Archives for March, 2010
Insert funny title
This is about one of those laboratory experiments that just beg for word play in the article title. I resist. Perhaps it helps to be months removed from the publication date of the latest results; the bookmark would have been long since forgotten, except that I boldly left it at the top level of my bookmarks, where it reminded me daily of how much further behind I was falling.
Shigeru Watanabe has shown that pigeons can be taught not only to tell Monet from Picasso (PDF), but also to make seemingly more elusive distinctions, such as “good” art from “bad”. As reported in Science Daily:
In Praise of Trees
In Praise of Trees is the name of my show with printmaker Kerry Corcoran, which opened about a week ago at the Bozeman Public Library. The Atrium Gallery is essentially the combined entrance halls from two sides of the new (environmentally-certified) building, resulting in a broad, L-shaped space intended for exhibitions. It does get lots of traffic, though much of it under 12 years old. We applied and were accepted over a year ago.
snow in the dunes
oil on maple panel, 40 cm x 50 cm
Improvised from a photograph this winter taken near Otter Creek in the Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Colors were mixed from Ultramarine blue, Manganese violet, Turner yellow, Chinese Lake, white and black. None of the mixtures displayed even the slighted hint of green.
Having gained some experience with choosing and mixing pigments, I consider, that a next, fruitful step in learning to be a better painter will be to follow Cennini‘s advice and practice drawing – daily.
My Particular Library Show
It’s a nice coincidence that Steve and I should both be showing in libraries.
My son Matt, an employee of the Cleveland Heights/UniversityHeights Main Library, passed on the news that the library had prepared some gallery spaces in the old YMCA building across the street. I was urged to contact the appropriate people to get in line as an exhibitor. Before long I was summoned down for a confab to learn that I had a one man show in the offing and a month to get it together.
I had a few thematic options available including the chains, ladders, plastic, plaster and the various oddiments that have appeared on this site. However, some factors constrained my choices. For one, all available walls are equipped with hanging rails which limit the weight of mounted objects and which tend to be visually compromising. Furthermore, the one dedicated space has a low ceiling, limiting vertical dimensions. The other two spaces are a short wall in the computer room and a reading room which turns out to be the best exhibiting area. These are busy and I had to take into account their public nature. I didn’t want to install anything that would tempt people to mess around. On the plus side there is a lot of track lighting.
View of main gallery
