K Chatterson NYC/LA

Good bye from Kris Chatterson

2008-09-06T11:55:00.013-04:00

I began this blog as a journal to chronicle my experiences as I traversed the NYC art world. It has now become something else completely. I realized that the blog was becoming a resource for others to see what is going on in NYC that may not be getting much press, but is vital nonetheless.

The new vision is embodied in KCLOG.

Kirchner and the Berlin Street @ MoMA

2008-08-23T19:48:00.008-04:00

Mid-August in the New York art world is like a desert. Everyone is out of town, either in the Hamptons or Hudson Valley, and most galleries are closed or on shorter schedules. Kirchner and the Berlin Street at MoMA is a much needed oasis with plenty to go around. I was excited for months when I learned this show was coming.

The show does not disappoint. The paintings sparkle off the wall – each one inviting you to come closer. I was surprised to notice how fresh these paintings seemed and how many now famous German artists owe much to Kirchner.

The paintings are great, but the real treat is the pastels. They hit me in the face most unexpectedly. They are bold, direct and seem as fresh as the day they were made.

I have to give MoMA props for the generous online exhibition made for this show. It's very exciting and here is why: It's totally interactive and shows most of the work in the show. Here is the best and I think most generous part: be sure to click on sketchbooks, because the Museum actually scanned some of his sketchbooks, and you can virtually flip through the books.

Kris

Photos taken from MoMA website as there is not photography allowed.

East Coast Colors Hand Made Paint

2008-08-17T09:53:00.006-04:00

As a blogger I often brows other blogs and last weekend found a post on Art Fag City for East Coast Colors. I was instantly curious about this paint. I made an appointment with Jacob Ouillette the paint maker and master mind behind East Coast Colors the very next day. Jacob makes the paint in small batches and sells it directly out of his studio. Cash and personal checks only at this point. When you come in there is only the tubed paint laying on a table, a color board, palette with paint on it and some of Jacob's paintings against the wall. Jacob took me through his line of colors. Then led me over to the palette so I can see first hand how some of the paint behaves by letting me spread some around with a palette knife.

Colors you should check out are, Lemon Ochre, Italian Orange Earth, Bohemian Green Earth, Cad Maroon, Cad Red Purple, Cadmium Brown, Titanium Yellow, Emerald Green, Ultramarine Violet, Ultramarine Pink, Iron-Oxide Black bluish and Transparent yellow oxide just to name a few.

After painting with these paints I am more than satisfied with my purchases. The lemon Ochre is everything I ever wanted in an Ochre but could not find. The Italian Orange Earth adds a fiery, smoldering warmth to oranges and reds.

East Coast Colors is a very new company. More colors are on the way. Jacob will be more than happy to talk with you about things to come. Who ever heard of a Blue Ochre? The great thing about Jacob is that he understands the needs of younger painters.

All photographs were taken from the East Coast Colors website.

Sculpture Part II Opening at Western Project by Cole

2008-08-10T18:28:00.005-04:00

Western Project closed out summer 2008 with the second of two sculpture shows, Sculpture Part II August 9. Nagasaki, anybody? It was a beautiful evening outside at the bar kicking it with WP's Keven, a little warm inside though so WP's Erin was doing a lot of plein air photography. Western Project rock star painter and fellow Otis instructor Carole Caroompas was there along with Tanya Batura (getting ready to kick off the gallery's fall schedule next month), lots of painters (Roland Reiss, Lester Monzon) and those double-threat-I-can-paint-AND-sculpt maestros Michael Reafsnyder and Wayne White. It was also great to see Artillery Magazine's Ezhra Jean Black out again making the rounds. I liked Mike Dee's crazy big spider guys and Michael's wacky monsters, some were straight out of Star Trek Original Series or Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas. Wayne's carved wood sculptures were a personal favorite, especially the smallest one, "Dreaming". August (die she must) is upon us and it's vacation/travel season, gallery owner Cliff is off to visit India for the first time, should be quite an adventure! WP's Kirsten introduced me the guy who designed the groovy downloadable WP mandala (get it here, it will bring you good luck!), he was totally cool and is also a big Arcade Fire fan so how can you go wrong? Kris and I are trying to come up with a sexier name for this blog, if you have any ideas run 'em up the proverbial flagpole! SOOTYCK, xo Cole

