ArtSpace 525 at 525 N. Tryon

I've got new work on display at ArtSpace 525 at 525 N. Tryon. Thanks to Amy Bagwell and Sharon Dowell for including me in Man vs Nature.

Pine Mountain, Kentucky (View from Google Earth), oil, 40x60", 2014

Top: Hazard Strip Mine (View from Google Earth), oil, wax, and coal dust on panel, 16x20", 2013
Right: Pippa Passes Mine (View from Google Earth), oil, wax, and coal dust on panel, 7x5", 2013
Left: Arthur Brothers

I Went To Spain and.....Part I: Reina Sofia Museum

I suppose it's somewhat silly to begin a post on Spain with photos from the sky, but I actually like these. I'm not a photographer, and I'll never claim to be, but even a blind squirrel can find a few nuts.

Miami, March 2013. Photo by Carolyn Jacobs

Carolyn Jacobs,  Sunrise in Espana, 2013

Not my hotel, Madrid, 2013. Photo by Carolyn Jacobs

Not my hotel, but across the street from my hotel, and a far more interesting building than my hotel in Madrid.  I don't know much about Spanish history, but the first thing I realized--without the aid of any history or guidebooks---is that the Romans were no where near the old city when it was first laid out.  It is a crazy maze of meandering streets that make no sense. I missed me some good old-fashioned Roman urban planning while trying to figure out where the hell I was going in Madrid. Love 'em or hate 'em, those Romans had a good sense of direction. Spaniards....not so much.




In general, Spain's economy is in the toilet. This bank had closed just days before, and protestors had lost their life savings. It was rainy and chilly in Madrid the entire time we were there, but I think there is a general vibe of exhaustion in the city.  People are just hunkered down and hoping to survive.

The Reina Sophia Museum
The Queen Sophia Museum is the modern art museum in Madrid.  The Prado takes you, basically, from the Renaissance into about 1850, and then the Reina Sophia takes over.  The big contemporary exhibit on display was Spanish artist Christina Iglesias, and it was quite lovely. Here's a link to the exhibit: Christina Iglesias: Metonymy

Christina Iglesias at Reina Sophia Museum, Madrid. Photo by Carolyn Jacobs

Christina Iglesias at Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid. Photo by Carolyn Jacobs

Christina Iglesias at Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid. Photo by Carolyn Jacobs

Christina Iglesias at Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid. Photo by Carolyn Jacobs

Here's a link to her website: Christina Iglesias She uses a fairly wide variety of materials, and I particularly like that it feels painterly without forcing it.  The interaction of object and space is beautifully handled.

Beverly McIver, The Mint Museum and Me !

Ohhhh, this is going to be fun! I'm helping out Mint Museum's master educator Rita Shumaker by leading a painting session on expressionist figure painting on November 20 (6:30-8:30).  This is one session only in a three session class that's in conjunction with Beverly McIver's exhibit at the Mint. 

Beverly McIver, Renee Moving Away, oil on canvas, 48x48", 2003 courtesy Mint Museum

It's a lovely little show...intimate, containing primarily portraits of the artist's mother and mentally disabled sister. It's gestural and direct, and there seems to be great joy within the works.  I saw just just moments after viewing the big Giacometti exhibit at the Bechtler, and the contrast was marked. The stillness and structural veil of Giacometti's work compared to the intimacy and directness of McIver's---two wildly differing approaches, but both dealing with psychological status.

Here's a link to the exhibit: Reflections: Portraits by Beverly McIver at the Mint Museum

And here's a link to the artist's website: Beverly McIver



Contact the Mint if you're interested in the class (but do it soon)!

"Brainwave"

There are times I wish I lived in NYC. This is one of those times.

Brainwave at the Rubin Museum of Art

Brainwave at the Rubin Museum of Art 

Click the link above for more info about this series of discussions about memory.

Landscape: David "I make my own work" Hockney

David Hockney, 'Woldgate Woods, 21, 23 & 29 November 2006', 2006. Oil on 6 canvases. 182 x 366 cm. Courtesy of the Artist. © David Hockney. Photo credit: Richard Schmidt
Source: Royal Academy of Art

David Hockney takes some digs at Damien Hirst in his exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, stating prominently that he has made all his own work.  Meanwhile, Hirst is over at Tate Modern, featuring works conceived by Hirst, but made by studio assistants.  This article cites the historical practice of workshops/studio assistants: The Independent .

