The Art Review

Jason Judd

2011-01-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

A Simple Metaphor for Death

Out of all the artists I have reviewed, Jason Judd is the most conceptual in his work. Although the work attempts to defy a style label, I see thematic ideas that are based off of Judd clear interest in science. Some of the work uses technology, but I can see the work references the technology and doesn't really just use the tool as just a means to an end. Some of the work is difficult to approach. The work, 'To your desires. To your loves,' is two tissues that have been sneezed upon and then discarded. This work is in the vein of Duchamp's idea that an artist can point to anything and make it art, or John Baldessari's idea that an artist is always making art with every action. However, as with Baldessari demonstrated in his own work, not all art made by an artist is a masterpiece and some works are worth displaying more than others. This work really pushes these ideas, but falls flat into a more Post-Modern lazy art attitude.
In the piece, 'One chair, two legs in a garage,' Judd is not only setting up a trap for a potential sitter, but his statement clearly indicated his understand of the space he choices to install the piece. This work has more thought out than the tissue piece and the added danger to the viewer adds to the interest in the piece.
The found video approach is another dangerous approach, because of the legal pitfalls and the promotion that produced media should be shared and reshaped to make something new. The collage is another Dada innovation and Judd is taking and applying the technique to video. In 'Nightsongs,' Judd takes 'from Youtube from various amateur astronomers filming the night sky from their home telescope.' I enjoy this collage and reference to astronomy. The question still remains, what credit if any does this collage of the original source videos needs to be made? How would the story of obtaining permission add to the creation of the final work?
All in all, I find the work attempting a lot of experimental aspects related to Dada sensibilities, but I think I would like to see more current concerns addressed in the work. A few works can be reduced to 'one liners,' but most of the work is helping to further advance some key ideas that have shaped the 20th century. However, is being an iconoclast enough any more? Judd work leads me to believe he is on the right path, but only time will tell.

Amy Shackleton

2010-11-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

When I first encounter Amy Shackleton's work, I thought 'computer generated,' but I was wrong, these are paintings. These works have been influenced by what computers can do. I like the work for its interesting look, but much of the work on Shacklenton's website is using the same simplified composition of the 'path' look or 'one point perspective.' A few painting would be fine, but the vast majority use this composition. I think this hurts the series of work. A show of work should have more sense of variety. The work above 'Mountain Link,' is a good mix of hard edge buildings and the stylized random like organic shapes. You don't feel that one type of shape is dominating another shape. However, in some work the images loss that balance. In 'Current Re-vision,' there is this sun burst that is completely out of place and distracting of the rest of the work or the flames on 'Rising Feli-city' are a little to much a recognizable symbol to act as a random flowing element. With this style, colors, and subject matter, this work is well on its way to developing into something interesting. However, a more sophistication in composition is needed and in it is important to keep out the kitsch element, like those sun burst and flames.

Kasia Ozga

2010-11-15T20:14:00.000-08:00

Kasia Ozga's art taps into a real primal element through the work. The work like 'Bite Me' shaped like a face made of food for animals really gets to our base fear of being consumed my others, or in the case of the face washing out to sea, our existence dissolved; in the work 'In every grain.' The truly human element appears and reappears for the viewer to fell fearful, that creepy feeling, or a nice nerves laugh. Ozga is carefully, with great craft and thoughtfulness, giving us parts of bodies that make us peer into ourselves for meaningful answers to our own functions in life and legacy. Because of the material Ozga often uses, one can not help but feel their own mortality when looking at the work. Sure there is fun and some playfulness in the work, but that only masks the true gravity of Ozga's work. The fact that there are so many levels to the work makes them worth seeing over and over again. My only hope is that I get to experience the work in person some day to get the full impact the work demands from the viewer.

Nick Gehlhausen

2010-11-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

This work titled 'I am the Buddha your Buddha,' by Nick Gehlhausen and this work is a typical collage that I have encountered over the years. Central figures surrounded by random, but formal elements of similar tones of color. I don't really think the work has matured enough to really capture my attention. Much of the work on Gehlhausen's website use safe colors for collages or that old look feeling that is very common among collage art in past generations. The best way to mature as an artist is to look at as much art as possible in order to not repeat everything out there. Also, a good challenge could help develop the work, like one collage artist that made a collage a day for a year. The sure intensity forced the artist to take risks. Another way to mature the work is not worrying about cutting out shape with any sense of 'stay in the lines' logic. Also, the paint element could be better served if it was used sparingly, rather than all over. This would make the paint part of the collage element, rather than some sort of coating.

