don't like seeing a painted photograph. I like being able to read into a work and live with it for a while. Painting that leaves no question doesn't hold my attention.

pearlstein - I really love the way in which pearlstein uses the body as another object or pattern within his busy, well planned compositions. The figures always appear like mannequins - flat and devoid of life but intertwine between rugs, chairs, and other strange objects. All objects are in the same high focus and compete for attention as your eyes circle the canvas.

alyssa monks - ny painter. Again another piece that I am not able to fairly judge. I will say again, I can appreciate it but it feels like a sad, sensual art school self portrait ... but excellently done.

 

gallery project: first anniversary

Happy one year anniversary gallery project! Thanks for being such a consistently great place to see art and for keeping diverse shows with unique themes! Keep up the good work and we detroiters will continue to make our way out to ann arbor! By the way, I love ann arbor in the summer...you can't go wrong with a great meal, some shopping, an art opening and then a drink and pinball after! I will tell you again...if you haven't made it out to ann arbor yet...what are you waiting for?

brian nelson

peter williams

dan gay

dan gay

rocco depietro

andrew thompson- a month of uniforms. a month-long process of constructing a new set of clothes everyday before going to work.

gloria pritschet

kristin beaver

dick goody

michelle bowers

mike richison - this back room was a favorite for me!

jack summers

matt gordon

matt gordon

rocco depietro

matt gordon

brian nelson

kristin beaver

bobby campbell and jim cogswell

lisa steichmann

renata palubinskas

zachary schafer

ken brown

ed fraga

ed fraga

ed fraga

 For anyone who really knows me, knows that I am food obsessed...and especially when in ann arbor I like to see how many places I can eat. I started out with a super hot dog because I have been craving a good dog for probably over a year now! So I ate at Red Hot Lovers - ann arbor's famous hot dog place,   and then ended up getting a chili dog and some fries after eating the first one. Then I went to Jerusalem Garden where I had the best lentil soup around! After the opening I got some yummy raspberry sorbet and looked at the menus of the fancier restaurants as my mouth watered for more!

saturday@phillips

What a view of the Hudson river and the docks! This location was one of the reasons why I went to ny: to attend the Saturday@Phillips auction. This auction is geared towards young collectors and was a great free thing to do in ny. All one had to do was register and could receive their bidding paddle! I would say the average selling price was between $1000 and $5000. Most of the pieces being auctioned off were prints/photographs, modern furniture and some jewelry. It was incredibly exciting to be in a real, live art auction...and at times I really wanted to wave my ping-pong sized paddle with giant number but of coarse reality set in and I had to be a motionless spectator!

Go here to view the lots...I really recommend attending a saturday auction if you are in ny during that time.



This Richard Prince was a beauty! I love that it incorporates the three things prince is known for: cowboys, motorcycle ladies and jokes. The joke on this one reads: "I went to see a psychiatrist. He said, "Tell me everything." I did and now he's doing my act." This piece estimated $5,000-7,000 and sold for $10,200! Man...I love a good joke...almost as much as paint on a canvas!

I had my eyes on this Terry Richardson photo that had a low estimate but ended up going for $840, which still was pretty reasonable but a little out of my league!

RISD ny opening

Rhode Island School of Design & RISD/NYC Alumni Club present RISD Biennial NYC 2006: 3 Day exhibition event featuring work across all disciplines & created by RISD alumni living &/or working within the NYC alumni club area.

This is what a packed ny opening looks like!

amy feldman

lauren was - umbrellas and styrofoam

 

 

mark your calendars!

Just when you thought the gallery circuit was slowing down for the summer, Gallery Project saved a great all-star show for the early summer season! It is jam packed with names you know and a lot of artists you might not know as well. I love the mix there because sometimes in the detroit area it seems like you see the same old group of artists showing over and over again! I was starting to think there was some club to join to get into shows around here...or maybe I am not sleeping with the right person! Anyway...make the trip to Ann Arbor this friday June 23, 6-9. Ann Arbor in the summer is quite lovely...get some dinner make a night of it!





