It’s no secret that I adore everything about Judy Chicago. Twenty eight years ago today, when I named my daughter Theodora, I didn’t know much about Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, or the Empress Theodora. Read here to learn more about both. Turns out I could not have chosen a better name for my daughter. Continue reading Theodora
Seven years ago I first saw, and fell in love with, David Hicks’ ceramic work at the Bellevue Art Museum in Washington. Today I got one of those Facebook “memories” that reminded me of it. Coincidentally, today is also the day Hicks’ solo exhibition, SEEDS, closes at Diane Rosenstein’s gallery in LA. You can still see it on the gallery website and Artsy. Take a … Continue reading David Hicks
I met California artist Chris Donnelly more than 30 years ago in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was in cosmetology school at the time. Everyone called him Batman, and everyone knew him. He had the coolest art collection of anyone I had ever met. He exuded cool. All these years later, he still cuts hair, and he still epitomizes cool. I continue to marvel at Chris’ … Continue reading Chris Donnelly
I really missed going to the art shows in Miami this past December. While I’ve spent hours on end looking at the shows on line, it is just not the same for me. I miss seeing the art in person, the thrill of discovery, people watching, and walking around shows from morning to night days on end until my feet ache. Design Miami always has … Continue reading Adam Silverman
I’ve been walking miles a day, listening to books on Audible, feeling fortunate to be sheltering in place in some much needed warm,sunny and dry weather. I just finished Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over by Nell Painter. I loved it, and her. I didn’t know a single thing about Dr. Nell Irvin Painter before this book. I was just intrigued by … Continue reading Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over by Nell Painter
LaiSun Keane gallery presents an online solo exhibition, BRIGHT, by California artist and ceramics professor, Vince Palacios. You can view the exhibition (January 9, 2021 – February 13, 2021) on LaiSun Keane’s website, and artsy.net (where you can also see some of his other available work). Read more about Palacios here. Continue reading Vince Palacios
Featuring Swedish artist Emma Larsson, ESCAPING opens tonight at Los Angeles gallery Simard Bilodeau Contemporary. Read about Larsson here. Continue reading Emma Larsson
It has been one year since I started Woman Seeking Art. My first post was on Viola Frey, whose show I had gone to see last Fall in Sonoma, California. While I did get to travel quite a bit to see art, it all came to a screeching halt in February of this year. A global pandemic was not exactly part of my original plan for an art/travel blog. Continue reading Thank you!
I’m super picky about what I like. I can appreciate the technical work that goes into all sorts of different art mediums, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy them all equally, from an aesthetic perspective. I adore Mitchell Spain’s work on every level. It is both technically and visually wonderful. He has written a book on his ceramic threading process for the flasks. These are … Continue reading Mitchell Spain
I never thought about salt cellars until last holiday season, when my friend told me they were great gifts to give. Last year I gave several by Julia Galloway and the recipients were all quite delighted. These little cellars are that special sort of item that you wouldn’t necessarily think you needed, but you will enjoy giving as a gift, or will end up loving … Continue reading Salt Cellars!
At least at my house, gravy boats are rarely used. For those occasions, we have always used a Noritake gravy boat that belonged to my grandmother. The only gravy boat in the three full place settings of china, (mine, my mother’s, and my grandmother’s) that take up cabinet space in my laundry room. I think I open those cabinets once, or maybe twice, a year. … Continue reading Gravy Boats!
In September I got to participate in a Zoom call (through the Archie Bray Foundation annual auction) with legendary ceramic artist and educator John Gill. In the midst of his paper cutting demonstration, for which he is notorious among his students at Alfred University, John asked his assistant to bring out a butter dish from the basement. He used it to further explain the importance … Continue reading Butter dishes!