Randi Alegre

2010-07-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Fox: Did you try to fit art classes if or when you had extra time in law school?
Anais: No... from high school to law school, quit for film school, quit for Los Angeles, quit for New York, then quit to come back to LA.
A lot of quitting but, for good reasons.
Fox: Quitting has such a negative connotation but, I think that your're actually completing steps in a journey instead of not completing anything.
Anais: I see even beyond that. My former economics teacher would call this the "Economics of Happiness".
The equation was to keep subtracting until I found what I liked which was photography.

Randi Alegre's photography is sometime like watching still after still of Warhol's portrait films, but with a twist, because Alegre engages the subject through the process of interview and inquiry. The image and text is from the series The Flight or Flight Theory. This makes the subject more lively and natural. Even the chairs feel like portraits of people or evidence of a persons character. The narrative is in the person being engaged by the photographer and then further being engaged by the viewer. This layering effect makes the subject a richer image to the viewer. It is almost as if the viewer is asking the subject questions. The reactions bring about a feeling of getting to know these subjects. The repetition of images works well, because it reinforces the subjects reactions and allows you to further understand the subject. On a technical note, the subjects are well lit and the cropping of the figure further reinforces the shape and structure of a figure. The close up images of the figures reinforce the idea of the moment captured in a series of moments. This separations is important in that the viewer can engage in the subject in a series of images or as one or two moments. That separation bring about multiple perspectives to the same subject.

Cosmo

2010-06-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

Something has happened to Cosmo when last I saw his work. Before the work was the expansive watercolor abstractions. Now, a burst of photograph inspired drawings has sprung forth from Cosmo. I am assuming the work is using ink and ink wash. The images often times come from older pictures, but I can see others that have contemporary sources. There are so many of these drawings that it would be nice to see them all together in one exhibition. I thing the works would make a great show. I think the charm of these works are the fact that some are done really well and others seem to have failed, but I would not eliminate any of them for a show, because the raw experimentation would be lost if the failures are dropped for the rest of the work. I say failure loosely here, because the works move in and out of sketchiness and unfinished to a slightly more polished look. Over all, the work is exciting and I hope to see a show of them soon.

Amanda Boekhout

2010-06-19T01:34:00.000-07:00

Amanda Boekhout is a painter and fashion artist. I think the fashion work is more developed. I like the very odd patches that seem to break up and appropriates other outfits. I like when the painting invades the patches. The neck pieces are harking back to older styles with contemporary material. (Notice: first grouping of paintings on her blog) The paintings are a little to symbolic for my taste. The narratives seem to be illustrating ideas rather than inferring them. In this piece, I like the dark, painterly strokes with drips and in relationship to the figure. I think the halo and the eyes are to much information. A good painting has more questions than answers and this one is answering to many questions. The figure alone would create enough tension and questions. Sometimes less is more. I thought I would end ther then something very exciting happened, I looked at Boekhout older posts on her blog.

This work combines Boekhout's work of fashion and painting into very coherent, and very ambiguous way. This work reminds me of David Hockney's sculpture paintings, only his has one upped those paintings with the element of the figure and dirt. Even the paintings are better integrated with the back ground and foreground. The landscapes are more surreal and dreamlike and less straight symbolism. In general, I can see that Boekhout is about reimaging the portrait.

Christina Massey

2010-06-18T01:14:00.000-07:00

Images of a meat market were the first thoughts that sprang in my head when viewing the fiber artist Christina Massey. Thankfully the title of the show 'Meat Market' meet my expectations. These works are amazingly raw and in your face. I find the crafting of the work very attractive because the art has a beautiful, repulsive, and natural theme. I like this piece because it helps us re-experience objects like hanging meat and re-frames the object into a made art piece. By remaking hanging meat, we start to think about our relationship with meat without feeling the artists is swaying our opinion. On the blog there are some weaved pieces that I think are a little weak, because the material is being used in very expected way in contrast to all those unexpected ways Massey uses in her other work. Dead Painting is much more innovative and interesting because the work engages painting and sculpture in between space. I have always liked Eva Hesse's work because of her way of reinventing sculpture. Massey is continuing in this tradition of innovation of material and giving the viewer have mixed feelings of attraction or repulsion about the objects.

