Friday, December 18, 2009

Winged Arch

Of course, this runs right in line with my obsession on butterflies and reliquaries...nice work by Damian Hurst...who at times I think is too trendy, this work is subtle and beautiful...lost in the patterns and decorative qualities, this work has a rhythm...it breaths and beats like a body...the eye moves around the picture plane in an even way...this is because of the symmetry in the design...the balance and centrality create calm in the viewer.

The context is stained glass and cathedral, the pinched oval and arch...a perfect union of the present and the past...I had a chance to see other works like this at Art Basel, Miami...they were just as powerful up close. The sense of organization and arrangement is meticulous and profound...creative and expressive...any amazing work of art.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Organic Rhythms

Organic cut paper work and drawing provide an organic feel that is rich and decorative...the line work is expressive and mimics the flow of the paper...The blacks, whites and grays carry the eye around the picture plane...interest occurs in the value variation, mark making and small spots of color...yellow and orange...in the context of the very neutral palette, these areas of color provide a nice visual surprise.

The format is also slightly unusual, it is an extended rectangle, not in the golden proportions but pushed out beyond, more in the context of a landscape...the layers provide a low relief space, encased in a shallow, but three-dimensional space...these works allow for movement when picked up...and show a level of visual and literal fragility...delicate and beautiful works by Judy Pfaff.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Commercially charged

The illusion of a commercial object in a traditional medium, paint and wood, layered with another contemporary issue...this contained commodity context provides an obsessive look into our desires for things...complete with an aged and dirty box.

The central image, sonic boy, is in a cool color scheme, contrasting the warm box color...a focal point nicely blended into the box context...the scale of these pieces are slightly smaller, creating intimacy and forcing the viewer to come into Dan Douke's world...beautifully painted and creatively combined...these pieces move one commercial context into another.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

I see inside you

Building on traditional glass forms, this work by Washington DC artist Tim Tate, moves the medium in alternative directions...a play on interior verses exterior...contained and precious this piece utilizes color (black/yellow) and moving video to move the viewer from the outside to the inside. There is a sense of confinement as a participant, you feel like you go inside the jar and reside there for the experience...depending on how engrossed we are in the video, it can provide a virtual claustrophobic experience.

Like the ship in the bottle, we wonder, how did this all happen? The video portion can happen with sound or without...the scaled down electronic components are visually in the background to the simple bluish, translucent moving images...he has a mastery of material and builds on formal and historical relationships to create a world that is simple and new.

Monday, December 14, 2009

When animals attack

Something primitive is being explored, an open mouth and showing teeth...aggressive actions occurring all over the picture plane...a shallow space is explored in this piece by Aaron Johnson...A blue backdrop moves the eye around the piece...pinks, greens, oranges and reds combine in high chroma with intensity, alluding to Asian tattooing...

Strong complimentary color scheme and large scale of the hippopotamus' open mouth is the central image, a focal point, moving the eye up and to the right across the tiger and around the head to the left and down to the left and over to the bottom right...The vibrations of the active figures, leaving the viewer with a sense of unease and intensity.