Live on WRVG: Faculty Focus

Thanks to Dr. Jacob Dickerson (Comm and Media Studies) for inviting me to be part of the Faculty Focus live radio program on WRVG this morning. Lots of fun. (Hope I didn't put anyone to sleep with my playlist.)

I'm tired of being cold...

I'm tired of being cold. So as I wondered about to post today I started looking at images that reminded me that Spring is in our grasps! I found this happy little blog that the Guardian News put together about the 10 Best Flower Paintings. Below are some of my favorites from the list. These following artist invoke the beautiful warm sense of Spring. Each have their own wonderful details that take you to another place and perhaps even time. So sit back, get a little closer to the heater, and enjoy!

Judith Leyster
Tulip from Her Tulip Book (1643)
Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem
'When the Dutch artist Judith Leyster painted this striped specimen in 1643, pictures of tulips were regarded as cheap substitutes for the real thing because the bulbs had become prodigiously expensive. Tulip books became wildly popular too. Even Leyster, more celebrated for her droll and uplifting portraits, produced one for the burgeoning market. Some were upscale catalogues promoting different varieties – this is a Brabanson – but hers seems to have been made for pure visual pleasure.'

Monet
Blue Water Lilies (1916-1919)
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
'Monet, in old age, said he took more pride in his garden than his art and, in particular, the pond of waterlilies he grew at Giverny. These large white flowers, with their broad, waxy surfaces, tend to hold and reflect the changing light of the day. Here, it feels like late afternoon and the field of vision appears limitless and blue. The painting effects dissolves between surface and depth, between near and far, between the water and the lilies. Close up, the flowers disappear in the nearly illegible brushstrokes; far away, they resemble evening stars.'

Georgia O’Keeffe
Oriental Poppies (1928)
Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis
'“If I could paint the flower exactly as I see it no one would see what I see because I would paint it small like the flower is small. So I said to myself – I’ll paint it big… and they will be surprised.” O’Keeffe’s poppies are among her most famous works, the glossy red and orange flowers exploding on a canvas almost four feet wide. There is no background to distract from their sheer force of personality. Made in 1928, the painting is a vast close-up, pulling the eye into the dark heart of these flowers through the power of scale and color.'

 Manet
Lilacs in a Vase (c 1882)
Nationalgalerie, Berlin
'During his long final illness, Manet began to paint beautifully aphoristic pictures of flowers in crystal vases. His subjects were the posies friends brought to his Paris sickroom, in this case white lilac. Fascinated by the stems refracted through the silvery water, and by the flocculent green-in-white blossoms, he paints something closer to a portrait than a still life. You can feel the thick darkness – the darkness of late Goya, whom Manet admired from first to last – closing in around these light some white heads on their fragile stems.'

Dürer
Tuft of Cowslips (1526)
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
'Dürer’s art is all about pointing things out, defining their likeness, making them visible and with as much accuracy as possible. A chunk of turf, a quivering harebell, a tuft of cowslips: his drawings are superb and always botanically exact. But notice how he depicts this little clump of spring flowers, leaves, roots and all, like a floating island on the page. A vignette in space, out of context, the cowslips look newly wondrous and strange, despite their basis in observable truth. This is Primula veris, blossoming from April onwards in Germany.'

Jan Brueghel the Elder
Flowers in a Vase (year unknown)
National Museum of Art, Bucharest
'Lilies, tulips, fritillaries, daffodils, snowdrops, carnations, cornflowers, peonies, anemones, roses: this is an all-together-now bouquet and one of the largest and most luscious in art. But is it real? Could all these flowers have blossomed at the same time in 17th-century Holland without hothouses and chemical sprays? Possibly, but this is a vanitas painting, combining the real, the ideal and the symbolic. It would have given its wealthy patron a garden of flowers in a single vase, but it reminds him of his death as well. Some of the flowers are beginning to fade, others have already fallen.'