Linda Chalmers

2010-06-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

If any painting style needs a fresh approach it is abstract painting, lucky we have Linda Chalmers adding her voice to the mix. Chalmers uses a mix of styles and shapes from the history of abstract art and then remixes these moves, strokes, and shapes into a freshly moving like images. The work is like Futurism, meets Abstract Expressionism, with a hint of street. I find the colors very activated and painfully soothing. Splashes, line painting, and drawing like elements interweave and interact to make an excitedly fast image on a literal flat non-moving painting. I can't help but think that these images are influenced by computer art. I have seen some slick images made with the computer, but they often feel dead and contrived, Chalmers work feels alive and powerful. Linda Chalmers is on my artist to watch list.

Mary Johnson

2010-06-16T01:00:00.000-07:00

Mary Johnson has posted her work on Facebook, so you will have to log in or have an account to see the work, but I have post an example here. With less than a year making new paintings, Johnson has 60 examples of her work online. This amount of production is extremely important to an early career as an artist. It is hard to talk about work created for such a short career, because nearly any artist's early work is the weakest. An artist has to have time to create a voice that is unique of their time.
I think Johnson's work would be served better if it was organized on the pages. Much of the first page work is extremely too busy. The colors and shapes create a series of work, but the work feels too quickly thought up and executed. The colors feel to close to being right out of the tube with little mixing. I see a lot of experimentation and testing, but not a lot of mastering of the materials. Mary Johnson has a long way to go, but as long as she is making the work, some sort of break through is very possible. One thing is key and that is building a visual language. I have seen this type of work before by many different image makers. Mary can separate herself from the crowd through viewing a mass amount of Modern, Contemporary art, and other visual information relating to her interest. Finally, Johnson should feel free to work in those emotional outbursts, but also she needs to slow down and think about careful craftsmanship as well.

Anna Elizabeth Timmerman

2010-06-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

If your looking for a new form of German Expressionism mixed with dream like imagery and a splash of abstract then head over to Anna Elizabeth Timmerman art website. Personally most of the work relies to heavy on the primitive/naive style. The works that have more detail hold my attention better than the work that uses mainly quick strokes. The painting illustrated here is using fast and slow, detail and generalized strokes. The strokes on later work seem to have a feeling of sameness that flattens the images out. I also respond the of minimal palate paintings like 'Empty Kayak' series. These images cut through the weakness of the similar stroke by parring down the image. This turns a weakness into a strength.

Lauren Henkin

2010-06-13T01:00:00.000-07:00

I hate Lauren Henkin's website loading time, I didn't think I would ever see the work (although I understand it was for the higher quality images). Henkin is pretty accomplished as a photographer, with a book coming out; it is likely irrelevant what I think about the work but here are my thoughts. 'Still Standing, Still Standing,' series first struck me as just a familiar meditation on a tree in the field. But as I continued to view these works I quickly understood the insistent title of the works reiterates the idea of standing despite a past trauma. Each 15 images drives this point home at 15 different angles. By only changing the angle of the subject of the tree, the photos not only show a mediation, but also project a engaging narrative. I think this series must be seen together in order to get the full impact of metaphoric transfer. 'Remnants' is like stumbling on a picnic 30 years later. I feel a sense of lost and sadness in this series and much like the 'Still Standing, Still Standing' series, each image takes an angle for the scene like a crime being solved. I was a little worried when I first looked at Lauren's page that the work would be just straight photography, but the work goes way beyond the old trope of what is pretty. Hernkin's work peels back the surface and gets the viewer to look closer for meaning and narrative. Image for the "Remnants' series.

Mollie Delaria

2010-06-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

Mollie Delaria's 'content fear' series is nicely disturbing and very hard to look at long, but nice staging. The 'ghast' is trying to be disturbing, but I think the camera tricks act as more of a distraction rather than something that adds to the image. I still have a feeling of stressful energy in most of the rest of Delaria's series. The urban landscapes have some what of a mix between danger and beauty. I think the only odd grouping that doesn't match the themes is the 'you kippur' series. These biker gang kids make the viewer feel free with no sense of anxiousness or fear. Over all, Delaria's work is better when the images are unstaged, but well planned captured images. I found myself returning to those images in the park, city, empty spaces, and the kids. They attracted me because the work did not feel contrived or over acted.

Ella Morton

2010-06-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

Ella Morton has a nice collection of natural pictures above and bellow the water. I like the 'lighting painting' series, I know all my photography friends will say, over done and over rated technique, but like a moth to the flame I kept look at them. I am sure the nature works took a long time and a lot of effort to make. Technically they are good work. I am not sure what the work says and that might be my failing because I am looking for something more than what is captured right there in front of me, but non the less, I am a little boarding. The exposure of moving lights impress me because of the stage element with the mysterious narrative. However, the underwater images have a much better composition than any of the moving light images. Mostly because there is a more off centering taking place that cuts down on the implied symmetry. Although the lights caught my attention, I started to slowly dislike the symmetrical nature of some of the images. Slowly I became more attracted to the sea pictures, because the images are more abstract in composition. I'm waffling, but first impressions often times don't truly get to the root of the art image. One has to think them over while relooking.

