Amy Crehore sent me this link today; somehow this Botero’s show escaped me (I was attending the EMetrics Summit in DC when the show opened on October 17th) and I did not know about it - so, decided to go right over to the Marlborough Gallery as I was only 6 blocks away finishing up at the Hilton Hotel with the Ad-Tech Conference.  It was also raining cats and dogs today and the somber, overcast mood seemed fit in with the dark nature of this series of Botero’s art on the atrocity at Abu Ghraib. 

 

The gallery was mostly empty so I had the paintings largely to myself and spent about 20 minutes here.  Here’s my thoughts.  There’s a theme here – Botero is detesting and protesting George Bush’s disastrous foreign policy that led to this…. to Abu Ghraib, and a show nearby, at MOMA, on Manet and the Execution of Maximilian which I will cover in another post.  Social protest is in the air…people are angry, artists are angry ….we’re all angry and blame it …..well, blame it on Bush, because he did this ….. he, George W. Bush, personally stuck his hand up the camel’s nose – as so wonderfully shown in Peter Saul’s portrait of George Bush at Abu Ghraib .

Getting back to Botero, none of the paintings in this show are for sale (the artist is showing the paintings from his private collection).

In this collection of paintings there are common elements – the prison guard rails

appears in most paintings in the gallery show  – as does two naked men – occasionally someone is urinated on and humiliated by a dog or wearing women’s clothes.

What you don’t see is that the oppressors (prison guards) are American Soldiers – it’s not clear who the oppressors are.

The other thing that struck me was how much Botero paints like an old master. His drawings, like the one below, illustrate Botero’s approach to drawing and painting.

 

This prisoner looks like Christ except it’s not.  I liked the paintings, all the paintings – though I got the feeling that there’s not that much difference between one work and the next – it’s all variations of the same painting -done over and over and over again.

I liked the Botero show but I’m not sure I’d go back – yet every painting in the show is a masterpiece.

Amy Talluto commented on ArtNewYorkCity.com, inviting me to come down to the gallery @ PS122 on Saturday (yesterday) but I did not see the comment till Saturday afternoon – so I could not go.  I went today, instead though I missed Amy – who was not at the gallery today.

I did make a YouTube movie of Out of This World @ PS 122 -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48p-sQh4Za0 for anyone interested.  I would have embedded the video but this version of WordPress seems to have problems with putting videos in blog posts – I don’t have the same problem on www.WebMetricsGuru.com or www.SmartMobs.com.

Here’s the thing – Amy Talluto’s paintings were really good – and I got a surprise – they were much looser close up than I thought, based on the picture (see below).

I think this painting is of a pond – it was the largest in the show and was being sold for 5,000 – which is really worth it ….. I was surprised at Amy’s brushwork – it’s so loose!   The blue touches in the middle of the painting really make the painting “sing”.   There were a couple of other paintings (you can see the whole thing in the online video on YouTube).

I’m glad I made it to Out of This World @ PS122 on the last day of the show.  

BTW, I also looked at Diane Carr’s work but I’m more into painting than sculpture – but her work was good – I just am more biased to painting – what can I say?

You know, I went by Brooklyn Artists Gym this afternoon, but before I went up to my studio space, I looked at several other studios in the building and area.  Among those artists I spoke to, Regina Perlin of www.newyourkartworld.com and Ella Yang, both share a studio in the same building BAG is in.  Both artists were kinda similar, mostly landscapes, some figure paintings and one or two still lifes.

Ella Yang also got to be chosen for “100 New York Painters” by Cynthia Maris Dantzic  that will be published in November – so we talked about that a little.
Yesterday, I also spoke with Chris Weller who does detailed drawings and prints of local New York Scenes; she’s also teaching a figure drawing class in January at BAG, she’s very nice and people who looked at her work like it; she also has shared studio space, as I do, at the BAG.

Also spoke with Martha Walker who does really nice welded steel sculpture – I could feel good vibes as I entered her space – we talked for a couple of mintures.

It’s my way to connect – I’m an empath, as much as an artist and a web analyst – art is hard work.  I side with the artist, I always do.  It’s hard being an artist – no one really wants your work, no one really needs it – and almost no one can make a living on art – it’s painful to remember that I had ideas like that when I was younger.  If making a living on your art happens, it happens when you no longer seek it – that’s my belief.