Opportunity: Tour Guide at Mary Todd Lincoln House

Tour Guide positions open at Mary Todd Lincoln House

Mary Todd Lincoln House, Lexington

The Mary Todd Lincoln House is currently accepting applications to fill several tour guide positions.  Job entails working 2-3 days per week and 2 Saturdays per month.  Further information about the job and the application are under "Become a Tour Guide" at http://www.mtlhouse.org/getinvolved.html

Currency, Artist's Reception, Friday, 5–7 PM

Currency
Photographic Works by Darrell Kincer
Artist's reception Friday, February 28, 5–7 PM
Jane Chancellor Moore Gallery in the Kentucky Employees Credit Union
100 More Drive, Frankfort, 

The snow has melted at last!  And just in time:  this week marks the final few days of our exhibition "Currency" by photograper and Georgetown College art professor Darrell Kincer, capped off with a closing reception for the artist this Friday, February 28, from 5:00 until 7:00pm.  So, if you haven't made it in to see this show yet there is still time; and if you have, now's your chance the meet the artist and mingle with art-loving friends.  (And for the many photograpers among you, this is a chance to find out how Darrell works his amazing darkroom magic to create these images.)

As the exhibition title suggests, "Currency" features silver gelatin prints of imagery and iconography from U.S. dollar bills.  Not only does this show highlight the artistry of engraving in these familiar objects (well, at least I'm familiar with the lower denominations), but by calling attention to whom and what we choose to honor on our money, these pictures raise questions about our national history and mythology.  (For instance, one viewer has already called attention to the lack of women in these images.  Time that Lady Liberty had some company!)  In short, it does what art is supposed to do, both delighting and provoking. 

GALLERY DIRECTIONS:  There’s a map of our location on our gallery web site at JaneChancellorMooreGallery.com.  We're located in the lobby of Kentucky Employees Credit Union, just off the East-West Connector (Hwy 676) at Glenns Creek Road.  Coming from the west end, take the E-W Connector from US127 and turn right at the first stoplight after you cross the river; from the east end, take the E-W Connector from US60 and turn left at the second stoplight.  Coming from elsewhere in Frankfort, turn onto Martin Luther King Blvd from East Main and cross through the intersection with the E-W Connector.  Any way you come, the entrance to the credit union (Moore Drive) will be ahead on your left.

For more information (or better directions!) call Broadstone at (502) 223-4415 or KECU at (502) 564-5597.

Outing: Monuments Men

Thanks to everyone who came out to see the film on Sunday night!

"Monuments Men" is a Hollywood film that captures, to me, the necessity of saving cultural artifacts. Yes, it's a war story, but its themes and issues move beyond World War II and the elite group of cultural professionals—museum directors, art historians, conservators and others—who led this effort to save items from destruction.

Their job description was simple: to save as much of the culture of Europe as they could during combat. These Monuments Men were charged by President Roosevelt and Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower to undertake this mission. These leaders and those that they enlisted had the vision to understand the grave threat to the greatest cultural and artistic achievements of civilization, and, they ultimately joined the front lines to do something about it.

Artist to see Eloy Morales

Just thought I would share a Spanish painter I came across the other day named Eloy Morales (website HERE). I have included a nice short video of him working and talking about his work. Some of his work is quite large and some quite small but all of it is quite nice. Enjoy.


Eloy Morales from Didi Menendez on Vimeo.

"Butt Music from Hell" and Dumb Starbucks

So interesting things happening in the world of Art History and Research this week. A student named Ameila (see her blog HERE) Oklomhoma Christian University has played a hidden piece of music that has not been heard in 500 years. Her and a friend were studying the famed Hieroymus Bosch triptych "Garden of Early Delights" (seen below, click for larger version)...

when they saw something. A song written across the bare buttocks of a man in the Hell portion (far right) of the painting.

And one of my favorite sections just for kicks. I have always loved this painting. 

