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 Just Between Us is a solo exhibit of drawings by local artist and curator Jackie Milad. Exhibition: May 15 - June 21, 2008 Opening Reception: Thursday, May 15 from 7-9 p.m. The exhibit will include catalogues for sale and a catalogue essay by Jack Livingston. “Ms. Milad's exuberant andro-fem figures mix archetypes, channeling the likes of Nefertiti, Carolee Schneemann and Courtney Love into one timeless sweetly odd and transgressive "her". They possess a fairy-tale power similar to the late works of the poet Ann Sexton.”-Excerpt from review in Peek Review, by Jack Livingston. Paperwork Gallery is located at 107 E. Preston Street in the Midtown Yoga Building. |
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.jpg) Soledad Salamé, international artist and Baltimore resident, offers an exhilarating workshop in her printmaking studio to a selected range of artists who cherish the opportunity to experiment and create a body of work. Several artists who just completed her workshop had this to say about the master printmaker….  “Soledad is an inspiration as well as teacher. She nourishes you and encourages you to fly. This was my second workshop and my second experience with printmaking. I feel that I have walked through an open door…. Truly it was a life changing experience. Having Sole teach and encourage my work and being with other artists who are working at many different levels was exhilarating.”  “ I had never before done printmaking and this workshop with Soledad guided me through the complete process in a very efficient way. I finally got to see some of the techniques she uses to create her fabulous work. With her guidance and experience, she pointed out the best techniques that have given her good print results. She encourages individual expression and allowed us to experiment. The studio is well organized and her assistants, Em Meine and Rebecca Keaton, eager to help. Her husband, Michael Koryta, a photographer, provided technical guidance from his photographic background. Although this three day workshop is intense, Soledad and Michael create an atmosphere of humor, music and warmth.” .jpg) Soledad received her M. degree in printmaking in 1979. She was first introduced to solar etching in 1996 when she participated in a workshop offered by Goya Girl Press. The program was taught by master printer, Dan Welden. Learning these non-toxic processes had a great impact on Salamé and gave her an opportunity to develop her body of work in an entirely new direction. It allowed her to work without the use of acids or chemicals in her own studio where she was able to continue developing her own experimental techniques. Now, after over 10 years of working with these processes, Soledad shares her experience and expertise with others.  Soledad is a tireless teacher and her goal is to assure that every one in her workshop leaves with a renewed sense of commitment to printmaking and a frame of reference for excellent work. For further information, contact Soledad directly at (410) 462-5365 or by email at solsa1@verizon.net New workshops take place the last weekend of each month. |
 Of the nine 2008 finalists, four are from Baltimore. Last year's first and second place picks went to Baltimore artists. We'll see how we do this year. Finalists: Amy Chan, Richmond, VA Suzanna Fields, Richmond, VA Janis Goodman, Washington, D.C. Tom Green, Cabin John, MD Lillian Bayley Hoover, Baltimore, MD Sangram Majumdar, Baltimore, MD Katherine Mann, Baltimore, MD B.G. Muhn, North Potomac, MD Bill Schmidt, Baltimore, MD $10,000 Best in Show $2,000 Second Prize $1,000 Third Prize The Bethesda Painting Awards is downtown Bethesda's annual juried art competition that exclusively honors painters from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The finalist's work will be on exhibit at The Fraser Gallery in downtown Bethesda from June 4 - July 5, 2008. |
 Check it out for yourself. Baltimore is almost on the artistic radar, once again missing the action by thirty miles of choked commuter traffic. What do we have to do to get noticed around here? Give away twenty-five thousand dollars to an artist? Oh well. Maybe next time. At least a couple of prominent Baltimore artists were mentioned.  Jason Hughes: Fortress, 2006. Gouache on Paper. Courtesy Curator's Office. One line that I did love was "Michael O'Sullivan, the only D.C.-area art critic to be taken seriously by local artists..." They got something right. At worst, this article is a sort of sadly inaccurate 'i heard that ferris- bueller's- sister's- boyfriend's- cousin- said...' kind of a synopsis, and at best, the writer was working against the clock and only had time to interview about three people for an article about something too huge to fit into three pages. I think the writer, J.W. Mahoney, felt a little bit bad about this, so, in the end, listed about thirty names of "other artists who might just as easily have been included in this article." Oh well. We arts writers do the best we can. |
 Sticky sweet, gooey, delicious, and, even, pretty, this year's Critics Picks at Maryland Art Place is difficult not to like. A harmonious color palette and a decadent approach to surface have combined here into an oddly pleasing and oddly comfortable slice of Baltimore and Washington's top artistic offerings. This year's critic, Robert Berlind, is a painter first, writer second, and this makes the whole exhibit make a lot of sense. There is a subtle emphasis on the visual rather than the conceptual, of more, rather than less. This year we have an even sampling of media and materials, but a return to the simpler things in a big way: all the works draw strength from the formal concerns of line, color, contrast, and texture.  Color Photos by Jaqueline Schlossman Even the photography in the exhibit deals with issues of color, surface, and also the artifice in such concerns. Jaqueline Schlossman's color photos, mounted onto aluminum, offer insight into the artifice of the modern landscape, as well as photography itself. The photographer shoots golf courses, an ironic and timely symbol of success in American culture. These quasi-artificial landscapes are shot across the country, through a lens that is neither romantic or judgmental. Rather, they note odd contrasts between seemingly idyllic, natural landscapes with man-made modifications, and form a seamless entry into an exhibit where surface is everything.  