Marlene Dumas at MOCA by Cole

2008-08-09T16:03:00.003-04:00

Hi guys, I checked out the Marlene Dumas show at MOCA Thursday and really enjoyed it. I went in with like zero expectations, not especially high, not especially low. What I really loved in this show were her works on paper, especially huge grids of serial portraits like "Models" and "Jesus Serene." Being an Oily Boy, I never give much thought to working in ink and/or acrylic and/or watercolor on paper, but this show inspired me for sure to try it out with a vengeance! The portraits look waaayyy fresh and immediate, and Dumas really has her control of these very volatile and unpredictable mediums, like, SO down. Speaking of which, when did the plural of"medium" become "mediums" and not "media"? Hmmmmmm The MOCA camera nazis were on patrol so no guerrilla shots with this post, only what I could download from the MOCA website. The dead "Marilyn" is her most recent painting, from this year, and it may be petite but it's a killer. "Painter" and her oil portraits of babies were awesome too. Her porn stuff didn't light my fire as much as those baby portraits, what does THAT say? Yikes! NYC/LA connection with this show: Connie Butler, ex-MOCA now-MOMA curated the show. We miss her out here! You lucky New Yorkers! Tonight Western Project has their second group sculpture show to close out the summer, I'll take some pix to post in the next few day or so. Stay out of trouble you crazy kids! xo Cole

Thanks Kris!

2008-08-04T15:18:00.003-04:00

Nice to be on board, amigo! I'm so jealous of Kris, that bastard being able to move from LA to NYC -- which is my favorite city on the planet. The blog makes it seem (almost) like I'm there, thanks man.

Anyway, when I get the chance I'll keep both coasts current with what's going on in LA. Like Kris suggested, I'm an opening whore so I see my role as announcing what of note is opening where and who was there. As an artist, I will not assume a critical role but be more of a low-rent version of Scene and Herd. Think of me as a very polite Left Coast Page Six. I promise to NOT post images of my drunken - or sober - friends in compromising positions. In fact, my first images have little to do with the visual arts....

I attended the Johnny Ramone Tribute at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Friday night and it was a total blast. I got to meet lone surviving OR Tommy and CJ. As a former punk band bass player myself, it was a real honor to meet both of them. The Ramones were -- and are --a HUGE influence on me, both musically and artistically. Marky was there too, standing by Johnny's grave and politely posing for pictures with anyone. I caught a glimpse of Linda Ramone in a shocking lime green dress but didn't get to talk to her.

Saturday night featured openings at Bergamot Station: Sigmar Polke at Patrick Painter and the Otis Faculty group show "Omage" at Track 16 (disclaimer: I am Otis faculty so this is a bit of shameless self-promotion). We then went to Culver City to check out Kyle Kilty's abstract paintings at Kinkead Contemporary. After that we went for dinner to Natalee Thai in Culver City.

If you live in LA and go to Culver City openings with any frequency, you should totally check out Natalee post-opening for dinner. They have awesome food, reasonable prices, full bar and have a patio where you can smoke while you eat ( I know, New Yorkers -- there ARE actually some Angelenos who smoke! Who knew?). The crew included Fette (who also has an LA art blog at the-flog.com), gallerist John Kinkead and wife Amy, painters yours truly, Jel Markovic, Lester Monzon and Sharon Ben-Tal as well as visiting New Yorker Alex Yang).

Of course there is NO better post-opening place in LA than El Coyote, but we'll talk about that another day ;-) The image Kris posted in his intro for me is a painting I did of the El Coyote patio. I Looooooove that place you'd better believe I spell it L-U-V! Been going there for almost 30 years now.

Anyway, I'll post more later this week after I see the Marlena Dumas (NOT pronounced dumbass) show at MOCA...

Stay out of trouble you crazy kids!

