Painting

Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle 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

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Ceramics, Other Art, Painting

A Week in Images (Quarantine Learning Report #2)

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)

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Ceramics, Other Art, Painting

A Week in Images (Quarantine Learning Report #1)

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)

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Ceramics, Links, Other Art, Painting, Travel

Thirteen Great Art Books

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

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Ceramics, Painting

Patti Warashina, Tip Toland and Richard Notkin at Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA (Quarantine Learning Report)

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)

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Ceramics, Other Art

Rebecca Hutchinson (Quarantine Learning Report)

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)

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Ceramics, Other Art, Painting

Ken Price

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

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Painting

Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over by Nell Painter

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

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Ceramics

Mitchell Spain

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

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Ceramics

Butter dishes!

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!

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Painting

Revisiting Toyin Ojih Odutola at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, NY

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

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Other Art, Painting

Chitra Ganesh at Durham Press, Bucks County, PA (Quarantine Learning Report)

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)

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Other Art

A glimpse into quarantine life

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

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Other Art, Painting

Vicarious gallery visits, New York, NY

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

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Other Art, Painting

Humaira Abid and Anthony White in Seattle

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

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Other Art

Wolfgang Laib

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

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Ceramics, Other Art, Painting, Travel

My week that didn’t happen, New York, NY

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

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Ceramics, Painting, Travel

Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

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

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Painting, Travel

National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC

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

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Ceramics, Other Art, Painting, Travel

Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Harbourfront Centre and the Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario (day three)

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)

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Ceramics, Other Art, Painting, Travel

Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), and a few great neighborhoods, Toronto, Ontario (day two)

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)

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Ceramics, Other Art, Travel

The Gardiner Museum, Bata Shoe Museum and MOCA Toronto, Toronto, Ontario

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

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Other Art, Painting, Travel

Glenstone in Potomac, MD

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

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Painting

Studio Visit: Justin Duffus in Seattle, WA

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

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Other Art, Painting, Travel

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA and the “Glass Flowers” in Cambridge, MA

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

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Ceramics, Painting

Seattle Asian Art Museum in Seattle, WA

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

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Other Art, Painting, Travel

30 Americans at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, MO and The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, PA

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

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