As I am beginning to get out in the world again, I have been thinking back on what I have learned during the pandemic and all the wonderful artists, and their work, that I’ve been introduced to. I took a fantastic Alternative Materials course with Eun-Ha Paek last winter through Greenwich House, the same place that I took courses from Derek Weisberg. I loved it, … Continue reading Candles I will never light!
During the past year and a half, I have taken more classes online than I can count. One of the first was taught by Derek Weisberg through Greenwich House Pottery in New York City. I ended up taking every ceramic history course he offered on line, despite them almost always starting at 7 AM Pacific Time (for me). I was genuinely bummed when his classes … Continue reading Derek Weisberg in New York, NY
I was fortunate to get to see Alice Mackler’s recent show at Kerry Schuss Gallery in New York. “Alice Mackler’s fifth solo exhibition at Kerry Schuss Gallery features nine ceramic sculptures along with a small selection of paintings all created during the last two years. With her new sculptures Mackler continues to focus on the theme that has animated her work for more than over … Continue reading Alice Mackler in New York, NY
My daughter and I had such a good time discovering the light switch covers at the NADA Houses. While we definitely missed some, below you will find photos of most of the ones we did see. The artist run, curatorial collective, Turn Onz – Detroit, was behind the idea of adorning the switch covers with art. You can read more about Turn Onz and the … Continue reading Light switch covers at NADA House 2021 on Governors Island, NY
The purpose of my trip to Governors Island was to see NADA House 2021. I’ve been attending NADA (New Art Dealers Alliance) shows at Art Basel in Miami for years and really believe in what they are doing. At a NADA show, I always find new artists to keep my eye on, and their venues are always cool. “The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) is … Continue reading NADA House 2021 on Governors Island, NY
After you have seen the Duke Riley mural at The Battery Maritime Building, take the ferry to Governors Island. There are two other ferries to the island, but I’ve only taken the ferry from Lower Manhattan. As you leave Manhattan behind, the quick ride to Governors Island is really pretty. The Staten Island Ferry terminal is right next door, and while I haven’t been to … Continue reading Shantell Martin on Governors Island, NY
Fasten your seatbelts as I have a lot to share from my trip to New York City in May, as well as another quick visit I snuck in last week. Let’s back up a minute from my post about Rachel Whiteread on Governors Island. At the Governors Island Ferry Building, there is a mural, Not for Nutten by Brooklyn based artist Duke Riley. It is … Continue reading Duke Riley in New York, NY
My daughter and I went to Governors Island, where I was thrilled to discover a Rachel Whiteread house! Who knew?! “Rachel Whiteread’s installation Cabin continues the artist’s interest in producing evocative sculptures of negative spaces and structures. In this case, the artist has sited a concrete cast of the interior of a simple cabin, a place suggestive of retreat and introspection. Sitting modestly on the … Continue reading Rachel Whiteread on Governors Island, NY
As I walked into the Katherine Bradford show at Canada gallery, I noticed these amazing planters in the window. I thought I recognized them, and it turned out that I was right. The planters were by Elisabeth Kley! I had never seen her work in person, but loved the virtual talk I attended back in October of 2020. Besides the planters in the window, there … Continue reading Elisabeth Kley in New York, NY
I had a long list of art shows I knew I wanted to see during my recent New York visit. I was lucky to see Katherine Bradford’s show, Mother Paintings, at Canada gallery the day before it closed. If you have been following my blog you will know I’m a huge fan of Bradford’s work, so it was an absolute thrill to catch this show. … Continue reading Katherine Bradford in New York, NY
Shapes from Out of Nowhere: Ceramics from the Robert A. Ellison Jr. Collection, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was another show I was longing to see. The exhibition consists of over 75 works, from a collection of 125 modern and contemporary ceramics that Ellison donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on their 150th anniversary. I felt like I was walking into a party … Continue reading “Shapes from Out of Nowhere” in New York, NY
After a lovely outdoor Mother’s Day brunch with my daughter and husband, we went up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the much anticipated Alice Neel show, People Come First. If you follow my blog, you know I’m a huge fan of Neel, and it was the first set of tickets I bought for my NYC trip. Even with timed entry, once in … Continue reading Alice Neel in New York, NY
Fully vaccinated, my husband and I flew to New York City for the first time since October of 2019. It was a thrill to get on a plane, travel to a city we both called home for 20 years, and finally get to see dear friends, family, and our daughter. My heart was full, getting to hug and kiss our daughter who we had not … Continue reading Sanford Biggers in New York, NY
I never truly understood the KAWS phenomenon. My friend Jayson, with whose art opinion I almost always agree, kept telling me about how Brian Donnelly (KAWS) is the guy to watch. I listened to an interview with Donnelly last year, but I still didn’t quite get it. I’ve paid attention to the prices KAWS’ work has been selling for, and the hype surrounding him. Well, … Continue reading A Week in Images (Quarantine Learning Report #7)