There’s also something going on next month called Habitats at the Brooklyn Lyceum between November 9th – 12th (it opens on my birthday!).  I may go to it …I’m just not sure what it is exactly …..here’s the notes from the site.

“Habitats

“Habitats” is the latest effort by Eidolon Culture to strengthen the contributions that communities and neighborhoods make toward sustainable and environmental living.

To honor and celebrate the interactions among the local communities of the Gowanus Canal Cleanup, we are calling and counting on the willingness of both art and science to come visit at the Brooklyn Lyceum, on November 9th through 12th.  Despite unconfirmed differences for some time between the two disciplines of human endeavor, the fact is that art and science have much more in common with each other than we normally would think. For example, both can be opportunities for profound pleasure, a live and personal discovery, or perhaps, on a really good day, a catalyst for the experience that awakens inner resources. Both disciplines share an attitude of openness to the world that makes us think they belong together at a Habitats event. They are not closed systems.  They are open circles. Both their processes thrive on flows of energy and inspiration. Information goes in and out. And open channels create the flow of information that is essential to understanding the system, or for creating alternatives. So, all things considered, we thought it would be interesting to see these two sometimes distanced and distinct disciplines of human endeavor show themselves united to celebrate the resurgence of another living habitat: the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, N.Y., now making an amazing recovery from polluted and industrial backwater to source of significant enjoyment for all its area residents.

Of course, “Habitats” is not just about clean water. We are validating the fundamental conviction that local people anywhere in the world are capable of creating their own future if they have adequate methods, skills and self-confidence.  In the late 70’s residents living to the east and the west of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, N.Y., began to build the partnerships among themselves to deal with the industrial pollution in the canal that was a main feature of their everyday life. Out of that experience has grown an adventure in habitat restoration and community action that is not unlike many other stories happening in other parts of the world. By refocusing instances in our communities where the local ecology has been restored to its natural cycle through the efforts of its residents, “Habitats” wants to accompany the shift of thought around the world from human identity, separate from our natural environment, to more conscious and aware participant of its natural cycles.

Suddenly, we are more aware. The earth’s seasons, the literal seasons, winds, tides, currents, their come and go and the flux of the whole system; more and more we notice how these factors have an effect on us. Sometimes, being more aware simply means another opportunity for surprise and wonder, experiencing the power of nature’s beauty, for example. Much more noticeable are the many challenges ahead. If August was Katrina month, surely this September belongs to E.coli or industrial agriculture. Almost certainly, the interaction of two pairs of hands at the farmer’s market, the hands that planted and grew the spinach leafs with care interacting with the hands that in all probability would cook them, may have helped save lives during the outbreak. Care:affectionate or concerned interestseems to be the synthesis of living in a balanced relationship with anything or anyone. First, one has to care. Consensus building meetings, the flow of collaboration inside a group action, revived cultural customs; all that comes after the initial heart tug. Relate human potential to the city’s gardens and urban corridors of flora and fauna; after. Be part of the process that empowers water and earth to interact naturally around one; not before a transformation of thought and spirit has taken place.

As cultural instigators and artists for sustainable development, we are focused on understanding the general process and values of how this shift in behavior and beliefs toward our ecology can occur. Concerned citizens are partnering with public officials, the private sector, and non-profits, to find and implement together long term solutions to human development. There are new technologies and revolutionary alternatives for living well that don’t compromise the opportunities of future generations. Thanks to the latest developments in communications, actions happening in delimited geographic locations, where residents can experience directly the benefits of their collective efforts, are relevant everywhere in the world where people are learning to see themselves as connected to each other and inseparable from the universe.

At Habitats we are exploring these models of collaborative and interdisciplinary actions by encouraging artists from different backgrounds and cultures to follow their inner vision while working together under a common framework of understanding. This framework materializes when the artists build together and become the dwellers of a unique and integrated environment. In this context of collaboration, the individual art pieces are not so much designed for contemplative viewing inside a neutral setting, but become elements that in the sum of its parts create a whole world, a kind of miniature cosmos where the public is invited to participate in the ongoing celebration of co- existence.