PRESS RELEASE: EXPERIMENTS:  GALLERY PROJECT'S FIRST ANNIVERSARY EXHIBIT

Gallery Project presents Experiments, a multi-media exhibit in celebration of its first anniversary.  The exhibit runs from June 21 through July 30.  The opening reception is Friday, June 23, 6-9. 

This exhibit features experimental work, new directions, and challenging departures by collaborators and outstanding artists from among 95 local, regional, and national artists who participated in Gallery Project's first year.

Returning artists include: Michelle Bowers, graphics; Ken Brown, wood sculpture; Bobby Campbell, oil painting; Jim Cogswell, oil painting; Ed Fraga, oil painting; Dan Gay, painting and sculpture; Dick Goody, oil painting; Matt Gordon, oil painting; Brian Nelson, assemblage; Renata Palubinskas, oil painting; Zachary Shafer, oil painting; and Peter Williams, water colors. Participating  collaborators include: Kristin Beaver, oil painting; Rocco De Pietro, mixed media; Jennifer Locke, drawing and installation; Gloria Pritschet, unaltered 35mm photography; Mike Richison, sculpture and drawing; Lisa Steichmann, photography; and Jack Summers, digital imaging.  

Dubuffet and Basquiat

There was a marvalous basquiat/dubuffet show at pacewildenstein in ny.

moniquemeloche gallery in chicago

Joel Ross, "sometimes it feels like my brain is on fire"

Karen Reimer, ChicagoTribune May20 embroidery

christian hellmich

Gorgeous paintings at Lehmann Maupin

katz: the sixties

alex katz at pace wildenstein ny

ny ny ny

The one thing that I find about traveling is that after a couple days I am settled into being on the go and feel like I never want to go home! I tend to imagine at the airport that I am jet-setting to another country like japan and I have abandoned all responsibilities waiting for me. But like all good things, they must end and now I have a few art tidbits to share. Here are a few teaser pics of what the current art scene is like in chelsea at this moment. Stay tuned for the full ny report :)

This piece says it ALL! ;-(

The "incredible hulks" were up two and the audience of jesuses cheered...GOAALLL! NY has some soccer fever!



Naked ladies and darling kitties...is there anything better? I love contemporary art...I don't even know if I am joking or serious anymore!

Hello mr. katz...

Art in chelsea is everywhere...even on this railing outside a gallery. I can't tell you what I asked the "all-knowing hot dog" though!



This painting although repulsive grew on me...and the rest were of the same nature. And guess what? This gallery sold about 4 for the cool price tag of around 15K!

A glimpse of MOMA

When in ny, I always run out of time and think moma isn't worth the hassle...but despite the crowds, it really is a superb museum and the best if modern painting is up your alley! And the best part...they allow photography! It was much more enjoyable taking photos when I didn't have to worry about hiding my camera. Here is the greatest hits compelation of modern painting!

johns

rauschenberg

cy

rausch.

diebenkorn

manzoni

Lee Bontecou

chamberlain

kitaj

hockney

dine

rosenquist

judd



riley

late dekooning

furniture/design section



guston



wolfgang

rosenberg

picasso

monet (in person this piece is much cooler than expected - lots of layers and looks much more abstract)

mondrian

miro

pollock





early pollock


left side pollack: right side his wife lee krasner...notice the crowd difference

early rothko

gorky

early dekooning

rothko

kline

dekooning...

and my favorite for last!

and some scrumptious details!

gone fishin' or ....to take over the world?

Well, I don't think my forces are strong enough to take over the world...but I will be conquering NY again! This time the weather will be much more to my liking for jaunting around chelsea galleries! See you on Sunday! Whoo-hoo!!

