Enjoy!
Monday, August 18, 2014
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Looking at some stuff in galleries on a beautiful spring afternoon.
I had some stuff to do at the NY Public Library today, and, happily, was able to get in a good couple of hours looking at some gallery shows. I didn't get to see everything I hoped to (no time for a members preview of Claes Oldenburg at MoMA, and I thought there was a Kenny Scharf show but the gallery was closed when I got there). Despite that, I got some productive art-looking in, and saw a few gems. Here are some shots I took of some stuff I looked at by Philip Guston, Petrr Saul, Margaret Bowland, and Will Kurtz ( a couple of the shots from the Peter Saul show are courtesy of the George Adams Gallery, and a couple from the Will Kurtz show are courtesy of Mike Weiss Gallery)
UPDATE -- I'm not posting anything at the Main Artery Facebook page anymore, but I will be posting here far more often -- I'll be grabbing some of what I wrote on that FB page and reposting it here. Below are some far more in-depth thoughts on the Will Kurtz show mentioned above, originally posted on the Main Artery Facebook page on May 23, 2013:
Will Kurtz -- "Another Shit Show" Mike Weiss Gallery, March 21st - April 27th, 2013
I've had notes for a write-up of this show I looked at for a few weeks now, but unfortunately I've been in a pretty good slump lately regarding posting here and making my own art. I'm working my way out of this stupid slump, though, and the work I saw made such an impression on me that I wanted to talk about it even if the show has been down a while (hopefully a few of you will want to look the artist up after reading this).
The Brooklyn-based sculptor Will Kurtz presented "Another Shit Show," an exhibition of site-specific work at the Mike Weiss Gallery this past March and April. Kurtz filled the gallery with life-size sculptures of dogs, made from wood, wire, newspaper, tape, glue, and various canine and human detritus. The dogs, of a variety of different breeds and sizes, goofily took part in the types of activities in the carefree manner anyone lucky enough to live with a dog or three will instantly recognize. The central gallery in the rear of the space was the scene of a put-upon dogwalker, appearing to give all she had to maintain order among a half dozen or so of the animals.
I'm a dog fanatic, so I probably would have greatly enjoyed Kurtz's show based on nothing other than the masterful job he did capturing the likenesses of the dogs utilizing such humble materials. There was much more to these dogs, though.
Looking closely at one of the dogs ("Seamus," a mix of what I think was Lab and maybe some sort of hound, taking a dump near the entrance to the gallery), I noticed that his 'fur' wasn't made from random scraps of newspaper, but was instead comprised of bright and colorful pieces of what at one time must have been a New York Times fine arts section. Across Seamus' back & shoulder, the word "Artist" caught my eye immediately, as did a little piece of Munch's "The Scream" on the dog's snout, right near an anti-barking shock collar Seamus was wearing. Once I got past my initial chuckle at the thought of a piece of art in a Manhattan gallery depicting a big ol' pooch straining to take a crap, I started putting these little scraps and other props (an unattended leash attached to the dog caught my eye as well) together. "Say," I thought, "it seems like the artist might be trying to communicate something beyond the indisputable fact of dogs' awesomeness to me here!"
Seamus the shitting lab mix stands in for the artist. Is he pinching a loaf of art for his rich collector/owners only when he is told, only where he knows he won't be punished for doing so? Or perhaps, given the scrap of Munch's existential angst, the electric collar there to stifle Seamus' own 'scream', and the abandoned leash, are we to understand this dog as a metaphor of the squelched expression of the repressed artist, shitting as an act of rebellion, defiling the constraints of the gallery system he wants to be a part of? Of course, it could simply be that Seamus is telling us that a lot of art is shitty these days.
I don't know which or if any of these ideas that I read in this and the other pieces in "Another Shit Show" are 'correct' or not; I really never concern myself with that too much when looking at art. Kurtz's work in this show epitomized some of my own personal criteria for what I consider successful art - that is to say, the work was engaging in a number of different ways, and I was thinking about it for a long time after leaving the gallery (still am, I guess). The dogs Kurtz made worked so well visually that I was able to easily discern the subtleties and nuances one sees in real dogs, and the gesture and movement and body language the artist was able to capture was amazing (made me smile the same way I do when watching actual dogs goofing off). Given that the modest stuff the surface of the works was made of had actual content, the works had multiple layers of meaning, without bashing viewers in the teeth with the some kind of message or agenda.