David Lundbye

2010-06-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Often times I find myself more attracted to the human subject in photography and David Lundbye really captures ambivalence in the human condition. The 'Little adult' series captures children in serious acts of play. These children are not sentimental subject matter, but actual humans with human concerns. These images get into the psychology of the subjects and you can feel how serious these children are taking their play. 'The Austins' series takes a look at a family in a documentational way without the feeling that the viewer is exploiting the subjects. 'Nowhere-land' seems to have a constant time of day that makes the building foreboding. Lundbye don't just take weighty subject matter and present the image, but he makes the subjects weighty by good choices of images and he controls the perfect timing of those images.

Wayne Liu

2010-06-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

Wayne Liu calls the viewer back to the narrative through layered double exposure, sequential images, and strong portrait related photography. The photographs have a rich scratchy, blurred look that conceals and reveals the image. The Trace series has a feeling of decay and loss. I was engrossed in these strange almost abstract images. OK China series gives a feel of loss, but that feeling is caused through the scale and apparent reality of rapid growth. There is an alienation that seems to be occurring during this rapid growth period of China that Liu has skillfully captures. All the series are well though out and masterfully executed.

Stacey Marie Garcia

2010-06-08T01:00:00.000-07:00

Exhibition photo

Stacey Marie Garcia gave me the rare privilege to talk about exhibition design. Marie Grace design for the Morikami Museum exhibitions space in 2007 to 2008. The exhibition space bring light tones of illumination on the objects and enlighten knowledge through informational text to the viewer. From the documentation photos, the design was clean and the objects seemed to have a stream line logical organization. The ceiling installation looks beautiful and the curator's choice of contemporary toyish objects is a nice touch. The exhibitions have a great use of walk around space. I think an exhibition designer can make or break the display of interesting and important objects. Marie Garcia seems to be good at this and I hope this is not just a one time opportunity, but a budding of a possible career. Marie Garcia's website also features photography and paintings that illustrate.

Nicholas Cueva

2010-06-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Cueva is an artist that plays in the realm of Dada experimentation in sculpture and micro-apocalyptic themes in impasto style paintings. Cueva recent 3D objects attempt to desculpture the objects through the adding of paint on the found and manipulated structures. I see a lot of Rauschenberg influence in the 3D objects because of the use of the ready-made that has been manipulated, John Baldessari in some of the figure painting because of the figures that have been blocked out into silhouette shapes, and Cindy Sherman in the photography especially in the 'Model' series in which Cueva's images feel a little like stills from a movie. I also observed a Anthony Goicolea like photography titled 'Catch.' Now one might say that because I see all these artists in the work that work is derivative, but I think Cueva has been very wise to know contemporary artists and try out some of the forms. These influences all feel like they are on the cusp of taking off into interesting directions. The paintings of landscapes, the 'Rite' paintings, and the 'Model' series are the strongest work. The informal style of painting my be a little messy, but I am attracted to the work. I think the sculptures are to quickly though-up and executed. Cueva's sculptures lack the time and elaborateness of craft that the Neo-Dadaist used. The paintings and photos seem to have more craft, thought, and time behind them.

Magnus Cederlund

2010-06-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

Magnus Cederlund photographs encapsulate a story to be considered and sometime confronted. The whole grouping of Cedaerlund's work on the website sent me on a roller coaster of emotions. Although, some individual photographs were graphic and raw in there nature, I still felt that these individual portraits were worth considering. After all, the worst thing one can do is ignore or dismiss those that have illness and live on the fringes of society. Cedaerlund's work helps the view approach these individuals and possibly allow the view a little insight to the subject's plight. One grouping I thought was very endearing and thankfully not sentimental was the photographs of the people with down syndrome. Cederlund treats his subjects with respectful consideration. Although sometimes surreal, there is nothing voyeuristicly vulgar about the handling of these images. Out of these images in all that is dark, I still see the rising up of the human emotion of happiness and the possibility of hope.

