www.McCollCenter.org
My local buddy Ashley Lathe, a very recent entry into the 40 year old club, will have the 3rd floor to himself, at least the hallway walls, I mean. And he'll be in his 2nd floor studio taking questions. Take in his work and ask him how he made it. He's either a hard worker or a hard worker with an eye towards being lazy. Ask about his process, and you'll know what I mean. And the work is good stuff, at times VERY good stuff.
Ashley's Blog
November 18, 2008
My wife and I, along with friends Mark Lee and Neha Mehta, went to see "El Greco to Velasquez" at the Nasher Museum in Durham recently. Seems like it was probably a good show, but here's a hint to museum directors: DO NOT ALLOW EXHIBITIONS TO BE OVERCROWDED! I don't know what the limit should be for the space, but it was WAY crowded. It may have been the least contemplative experience I've had at a prominent art show, and I don't think it was the artists' fault. Nothing against Nasher, and it was probably at a peak time, but it was a wastd experience. Maybe it was Coach K's doing...
On another note, do other artists out there stress as much as I do whenever you're packing work to ship? I just sent 7 pieces to my publisher this morning, H-G Arts, and my jaw is still tight from useless worrying. Making art is so much easier than all the other stuff that follows. If anybody has advice on how to chill during the packing and sending experience, please fill me in. Maybe it's the stress of letting it go, putting it out there to be judged that sweats me so much. If so, I just gotta man up since that's much of the point of making art, letting others in on my action.
www.HG-Arts.com
November 7, 2008
If you're lucky enough to be in London between now and the end of the year, make sure you go to the Tate Britain and drop 12 pounds to see the Francis Bacon retrospective and an additional 3 for the Turner Prize finalists' exhibition. I was able to see the shows in early October, and the experience was fantastic. Firstly (is that a word?), a gallery full of Bacon's work is MUCH better than a couple images in a book (as is always the case with art). And a general rule I've learned is that if you're in the same city as a major museum while it is having an exhibition of a great artist's work, GO SEE IT! Even though I'm not really a Bacon freak, seeing the retrospective and getting some insight on how he came to his imagery was an invaluable and spiritual experience. As far as the Turner exhibition went, it was also excellent. It suffered from following my couple hours spent looking at Bacon's work, but it was top notch nonetheless. I'm not sure I have a favorite to win, but I do hope either Goshka Macuga or Runa Islam brings home the prize. I enjoyed their works the most, though since time ran short for me I can't say for sure whether that amounts to a valid assessment of what I saw.
Francis Bacon is up until January 4, 2009. The Turner Show is up through January 18, 2009. Go see 'em!
www.TateBritain.co.uk
November 6, 2008
Check out Gallery Up in Rock Hill if you're in the area. The current show is killer and the artist, Geoff Calebrese, seems like an all right dude. If you like ceramics, this is a must see. It's called "Heads" and will be up through November 28.
www.GalleryUp.com