The day I looked at the show, I had spent the previous coupe of hours at shows of two of my favorite painters of all time, painters whose work I could stare at for hours. I ended the day at Will Kurtz's show, and unfortunately made it to the gallery only 20 minutes or so before they closed up. Despite the too-little time I was able to look at these, Kurtz's dog sculptures pretty much stole the day for me.
-- by Aric Calfee
UPDATE -- I'm not posting anything at the Main Artery Facebook page anymore, but I will be posting here far more often -- I'll be grabbing some of what I wrote on that FB page and reposting it here. Below are some far more in-depth thoughts on the Will Kurtz show mentioned above, originally posted on the Main Artery Facebook page on May 23, 2013:
Will Kurtz -- "Another Shit Show" Mike Weiss Gallery, March 21st - April 27th, 2013
I've had notes for a write-up of this show I looked at for a few weeks now, but unfortunately I've been in a pretty good slump lately regarding posting here and making my own art. I'm working my way out of this stupid slump, though, and the work I saw made such an impression on me that I wanted to talk about it even if the show has been down a while (hopefully a few of you will want to look the artist up after reading this).
The Brooklyn-based sculptor Will Kurtz presented "Another Shit Show," an exhibition of site-specific work at the Mike Weiss Gallery this past March and April. Kurtz filled the gallery with life-size sculptures of dogs, made from wood, wire, newspaper, tape, glue, and various canine and human detritus. The dogs, of a variety of different breeds and sizes, goofily took part in the types of activities in the carefree manner anyone lucky enough to live with a dog or three will instantly recognize. The central gallery in the rear of the space was the scene of a put-upon dogwalker, appearing to give all she had to maintain order among a half dozen or so of the animals.
I'm a dog fanatic, so I probably would have greatly enjoyed Kurtz's show based on nothing other than the masterful job he did capturing the likenesses of the dogs utilizing such humble materials. There was much more to these dogs, though.
Looking closely at one of the dogs ("Seamus," a mix of what I think was Lab and maybe some sort of hound, taking a dump near the entrance to the gallery), I noticed that his 'fur' wasn't made from random scraps of newspaper, but was instead comprised of bright and colorful pieces of what at one time must have been a New York Times fine arts section. Across Seamus' back & shoulder, the word "Artist" caught my eye immediately, as did a little piece of Munch's "The Scream" on the dog's snout, right near an anti-barking shock collar Seamus was wearing. Once I got past my initial chuckle at the thought of a piece of art in a Manhattan gallery depicting a big ol' pooch straining to take a crap, I started putting these little scraps and other props (an unattended leash attached to the dog caught my eye as well) together. "Say," I thought, "it seems like the artist might be trying to communicate something beyond the indisputable fact of dogs' awesomeness to me here!"
Seamus the shitting lab mix stands in for the artist. Is he pinching a loaf of art for his rich collector/owners only when he is told, only where he knows he won't be punished for doing so? Or perhaps, given the scrap of Munch's existential angst, the electric collar there to stifle Seamus' own 'scream', and the abandoned leash, are we to understand this dog as a metaphor of the squelched expression of the repressed artist, shitting as an act of rebellion, defiling the constraints of the gallery system he wants to be a part of? Of course, it could simply be that Seamus is telling us that a lot of art is shitty these days.
I don't know which or if any of these ideas that I read in this and the other pieces in "Another Shit Show" are 'correct' or not; I really never concern myself with that too much when looking at art. Kurtz's work in this show epitomized some of my own personal criteria for what I consider successful art - that is to say, the work was engaging in a number of different ways, and I was thinking about it for a long time after leaving the gallery (still am, I guess). The dogs Kurtz made worked so well visually that I was able to easily discern the subtleties and nuances one sees in real dogs, and the gesture and movement and body language the artist was able to capture was amazing (made me smile the same way I do when watching actual dogs goofing off). Given that the modest stuff the surface of the works was made of had actual content, the works had multiple layers of meaning, without bashing viewers in the teeth with the some kind of message or agenda.
The day I looked at the show, I had spent the previous coupe of hours at shows of two of my favorite painters of all time, painters whose work I could stare at for hours. I ended the day at Will Kurtz's show, and unfortunately made it to the gallery only 20 minutes or so before they closed up. Despite the too-little time I was able to look at these, Kurtz's dog sculptures pretty much stole the day for me.
-- by Aric Calfee
Thursday, September 19, 2013
"Double Bacon Cheeseburger With A Machine Gun" WIN THIS PAINTING!!