richrichrich - kate levant

Kate Levant, graduate of the Museum School of Boston, is such a delight! The transforming gallery space of richrichrich has taken on a new appearance this time by kate's merging of the previous show of scrap piles of debris and found objects on site with her own mixed media pieces. Kate, who drove in from boston after just finishing up school came into the space blind, although she did know about the location in a strip mall, which she found extremely intriguing. While speaking with her she reveled her excitement and also anxiety about coming to detroit and only having a short time to complete the show. Her addition to the space falls somewhere between dark, sophisticated and quirky, scattered. When entering the space, the back wall is most prominent: a large painted wall collage of text, graphic brush marks, paper and a giant pair of constructed sunglasses. Along with the corner installation painting are many other pieces like papers carefully thrown across the floor, drawings with sculptural forms, found objects and other little gems like a strip of Felix the cat tape affixed to the wall. The show is much like the first in that the viewer must consider everything in the space and its relations. While talking with kate, I noticed she has a soft-spoken playfulness about her and for just finishing school she is pretty self-aware and confident in her art making. She casually shrugs off things like the fact she is almost close to having no home right now because of moving about based on upcoming shows. Her next destination is Cleveland where she will be in a group show that she also doesn't really know what she is getting into, yet she is very relaxed about where her art takes her!

CAID: games can be fun!

What could be better than playing putt-putt on a nice summer evening? How about playing put-put where the holes are all designed by local artists? Yes, some holes were a little more conceptual = more difficult to play but the whole "game show" event at CAID proved to be a fun, interactive art opening! 

It is very hard to see but this hole by denise whitebread-fanning had shaking, clucking, constructed chickens that blocked the pathway to the holes! This was a personal favorite!

This hole by scott hocking proved to be the most fun to watch people try and get their ball into the floating turtle hole. I don't think even the cheater who starting throwing their ball at the hole got it in!

This putt-putt masterpiece by clint snider was a small found object, recycled house that he constructed - complete with satellite dish.

This hole...which is a little hard to see, involved a cannon that shot the ball through the rotating holes on top...too bad it stopped working at the beginning of the show :(

This complex hole by the curator of the golf range, graem whyte, was challenging but very playable!

Chido Johnson's long distance putt!



Inside was many, many other playable games/artworks.







theresa peterson



...complete with arcade games - "calder" and "mondrian"!

Just another reminder...detroit artists submit your best, current jpeg image and website or gallery link to detroit art works at detroitartworks@yahoo.com

paul kotula - NEST

Another packed show...but this time at least there wasn't a line to get up the stairs! What I loved about Revolution's shows were that they always had a strong theme that was sometimes subtle but once you start really thinking about the works they all shared a commonality. One of my favorite shows was So Beautiful which had a little of the same feeling of this show. Paul has made a wonderful transfer to his own gallery and his voice as a curator is very attuned. He is able to pick works that at first seem to have nothing in common and tie them all together, in one tidy nest.

Jim Chatelain - oil on canvas or board

Christian Tedeschi - resin and wood. This piece called Mix Master is a mixer that is covered with many coats of resin, encapsulating the form and making a new almost unrecognizable shape. Doesn't look like the cake will get done now!

Lance Winn - gouache on vellum. This piece called What? demonstrates how Lance uses the repetition of phrases or words sketched over and over to make a growing outline that becomes a giant shape or colored ground.

Myra Minlitch-Gray - copper, found object. Myra, from New Paltz, NY, is a metal artist that experiments with different material. This piece consisting of copper platters and pots changes the function of the vessels and transforms them into a useful shelf.

Jessica Stoller - mixed media. This piece started in the gallery and continued in the outdoor courtyard. Jessica, a recent Cranbrook grad creates environments for her alter ego Pony Girl (based on My Little Pony).

Create Something Arty

Look out Iron Chef here comes Iron Artist! What could be better...select a medium, say foam and then have two dueling artists battle it out to get judged on the best work of art! Put on by PS1...check out this story in the times! Man...I would love to see a show like this!

lemberg group show

Last night was an art viewing marathon...and I think I finished the race at 1:00am last night! Between Lemberg, Paul Kotula, CAID, RichRichRich...it was a full night of art! It's funny because the more I go to openings, the more I bump into people I know either from ccs or from the blog. I now seem to get this question a lot, "aren't you going crazy yet doing the blog and going to every opening?" And the answer is most definitely "yes!", but as crazy as I get I still plan on bloggin'. I am starting to feel the effects of bloggin on my painting schedule which worries me a bit. I joked with a friend at RichRichRich that I was going to hold the blog ransom in trade for a show somewhere! Anyway, I will start with pics from the Lemberg group show which I enjoyed very much, maybe because an old acquaintance of mine made it in the show and the james stephens had a piece in it too. It is horrible that I have also gotten hooked on art collecting but it is like clothes shopping: you start at Target but then soon enough you want some Prada! I eyed jacob and james' works for quite some time before I thought, "what am I doing...I can't afford that!" I forgot to take an artist list so I don't remember all the artists listed, but check out the show for yourself!





