Filed under: Review | Tags: Blake Gopnik, DC, G Fine Art, Ian Whitmore, Matthew Smith, Tyler Green, Washington DC
It wasn’t long ago that Ian Whitmore was selling out multiple shows in Washington, D.C. before his paintings were even hung for opening night. It may have been a sign of the times — those shows at the now-defunct Fusebox gallery in the mid 00s were smack dab in the middle of the so-called great contemporary art bubble. But it was also a testament to Whitmore’s virtuosity, the right combination of bravura and painterly intellect that had just about every arts writer in town gushing, including younger incarnations of Tyler Green and Blake Gopnik.
So it wasn’t entirely surprising that Whitmore ultimately sought to broaden his artistic experiences in New York, leaving D.C. a few months before the opening of his 2009 show at G Fine Art. The news was noteworthy enough that Gopnik wrote about it for the Post, detailing the potential rewards and pitfalls of such a move. And now, three years later, the former Washingtonian returns to G Fine Art with his third solo show at the gallery, A Devil, a Shadow, the Notice of a Small Falling Leaf. The exhibition is made up entirely of paintings Whitmore composed after his departure, perhaps hinting at what’s occupied his mind since leaving D.C. behind. More after the jump. –Matthew Smith, Washington, D.C. contributor
Ian Whitmore | The Bells Through the Leaves, 2008-2012, 16″ x 16″, oil on linen (courtesy G Fine Art)
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Filed under: Review | Tags: Crown Point Press, John Cage, Kathan Brown, Nadiah Fellah, Press, Print
When one first encounters the prints by composer and artist John Cage, the lines, circles, and doodles that intermittently dot the pages could be described as simply abstract compositions. Some are monochromatic, others colorful. Some recall the sparse structure of a Jasper Johns, others the charred and distressed surfaces of a Robert Rauschenberg. While these artists were major influences in Cage’s life and work, the inclination to call the work derivative is hardly the whole story. – Nadiah Fellah, San Francisco Contributor
A video clip of John Cage using fire to print the Eninka series at Crown Point Press in 1986 (jump to 1:34 to view Cage’s process):
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Filed under: Review | Tags: Brian Fee, Chris Martin, Mitchell-Innes & Nash
There are several protocols to bear in mind before experiencing a Chris Martin exhibition. Take your preconceived notions of mixed-media painting and color combinations and chuck them out the window. Martin’s bold color choices are exceeded only by the media itself receiving the paint, which could be “just” canvas or an entire Oriental rug to the tabloid newspapers appearing here, his third solo show at Mitchell-Innes & Nash. Brian Fee, Austin Contributor
Chris Martin | Bus Maniac, 2008-11, oil and collage on canvas, 54” x 45 1/8”
Courtesy the artist and Mitchell-Innes & Nash
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It was a busy week on the blog. Just in case you missed something, here is a quick recap of events with links to the original posts. Enjoy!
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On Monday we released the names of the featured artists from New American Paintings #98, the Northeast Issue. Only two more issues until our 100th publication! Go here to see the entire list of winners!
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Whitney Kimball, our New York City contributor, visited Terry Winter’s exhibition at Matthew Marks. She notes in her post, “Winters has long held an interest in natural and scientific forms; the press release cites his initial fascination with “cells, spores and seeds,” which progressed to “biological processes, scientific and mathematical fields, and issues raised by the interaction of information technologies and the human mind.” Read the full review.
Terry Winters | Tessellation Figures (10), 2011, oil on linen, 80 x 76 inches, Courtesy Matthew Marks
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Mid-week we posted another poll, this time to see whether or not you wanted to see more or less artists in New American Paintings. The voting results indicated that the publication should be left as is (we have no plans to make any changes to the number of artists or reproductions). In our comments section, “David” wrote, “By reducing the number of artists included in each publication the juror’s professional and personal tastes would only be more amplified in the selections and the publication may become less comprehensive.” It’s not to late to vote and to voice your opinion here!
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If you live in the Midwest, now is your chance to enter our competition. the deadline for this year’s Midwest Competition is February 29th (Midnight EST). If you’re a painter residing in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, or Wisconsin, this is your opportunity to submit work to New American Paintings. The juror for the 2012 competition will be Lisa D. Freiman, Senior Curator and Chair of the Department of Contemporary Art Department, Indianapolis Museum of Art. APPLY NOW!!!
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Finally, Matthew Smith, our Washington, D.C. contributor, reviewed an exhibition by Gina Beavers at Nudashank. Smith noted, “Culled from the unremarkable — quotidian moments and bits of cultural flotsam — her work is grounded by the immediacy of her source material. Despite the occasional abstraction, these representations aren’t meant to veer far from their physical subjects; they’re tethered to experiential moments that are as concrete as the sculptural reliefs on her canvases.” Read more about the show!