After all, sustainable communities are the creations and embodiments of a collective consciousness. Artists that build together and instigate the public to join in as fellow co-creators, can help us recognize ourselves in these initiatives and explore the questions that lead us to find a sense of integration with self, belonging with others, and harmony with the habitat and the entire planet.”

It’s a lot of information – I still don’t know what it is exactly…but it sounds like something that ArtNewYorkCity.com should cover – whatever it is.

And then, there’s a flyer I found for erotic porno photography at BAG….I’m not really sure about this but it seems some people have kinky ideas about nude couple photography – but no website.

Finally, I spoke with Amy, a new studio mate at BAG – she works for Evergreen Studios in Manhattan painting parts of building designs that get purchased for large structures – they also do Murals.  Amy just got back from Vermont Studio School (or whatever it’s called now) in Johnston, VT – where I spent a summer nearly 20 years ago.   I wonder if it’s time to go back.

I am honored to have an interview to share with Midwestern Artist Fred Stonehouse.  If I execute a search on Brainboost.com with the query “who is Fred Stonehouse“? this is what the search engine kicks out.

“Fred Stonehouse is a Midwest regional artist who resides in Wisconsin. He received his BFA from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in 1982. Although his art is representational, Stonehouses illogical settings and actions are reminiscent of Magic Realism , whose fantastical realities are associated with Latin American art and literature. In this regard, the indigenous art of pre – modern Mexico, Frida Kahlos Surrealist paintings , and the writings of the Columbian author Gabriel Garca Marquez were influential in Stonehouses formulation of his art.

Here’s a recent photo from 2006 and another from 2000 showing Fred Stonehouse with his paintings (you can click on both photos to get more detail).

    

But there’s a lot more to Fred Stonehouse and I crafted some questions that are hopefully different and bring out new information.

Me: How did you become interested in painting the “Spirit World“?

Fred: I grew up in a family that loved to tell ghost stories.  My mother is Sicilian, and her side of the family was very superstitious.  My Grandmother would talk about the “Evil Eye” and my great Aunt Rosalie was known for her psychic visions foretelling deaths including her own.  Between my family and the Catholic Church, I was convinced that we were surrounded by spirits; they were very real to me.

Me: Is there any tie in between common symbols in your paintings (ie: skulls, bees, birds) and events in your life?   Can you elaborate on the “Americana” symbolism in your work, (ie:what does the black devil with blue eyes mean)?

 Title: Dream of Babylon by Fred Stonehouse Size: 48 “w x 24″h Medium: Acrylic on Wood – Care of http://www.blabshow.com.

Fred: The symbols in my work are drawn from a multiplicity of sources, but they can be summed up as coming from the alchemical categories of: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. 

I was always interested in the hagiography that accompanied images of saints.  I was never quite sure what the symbols represented, but I knew they were there for a reason. For me, they suggested secret and mysterious powers and were akin to magic and voodoo.  It wasn’t important that I understood the specific meaning but that they represented an unknown mystery.  The black devil was done as a way to add something new to the traditional representation of the fiery red character.   I imagine that character as “burnt to a crisp” or perhaps as blackened, Cajun style.  Besides, black is so graphic and makes for a powerful and haunting image.

Me: Can you talk a little bit about your connection to Solid State Tattoo and do you create Tattoo art?   Noticed the logo of Solid State Tattoos looks like one of your paintings …was it?   Do you contribute to the online art of this site?

Fred: If this is the Solid State Tattoo of Milwaukee, the owner is a friend of mine and one of my paintings does hang in the shop.  I have designed and drawn all of my tattoos so far, but I do not tattoo.  John Reiter (the owner) tattooed both of my arms and I stop in there quite often as it is near my studio and just down the block from the Hi-Fi Café which is my favorite coffee shop. I haven’t seen the art on his website, but my work is very visible in Milwaukee and has influenced any number of younger artists.

Me:  How did you come to show your work in TheBlabShow?

Fred: Monte Beauchamp, the creative mind behind Blab, invited me to be included in his annual publication six or so years back and I have been in it every year since.  When Monte decided to start curating shows of Blab artists last year, he asked if I would be interested, and I thought it would be great to have my painting seen in that context in a gallery as well as in print.