As I understand workshops, they were the primary educational venue for artists.  An apprentice would study, work with a master, and once a certain degree of skill had been achieved, he would strike out on his own.  I use the masculine here because with only a few exceptions, it was all men.  Those who didn't rise to the level of their own workshop toiled away at a master's shop. The article compares the use of workshops throughout history, but what it doesn't mention is that Hirst, when he did show examples of his own paintings see Wallace Collection, they were not at all "masterly". I would say he would be relegated to preparing canvases, sweeping floors and underpainting in a master's workshop.

I don't deny that Hirst is sometimes interesting conceptually.  Nor do I respond to Hockney's work in general.  The debate is not about the art, but about what is more important: the concept, the execution or the finished "product".  The obvious answer is that all three are important.  Works that are more than passing fads have all three; the concept is interesting and relevant, the execution is reflective of the time created, or indicative of progress, and the finished work finds that sweet spot in between.

Here's a link to David Hockney's show at the Royal Academy of Arts.

Here's a link to Damien Hirst's show at Tate Modern.

New York--November, 2011 edition

New York in November.  I got lucky---the weather was fantastic, so there was nothing to distract me from the work and my aching, ham-like feet.  First on the agenda was a trip to Danese to see the April Gornik show.

Light in the Woods, April Gornik
see more at www.aprilgornik.com

I had high expectations for this show---maybe unrealistic expectations. There is a sense of stillness in the work.  It is not about representing or rendering nature, but being within in.  It is lovely, but I walked away feeling somehow unfulfilled.  I still haven't figured out why.

Then on to the de Kooning retrospective at MoMA, and the teeming masses of people taking advantage of Target Free Friday. A woman with her eyebrows plucked into a constant state of surprise.  It was really too crowded to actually enjoy the exhibit, but it is a striking exhibit all the same.  de Kooning is a little uneven, I think.  I really don't like the "women" series at all, but the man sure could wield a paintbrush. My favorite series is the black and white theme.  God, I wish I had painted those. They are utterly perfect.

Painting, Willem de Kooning, 1948
MoMA, http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2011/dekooning/

On to the Metropolitan and the Steigliz and His Circle exhibit.  I enjoyed this show, which included many of the 291 artist he promoted.  Steiglitz was really promoting some wonderful and radical work early in the 20th century. I think he often gets  a little overshadowed by the O'Keeffe fame.  My favorite O'Keeffe works have always been the abstract pieces she exhibited with Steglitz early in her career.  I was excited to see watercolors by Arthur Dove, Charles Demuth, and John Marin in this exhibit. They are just so fresh and experimental.  Love.

Charles Demuth, Yellow and Blue, 1915

http://metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/210008728?pkgids=175

Next, I spent some time in the Africa/Oceanic galleries, which are fascinating.  The Head of an Oba with a carved tusk inserted into the top is powerful.  I can certainly see how they are representations of physical and spiritual powers. There is something rather sweet about the Dogon Couple.  And, I feel this will creep into my work somehow/someday:

 Power Figure, Congo
He's got all sorts of mystical and mysterious powers, including a little stomach shelf to hold medicines. I want one.

 

Bis pole

I want a bis pole too. These are just amazing and intricate, and majestic. They were meant to honor the dead of the Asmat people, as well as a reminder to avenge their deaths, because they believed no death was accidental.  After the ceremony/feast, they would be allowed to decay naturally and nourish the earth.

CPCC's Pease Gallery sponsors a Recycle Exhibit each year in October/November.  This year, my little collage, "Clutter", was chosen for the exhibit.  I recycled old drawings and text to create an image about how distractions cause us to lose focus.  It's a simple little collage, a personal one, but I think we can all relate to the numerous distractions that often clutter our lives.

 

Clutter

collage, 11X14" framed
on view at Pease Gallery through November, 2010

Monday-Thursday 11-3pm

Drawing Demo at the Mint Museum Grand Opening!!

The new Mint Museum uptown is lovely, and they have a 24 hour Grand Opening Celebration that I'm proud to be a part of! Click on the link for more info, and come celebrate with us!

Carolyn's drawing at the Mint Museum Grand Opening!!

On view at Ross Gallery/CPCC through Dec. 19

These portraits are on view in Ross Gallery at CPCC until December 19.

Exposing Scarlet; CPCC Responds

This image is on display in Pease Gallery through March 31, as part of Artsfest at CPCC. Please visit Exposing Scarlet: A Visual Response to the Scarlet Letter in Ross Gallery, and CPCC Responds in Pease Gallery.

