Beauty and the Art of It . . .

ART EXHIBITIONS THIS SUMMER

To paraphrase the song from Rodger & Hammerstein’s Carousel, this summer ART “is bustin’ out all over”! Here are three exhibitions that offer beautiful art in exciting locations:

JUNE: OIL PAINTERS OF AMERICA Twenty-First Annual National Exhibition at the Evergreen Fine Art Gallery in Evergreen, Colorado – June 22-July 21, 2012.

Some of the nation’s finest oil painters will gather to paint, talk art, watch award-winning artists demonstrate their skills, and to display some of the most beautiful representational artwork assembled for sale this summer. Participants have been juried into the show through a rigorous process that demands the highest quality in draftsmanship, color, and composition, and emphasizes diversity in style and subject matter. Opening reception for artists, collectors, public and press will take place on Friday, June 22, 5-8 p.m. More

JULY: “PLEIN AIR FOR THE PARK”—The Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters partner with the Grand Teton Association for the benefit of the magnificent Grand Teton National Park.

Mountain Cauldron by Greg McHuron

On July 1, more than 40 talented RMPAP members, many nationally and internationally renowned, will gather in the park and the Jackson Hole area to paint for two weeks. The new work will be exhibited in the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor’s Center at the park’s Moose Junction entrance, beginning Friday, July 13, with a public reception that evening from 7-9 p.m., with artists present. Other events include daily artist demos and a Quick Draw allowing visitors to observe blank canvases turned into finely crafted paintings of one of the most scenic areas in the United States. The show concludes on Sunday, July 15th at 4 p.m. More 

AUGUST: GEOFFREY GORMAN
August 17-September 11, artist’s reception on Friday, August 17. Jane Sauer Gallery, 652 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM – 505-995-8513. Website
From a recent article in AmericanStyle magazine:

In a small studio in the heart of Santa Fe, NM, a modern-day alchemist bends over his work table. Around him lie piles of twisted sticks, bicycle tires, bailing wire, rusted screws and washers, torn canvas, medallions, and a few tools. Layer by layer, contemporary sculptor Geoffrey Gorman builds charismatic creatures that, with the last finishing touches, suddenly become “real,” filled with personality and attitude. As Geppetto once carved a boy from wood that magically became Pinocchio, so do Gorman’s creations take on vivid lives of their own that explore the territory between myth and legend, science and imagination. More

And now for our ART BOOKS:

New African Fashion, Helen Jennings. Prestel 2011. From one of Europe’s most prominent fashion journalists, as well as the editor of ARISE, a magazine that celebrates African fashion, music, and culture, this book is so beautifully and boldly photographed that I couldn’t decide whether it should go in the nonfiction section or here. Art won. Africa’s innovative textile statements have long been unique and, since the 1960s when Yves Saint Laurent presented African-inspired collections, designers have drawn from them to create wonderfully vibrant work. If fashion, fabric, photography, or design are your passions, don’t pass this one up! Author’s website

Groundwaters: A century of art by self-taught and outsider artists, Charles Russell. Prestel 2011. What is called “outsider art” by those in the mainstream art world, for the rest of us can be understood in the words of author Charles Russell, as “works of significant visual achievement and meaning . . . created by individuals who are not trained as artists and may not even consider their creations to be art.” Often, as with all artists or creatives, these works arose out of their personal experiences and responses to the world around them—the politics, culture, and so on, or even the world existing only in their minds. These works are often amazingly imaginative and frequently created from idiosyncratic materials at hand rather than with art supplies. This terrific book poses questions about “instinctual expression,” sources of creative expression, and who within a culture speaks for it or should. As we hear constantly now about “citizen journalism,” perhaps more credence will be accorded these sources of “citizen artistry.” The work of 12 artists is explored and discussed and, more than food for thought, suggests fresh ways of viewing what art can be. Charles Russell is professor emeritus of English and American Studies at Rutgers University, Newark, NJ. He is a contributing editor to Raw Vision, an international magazine of outsider art, and is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Self-Taught and Outsider Art.

The Photographer’s Mind: Creative thinking for better digital photos, Michael Freeman. Focal Press 2011. This book examines how top photographers produce great pictures every time. Shows photographers how to avoid visual cliché and handle the unexpected. Enables enthusiast photographers to understand styles and develop their own distinctive approach to imagemaking. Lots of eye candy and visual inspiration. Photographer’s website (worth a click because the images are stunning!)

In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States, Ilene Susan Fort and Tere Arcq, with Terri Geis. With contributions from some of the most knowledgeable scholars in the field: Dawn Ades, Maria Buszek, Whitney Chadwick, Rita Eder, Salomon Grimberg, and Gloria Orenstein. Prestel 2012. The volume features the work of 48 Mexican and US-based women artists who played influential, often radical, roles in the surrealist movement, but have never before been gathered together in one sublime collection. Along with the essays exploring the effects of geography and gender on the movement, it includes over 200 full-color images. Beginning in 1931 with Lee Miller’s first surreal photograph, and following on through to 1968 when Yayoi Kusama presented her landmark “Alice in Wonderland” in Manhattan’s Central Park, this is an extraordinary exploration. More about the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s exhibition accompanying this book 

ARTIST PROFILES:

View the art of  TED COCONIS and ROCKY HAWKINS, two very individualistic artists who are passionately devoted to their art. Each follows his own unique vision and has achieved increasing recognition for his talent and skill. We think you’ll enjoy getting acquainted.