james stephens

elizabeth murray





jacob feige (above, below) Man, I knew jacob when he was here going to cranbrook (graduated in '05)...and now look at him - he is rep'd by lemberg (that isn't too surprising seeing as lemberg is a hostel for cranny grads) and I see he is also at a chelsea ny gallery. Just goes to show you that going to cranbrook can open some doors. Congrats jacob!

4731 alchemy show

4731 and 555 join their number forces and bring together two excellent exhibitions with a theme that detroit is very familar with: re-used, recycled and found object art! Not everything is a dirty door with crackling paint, these two spaces have everything from paining, drawing, and some really great installations! I know that tonight is a big art night with opening at lemberg, paul kotula, caid, richrichrich...but make sure you stop by 555/4731!



joe fugate, found object





jack summers

scott hocking, found object door with marker drawing

suzanne andersen, porcelain and found object

jack johnson (above and below)

555 alchemy show

Last night kicked off the opening preview and auction for the 555/4731 Urban Alchemy show. Above are some of the doors that were auctioned off. I have to say that the shows at 555 and 4731 are some what unpredictable in what you will see. I have seen some really great shows and also poorly put together shows there. Happily enough, tonight was a great time...and a lot of stunning art! If you have been fooled by 555/4731 in the past this is a show to fit into your saturday night line up!

This is the main room of 555

This piece was on the huge wall as you came up the stairs - I didn't see a name tag but I really liked this one.

Phaedra Robinson had an installation in this back corner of the gallery. I think that this piece worked so much better for me than her solo show at meadowbrook. For me the enclosed space allowed for the viewer to experience the work all in one breath instead of random pieces scattered throughout a gallery. I like where phaedra is going with this!

victor pytko (above reminds me of gordon newton)

gotta love that texture!

And the gold medal prize for the show was clint snider's installation of dipped found objects! This piece is amazing...I think this piece would be great for the mocad inaugural show??









I didn't catch the name of this artist...but I like the Godzilla effect as you walk into the path between houses.

These are a couple new pieces by scott hocking. It is nice to see progression. The drawings are done by sharpie marker and then put into a found frame - sorry about the image quality for this one but go see the show for yourself!

billy o'bryan at motor city

Billy O'Bryan is crazy about buttons. If one couldn't figure it out by looking at all the media-wrappers covered with neatly sewn buttons, while chatting with him he revealed his compulsion for discovering buttons and harvesting them off people's clothes even while still on or going to thrift stores and becoming the "button bandit". First reaction is...ok, buttons on found objects...but as you think about the materials and the handmade feel of the buttons the works go deeper than initially predicted. Billy also is excited by color schemes and how the buttons play off the graphics. For some reason I also couldn't get this damien hirst image out of my head while viewing the works. Billy also mentioned that an influence was andy warhol's late works of sewn photographs and collages.















This one was my favorite...but then again I am always a sucker for a strange animal piece!

art in the news

Be sure to take a look at these art stories in the weekly mags:

"Door to Door - ASWD's Urban Alchemy features neighbors 4731 and 555 galleries" in Real Detroit Weekly by Amy Lange
Urban Alchemy Event Preview June 9, tickets $75, open to public June 10

and

"Mutant Scribe - Lance Winn and his unsteady hand" in Metro Times by Rebecca Mazzei
Lance Winn with Jim Chatelain, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Jessica Stoller and Christian Tedeschi at Paul Kotula Projects, opening 6-8 p.m., Saturday, June 10

rarrrr!

I saw this artist, Nicole Eisenman, on the paintersnyc site...and liked this painting! It looks like me in the morning!

once again...detroit artists don't forget to submit to the detroit art works image bank: detroitartworks@yahoo.com

RichRichRich....round two

For all of you out there that had a lot to say/criticize about RichRichRich, the new gallery in Shelby Twp...I expect to see all of you at the next show! So...mark your calendars now! and don't forget about CAID's gameshow night and also the second opening at Paul Kotula Projects in Ferndale. June 10th will be a busy night!

