Showing posts with label DIDI MENENDEZ. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Statement for THE ARTISTS GAZE issue of Poets/Artists

“I guess a collector starts to grow up when he finally learns to appreciate paintings he can't own.”

This has always been one of my favorite statements for a variety of reasons.

First, while I have certainly aged over the last 45 years of collecting, I’m not sure that I have really grown up or matured because I still find such total – almost childlike - delight in discovering an exciting new work by an unknown young artist and also in seeing the growth and continued development of the artists I have been privileged to work with over so many years. I still break into a sweat and the feeling is totally visceral when I happen upon a work that just takes my breath away. If losing that kind of connection or passion is a part of growing up, then I’m totally with Peter Pan and I’m never going there.

But, at the same time, as I reviewed the list of participating artists in this project, and found myself bemoaning my stupidity in not already owning examples of some of their works – Aleah Chapin and Susannah Martin come especially to mind – I bit my tongue and reminded myself that the most important consideration is not what’s on my walls, but what’s out there for the world to appreciate and enjoy. And that’s a blessing for all of us – collectors – creators – and civilians as well.

So I will try to be a good sport and soldier on. The fact that I do have wonderful pieces by so many of the artists in the upcoming issue and the show – many of whom Didi Menendez brought to my attention – is only the smallest solace.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

The art of Serendipity.

Nadine Robbins is a painter who is also a photographer.

Nadine Robbins in her Hudson Valley Studio. The painting on the wall and on the floor are from the photo shoot.

Nadine Robbins paints portraits from her own photography shoots. This is a common practice since the invention of the camera. The camera obscura may have been used to create masterpieces as far back as Vermeer.

Nadine uses her photography to capture that “one” painting. The one that will be chosen to be immortalized in oil. In a recent shoot last year she photographed a local model Kaitlin Naylor who was in the nude.

Nadine not only set-up the shoot for that “one” painting but she had also been asked by me for a cover of PoetsArtists where Nin Andrews was editing an Erotica Issue also known as the Chanticleer edition. I did not feel comfortable calling it Erotica because that in itself brings all sort of implications when publishing poetry and art. I am not sure if that is the reason why she asked Kaitlin to hold up ostrich eggs or if by chance it was already one of the props she had in the studio where she photo shoot took place. Maybe she can answer that later in the comments.

During the shoot, Kaitlin took a break and had lunch. McDonald’s must have been near by beccause Nadine also captured Kaitlin eating her lunch. Nadine decided to paint Kaitlin eating french fries. Now two paintings evolved from the same photo shoot. The painting of Kaitlin eating fries later was chosen by John Seed for his article in the Huffington Post, 10 Most Memorable Paintings of 2013. The painting of Kaitlin holding up the ostrich eggs made it to the cover of the August 2013 issue of PA and the painting of Kaitlin eating lunch later made it to the cover of a collection of essays written for the Huffington Post by John Seed.

Here is Nadine Robbins speaking about the shoot:

“I decided to photograph Kaitlin holding ostrich eggs to play with the concept of the female anatomy being outside of Kaitlin’s body as opposed to just a nude. A tribute of sort to women with a slightly different angle. I like adding props and although many times they don’t work, this time they did and the concept worked. Plan A didn’t go awry.

Unbeknownst to either of us, plan B came upon by accident. It was one of those steamy summer days. The warehouse where we were shooting was sizzling and her flame-colored hair was frizzing wildly. Postponing for a cooler day wasn’t an option, so I took a run to the local golden arches for more water. On a lark, I ordered a happy meal. I soon learned that Kaitlin, enviously thin, loved her fries. The misery of the heat and humidity evaporated as she savored the salty spuds. And all my preconceived ideas about what I wanted to capture with Kaitlin also evaporated as we went with the moment prompted by an opportune treat.

The images that came out of the shoot were fantastic and I am still using them for new paintings a few years later. Kaitlin is a fabulous model. Between posed shots, we talk and laugh and I’m always shooting. One of the shots is going to be a life-size painting of Kaitlin that I think will be the best one yet.”