Anyhow, this student translated the music and recorded it. So now you can hear the song that has not been played for hundreds of years. Also it is to have been said the music was put in the painting as penance or that the song is supposed to open the gates of Hell… interesting stuff either way. 

Now for Dumb Starbucks. 

Saw this the other day and laughed out loud. An artist opened a business in LA called "Dumb Starbucks". It is identical to the real starbucks but just has the word dumb before everything. He is actually a Perfomance artist and has registered it as a Gallery so the coffee you are buying is actually art. Have a read HERE. Lots of Fun. 

Senior Thesis Update 03

Woohoo, I have officially written all of my thesis! I now have three weeks to work on revisions after an awesome meeting at Galvin's with Dr. Decker and some great people who are taking the time to read my thesis and give me feedback. I can't believe it's already almost March and our show is so soon. I can't wait though! I didn't think that I could write so many pages, but it happened and I'm thankful I made it this far. The best thing about writing my thesis is seeing how ridiculous Jeff Koons is. Here he is taking a picture with Kim and Kanye's baby, North West:

Have a great week!!!

Senior Thesis Update 3

This past week I have worked a lot on getting the last few pieces of plexiglass cut up for one of my boxes and then got the dividing sections glued on. I have also started working on cutting the door knobs and altering the other materials for the piece. The first picture is showing where a few of the objects will be placed when the box is finished. The last picture is a something from my december review that I have made some alterations to and plan on including in my senior show as well. 

Outing: Monuments Men Film — Sunday at the Kentucky Theatre

Join me for a showing of Monuments Men, a Hollywood film about the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program, organized during World War II and charged with the task of finding and saving pieces of art and other culturally important items before their destruction by Hitler.

If you have a crush on George Clooney, Bill Murray, or Matt Damon; or if you are a history buff or a fan of provenance issues, this may be the film for you.

I'll buy the tickets. Just meet Greg and me at the Kentucky Theatre by 7:30. The film starts at 7:35 on SUNDAY, FEB. 23rd. See you then!

[If you don't know where the theatre is, or if you don't have a ride, contact senior art major Stephanie. She's willing to drive folks and/or give directions. Thanks, Mom Stephanie:)]

Senior Thesis Update

Over the past week I have been working on welding my figure. While I have spent a good portion of my week working on the figure, my progress isn't quite what I expected. Today with Dr. Decker, I also realized  that the figure may in fact not fit out the door. With this new discovery in mind I am going to have to figure out different proportions for the figure and make it just slightly small. So, I still I have a lot to accomplish in the next week. And with that let me leave you with a picture of my figure so far.

Inspiration and Necessity

Dr. Decker recently put out a table of books and copies of sculpture magazines free to a good home. I raided the table and got a ton of the sculpture magazines and I am so glad I did. Today I decided to flip through one of them and saw pictures of trees and stopped immediately to read the article. If you want to get my attention, put a picture of a tree in front of me and immediately I will stop what I am doing.

This article turned out to be about Oranki Art Park, a sculpture park in Finland. It talks about how artists who come and do installations in the park enjoy it “because it’s a peaceful and quiet place, and you can make anything you feel. It’s good to do things outside institutions— you can forget the rules of working in a studio.” This quote really stuck with me as it made me consider how in individual practice it is good to get away from what you are working on to extras yourself artistically in nature. For me personally this is really important as often times I haves labored over a project and then once I was done with it I hated it so much because I spent too much time on that piece and not enough time out in nature. It is also really important for me as often my art has themes revolving around nature and I get my inspiration from nature.

The article also talks about the formation of the park and how it arose out of necessity as in Finland artists have to pay ridiculous amounts to exhibit in galleries and so they fled to the outdoors and now artist groups all over Finland have outdoor art events. So with the creation of the park artist's were not only given the opportunity to leave their studio space, but also the gallery. I find this idea really inspiring.