K Chatterson NYC/LA Welcomes Cole Case

2008-08-03T20:59:00.005-04:00

I first started this Blog as a journal to document my experiences coming from LA and landing in NYC. My posts were for my friends in LA, so they could see what I was up to and the shows and events I was attending. The Lower East Side really peeked my interest because of the young and new energy that is going on.

I am extremely happy to announce that fellow Western Project artist Cole Case will be posting on all things LA and beyond. No matter what opening I would attend I could always count on Cole to be there. He is embedded and on the scene.

Welcome Cole Case!

Accident Blackspot group show @ Freight + Volume

2008-07-27T10:23:00.005-04:00

Summer group shows are usually a snooze fest. Most are a dump of gallery artists or a show with no real theme or idea with a host of name brand artists. Though they may bring in the crowds, there is not much beyond that. "Accident Blackspot" a group show at Freight + Volume is a remedy to the summer group show blues. Challanging the mainstream aesthetics is the underpinning of the show. Risk is another. The artists and curator risk total failure in the project, which I find exciting. If there were only more shows like this one!

Artists in the show include:
Ivin Ballen
Rob Erickson
Keltie Ferris
Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenberg
Joseph Hart
Himi Jen Dricks
Fawn Krieger
Ree Morton
Ian Pedigo
Daniel Seiple
Ali Smith
Wendy White
Tamara Zahaykevich

Wendy White @ Leo Koenig

2008-07-27T09:21:00.003-04:00

Action abstraction, graffiti, instillation and architecture all combine in Wendy White's show at Leo Koenig. The combined panels and assemblage nature of the work seems to be less about a "picture" and more about the action on the surface. There is no romanticism here. White lifts textured moments from the streets of urban metropolises and rearranges them in paint. For more info and images please check out the artist's and gallery website.

note: the images in the post are lifted from the Leo Koenig website. The batteries for my camera died :(

What the Midnight can Show Us group show @ Museum 52

2008-07-19T10:23:00.010-04:00

What the Midnight can Show Us at Museum 52 is a group show of artist all working with abstraction in one degree or another. The opening was packed so I could not get many images. The artists in the show include Rachel Foulion, Julia Goldman, Van Hanos, Yadir Quintana and Ryan Sullivan. For more information and images please check out the gallery website.

Sharon Engelstein "Blow Job" @ Sunday

2008-07-12T10:14:00.006-04:00

Sharon Engelstein's show titled "Blow Job" at Sunday gallery in the L.E.S. exhibits sculpture produced by cutting-edge technology. The big yellow piece titled "Slow Head" in the middle of the main gallery is made of nylon and is blown up by a fan (hence the title of the show). The pieces in the back gallery are rapid prototype made by using a 3-D printer used in the industrial design industry. Although the work is produced by new technologies the work possesses a soft sensuality usually lacking in work produced by these means. For Engelstein the computer is a tool like any other, a means to an end not the end to the means. Definitely stop in to see this show!

Omar Chacon @ Bronx River Art Center

2008-07-06T09:47:00.008-04:00

Omar Chacon at Bronx River Art Center is a refreshing blast of color in a city that is usually quite gray. Over the years Chacon has patiently and intently mined the possibilities of poured and dripped paint. Chacon has developed his dots, drips and drips that are cut to form mosaic like tiles into a personal lexicon to create works that grapple with world politics and art history as subjects.

Chacon will have his International debut with Magrorocca in Milan, Italy in September 2008 and his New York City solo debut with Green Contemporary in January 2009.

Chacon is also represented by Lincart in San Fransisco.

Hilary Harnischfger @ Never Work

2008-06-22T22:46:00.003-04:00

Nestled in a small storefront in the L.E.S., Hilary Harnischfger's paper made objects dazzle the eye at Never Work Gallery. Do not miss this gem of a show!

Elizabeth Cooper @ Thrust Projects

2008-06-22T22:22:00.005-04:00

Elizabeth Cooper's new work brightens the walls at Thrust Projects. Known for her splash-ish abstractions Cooper produces slick and surprisingly rough paintings.