Portrait of My Mother, For My Daughter

pearls, watercolor on 300lb Arches paper, mounted on canvas, 24x30"

One day I found a sweet looking photograph of my mother as a child. “Are you holding a doll in this picture?” I asked. “No” she said. “I’m holding my dead sister”. It was common in Appalachia during that time to record life and death through a photograph. As I read the Scarlet Letter, I was conscious of the role of nature and the impact of civilization. Nature takes without conscious thought or deliberation, as with my little aunt I never knew. Pearl, regardless of her conception, survives by nature’s whim. Today, nature doesn’t always decide fate…she could be created in a test tube or vacuumed from her mother’s womb. In regards to nature and science, I do not propose that one is good and the other bad…they are simply facts of life today. Portrait of My Mother, For My Daughter acknowledges the grace that allows my mother, myself and my daughter to survive by nature’s whim and without civilization’s intervention. The pearls in the painting represent the lives that are not so fortunate.

Detail of "Meet in the Forest"

Detail of Meet in the Forest.
I think the previous post doesn't really show the cool texture of this drawing....

Meet in the Forest

Meet in the Forest, watercolor, 11x17", 2008
For upcoming Exposing Scarlet exhibit at Pease Gallery

NCCC Exhibit

Veil, oil on canvas, 30x40", 2006

Veil has been chosen for a year long exhibit in Raleigh. It is part of the Trappings series.

New York---October 2007

Just a quick recommendation on the Julie Heffernan exhibit currently on view at PPOW in Chelsea. In some ways, it's more of the same...there aren't any real surprises, but since I get a kick out of her work, I'm okay with that. There is some variation on the background---in one a figure looms behind the "self-portrait", which created an interesting juxtipostion. And dang, the girl can paint!

If I remember correctly, this one is titled "Men in Power" and one of the "men" in the little portraits is Condalezza Rice. I got a little chuckle there---in part because I wasn't expecting it.

Mary and I finally took the time, and the long, bumpy bus ride to visit the Cloisters at Fort Thomas Park....and I'm pleased to say it was worth it! The Unicorn Tapestries....just delicious.

The Merode Altarpiece is in a small room, and lordy, what an impact! I think it could hold a room 5 times the size. The color is so intensely beautiful...it's one of those paintings that give you a lump in your throat, and you feel yourself being drawn back to it when you try to move on.

The Age of Rembrandt at the Met was crowded, and a bit of a yawn, as it was primarily work from the Met's own collection. Though it's always a treat to see Vermeer, and I do like Rembrandt, you just couldn't get close to them for the crowds. The new Greek and Roman galleries are very nice, and I'd never gone through the Etruscan gallery before. There was an Ab Ex show that was kind of nice to see, though it was primarily from the permanent collection...but after years of looking at them, I've been taking a break for a few years, and I'm pleased to say I was able to look with fresh eyes. The Neo Rauch (sp?) show---you know, it was charming in it's way, but kind of slip shod in other ways---and I can't remember it very well now that it's been a week ago. But, boy that Merode Altarpiece is probably drowning out those images anyway....

New Exhibit and reception

My exhibit is still up at Ross Gallery at CPCC. I believe the hours are 11-3 Monday through Friday. The show runs through August 24, with the reception on August 22, 4-6pm. I hope to see everyone there :-)

Mapping a Past...and a future

I have been working on a double secret painting that I may post latter on---when it's at a sharing point.....Today I delivered my work to Ross Gallery for the Mapping the Past exhibit. It is a sort of mini-retrospective of some work done between 1987 and 2006. It has been a strange and interesting ride reviewing all the old work, much of which I had to pull down from attic storage, thinking I would never show them again.

The two larger images on the postcard are older images, while the smaller ones are from the last couple of years. There are three different series in the show, but all the series are somewhat related. The two larger images represent the Underground Landscape series, which was influenced by strip mining in eastern Kentucky. The smaller images are a cross between Underground Landscapes and cellular images---particularly blood cell images relating to lupus or other autoimmunity diseases. Most of these images use oil, wax, sand and enamel on Arches paper or canvas. They are of all different sizes, but many of them are on 40x60" 1114lb. watercolor paper.

There is also another set of images that focus on roses; specifically, roses or flowers that have been given to me. The roses/flowers stand in for people in these images. They are also done on the 40x60" watercolor paper, so these rosebuds are the size of a head or larger. They create an interesting contrast to the landscape and cellular images.

So, I have been feeling no small amount of confusion in the studio in the past few weeks. Suddenly I have the summer to paint a little and nothing is good enough. But, looking at these images in the process of pulling together this show, I realize that there is much more to be said and done here and I think I can do it better than I did in the past. So, I thank Peggy for suggesting the show, and giving me the opportunity to see it all with a more objective eye at a time I really needed to believe in what I'm painting. Now my brain is busy with ideas and my fingers itch to get in there and get to work :-)