Artist Tim Rice in his North Berkeley studio In Christopher Bollen‘s recent joint interview with Jerry Saltz and Roberta Smith—the leading power couple in the world of art critics—the topic of studio visits came up. Neither Smith nor Saltz do them, and they listed a number of reasons why. Here is Saltz’s response: I think […]
Must See and Must Have
The latest book by the geologist turned photographer Bernhard Edmaier (whose previous books include Patterns of the Earth, Earth on Fire and Earthsong) is his most seductive yet. Published by Phaidon Press*, EarthArt: Colours of the Earth is a masterful melding of images, scale (this book is big) and exquisite book design. I can’t believe […]
- Creativity
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Self Revealing
The infinite fascination of waterdrops Simple but useful wisdom for art making practitioners… When asked for screenwriting tips, Greta Gerwig—actor, director and screenwriter—shared these two. As is often the case, her advice is useful for anyone engaged in a creative venture. *** Whenever you have an “idea,” as in a concept that you could explain […]
- Aesthetics
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Abrams, Books and Artifacts
A page from “S” The concept of an artifact—material, touchable and therefore commodifiable—has been a controversial issue in art circles for a long time. For some practitioners, the highest and purist artistic expression is one that happens without a footprint or “residue.” The absence of a material object d’art speaks to a devotion to the […]
Up Stairs In Sight: George Wingate
Up Stairs In Sight: Installation by George Wingate As a painter, my work in the studio is all about thingfulness: I am bringing an intense focus to bear in an effort to rouse a flat white plane of canvas or wood into a state of aliveness. Beyond the boundaries of that surface and unseen to […]
- Aesthetics
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Refuge in the Not
Motoi Yamamoto (Photo: My Modern Met) Roberta Smith‘s response to the recent art auctions, Art Is Hard to See Through the Clutter of Dollar Signs, included a quote that has taken on a life of its own and is showing up everywhere online. After describing the spectacle of all time high prices and hedge fund […]
- Aesthetics
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The Innovation/Creativity Continuum
Innovation is constantly in the news. Corporations spend millions of dollars fostering, cultivating and encouraging it in work environments that often seem inhospitable to deflected and unexpected thinking. Interestingly, artists rarely use the word innovation to describe the methodology of their work. Creativity is the more common term. How are the two different? Drew Marshall […]
A Lifetime Burning in Every Moment
Great Salt Lake, my birthland Home is where one starts from. As we grow older The world becomes stranger, the pattern more complicated Of dead and living. Not the intense moment Isolated, with no before and after, But a lifetime burning in every moment And not the lifetime of one man only But of old […]
Mars on My Mind
This is Mars (All images: Aperture) It’s big, and it isn’t cheap. But for any of you out there who, like me, have a fascination with space, planetary bodies, other worlds and/or sheer unadulterated materiality, this is the book for you. This is Mars will knock you out. From the Aperture site: This Is Mars […]
- Art Making
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Legacying a Life
Conflagration, by Gordon Waters (Photo: Art collection of the University of Western Sydney) After years of experience and a commitment to abstraction I am able to “forget myself” with greater ease. The pictures have begun to determine me instead of the other way around. In the process, a more cohesive body of work has evolved. […]