Me: Of the 9 paintings of your work in BlabShow, 4 have Skulls as part of imagery – Does the Skull stand for something besides the obvious (Death)?    Two of the paintings have Skulls with Crowns while the other two don’t – is the crown represent the “King of Death“?

Title: Never Size: 12″w x 12″h Medium: Acrylic on Wood, care of Blabshow.com

Fred: I use the crown on figures other than the skulls, but I suppose it is meant to suggest a sort of supremacy.    I have always been interested in the way the Mexican Dias de los Muertos festivities represent death and skulls as being integrally tied to a sense of life and celebration.  I guess it’s the old ‘life is much sweeter on the eve of death’ kind of sentiment.

Me: How do you start a painting?  Do you know what you’re going to paint before hand or does it materialize as you paint?

Fred: I don’t pre-plan paintings and I’m pretty open to discovering the image in the process.  I start with an idea that the painting will have a certain ’tone’ more than anything too specific.

Me: What role does the Motorcycle culture play in your work and in your life? 

Fred:  I started riding motorcycles when I was 15 and rode until my wife grounded me after a pretty hairy crash in downtown Chicago left me with a concussion and a broken collar bone, but I do still have a bike in the garage in parts and have ideas all the time about riding again.  Bikes get into your blood and it’s hard to give it up.  I have a lot of friends that ride and collect and repair vintage motorcycles and I think it’s beautiful, but until my 14 year old son is grown, I think it’s probably four wheels for me.

Me: What role does the internet play in your work? (same question that I asked Joe Coleman)

Fred: It’s possible to see quite a lot of my work on the internet, but I have nothing to do with that.  I don’t have a website, though I probably should, and it scares me a little that so much stuff is out there that I have no control of.  I tried to talk my tech savvy son into helping me create a website, but he just rolled his eyes and proceeded to snipe a German soldier in the online game he was playing.

note: One way Fred Stonehouse could control some of his work on the internet is to have an official website and become part of the dialog and flow.

Me: What Artists do you admire the most?   Why?

Fred: I admire Philip Guston for the courage he showed late in his career to abandon what had made him a success and embark on those incredibly dumb and beautiful paintings.  He knew those painting would be seen as stupid, but he made them anyway and thank god, because they are the best things he ever made.  Too many artists worry about appearing dumb, so they try hard to make ‘smart’ work, and that is the surest way to make bad art.

Philip Guston – late work – “Brutal but delicate”: The Line – 1978

Me: There’s another “Fred Stonehouse” who wrote books about Lake Superior and Scuba Diving ” Lake Superior’s ” Shipwreck Coast “.  Do people ever ask you if you’re related ?

Fred: I am convinced that the other Fred Stonehouse is a relative.  My father is from the Upper Penninsula of Michigan and I believe that is where the Great Lakes researcher lives.  Somebody bought me his book on the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald as a joke.  There is another Fred Stonehouse who sells real-estate in the Sacramento area and his website has a really awful jingle that accompanies his homepage.

Me: Noticed you had a show at the Howard Scott gallery in Chelsea last year. Are you planning another show in New York anytime soon?  How did you find showing in NYC different than showing your work in other places in the country?

Fred: I will be showing 4 new drawings with Howard this December in his annual drawing exhibit.  Howard is also currently working on a show for me with a dealer in Berlin.  Without question, the New York audience is the most sophisticated due to their access to great museums, galleries, criticism etc.  Most of the people who are interested in what I do are pretty sharp cats anyway, but New Yorkers are the real deal.  They just get it.

Me: I love the dream like state your paintings evoke in your viewers – often your use of language seems cryptic and symbolic – can you tell me how you arrive at the words your going to use in your paintings?

Fred: I guess I am something of a frustrated poet.  Words just seem necessary sometimes, both visually and aurally.  I like the idea that when a viewer reads the text in one of my paintings a sound is created in their head.  It’s a way to broaden the experience and cram in a little extra content.  The words come about mostly as poetic reflections on the image.  

 ========= END of INTERVIEW with Fred Stonehouse ==========

BTW, many thanks to Amy Crehore for putting me in touch with the great American artist, Fred Stonehouse.