Loralee Grace

2010-06-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

Loralee Grace is a recent BFA painting student of Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, MI. Grace is focusing her work on speculative fiction/dystopian future and the work reflects this vision in a slightly humours/tragic depictions of these figures in space/containment suits. I don't find the planet paintings that interesting in and of themselves, but in a context of the thesis show, the paintings might make more sense. But I don't think the planet painting can stand alone like the figure paintings. Over all, I respond positive to the figures and their environment, however, I think the figures are a little to cartoony for the seriousness of the issues being present to the viewer. I think the figures could be more realistic rather than eluding the a totally science fiction world. Not realistic in the sense of matching a photo, but more realistic in the way Grace could be referencing to current containment suits with a little of her inventive sci-fi technology. By referencing the sci-fi world only in the figures, Grace distances the viewer for the real tragedy and message in the painting, but if somethings real and familiar is introduced, then the work begins to draw a line of possible futures for the viewer.

The image above Earth: 2313 Subway has a very richly painted background that shines off the canvas. Like Kurt Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron' story; both depict a future in technological stagnation, but in Grace's world, it is pollution that has stunted our advancements. Notice the bottle water and plastic bag, these objects are drawing the lines to the past and showing a stunted future. This is the strongest image of the thesis show, because the painting makes connects to our current issues while giving a sense of a dreadful future.

Amy Bouse

2010-06-04T01:57:00.000-07:00

quail lake road 2009 acrylic and pastel on paper

Amy Bouse works in a consistent style and temperament through paintings, drawings, and fibers. The paintings and drawings have a watercolor wash feeling. Bouse is in clear command of the composition, because the images generally allows the eye to move around and inside the work without feeling the need to leave the image. Bouse uses pleasant color combinations and much of the work resembles the explosion of growth. Color represented in abstraction tends to represent moods, Bouse work seems to follow this tradition. With the pastel drawing on the abstract paintings, the work reminds me a little of artist Cy Twombly. Both artists allow drawing and painting flow into the same image.

In Kentucky, I visited an exhibition of quilts and I was attracted by the 'crazy quilts' (these quilts predated Cubism). Bouse work is in line with this tradition of quilt making, but I can also draw a consistent line to her paintings and drawings. I think the website is organized well, because it shows Bouse growth as an artist over the years.

Japanda

2010-06-03T01:33:00.000-07:00

Janda 'Japanda' Farley is working in the very popular punk-goth-anime-comic book romantic style that I have seen countless students make in their first years of college. You can also find this style on deviantART web page and countless other concept art pages on the Internet. I don't see a consistent voice/style of Japanda's paintings and drawings emerging for this body of work. There are an over abundance of young artists working in this style and genre. It is important to distinguish oneself from the crowd of wannabees. There are a few galleries in my area that specialize in this work and I like some of the artists working in this style, but what sticks out for me is how incredible different their voices are to most any other artists. I think Japanda is finding a more consistent voice through photography. The staged photographs seems to be tackling issues and ideas that keep all the punk attitude without the style drowning the content. If Japanda could merge the sensibility of the photography into the paintings and drawings, I think a consistent voice could emerge.

Zack Korb

2010-06-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

Floral Candleholder 2010 Steel, Plastic, Linseed Oil Finish

Zack Korb is an artist/craftsman out of Portland, Maine that works in metals. Korb has a strong sense of craftsmanship. I can tell the work exhibited on the website comes from a labor intensive processes with and experienced hand. The work hearkens back to the Arts and Craft Movement with references to organic representational illusions. Natural growing object invade the living space through metal. Generally the works are functional, but some works move into the realm of just being art objects. I don't think the work is breaking any ground in new forms, but this metal working art form does lend itself to hold fast to the past with slight modern variations. I think this is a valid direction because it will likely yield Korb consistent works. However, I do see some experimentation in the jewelry pieces and I wonder if that sense of freedom in the small pieces could be risked in the larger works as well. A little of the 2009 Ceramic Brooch, which plays in the realm of crudeness and less crafted, mixed in Floral Candleholder, which is more about beauty and fluid motion. This is only a suggestion and I am sure there are many ways for Korb to push the limits of the work. Korb would make a great candidate for an MFA somewhere, if so desired.

Taking Submissions

2010-06-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

Send me images of your art or your website, your name, permission to use your images to post to the blog and I will review your work with an eye on historic and current trends. Once the review is made, the artist has to accept my review as it stands. I have a MA in aesthetics and an MFA in drawing and painting. I have been reviewing work for seven years now, I have worked for several art galleries and curated one non-profit gallery. I constantly visit museums and galleries, so if no one summits, I will give a review of some of the work I visited that month.

Email me at artists.reviewer@gmail.com