Jonathan Hartshorn and Joyce Kim @ Thierry Goldberg Projects

2008-06-22T20:38:00.006-04:00

Jonathan Hartshorn and Joyce Kim bring down the house at Thierry Goldberg.
Jonathan's paintings become a sculptural installation as the paintings pile up on the floor and become smashed to bits. What painter does not what to do this from time to time? Joyce explores space and the physicality of a painting's surface in her haunting abstract pictures.

Sarah Braman @ Museum 52

2008-06-22T20:18:00.004-04:00

Sara Braman at Museum 52 is a great sculpture show! One of the best that I have seen in a long time. This is very smart show that tickles the intellect and the senses.

Hilary Harkness @ Mary Boone Gallery

2008-06-21T17:38:00.004-04:00

Hilary Harkness at Mary Boon Gallery 5th Ave is a delectable show that is not to be missed. The paintings are super sexy, and I am not just talking about the women in the paintings performing various sex acts. The handling of the paint is so smooth I wanted to lick the paintings. It's surprising to find an artist who mixes content and process to evoke such responses in the viewer.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner @ Michael Werner

2008-06-15T14:10:00.003-04:00

This is a fantastic show of Kirchner's late work. It is surprisingly contemporary in color, form and application of paint. The show is now extended an extra three weeks at Michael Werner Gallery. It now closes on July 3. A catalog is also available and work picking up.

Ann Pibal @ Max Protetch

2008-06-15T12:41:00.004-04:00

Ann Pibal at Max Protetch is a smart show of smallish and colorful hard edge abstraction. In a pic below hard edge painter Thomas Burk admires the awesome blue.

Sterling Ruby and Andre Butzer @ Metro Pictures

2008-06-15T11:28:00.004-04:00

Two major hits as far as I am concerned from the group show at Metro Pictures are Sterling Ruby and Andre Butzer. Sterling is one of many painters to come out of the So Cal graduate school system and take New York by storm. There must be something in the water over there.

Katherine Bernhardt: The Magnificent Excess of Snoop Dogg Katherine Bernhardt, book signing

2008-06-01T21:32:00.006-04:00

Today I attended the book signing for artist Katherine Bernhardt's book "The Magnificent Excess of Snoop Dogg Katherine Bernhardt."

The signing coincided with the closing of her show at CANADA. I'm glad I made it because the show was stellar!

Bernhardt designed the layout of the book which juxtaposes her paintings with the source material. The book is remarkably generous in revealing studio shots and candid photos starring the artist. Props to Bernhardt for designing something so fresh and not the typical artist book.

I posted a couple spreads. Sorry the photography is bad, but I highly recommend you buy your own.

The book is published by Picture Box and you can follow this link to purchase your own copy!

Chick here to see the paintings of Katherine Bernhardt.

Anish Kapoor @ Gladstone Gallery 24th St

2008-05-31T11:38:00.004-04:00

Anish Kapoor @ Gladstone Gallery 24th St is a thoughtful show of the artist's new work. This is a two-part show. The images on this blog are of the show at the 24th St gallery.
I enjoyed experiencing each piece in it's own room and that all the works are red yet distinctly different in form and texture.

Click here for more info on this show and the one at the 21st St gallery.

Kim Fisher @ John Connelly Presents

2008-05-31T11:14:00.006-04:00

Kim Fisher @ John Connelly Presents is a wonderfully consistent show of the LA artist's new paintings.
Fans of the blog may remember the post of Kim's collages at the Armory Fair.

Click here for more info on this show.

Christopher Wool @ Luhring Augustine

2008-05-31T10:52:00.004-04:00

Christopher Wool @ Luhring Augustine is a nice mix of works on paper and paintings with the artist's relatively new process of painting lines with black enamel and rubbing them out with a rag.

Click here for more info on this show

Click here for the artists website

Robert Therrien @ Gagosian 24th St

2008-05-31T10:41:00.004-04:00

Robert Therrien @ Gagosian 24th St is a pleasant surprise. Upon entering the gallery you feel like Alice in Wonderland after taking the shrinking elixir.