The inaugural issue of LIFE magazine was published on November 23, 1936. Dam at Fort Peck, Montana, by Margaret Bourke-White graced the cover. LIFE was a home for great artists like Bourke-White for over 60 years. Continue reading LIFE magazine’s first issue was published on November 23, 1936
Last month my friend Sharyn shared some of her gallery visits with us. This month we get to see a pop-up exhibition, Six Recent Paintings: Joseph Holtzman, that my daughter Theodora went to see last week in Manhattan. I can always count on her to show me something cool. Continue reading Vicarious gallery visits, New York, NY, visit #2
Whenever I have a chance to do so in person, I stop and look at art by Wayne Thiebaud. His work is immediately recognizable, whether it be cakes, bakery cases, lollipops, gumball machines, figures or landscapes. Today Thiebaud turns 100! Continue reading Wayne Thiebaud turns 100!
I’ve been drinking out of my Biden mug the last few days, and thought if you didn’t know about ceramic artist Justin Rothshank, you needed to.
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As promised in my post last week, here are images from the Toyin Ojih Odutola show I saw at the Whitney in 2018. Below I’ve included some of the photos I took at the show, but look here for the official installation views. To Wander Determined was Toyin Ojih Odutola’s first solo museum exhibition in New York. “Toyin Ojih Odutola presents an interconnected series of … Continue reading Revisiting Toyin Ojih Odutola at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, NY
Admittedly, I have been remiss in sharing what I have been learning and seeing through all of the online classes and studio visits I’ve been taking since March. Along with my own studio practice, I’ve been a full time student. I hope you will enjoy a glimpse into some of what I’ve been seeing the past eight months, with much more learning to come. Continue reading Chitra Ganesh at Durham Press, Bucks County, PA (Quarantine Learning Report)
Today I reached a milestone on my Peloton bike, 300 rides and 80 strength workouts. The bike has been a godsend while sheltering in place. I went through many instructors until I found the one who has gotten me on the bike at minimum five times a week. I’ve been loyal ever since. Cody Rigsby is motivating, hilarious, opinionated and talks so much that the time goes quickly. He has that way that makes you want to make him proud by working hard, even though I don’t know him, and never ride live. Continue reading A glimpse into quarantine life
My NYC friend Sharyn took a break from sheltering in place and went to look at galleries for a few hours in Chelsea on Friday. I was absolutely green with envy and made her give me a full report. In recent years I have spent extended time in New York in October, and Sharyn and I love seeing art together. I miss our outings like … Continue reading Vicarious gallery visits, New York, NY
It is no secret that looking at art is my favorite activity, and the last time I walked into a gallery or museum was in February. Yesterday with my N95 mask snuggly in place I went into a gallery, and what a thrill it was. Humaira Abid is a contemporary artist who was born in Pakistan. Abid “picks up ordinary images from ordinary life and … Continue reading Humaira Abid and Anthony White in Seattle
I recently visited a sunflower farm, which made me think of the German artist Wolfgang Laib. I loved rewatching this wonderful Art 21 episode on him from 2014. Laib has been collecting pollen of various sorts, such as dandelion and hazelnut, since 1977. In 2013 the Museum of Modern Art held an exhibition of Laib’s work, including the extraordinary “Pollen from Hazelnut.” A room-size installation, … Continue reading Wolfgang Laib
I’ve been thinking about Katherine Bradford and her swimmer paintings a lot the past few days. Below are some images from a booth at NADA (during Art Basel, 2016). I may not remember what I did yesterday, but I always remember exactly where I fell for an artist and their work. At the end of June, I listened to a great podcast with Katherine Bradford. … Continue reading Katherine Bradford
The past four months I have been revisiting photos of art that I had seen prior to quarantine. I am comforted by the memories they provide me, and inspired to be looking at the art again. I cannot wait to get to see new shows again someday, but until then I plan to share some of the amazing art I saw prior to having started … Continue reading Klara Kuchta in Budapest, Hungary
I want to say hello and acknowledge that I have not been blogging for a while. Like all of you readers, I have of course been affected by sheltering in place during the pandemic. While you might think confinement at home would be a perfect opportunity to blog regularly, I’ve been selfishly using the time to focus on my own work as a maker, and … Continue reading I’m Back!