I just finished the painting you see below and am pleased to announce that I am raffling it off to one lucky art enthusiast for the ridiculous price of just two dollars for two tickets! The handy paypal button at the bottom of this post will take you where you need to go to quickly and easily buy your raffle tickets. The winning ticket will be pulled on Thursday, September 26, at 7 PM Eastern. Full details on the raffle are below the photos.
(UPDATE -- The winning ticket will now be pulled on Sunday, September 29th, 5PM EST -- all other details of the raffle remain the same. Participants will be emailed with their ticket numbers and later with the results of the raffle.)
This is an original painting, not a reproduction. It is acrylic on canvas and, at 24" x 24", the piece will be a sure attention-getter hanging on someone's wall. It is signed on the front and the back, with title, date of completion, and medium information written on the back as well. As I said, I just recently finished this painting (just a couple of nights ago, as a matter of fact). I worked hard on it, and am very pleased with the results. I think whoever the lucky person is who wins this piece will enjoy it very much.
If you are purchasing raffle tickets, thank you very much and best of luck! Comments and questions are welcomed and will be answered as quickly as possible.
Raffle Details:
Prize -- An original 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas painting (shown above) by Aric Calfee -- "Double Bacon Cheeseburger With A Machine Gun"
Winning ticket to be randomly pulled onThursday, September 26, 2013, at 7 pm Eastern Sunday, September 29th, 2013, 5 PM EST.
Price of raffle tickets -- Online: $2.00 for two tickets, $3.00 for three tickets, $4.00 for five tickets, and $7.00 for ten tickets. In Person: $1.00 each
Each person who purchases a ticket will be contacted via email with their ticket number(s). (so make sure I get your email address!)
The winner of the painting will be personally notified, in addition to the winner being announced here and on the Facebook page and Instagram feed of Aric Calfee ("Aric Calfee Art" and "@aric_calfee", respectively).
Raffle tickets available for purchase online untilWednesday, September 25th Saturday, September 29th, 2013, 2 pm Eastern.
For those in NY/NJ, I will be selling artworks and related items at the Meadowlands Flea Market on Saturday, September 21. Raffle tickets can be purchased in person there (and you can check the painting out, as well).
The painting will come wired and ready to hang, and with painted sides, making a frame unnecessary.
Thanks for your interest, and good luck in the raffle!
Aric Calfee
(UPDATE -- The winning ticket will now be pulled on Sunday, September 29th, 5PM EST -- all other details of the raffle remain the same. Participants will be emailed with their ticket numbers and later with the results of the raffle.)
This is an original painting, not a reproduction. It is acrylic on canvas and, at 24" x 24", the piece will be a sure attention-getter hanging on someone's wall. It is signed on the front and the back, with title, date of completion, and medium information written on the back as well. As I said, I just recently finished this painting (just a couple of nights ago, as a matter of fact). I worked hard on it, and am very pleased with the results. I think whoever the lucky person is who wins this piece will enjoy it very much.
If you are purchasing raffle tickets, thank you very much and best of luck! Comments and questions are welcomed and will be answered as quickly as possible.
Raffle Details:
Prize -- An original 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas painting (shown above) by Aric Calfee -- "Double Bacon Cheeseburger With A Machine Gun"
Winning ticket to be randomly pulled on
Price of raffle tickets -- Online: $2.00 for two tickets, $3.00 for three tickets, $4.00 for five tickets, and $7.00 for ten tickets. In Person: $1.00 each
Each person who purchases a ticket will be contacted via email with their ticket number(s). (so make sure I get your email address!)
The winner of the painting will be personally notified, in addition to the winner being announced here and on the Facebook page and Instagram feed of Aric Calfee ("Aric Calfee Art" and "@aric_calfee", respectively).
Raffle tickets available for purchase online until
For those in NY/NJ, I will be selling artworks and related items at the Meadowlands Flea Market on Saturday, September 21. Raffle tickets can be purchased in person there (and you can check the painting out, as well).
The painting will come wired and ready to hang, and with painted sides, making a frame unnecessary.
Thanks for your interest, and good luck in the raffle!
Aric Calfee
Friday, April 12, 2013
Montclair Art Museum's Young Curators Program at The Pierro Gallery
Tonight was the opening reception for this show. The Young Curators did a bang-up job of putting together an exhibition of work centered around three themes: Wake Up, Qualms, and Oddities. I will go into more detail about the Young Curators Program on the Main Artery Facebook page, but for now here are a bunch of shots I took at the show. A lot of them are probably blurry, due to my tremor-ish hands & low- rent photo skills.
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