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Filed under: DC, Review | Tags: Baltimore, DC, Gina Beavers, Matthew Smith, NUDASHANK
There’s no escaping the physicality of Gina Beavers’ paintings. Culled from the unremarkable — quotidian moments and bits of cultural flotsam — her work is grounded by the immediacy of her source material. Despite the occasional abstraction, these representations aren’t meant to veer far from their physical subjects; they’re tethered to experiential moments that are as concrete as the sculptural reliefs on her canvases. Indeed, borrowing from the pictorial language of naive painting, Beavers’ works suggest redemption for what’s unheroic among us. Le Sigh, her solo show at Nudashank in Baltimore, opened earlier this month and I had the chance to drop by for a visit. – Matthew Smith, Washington, D.C. contributor
Gina beavers | 6-color palette, acrylic & paintbrush on canvas, 12” x 14”, 2011, (courtesy Nudashank and the artist)
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It’s a leap year, so the deadline for this year’s Midwest Competition is February 29th (Midnight EST). If you’re a painter residing in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, or Wisconsin, this is your opportunity to submit work to New American Paintings.
The juror for the 2012 competition will be Lisa D. Freiman, Senior Curator and Chair of the Department of Contemporary Art Department, Indianapolis Museum of Art.
In the meantime, if you live in the Midwest (IL, IN, IO, MI, MN, MO, OH, WI), APPLY NOW!
Last year’s Midwest cover, painting by Andrew Mazorol & Tynan Kerr
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Last week we asked New American Paintings readers what they thought about the Artist Statements included in the publication. We have another question for you…All 40 artists in each edition currently have 3 paintings reproduced. Keeping the number of pages in the magazine constant, would you rather see more artists with fewer reproductions per artist, OR, would you rather see fewer artists with more reproductions per artist? Each option has serious implications. For example, if the publication has fewer artists (with more images per artist) the competitions would be tougher but would arguably yield a tighter grouping of artists.
Please vote below and be sure to tell us why you voted the way that you did in the comments section.
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Filed under: New York, Review | Tags: Matthew Marks, Terry Winters, Whitney Kimball
On view at Matthew Marks are eleven large-scale paintings by Terry Winters. Each contains a web of diamonds, triangles, and rhombuses, which in places drift apart, and in others cling around invisible ripples, double-helixes, globes. Some are flat, chalky, and rug-like, while others recall wombs with thin, vibrant washes and cells in arranged in dimensional basket weaves. - Read more from NYC Contributor Whitney Kimball after the jump!
Terry Winters | Tessellation Figures (1), 2011, oil on linen, 80 x 76 inches, Courtesy Matthew Marks
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Filed under: Behind the Scenes, Competitions, Sneak Peeks | Tags: #98, Alexia Stamatiou, Amze Emmons, Andrew Brischler, Becky Suss, Ben Boothby, Ben Weiner, Benjamin Degan, Brian Zink, Cary Smith, Chelsey Tyler Wood, Cristi Rinklin, DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Dina Deitsch, Dodge Gallery, Echo Eggebrecht, Erin Murray, Eugenie Tung, Hannah Cole, Jaqueline Cedar, Jason Bard Yarmosky, Jason Seeley, Jessie Edelman, Joe M. Wardwell, Julie Oppermann, Justin Richel, KAORUKO, Kay Ruane, Kristen Dodge, Laurel Sparks, Louise Marshall, Marc Séguin, Michael Yoder, NAP, Nina Bovasso, Northeast, Peter Opheim, Rebecca Roberts, Rebecca Rutstein, Ria Brodell, Robert Buck, Roxa Smith, Ryan McLennan, Seth Clark, Shawn Huckins, sneak peak, Summer Wheat, Susan Siegel
The 2012 Northeast Issue, #98, is now hitting newsstands across the US. We expect them to ship to subscribers in the next 1 to 2 weeks, so check those mailboxes! The juror for the Northeast issue was Dina Deitsch, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA.
Deitsch notes in her essay, “While the Northeast can be characterized by its cold weather, ties to the earliest days of American history, a collection of some very good schools, and perhaps, what is politely termed a Yankee frugality or better yet, pragmatism, the truth of the matter is that the art here bears no such defining characteristics. In the realm of painting, where the limits are the mind and hand, there is a remarkable range of forward-thinking ideas, subject matter, and technique. In the grouping of painters featured in this issue of New American Paintings you’ll come across works that speak more to the human experience—both local and global—and a broadening effect of thinking through painting as a material, as color, and less as a means to an end. This shift towards the materiality of paint seems to almost reinvigorate the medium, taking it into the space of the world itself.”
– View a list of all featured artists after the jump!
You can pre-order the issue by calling 617-778-5265.
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Filed under: Art Fairs | Tags: armory, blog, contributor, NAP, scope, volta
We try to cover as much contemporary painting as we can on the NAP/Blog, and sometimes we need your assistance. Are you going to be visiting the art fairs in NYC March 7-11? Do you have a nice camera? Are you the type of person that likes to document visits to your favorite gallery? If so, we could use your to help covering the fairs for our blog. We want to post photographs of your favorite artworks and installations while at the fairs next month (Armory, Volta, Scope, The Art Show, etc..). Share your art fair experience with our blog readers all over the globe.
The selected “photographer” will receive a two-year subscription to New American Paintings, a dedicated blog post for the photographs (with full credit, of course), and a link to their personal website or blog.*
To be considered as our guest photo contributor, please fill out the form here by February 26th. We need to know a little bit about you and get a few samples of some photographs that you’ve taken while gallery-hopping or visiting an art fair.
Thanks for participating and good luck! We will introduce our guest contributor(s) at the end of the month.
