Recognize the Work, Never Knew the Artist

I was just putting together a holiday card for the ole boyfriend's sister when I ran across the artist Robert Motherwell. I recognize his pieces but never knew him by name so I did a little googling. Motherwell is an American painter, printmaker and editor. He was one of the youngest of the New York School (a phrase he coined), which also included Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and Philip Guston. Now I am not going to copy and paste the whole wikipedia entry - you can read it here. I am just going to post a few pieces of his work. Enjoy!


Elegy to the Spanish Republic (Basque Elegy), 1967 | Oil on Canvas


The Little Spanish Prison, 1941-44 | Oil on Canvas


Black for Mozart, 1991 | Lithograph Printed in Colors with Collage

Loving This Hong Kong Artist

Simon Birch is a Hong Kong painter, graffiti + installation artist, DJ, restaurant owner, and I bet the list goes on and on (read: pretty cool guy). There are few things that I research the moment upon discovery but I had to see what this artist was about and see more once I caught a glimpse of his work. His color palette is subdued almost but becomes vibrant and alive because of the energy and movement in the pieces.

Great Little Stop-Motion Animation

I love this... whimsical little stop-motion animation short by Spike Jonze and Olympia Le-Tan named "Mourir Auprés de Toi" - "To Die By Your Side."

To watch, click here.

Photographer Alex Prager

Something made me want to see more when I stumbled across a couple photographs by Alex Prager - an LA-based photographer. Her work is almost retro feeling yet contemporary and I love the use of color - no surprise she was heavily influenced to pick up the camera when she saw a William Eggleston exhibit years ago. Any way, I dig her look. Thought I'd share.

Paint Chip Wall Mural

I ran across this idea and think it is just fabulous - well, I think it's fabulous because I love anything with color! This definitely is an inexpensive way to spice up a wall without spending a fortune on a framed piece. You can buy $1.50 samples here.

Sonia Delaunay

Really cool prints by Sonia Delaunay. She explores the relationship between words, body + movement in all her work - which is quite extensive - textiles, print, painting, stage design, etc.

Artist Rosa Ruey

I feel compelled to post a couple pieces by the artist Rosa Ruey. I don't know if I particularly love them but there is something about them. Very busy and almost distracting in a great way - I gravitate to them - feel as though they are very "me".

Obsessed!

I stumbled across this reverse glass painting while looking for a Madeline Weinrib fabric swatch and became instantly obsessed. I think it is uniquely beautiful. It is by Cassandria Blackmore... one more thing to wish for. Ugh.

Adorable Art Prints.

I want these but yet again they may be too cutesy... so French and so cute though! If I decide... they are on etsy.

Cute posters - girl power :)

Available at mySwitcheroo.com

Body. Movement. Form.

I tucked an article from some magazine away a few years back about Natasha Law, the artist sister of Jude. Now I see her work again on some website I stumbled upon. There is something striking about her work - the use of color, the shape, the restraint yet depth.

Art of the Matter - Howard A. Tullman

When I was asked to be one of a panel of judges for The Artist Project exhibition + sale (held at The Merchandise Mart this winter), I figured that I’d look at some slides, pick some favorite pieces, and call it a day. I guess I should have known better. After all, as an avid art collector, I’ve been judging art for years, with various degrees of difficulty.But reviewing the pieces of almost 500 artists, and picking those that I felt represented the best of the best, was a real challenge and a serious responsibility. Since the show’s purpose is to provide visitors with the opportunity to discover—and actually buy—interesting and affordable artworks, it attracts a wide variety of artists; some I was familiar with, but most I knew nothing about. In a sense, I was again a novice—only now with expert tastes—and I learned a lesson that was just as valuable to the art-buying neophyte as to the serious collector. Yes, I wouldn’t have been there if someone didn’t think I had a “good eye” (or two) and that I knew something about the work and the market and what it takes to succeed, but judging art should always be a more emotional decision than a pragmatic one. And I really do know what I like.I like art that makes you sweat. That seizes your attention and imagination. Art that’s hard to look away from and never fades into the wall. That tells a story with a certain strength and power. And, above all, art that is well made—because I believe in execution and excellence and that you can always tell the difference. So my choices were, for the most part, easy. But then the going got a little tougher. I had to decide whether part of my job was to also include “good” work that I wouldn’t have in my collection if you paid me. Not that there was anything intrinsically wrong with the work, it just wasn’t for me, kind of like that painting or sculpture you might inherit from a relative that, while quite valuable, just doesn’t have a place in your home. Then I started to wonder whether we judges also had some responsibility for making the overall show a success from a commercial standpoint. Should there be some art for everyone? I’d call this “novelty” art—like those cute butler sculptures that can also hold a drink or two—and it surely sells. Please. I couldn’t do it. Ultimately I got through the process, and I made my choices. I’m happy to say that the process worked and that the group of final selections looked pretty good. The most important lesson I learned is that good art is about passion, not rationality, and that you can’t think your way to the right results. It’s always all about how the work makes you feel. That’s the artist’s job, that’s the judge’s responsibility, and that’s the only way to get to the right answer. It’s no different if you’re a “civilian” looking to buy your first work of art for your home. Don’t do it for an investment. Don’t do it because someone else likes it. Don’t do it because it matches the couch. Do it because it’s important to you, because it makes you smile and think every time you look at it, and because you have to have it. You’ll never go wrong if you let your heart decide.

Suzanne Long

"The inspiration for the series Figures with Candy is locomotion both physical and mental. Commuting back and forth to work, when Public Transportation can also be the most private mental space, whether reading a book on the train or listening to music on the bus, looking out the window daydreaming. That suspended time when the past can mingle with the present... summer days watching little league games with a nickel Sugar Daddy sticking your teeth together, a smuggled Bazooka at the bottom of your school bag just waiting for the end of day bell to ring, the slow meditation of eating a Tootsie Pop anticipating the pop being so thin that you can no longer resist biting through it to the tootsie, the sound of Junior Mints rattling in the box like music. How memories accompany us, shadow us through our days and how the echoes of them can be heard when we’re quite enough to listen. I build using the coil method I use a low fire .06 buff clay. The candy pieces are also built in clay but painted with acrylics, everything is hand rendered and sealed with a wax medium. "

Matthew Woodson

Matthew Woodson was born and raised in rural southern Indiana. He graduated from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in early 2006. He still lives in Chicago in an apartment full of hardwood floors and taxidermy, with an unapologetically vocal cat and a dog that is skinnier than the grain.

Ghostco (gôst-kô) n.00 within the company of the deceased01 an organization of the non-existent02 a "tag" used by the author at an adolescent age in acts of petty vandalism.

Email: matthew@ghostco.orgBlog: With Hands And HairMailinglist: The Great DisasterPrints: Thumbtack Pressdownload pdf portfolio

Matthew Cherry

Ray Charles White

The Spions - 803, 888 and 108(Photo: Ray Charles White, Toronto, Canada, 1982)

Playing the Building - David Byrne Installation in New York

To watch click here - Pitchfork TV

David Byrne gives Pitchfork.tv an exclusive walkthrough of the NYC art installation he's spent two years creating: Turning an abandoned ferry terminal into a giant musical instrument whose creaking pipes and beams are played with an archaic pump organ. The installation is open through August 10.

Francis Bacon

"I myself and the life I've lived happen to be more profoundly curious than my work. Then sometimes, when I think about it, I'd prefer everything about my life to blow up after I die and disappear." -Francis Bacon

Man & Child

1963

Three Studies of Isabel Rawsthorne

1967