Just as a side note, I totally got busted taking this photo. I'm not sure what the deal is because every other gallery is just fine with it. I tried to get more but once I was busted the guards were hot on my trail. No worries though, you can go here to the gallery website for more info.

Neo Rauch @ David Zwirner

2008-05-31T10:13:00.005-04:00

Every artist I know, from internationally recognized to yet-to-be-discovered, all say they would give their right arm to show with David Zwirner. It's easy to see why, with such an impeccable space and eye for the placement of the work. An all-star stable of artists helps as well.

Take Neo Rauch for instance. This show is amazing! I know I'll be making a trip back before is closes.

The person in pic #2 is none other than artist Omar Chacon. We went gallery hopping in Chelsea, Friday May 30th.

Chick here for more info on this show.

Michael Zahn as Michael Zahn @ Eleven Rivington

2008-05-31T09:49:00.005-04:00

On Thursday May 29 Eleven Rivington opened Michael Zahn as Michael Zahn. These are photos of the opening. The more I see from this space the more I like it. Every show is expertly curated and they seem to get a lot out of a small store front on Rivington St.

Nicolás Guagnini @ Fruit and Flower Delie

2008-05-25T21:50:00.005-04:00

On May 25 the Oracle at Fruit and Flower Deli said there should be a show with Nicolas Guagnini's work. The opening corresponds with the closing of Nico's work at Orchard 47. According to the Oracle, this is not a coincidence. The Oracle says there are no coincidences.
It is my understanding that Orchard 47 will be closing for good.

Fruit and Flower is a unique space and is run like no other. For instance it is run by an Oracle. There is also the keeper, who keeps and will always keep. There is never a press release and mailing list. The gallery encourages interaction of a more personal kind. it's cool to show up and talk about art and other things.

This is a fun space with an Oracle who cares about art and a keeper who keeps. I highly recommend stopping by. By the way, Fruit and Flower is never open, but you are always welcome.

Enjoy cruising the website as well, it is like no other and is fun to explore. Just don't expect it to be a typical gallery website, this is far from a typical gallery.

L.E.S. Art Walk

2008-03-30T17:25:00.028-04:00

Sunday afternoon I partook in the L.E.S. art walk. I couldn't wait to go because every other minute a new gallery opens the neighborhood. The energy is great and so are most of the spaces. It's definitely the new hot spot so it will be interesting to watch how things unfold over the next few years.

I intend for this post to serve as a resource for L.E.S. galleries. Below are links to all of the participating galleries, along with images of some of the galleries I visited.

Rivington Arms
Participant Inc.
Feature Inc.
Sunday L.E.S.
Smith-Stewart
LUXE
Fruit & Flower
Lehmann Maupin
Salon 94 Freemans
The New Museum
31 Grand
Museum 52
Cuchifritos
Thierry Goldberg
Eleven Rivington
Jen Bekman
envoy
Simon Preston
Thrust Projects
Orchard
Miguel Abreu
Lisa Cooley
CANADA
V&A
Reena Spaulings
Rental
James Fuentes

Eleven Rivington

Lehmann Maupin

31 Grand

Sunday L.E.S.

Fruit & Flower

Smith-Stewart

Luxe

LA Art pt2

2008-03-30T17:25:00.014-04:00

The LA Art fair really had it's act together. It was for sure the best to look at art and talk with people about what is was the walls. No high pressure here, but it is LA and that is how business is done in LA. It was nice to see familiar faces and meet new ones. I think this fair gets it right in having a clear focus that makes it easy for people to know what your going to get. despite the lake of crowds (most of which are lookie loos) sales were good, which is the point at an art trade show.

Here are a couple more picks from the fair with links to the gallery website.

Chris Martin @ Daniel Weinberg Gallery
Dike Blair @ Mary Goldman Gallery
Steve DiBenetto @ Daniel Weinberg Gallery
Jacob Magraw @ Richard Heller

Armory pt2

2008-03-30T17:25:00.013-04:00

The second run of the Armory was mostly the same as the opening with a couple of differences. One being, it's much better going as a VIP because the crowds during the weekend were crazy. Luckily we had a friend that was already in line so we did not wait long. Inside was a zoo, but I did manage to see or notice some work that I did not see on the first run. In the end, I think it's worth going to these things from time to time just to see what is going on with artists from abroad. This year's fairs were far more interesting than the Whitney Biennial by a long shot, but that's for another post. Stay tuned!