Vincent Carney's "Movie Theatre." Additional photography by Vincent Carney has a painterly, color-filled palette. We've all seen romantic photos of decay/peeling paint ennui, but this series of photos of defunct mental hospitals and other public spaces, with an ubiquitous aqua blue that is shockingly tropical, is so luscious that you want to take a second look. These photos are not attempting to be original or clever - they are about capturing found 'paintings' on film - color and light, surface and texture make for ample content. .JPG) Paintings by Jaquelyn Singer Whether two or three dimensional, this decadent, yet simple, vision prevails, most notably in the other works in the front room. Jacquelyn Singer's paintings and Timmerman Daugherty's assembled sculptures offer an intense, jewel-like aesthetic, competing for our attention in a way that is unselfconscious, loud, and joyful. The basic themes of 'red vs. green' and 'how much is too much?' and 'smooth vs. rough' are at first simply nice, but then build towards a deeper, more gratifying place. Dougherty's work is considered 'outsider art' and has been exhibited at AVAM and it is exciting to see it in a contemporary art context.  Sculptures by Timmerman Dougherty.  Fiber Art, also known as quilts, by Catherine Kleeman. Catherine Kleeman, like Dougherty, is another non-traditional choice in this exhibit. Her work consists of dyed fabric, embroidered stitching, with batting in the middle, otherwise known as quilts. What's wrong with calling them quilts? Like the Gees Bend exhibit, and other popular movements to include 'craft' in the fine art family, Kleeman's works seems at home here. Rich, layered color emanates from these irregularly shaped surfaces, as if the process of dyeing, as opposed to painting, embeds the color and surface. Awkwardly functional and not, these works assert themselves as virtual places, and offer a cushy space to think non-thoughts.  Paintings by Diane Szczepaniak. The theme of color and light continues in the work of painters Isabel Manalo and Diane Szczepaniak, who both, quite differently, deal with the transformative powers of color. In the L-shaped compositions of Szczepaniak, weepy, liquid color vibrates the eyes in a way that would make Albers proud. These paintings, painted simply on paper with drizzley edges showing, acknowledge their strength through their limitations. The color-within-color compositions of Rothko are acknowledged, but have more emphasis on optical, rather than emotional, weight. Paired with the Wallace Stevens poem "Sunday Morning," which lovingly contrasts the eternal with the fleeting and momentary, I am not sure if I find the language 'handle' distracting or enriching. These paintings stand on their own without any sort of language, successfully transforming a flat surface into a hazy window, and edges into gradation.  Manalo, in front of 'Friendly Fire.' DC painter Isabel Manalo uses high key colors to transform scenes of violence and tragedy into pleasant gooey sensation. I am less interested in the content of these paintings than I am in their formal aspects. Manalo has the ability to create marks on a surface which seem to be generated by a natural, rather than human, hand. She also has the good sense to pair her high key colors with their absolute opposite - a raw canvas, or white, unprimed clayboard surface, creating the breathing room these marks need to be believable. At once flat and artificial, and at the same time, living, breathing entities, these paintings manage to charm, with their appealing candy-coated color and also repel, once you realize the secondary subject matter in each piece.  Photographs by Denny Farber. I'm not exactly sure how Dennis Farber's photographs, all seemingly taken on the same afternoon on a New Jersey pier or at an outdoor weight lifting competition, relate to this exhibit. Each photo is ambiguous and slightly creepy. Bodies are cropped in impersonal ways and a chain link fence, and other metallic surfaces, seem to obscure our view, or push us back. The issue of surface and texture is present here, but there seems to be a conflict in vision - are these documentary shots which capture an event or personality or is the emphasis on formal visual issues? I do like that these digital photos were printed LARGE, at 39x49 inches, and pinned simply to the walls without a frame. Their size lends them an authority and a presence, but I haven't decided it if the subject matter is a personal quirk or a formal experiment.  My favorite detail from the Farbers.  Symmes Gardner  Denny Farber offered the droll metaphor that: "Titles are like Xanax - they exist to decrease anxiety." He continued, by explaining that,"They exist for those who need a handle to approach the work, but you, the viewer, have everything you need already." Catherine Keeman suggested that her titles were often lines of poetry, and functioned as "companions" for the work. Jaqueline Schlossman countered that, "If the work doesn't speak for itself, the artist isn't doing their job."  Artist Panel at MAP. The issue of the necessity of words, of their weight and importance in the realm of visual arts, was mentioned by moderator Durant, who noted that the whole point of the panel, as well as the art criticism, is to do just that. Despite this, Durant criticized viewers who are unwilling to let go of verbal security."We mistrust our experience," Durant said. "We are trained to need categories and captions. Art is the one place where experience is uncategorized, and this creates anxiety for some. Especially in museums, I see people paying more attention to the captions or listening to the audio tour, than really seeing the work. Having a confrontation with a piece of art is a challenge because you are without language. We use language to negotiate the difference -- between experience and knowledge." Eventually, the panel concluded that language is a double-edged sword, a necessary stumbling block, and a tool for clarity as well as misinformation. As Berlind noted in the catalogue, "the insights of a perceptive and articulate critic may well serve to open a viewer's eyes and mind...," while at worst a language handle can create a barrier to real engagement and looking. Berlind's statement is paradoxical, in view of the user-friendly, process-based vibe of this show, but offers hope for a slow and visceral read. On multiple writers writing and multiple artists arting: "My hope is that having more voices addressing the art seen here will embolden viewers to form their own opinions, dispelling the notion of a single, authoratative interpretation." The exhibit is up from April twenty-second until May thirty-first. I suggest that you take Berlind's invitation and come and see for yourself. - Cara Ober  Reception after: Board Members Suzi Cordish and Barbie Hart with artist Laura Amussen.  Jacqueline Schlossman, Isabel Manalo, and an art fan.  Hadiah Shafie and Denny Farber.  Jack Livingston - Have a cupcake! Emily Hunter has got the goods.