I was supposed to be in New York City a lot this April, and had a long list of art shows I planned to see on the first trip. Before every visit, I make a list. I organize it by neighborhood, plot out the days so that friends might join me, coordinate evening plans and fit everything in. Then I add on once I’m there. … Continue reading My week that didn’t happen, New York, NY
My youngest son is doing distance learning from home along with every other college student. It is truly great having him home but I still lament the loss of what we’d have been doing in Ithaca this past weekend, as we were scheduled to be visiting him for his first big rowing event of the season. When visiting Cornell University, I always go to the … Continue reading Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC was founded by Congress in 1962. Its mission is to tell the story of the people who shaped America, through portraiture. The gallery houses the only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House. I had been several times before, but wanted to see the Obama portraits. Along with the presidential portrait galleries, the museum always features … Continue reading National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC
My last day in Toronto was a short one as I had a late afternoon flight to catch. I still had places I wanted to see on my list, and unfortunately had to postpone a few artist studio visits until my next trip. The day was grey and blustery, and a snowstorm was expected to hit the city pretty hard. Continue reading Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Harbourfront Centre and the Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario (day three)
I started day two in Toronto by arriving at the Art Gallery of Ontario as soon as it opened. I was excited to see the Diane Arbus show, as I have always loved her photographs, and she was the topic of one of the art history lectures at a Seattle lecture series I’ve been attending this year. I had a renewed interest in her, and her work and even learned that her name is pronounced “Dionne.” I never knew that. Continue reading Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), and a few great neighborhoods, Toronto, Ontario (day two)
I got a chance to go to Toronto right before the Coronavirus outbreak, so I now feel especially fortunate to have been able to see so much. I had never been to Toronto before but, having enjoyed everywhere else I’d been to in Canada, I was excited to explore. I got an old fashioned paper map from the hotel and plotted out the two and … Continue reading The Gardiner Museum, Bata Shoe Museum and MOCA Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
In 2006 the Glenstone Foundation opened a not-for-profit modern and contemporary art museum in Potomac, Maryland. I spent a recent Sunday afternoon at Glenstone and was delighted that the weather was mild and sunny. The Pavilions, completed in late 2018, added 50,000 square feet for additional exhibition space. The 300 acres it is situated on is comprised of woodland trails to the outdoor sculptures, pavilions … Continue reading Glenstone in Potomac, MD
I met Justin Duffus in 2015, and I’ve loved his paintings and drawings ever since. Justin works in a nicely lit studio, in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle, when he is not teaching painting. His studio is surrounded by shipping containers, and you have to walk on the roof of one to get into his workspace. It’s cool. Originally from Pasadena, Justin studied at the … Continue reading Studio Visit: Justin Duffus in Seattle, WA
One of my favorite things about living in the Pacific Northwest is how easy it is to get to Palm Springs. I have really fallen for the desert, and I find a solid dose of Vitamin D helpful during the rainy and dark months in Seattle. If you plan ahead and can get reasonable fares directly into Palm Springs, it is the perfect weekend get … Continue reading Palm Springs, CA
My friend Janine is heading to Boston for a quick trip next month and over our favorite cocktails last week she asked me what art she should see when she is there. While Boston is full of good art, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants (or simply the ‘Glass Flowers’) at the Harvard Museum of Natural … Continue reading Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA and the “Glass Flowers” in Cambridge, MA
Still operating with the same boiler since its opening in 1933, the Seattle Asian Art Museum has reopened after a two-year and $56 million, top-to-bottom renovation. I had a chance to go to the opening night event, and was pleased to see how well they had preserved the beautiful Art Deco building—home to the Seattle Art Museum’s Asian Art collection and set in the midst … Continue reading Seattle Asian Art Museum in Seattle, WA