Here is a list of links of artists and their galleries.

Terry Winters @ Matthew Marks
Clare Woods @ Buchmann Galerie
Rodney McMillian @ Susanne Vielmetter
Jacqueline Humphries @ Stuart Shave Modern Art
Francis Picabia @ Patrick Painter, Inc
Barnaby Furnas @ Marianne Boesky

Pulse Fair

2008-03-30T17:24:00.006-04:00

After seeing two other fairs early in the day, I was not sure I would be able to even take in the work at Pulse NY. Needless to say I am glad I took the time and the walk along the Hudson from Chelsea to the Fair. There was more hits than misses and I found myself genuinely excited from what I saw.

Here is a list of Artist and links to their galleries.

Paul Mpagi Sepuya @ Envoy
Abochi @ Galerie Sefan Ronke
Dan Steinhilber @ G fine art
Tobias Lehner @ UNION
Ryan Wallace @ Envoy
Robert Sagerman @ Margaret Thatcher Projects
Matthias Reinmuth @ ASPN

Bridge Art Fair NY

2008-03-29T23:13:00.005-04:00

The Bridge Art Fair was fun and up tempo. The fair hosted international galleries showing work from young and/or experimental artists.

Here is a listing of the picks with links.

Omar Chacon @ Greene Contemporary
Lauren Kalman @ Sienna Gallery
Wang Guangle @ aye Gallery
Peter Fox @ The Hogar Collection
Peter Reginato @ white 8

LA Art in NY pt1

2008-03-29T10:48:00.006-04:00

LA Art has a very different vibe than most fairs because of its focus. This is a select group of some of LA's finest galleries.

Here are some of the artists that caught my eye:

Jason Adkins @ Western Project
Phil Argent @ Shoshana Wayne
Nathan Redwood @ Carl Berg
Karl Benjamin @ Louis Stern Fine Art
Adam Bartos @ Rose Gallery
Eva-Maria Wilde @ Paul Kopeikin Gallery
Johan Nobell @ Sandroni Rey

Opening @ the Armory

2008-03-27T09:58:00.007-04:00

V.I.P. opening night at the Armory was as to be expected. It was a crowded room filled with art world elite along with celebrity A listers. Below is a small sample of what was up.
Here are links to the artists and galleries.

John Sonsini @ ACME
Jenny Holzer @ Cheim & Read
Thomas Nozowski @ Pace Wildenstein
Leslie Shows @ Jack Hanley Gallery
Torben Giehler @ Leo Koenig
Kim Fisher @ China Art Objects
Phillip Allen @ Kerlin Gallery
Francois from Chung King Project

Luc Tuymans @ David Zwirner

2008-03-23T15:57:00.008-04:00

Luc Tuymans' show at David Zwirner is truly epic in scope and scale. It's easily one of the best shows of the year – not too surprising for this veteran artist. I am always impressed with Tuymans, but this show is simply stunning! This time around Tuymans turns his gaze at the Disney Corporation, analyzing the failure and success in Disney's attempt to create a utopic vision of America's future. I am happy to learn that the Wexler Center for the Arts and the San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art will mount the first US retrospective for Tuymans' work. The show will also travel to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. For more info please visit David Zwirner.

Katy Moran @ Andrea Rosen Gallery

2008-03-23T12:19:00.008-04:00

Katy Moran's paintings is a surprising collection of small landscape inspired abstractions at Andrea Rosen Gallery. The paintings are chock full of fixings from 1950's American abstraction to 19th century English romantic painting (Turner). Being a Londoner herself, it's interesting to see the influence of the latter as a lens to reinterpret the former. For more info please visit Andrea Rosen Gallery.