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The Elusive Surrounding at C. Grimaldis Gallery Wednesday April 30 "The Elusive Surrounding" opens at Grimaldis Wednesday, April 30, from 6 - 8 April 30 - May 31 Artists: Lorna Bieber / Karl Connolly / Don Cook / Richard Edson / Dennis Farber / Hidenori Ishii / Christopher Saah / Krista Steinke / Mary Temple W/an essay by Al Miner, a curator at the Hirshhorn.  Opening Reception at Thomas Segal Weds. April 30You’re invited! Thesis Three is UP! at MICA
Blanket Statements at Load of Fun
First Friday at Shine with local designer Audrey Lea Collins Petrich
Critics Picks at MAP, 2008
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 The MENZ show at Flux had a humorous flier and an interesting premise: MALE expressions in paint. After all of the 'MENSES' art exhibits and vagina art that male viewers are forced to endure, I thought that this exhibit might be an interesting response and a fresh take on gender related issues in art.I attempted to interview the four artists involved in the exhibit - Seth Goodman, Greg McLemore, Ryan Jedlicka, and Rob Sparrow Jones, as well as the curator, about the exhibit, but the only one who responded was Greg. I can only speculate that the rest of the non-answers are an answer in themselves. In the tradition of remote-clickin', beer guzzling guys all around, these men continue the non-verbal, grunt once for yes and two for no, trend. Oh well, who needs words when you have paint?  After viewing the show, my theory is that this just happens to be an exhibit by painters who happen to be male, rather than an exploration of an issue or theme. The works are all interesting enough, separately, but don't seem to add anything to each other, the way a thematic show should. McLemore and Goodman have an obvious relationship and common language and have exhibited together before. While Jedlicka provides some much needed pep and color and Rob Jones some pervy male gaze-cum-delight in all things pretty, the four painters don't come together to teach me anything I didn't already know about dudes. I think the contemporary 'male gaze' is worth exploring and, of the four, Jones' paintings of barbies in the rough, as well as a young boy playing with rockets, seemed to be most 'on topic' for this show. I would like to see more of this type of subject matter from Jones in the future and also, more careful curating when it comes to a thematic show.
Seth Adelsberger with three of Seth Goodman's paintings. The interview with Greg McLemore is as follows:  Painting by Ryan Jedlicka.
 Robert Sparrow Jones
 Large Painting by Greg McLemore at Flux.
 Ryan Jedlicka wins for best haircut. |
 Opening April 26, 6-8pm Slide-Lecture April 25th Nancy Selvin 7:00pm, David Furman 8:00pm Please RSVP to reserve a space Evocative works by Californians, David Furman and Nancy Selvin seem very dissimilar at first glance, but both artists provide insight into the human condition. Intimate insights are provided by Furman through his figurative explorations of symbolic interpersonal poses and Selvin with her domestic collections and poetic labeling of these compositions for more information visit www.baltimoreclayworks.org |
Cara Ober is a celebrated local artist and professor who offers her readers an insider's glimpse of the Baltimore arts scene, as well as a guide to what's ahead.
- Jackie Milad: Just Between Us opens at Paperwork Gallery Thursday, May 15
- Playthings at Metro Gallery
- Printmaking Workshops with Baltimore Artist Soledad Salame
- Bethesda Painting Awards - Finalists 2008
- DC's Art Scene featured in this month's Art in America
- I Dare You Not to Like It: Critics Picks at MD Art Place, Saturday May 5
- Guillermo Vargas & the Starving Dog. True or False?
- Art Events, Receptions, and Happenings You Want to Attend!
- Men or Mice? The MENZ show at Flux by Cara Ober
- California Clay at Clayworks
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