Eclectix just finished up a new interview with the mixed-media master, San Francisco artist - David Ball.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Spirits of Tatomir Pitariu
Tatomir was born in Romania and currently resides in Los Angeles. His heavy metal spirits borrow from Transylvanian rituals & traditions, Greek mythology, paganism, the elements and folklore. On Tantomir's website, there are fascinating texts & tidbits about each piece - explaining the subject, background and evolution of each image. Very inspiring and full of spiritual gusto.
This was originally published on the homepage of Eclectix,
in the Iconic issue, Jan. 2012
For the Iconic online exhibit, click here.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Lacey Bryant's Silent Country
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| Lacey Bryant and one of her art dolls- "Mother" . This one totally reminded me of Jill Clayburgh, the actress... |
We were happy to make it to the opening of Lacey Bryant's current exhibition at Modern Eden. Having seen her works numerous times over the last few years, at many different Bay Area venues, they always stood out with her identifiable style. Modern Eden graciously dedicated their entire gallery space to Lacey for this well-deserved solo exhibition - "Soliloquies from the Silent Country" .
Her works have a strong painterly feel, lots of wet brushstrokes and emotive subject matter. Bits of dark angst mingle with surreal animal transformations and fairy tales. They feature young women in various states of expression or contemplations - often interacting with nature in some way. I love the fact that her works accomplish such impact and feeling - without gratuitous nudity or sexual poses. It sets her works apart from the more predictable, sexy yet shallow, imagery out there. One feels that all these women are aspects of Lacey's pschye, floating and captured within their own moment of time.
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| Detail |
In addition to the paintings are some very marvelous dolls (see very top photo & below). The subtle character expressed in the doll's faces give them a lovable, human aspect - their skin glows dirty with life and sass. They offer up special gifts, recessed in their hearts or in their peasant-like attire. Photographs do not begin to translate their charm in person.
Lacey is a sweet sprite, energetic and full of positive vibrations - open, non-pretentious and bubbling with humanity. It was a joy to meet her and all her artworks. This exhibition is up through Feb. 5th, 2012.
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| Lacey and "Accomplices" |
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| This one was my personal favorite, titled "Doubt". |
The musical entertainment was by provided by an alt-folk trio, The Wild Reeds and they provided some good ole' down-home comfort music.
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| The Wild Reeds |
Saturday, January 21, 2012
New Artist Interview With Mike Davis
Fresh off the easel is a new Eclectix interview with the fantastic surrealist artist - Mike Davis, in San Francisco.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Thomas Woodruff Makes Us Swoon
If you are lucky enough to find yourself anywhere near New York City in the next few weeks.... then you owe it to your eyes to get over to PPOW Gallery for their current show-
Exhibition runs Jan 5 - Feb 4, 2012
Thomas's works just make us weak in the knees with their incredible poetic beauty. They are icons of anthropomorphic cross-dressers, adornments to our earthly kingdoms. With more than 24 paintings by Thomas in this solo show, it is sure to gratify and satisfy every heart aching for original inspirations.
Monday, January 16, 2012
The Surrealist Remedios Varo
Remedios Varo is an incredible painter I have long admired and often wondered why she hasn't received more attention in art history and elsewhere. Could it be sexism?... Nah...
In addition to Leonora Carrington and Frida Kahlo she is one of the most engaging and astounding women surrealists. Born in Spain in 1908, she fled to Paris during the Spanish Civil War. During the Nazi occupation of France she then fled to Mexico City - where she remained for the rest of her life. She was close friends with Carrington, studied with Salvador Dali, and in Mexico she became acquainted with Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. She died at 55 from a stress-related heart attack.
Currently at Frey Norris Gallery in San Francisco is a rare chance to see a few of her original works - paintings, sketches and drawings. They have a mystical, dream-like quality with scientific and spiritual allegories. Up close, her brushstrokes are tiny, many even seemed like scratch marks through the paint to the board below. Pictured here are a few pics from the exhibit - mostly cropped to share some detail. The show is up through Feb. 25th, 2012.
" The first exhibition of Remedios Varo to ever take place in the western United States, Indelible Fables illuminates the ever-imaginative and prescient world of this surrealist artist." - Frey Norris
(Frey also recently had a great exhibit of Carrington's works)...
Francesca Woodman at SF Moma
Francesca Woodman committed suicide at the age of 22 in 1981. Her works are obviously that of a still-young photographer and it is sad that we will never see what caliber of imagery she could have produced, had she lived a "normal" life. And sadly, I wonder if she would have had a show of this magnitude at a major museum, if she hadn't committed suicide.
This huge exhibition contains all black and white prints, rather on the small side, mostly centered on the female human form, nudes - many set-up shots of her own body. Long exposures, vintage dresses, montages, blurred movements and stark, lonely abandoned rooms. Some stuck me as obvious student shots, amatuer in their subject matter and composition, not really museum quality. However, others were extraordinarily powerful, speaking of a woman's despair - about self doubts, body image, sexuality and isolation. These pieces are strong feminist rejections and obsessions of the male induced beauty image. Many are accompanied by hand written captions and commentary from Francesca which lead us to ponder the damage done by stereotyping, media and advertising.
The show at SF Moma is up through February 20, 2012 and we strongly recommend this powerful and haunting exhibition.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Sacred Science of Aleksandra Mir
Born in Lubin, Poland, Aleksandra is a citizen of both Sweden and the USA. She currently lives in London. Her collage series - The Dream and the Promise, combine religious iconography with images and symbols of space travel. They allude to the complicated, and not always contentious, relationship between science and faith.
“If angels and astronauts share the same sky,
isn't it time they were introduced?”
This was originally published on the homepage of Eclectix,
in the Iconic issue, Jan. 2012
For the Iconic online exhibit, click here.
Monday, January 9, 2012
An Ephemeral Visit With Arabella
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| Arabella Proffer |
Dropped into the SF opening of Arabella Proffer's new solo show and finally got to meet her after years of a web relationship. She kindly shipped many works to Eclectix for exhibits from her home in Cleveland. Arabella and her new works were both looking stunning and ever-so-fashionable. This is a great little space and Arabella's works were a good fit among the "Loved To Death" store inventory. I have my heart set on acquiring a fantastic black umbrella/cane I saw there. And Arabella could certainly use one for her hurt leg, although it didn't stop her from mingling with all the art lovers there. Many of the pieces were studies of lovely ladies going thru barbaric medical procedures from the Middle Ages, each with an interesting little bio next to the work. These are fantasy histories compiled by the artist to accompany each image. My favorite in the show was the Black Madonna (below) a wonderfully strong & commanding piece. It was one of the smaller iconic pieces - they are all such a bargain, get on down and snap one up before they're gone! Enjoy the pictures from the show in the meantime.
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