It’s unusual to get to see the exact same art show in two different cities, only months apart. I first saw “30 Americans” at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, this past summer. Then, right after Art Basel, in December, I went to Philadelphia and saw “30 Americans” again at The Barnes Foundation. It was fun and interesting to see the same work displayed at different venues. The traveling exhibition was conceived of and put on by the Rubell family, The exhibit was first on display at the Rubell Museum in Miami, FL and has been traveling for almost ten years, with only three more locations to go. Continue reading 30 Americans at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, MO and The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, PA
When my family and I first moved to Seattle in 2006, we began to frequent (and still do) a wonderful restaurant in our neighborhood that had the most stunning paintings. Each time we went, we would talk about how much we liked them. I finally asked who the artist was, and learned it was Fay Jones. I admittedly was a bit in culture shock moving to the West Coast after living on the East Coast my entire adult life, and somehow these paintings always made me feel at home. Continue reading Fay Jones in Seattle, WA
Carol Gouthro is a Seattle-based, Canadian-American ceramic artist and educator, whose work is presently featured in the Forum at the Bellevue Art Museum. Carol creates her own fantastical world, which features extraordinary species from her own imagination. Each piece comes with its own pseudo-scientific name. Writes Gouthro, “After many years of closely observing and collecting plants and constructing vessel forms that transformed into plant forms, I began inventing my own hybrid flower/animal species using botanical nomenclature as my departure point.” Continue reading Carol Gouthro in Bellevue, WA
One of my favorite parts of being involved in the clay and art community is meeting people from all over the country and world, thanks to the Internet. After moving to Seattle from the East Coast in 2006, I’ve been able to explore parts of the country that I frankly had never thought about. I’ve learned that Montana is a hotbed of ceramic artists. I have taken workshops from a range of Montana artists, and on whole have found them… Continue reading Radius Gallery in Missoula, MT
I had not been to the newly expanded San Francisco Museum of Modern Art since it reopened in May of 2016. I was impressed by its beautifully lit gallery spaces, overall size (170,000 square feet of exhibition space) and design. They have over 33,000 works of art in their permanent collection. I was hopeful that they would have one of the two paintings that they own by Bay Area artist Roland Petersen on view, but no such luck. I was enamored nevertheless. Continue reading The SF Museum of Modern Art and SFO Airport in San Francisco, CA
I have been a bit obsessed with the work of Annabeth Rosen for quite some time, yet had never before seen it in person. Best known for her sculptural work, Fired, Broken, Gathered, Heaped, at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, chronicles over 20 years of Rosen’s work in ceramics. Raised in Brooklyn, Rosen has taught ceramic art at the college level for 30 … Continue reading Annabeth Rosen in San Francisco, CA
I used to stay at the hotel in Miami Beach in which NADA was held. It was easy to walk through multiple times, but the lighting was bad. NADA has always been a favorite show of mine as the art was cool, but the venue never felt right. That hotel was damaged in a hurricane and remains abandoned, and NADA is now housed at Ice Palace Studios. While a bit harder to get to, the venue is fitting for one of the must-see shows during Art Basel. Last year they had 134 exhibitors and approximately 15,000 visitors. They first launched the fair in 2003. I think this was the best year yet.
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As the Art Basel fairs have grown, I’ve gotten smarter, and have been staying longer. Even with that, it’s hard to fit everything in. This was my first time attending the Design Miami show, and it was the most beautiful of all of the art fairs. The galleries were obviously carefully selected and the booths were well-curated. Design Miami is not to be missed.
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I’m stepping away from the classic Art Basel fairs, to tie in the INK Miami Art Fair. Like Aqua, INK takes place at a Miami motel. The galleries are on the first floor, and many of the gallery owners stay on the second floor. The show has an open courtyard feel, and after all the years of tagging along with my brother and sister-in-law I’ve come to know the different galleries, owners, staff and the work they showcase. INK, on a whole, couldn’t be more welcoming… Continue reading INK Miami Art Fair in Miami Beach, FL