Valerie Jaudon @ Von Lintel Gallery

2008-03-23T11:05:00.006-04:00

Valerie Jaudon's paintings at Von Lintel Gallery are deceptively simple. On first impression the work seems formal and minimal. Upon further inspection, the work contains highly-varied shapes and lines that are a distillation of many structural codes that refer to a bigger picture. For more info please visit Von Lintel Gallery.

Dan Walsh @ Paula Cooper

2008-03-23T10:22:00.008-04:00

Walsh is a hard-edge painter with a soft touch. I first encountered Walsh's work at his show with Paula Cooper in 2003 while visiting the city from LA. I was struck then, like I am now, by how Walsh transforms traditionally harsh geometric abstraction into soft thoughtful surfaces. These paintings are more about retinal contemplation rather than retinal trickery. For more info please visit Paula Cooper.

De Kooning's Bicycle

2008-02-23T12:34:00.013-05:00

Robert Long's book De Kooning's Bicycle chronicles the history of creative life in Eastern Long Island. Now, a playground for New York City's elite, the Hamptons was once a humble backwater that provided artists and writers a sanctuary from the claustrophobic city, yet it is close enough for artists to maintain a presence in the city. It is important to note that De Kooning is not the focus of the book. It is really a history of key individuals, which include Thomas Moran, William Marritt Chase, Jackson Pollock, Frank O'Hara, William De Kooning, Fairfield Porter, Jean Stanfford and Saul Stienberg, who lived and worked on the East End. The book opens in the mid-1600s with the European settlement of the land by the Puritan English, who migrated from the northern territories in search of better farmland. Long's poetic accounts of life in the Hamptons is a joy to read. He beautifully describes the lush light and balmy atmosphere that reminded De Kooning of his homeland, Holland. I highly recommend this book to anyone, not just artists, who are interested in the history of New York City and it's relationship to Eastern Long Island.

Open Studio with Thomas Burke

2008-02-21T09:25:00.007-05:00

On Sunday February 18th Painter Thomas Burke opened his studio to reveal two large paintings that he just completed. Burke takes hard-edge painting and tweaks it, literally. Simple shapes glide and swell through the elligent space created in the paintings.

Gusher

Fast Orange

Mark Bradford @ Sikkema Jenkins & Co

2008-02-19T19:57:00.013-05:00

Hailing from Los Angeles, Mark Bradford's new solo show at Sikkema Jenkins & Co stands up and out among the art sea that is Chelsea. Bradford first came to my attention at the 2004 California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art, where again he stood out among the rest. I really enjoy how painterly these feel while using no paint. Not for nothing, but I stopped by three separate times to view this show! For more info check out the Sikkema Jenkins & Co website.

From Left to right: Giant and Boreas.

From Left to right: James Brown is Dead and close up of James Brown is Dead.

From Left to right: Mississippi and close up of Mississippi.

From Left to right: Carrie infront of Mississippi and Let's Make Christmas Mean Something This Year.

From Left to right: Orbit and Stereo Boxes and Pallet.

Juan Usle @ Cheim & Read

2008-02-17T19:29:00.007-05:00

I have always admired Juan Usle's paintings. Usually the only way I could see them is in reproductions. Not having a New York show for six years may have something to do with it. The show at Cheim and Read is filled with small colorful gems along with two larger monochromatic paintings. It is a nice treat for the eyes while trekking your way through Chelsea. For more info and images visit Cheim & Read.

The New Museum

2008-02-16T19:42:00.000-05:00

I think it fitting that my first post, here in my new home of New York City, be about the New Museum's first show in its new Lower East Side space. The show, called "unmonumental," seemed a global extension of the Hammer's show "Thing" a few years back, focusing on sculpture in Los Angeles. Love it or hate it, it is refreshing to see a Museum take risks in showing young artists and not the standard mid-career art stars.

Because cameras were not allowed, the images of work in the show are taken from gothamist.com.

The rest are by me!

The New Museum facade.

A view from the top.

From left to right: Myth Monolith (liberation movement) Marc Andre Robison, View of exhibition.

From Left to right: Split Endz (wig mix) Jim Lambie, View of cafe lobby.

I love the chairs!

View of street signage.