What a week! I have watched and participated in so many online classes and lectures the past year, yet somehow I still continue to find programs that I did not know about until now. Last week I came across a talk with Sheila Hicks. Little did I know this was Friedman Benda’s 100th Design in Dialogue talk! Design in Dialogue is an absolute treasure trove … Continue reading A Week in Images (Quarantine Learning Report #6)
As I await my second vaccine, I see a light at the end of the tunnel. I have planned a trip to NYC in May to see my daughter, friends and family. I have a long list of art to see as well. This week, I once again saw so many amazing art related things on line. I’m only sharing some, as it takes a … Continue reading A Week in Images (Quarantine Learning Report #5)
I sign up for, and attend, a lot of lectures and classes. Sometimes there will be one I look forward to even more than the rest. The Everson Museum hosted their 11th annual ceramics lecture this past week, and I simply could not wait. Grayson Perry was the featured artist, and while I could not imagine liking Perry more than I already did, his talk … Continue reading A Week in Images (Quarantine Learning Report #4)
This week I watched another Norton Lecture, the second of six virtual presentations by Laurie Anderson, recipient of the Charles Eliot Norton Professorship in Poetry at Harvard. I have to admit to having been totally mesmerized by her hour-long presentation. I just kept thinking wow, some people are just so talented and brilliant. Laurie also happens to be a close friend of my dear friend … Continue reading A Week in Images (Quarantine Learning Report #3)
I have been carefully and diligently sheltering in place this past year, so going out to a museum Sunday was a big deal for me. The Seattle Art Museum is a mid-sized museum and they have some wonderful pieces in their permanent collection. Seeing most of the work again was like getting back together with long lost friends, and a few new pieces felt like … Continue reading More from the Seattle Art Museum in Seattle, WA
Sunday morning I went to an art exhibit. I went to an art exhibit at a museum! The Seattle Art Museum. Double masked, with timed and limited admission, it was absolutely thrilling! “The exhibition reunites the Struggle series for the first time in sixty years. Over the course of his career, Lawrence painted ten historical series. All of them are intact in public collections except … Continue reading Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle in Seattle, WA
Here are a few highlights from the past week of learning and discovery. Last Monday evening I attended a Zoom lecture with Maira Kalman. While I already knew her paintings and illustrations are charming, it was hearing Kalman talk about her work and life that made me want to be her new best friend. She is sharp and talented. If you don’t know about Kalman, … Continue reading A Week in Images (Quarantine Learning Report #2)
Since the beginning of quarantine, I have been attending a bunch of terrific online lectures from all across the country. In just the past month or so I’ve had the pleasure of hearing live talks by a list of artists that includes Theaster Gates, Edmund de Waal, Peter Pincus, Syd Carpenter, Ghada Amer, Kathy Butterly, LaToya Ruby Frazier, and Glenn Ligon (with Hilton Als) to name just a few. Continue reading A Week in Images (Quarantine Learning Report #1)
I absolutely love art books. I buy exhibition catalogs after almost every show I see. They are my souvenirs, and I look at them over and over again. This past year I’ve been trying to keep up with the books for shows that I have missed, or still hope to see. Here are thirteen, some I’ve purchased, some I still want, in no particular order. … Continue reading Thirteen Great Art Books
Happy Birthday to Beatrice Wood (March 3, 1893-March 12, 1996) one of my top five favorite artists! I am such a fangirl that I just got off a two hour Zoom birthday celebration event tonight at The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, which is in Ojai, CA. So fun to hear stories about Beatrice from friends, colleagues and admirers of all ages, from all … Continue reading Beatrice Wood
Friday night I enjoyed listening to fellow Washingtonians Patti Warashina, Tip Toland and Richard Notkin talk about their long and wonderful careers as artists. All three were charming, self-deprecating and seemingly unchanged by their success. They have worked hard, and offered great advice for other artists of all sorts. Continue reading Patti Warashina, Tip Toland and Richard Notkin at Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA (Quarantine Learning Report)
What rock have I been under? How did I not know about Ania Hobson? Today I listened to a fun interview on Radio Juxtapoz with British painter Ania Hobson (b. 1990). Her career has taken off internationally since winning the National Portrait Gallery’s Young Artist Award at the BP Portrait Awards in 2018. The painting below, A Portrait of Two Female Painters, won her the … Continue reading Ania Hobson
I spent the weekend taking a participatory Zoom workshop with ceramicist, educator, and installation artist Rebecca Hutchinson. I had not seen Rebecca’s work before, but have been taking lots of classes the past year through the ceramics program at the Office for the Arts at Harvard. If Kathy King, who is the Director of Education of the program and wonderful ceramicist and educator herself, has … Continue reading Rebecca Hutchinson (Quarantine Learning Report)
On his birthday, today I thought a lot about the fabulous Ken Price (February 16, 1935- February 24, 2012). Ken Price was an American artist best known for his small-scale ceramic sculptures which resembled biomorphic blobs, sliced geodes, and surreal teacups. Derived from Mexican-folk pottery, geology, erotic objects, and surf culture, Price’s influences were imaginative and eclectic. “You can see the whole piece and all … Continue reading Ken Price
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.
Continue reading Justin Rothshank
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