The painting of Kaitlin eating french fries has lead to a series of other portraits which will be shown next year at the Zhou B Art Center in Chicago. A yearly art show I co-curate with Sergio Gomez. I will not give too much away for the show but will say that one of the portraits will be of Matthew Hittinger a well known poet also from New York and the other of Howard Tullman, the entrepreneur of entrepreneurs from Chicago. The photo shoot of Howard Tullman took place at the 1871 Building at the Merchandise Mart where Howard is heading new digital startup companies and when Nadine was visiting Chicago for this year’s show at the Zhou B Art Center. I saw the photos of these shoots and I am looking forward to the paintings.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

From Motion to Stillness - Review of Show

From Motion to Stillness

February 15, 2013 | Filed under: Arts and Entertainment | By: Lucia Anaya

Photograph by Geraldine Rodriguez, one of the participating artists of “From Motion to Stillness,” at Zhou B. Art Center.
Photo courtesy of Sergio Gomez

A new exhibit at Zhou B. Art Center is challenging viewers to slow down and reflect on the world around them

When director of exhibitions at Zhou B. Art Center Sergio Gomez and PoetsArtists magazine director Didi Menendez teamed up to curate an exhibit at Zhou B. they thought of how fast-paced American culture has become.

“We want everything done quickly, we rush to get things done and we hardly stop to think of anything else but the things we have to do,” Gomez said.

So they decided to do the opposite and conceptualize a group show around the idea of slowing down and reflecting.

Together, they reached out to artists across the country—photographers, painters and even poets, and asked them to translate ideas of tranquility, meditation and inner-peace to their line of work.

The result is a multi-platform group show called “From Motion to Stillness,” an exhibition that features the work of 34 artists and 10 poets.

But this isn’t a typical exhibition. While the pieces are shown along the walls of Zhou B., they are also featured in Menendez’s PoetsArtists magazine, both as a digital and print publication.

“It’s a mixture of visual arts and text,” Gomez said. “If people can’t make it to the exhibition they can go online and check out the exhibit. And for people who go to the exhibition and want to see more of the work of the artists, the digital edition will provide that.”

That’s because the digital edition includes artist interviews, description of the works and videos of artists in their studio, allowing exhibit goers to further ponder and reflect on Gomez’s and Menendez’s concept.

“We are inviting the viewer to take the time to explore what these artists are presenting; spend some time exploring the work, observing the work,” Gomez said.

One of the included works is a photograph by Chicago-based artist Geraldine Rodriguez. The photograph depicts a pale-faced, white haired woman with her eyes closed. She is motionless and seems at peace with herself.

This is the idea Gomez and Menendez want viewers to see. They want them to think of other things besides work and responsibilities, and gear them to the notion that inner-peace, stillness and reflection are important too.

“All the works deal with this idea in some form or the other, and it’s interesting to see how each artists interprets it,” said Gomez.

“From Motion to Stillness” will run at Zhou B. Art Center, 1029 W. 35th St, from Feb. 15 to March 10.

Monday, February 18, 2013

THANKS TO SERGIO GOMEZ FOR A GREAT SHOW AND A NICE WRITE-UP IN HIS ART BLOG

LIVING WITH ART: THE TULLMAN COLLECTION

February 18, 2013 · by virtualartist33 · in Art, Culture, Living with Art. ·

Last Saturday I had the great opportunity to visit the Tullman Collection at Flashpoint Academy. Howard Tullman gave a personalized tour to artists from the Motion to Stillness exhibition currently on view at the Zhou B Art Center. Some of the attending artists were already part of his impressive collection of more than 1500 works. Distributed along the two floors of the college, the Tullman collection is expansive and reflective of Howard’s own visionary eye. His interest in strong, well crafted figurative realism gives his collection an interesting thread of continuity. However, the collection is not strictly figurative as one encounters wonderful surprises along the way. Howard’s own office is a small crowded space surrounded by photographs of the many public personalities Howard has been in contact with over the years and a selection of artworks.

What I find compelling about the collection is Howard’s vision to make his collection available on a daily basis to the students at Flashpoint. Not only they have the best education but also access to an impressive display of talent and inspiration.

Buying original work by contemporary artists is more than writing a fat check, it’s about living with art. It’s making a choice of surrounded yourself with the history of our time. At every turn, art reminds us of our humanity, our struggles and our triumphs.