Kate Levant
Opens June 10th from 8pm - 12am
open from June 11th - 21st by appointment only
586.484.5957 for an appointment

Kate's a graduate of the Museum School of Boston

taurus burns & frank english

For the avid detroitarts blog readers you might be wondering if I have started to slack on the job, but rest assured that I am not asleep at the wheel: my laptop's motherboard decided to just "poof" - stop working! So...my baby is in the shop an hopefully coming home soon! I have managed to steal an old lady's laptop from her while she sips mochachinos at starbucks...ok...not really but I have a "loaner" for the night just to prove how faithfull I am to you blog readers!

taurus burns has some great paintings up at synergy gallery in berkley! I still am baffeled by how he manages to get such nice complimentary contrast in the shadows and in the flesh tones. No painter in detroit can do what he does, in terms of his color palette for figurative work. He somehow makes bright lime green and pale turquoise read as dark shadows. One thing that I know is that taurus pours his heart into his paintings and they usually contain very personal subject matter: he is a great story-teller.





alex katz similarity

self portrait



These works are by detroit artist frank english. I have seen english's works in image form but in person they read much better. The remind me a bit of clint snider but more about nature/landscape than detroit ruins. I really like some of the small pieces on found and cast objects while the larger pieces, although very detailed, lose some of the precise quality and get a little busy with paint.







This piece sold even before the show opened...I hear that synergy is doing a good job of keeping up the sales! Congrats...let's keep this gallery going!!

northville art house

As much as we detroit artists complain that there are no galleries to show in, it sometimes becomes an excuse not to try here. The fact is there are galleries, yes they might not be "chelsea" caliber galleries but at least we have some. It is not like we are living out in the boonies like in Nebraska or the U.P.! I am happy to announce a new gallery, that I am sure some have already snubbed off as being a waste of trip in the up-north-like small town of northville, but with part time director aaron timlin, also director of CAID, running the exhibitions, it will be a venue to stay on top of.  The first show, although a celebrity clip show, is of all locally known talent: Kristin Beaver, Mitch Cope, Sergio De Giusti, Dick Goody, Ray Katz, Frank Pahl, Mary Potts, and Clinton Snider. Timlin enthusiastically spoke about the space that he is in charge of turning around; changes included getting rid of windows, fireplace, and covering cinder block walls. For upcoming shows he hopes to push the limits of traditional Northville art-goers and have challenging exhibitions in the works.

sergio de giusti

mitch cope (above, below)



ray katz

clint snider and frank pahl

dick goody

kristin beaver

mocad in the news

Here is the link to an article in the Detroit Jewish News, in case you missed it buried in the comments in the previous mocad story -tires for mocad.

and to clear up the detroit mystery presence in the show, christopher fachini is a musician and will be in the opening show.

"Miro projects that the museum will include many arts disciplines, starting with a local musician as part of the debut show. She also hopes to have a bookstore with arts periodicals and a cafe where visitors can stop and discuss what they have seen and learned."

lisa whiting at motor city

teams of architects changing a city

The NY Times reveals that miami is hot with architects! I could have told you that from my recent trip there! Everywhere you turn, there are new buildings going up along the beach and in the heart of miami. And what is creating all this attention are the famous architects that are coming to the sunshine state ready to impress.

"Major developers across the country have long since realized, of course, that celebrity architecture sells. But its sudden rise here seems linked to a new level of design consciousness, an outgrowth of the now-entrenched fashion industry in South Beach and the booming success of Art Basel Miami Beach, an art fair held annually since 2000."

 

Friday plans...

Aaron Timlin is putting together an exhibition for the City of Northville that opens this Friday, June 2 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm in their newly remodeled gallery at the Northville Art House.


Dictum
featuring

Kristin Beaver
Mitch Cope
Sergio De Giusti
Dick Goody
Ray Katz
Frank Pahl
Mary Potts
Clinton Snider
Aaron Timlin, curator

www.northvillearts.org