Senior Thesis Update

I can happily say that the first full draft of my thesis paper is FINISHED!!! I repeat my thesis, Coming Up on the Endgame, has a full rough draft complete!!!
YAY!!!!

Some of the books that made my thesis possible (Left to right): The Death of Art by Berel Lang, The Madonna of the Future by Arthur Danto, After the End of Art by Danto, and What Art Is by Danto.

So what does this mean now? Well now I must wait for feedback and NOT TOUCH IT for a at least a week. I will meet with people next week and get feedback as well get some peer evaluation next Thursday. After this I will go through and edit again. For now, however, I can briefly relax and focus on other things for the show such as stuff for the binder, finding images for the gallery, slides, and the thesis, and figure out text issues.

"It's raw, it's wild, you're away from everthing..."

 I found this story of 68-year-old Ed Zevely very intriguing. Every couple months, he rides into the Colorado high country to camp for weeks at a time—and he does it completely alone. Through thunderstorms, open meadows and treacherous passes, he finds his own patch of serenity. Watch “Open Door to Solitude” now and truly understand the difference between loneliness and solitude. Enjoy!

 

Watch this Video here...
Open Door to Solitude

What's Happening this Week

There are couple of fun things happening in the Cochenour Gallery this week.

On Thursday from 4-7pm the Georgetown Main Street Group is hosting Love Your Downtown. In an effort to work more with the college, this community development group have invited students, faculty and staff, the ENTIRE police force, and even the Mayor to come together and chat about Downtown Georgetown.

Don't miss this event! There will be cookies, Nexus credit, and an opportunity to voice your opinion on what YOU would like to see happen Downtown!

THEN

On Friday from 12-2pm, again in the Cochenour Gallery, photographer Tim McCoy's exhibit Sanctuary will open. Mr. McCoy's photographs involves a radical re-framing of reality. Meaning is often determined as much as by what is "cut" from the framing of the images as it is by those elements that are revealed in detail. He has largely excluded human figures, although humanity is alluded to through the cultural icons and remnants shown. Thus, the focus is on what people leave behind rather than the evanescence of contemporary culture. Hope you can make it! Also a Nexus event and... cookies!

UPDATE: President Obama Sends Handwritten Apology To Art History Professor

(nope, it was not me!)

Read the article here.

Thanks to Chris for pointing this out to me. See earlier post here.

Luminosity and Gallery Hop, FRIDAY!

 

Lots of fun and art to see in downtown Lexington this Friday from 5–8 PM. Come enjoy…and if you go, tell an art faculty member to get Nexus Flex credit.

Luminosity at Triangle Park (from the LAL website)

On Feb. 21, the Lexington Art League will unveil an interactive sculpture of light in Triangle Park, the heart of downtown Lexington, where thousands of Central Kentuckians and visitors to Central Kentucky shop, work, and play.

A dazzling beacon of light in the dark nights of winter, the sculpture will enchant viewers with its luminous vibrancy and its fluid, dance-like visual responses to the physical movements of its viewers.

Designed specifically for Lexington by Canadian artists-in-residence Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett, the sculpture is thematically similar to other iconic works of light the duo have created for culturally vibrant cities around the world, including Moscow, Prague, Chicago, and Calgary.

Fabricated with the assistance of students from Bluegrass Community and Technical College Welding Technology program, and comprised of thousands of incandescent light bulbs donated by local individuals and regional businesses, the sculpture at Triangle Park is a true community endeavor that brings to light art's power to encourage wonder, delight, rumination, reflection, and ultimately, authentic, meaningful connections to one's community, one's world, one's self.

• Remarks by Lexington Mayor Jim Gray
• Holler Poets founder Eric Scott Sutherland will read writing by Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X. Walker.
• Coffee and warm drinks by Cup of Commonwealth
• Ceremony begins at 5:30. Sculpture lighting is at sunset.

Gallery Hop

For more information about the hop, check out the LexArts website.