Attractions | Beverly Shipko, Artist

The Dealer Who Saved Impressionism

July 30, 2015 by Beverly

Writing this blog today was at the bottom of my to do list.

After reading Michael Fitzgerald’s rather slanted review today in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) of Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the New Painting, a blockbuster exhibit currently on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, this blog post went right to the top of the list.

Michael, I totally disagree with your conclusion that this show “offers many visual pleasures but rarely does justice to its topic”. Furthermore, I think this misses the whole point of the show – and wish the WSJ would publish a counter-point to this slanted review (says Beverly, the indignant art historian).

While I agree with much of what is written, the conclusion overlooks the plethora of information in the wall charts and each wall tag, adding a whole new dimension to our experience of the show. Most of this information is new to us. We walk away thinking about the business aspect of 19th century Impressionism, and comparing it to birth of art movements in today’s world.

The goal of this exhibit was not to do a survey of Impressionism, or “tell this crucial story of modern art“, but to show how one 19th century art dealer committed himself to a fledgling art movement, enabling it to survive.

We learn from this show that Paul Durand-Ruel had the eye – and what an eye! In today’s poker vernacular, we would say Durand-Ruel was a visionary who had the courage of his convictions and guts to go all in.

As for why the curators decided to pick these particular paintings or why such “tiny samples” cannot tell this story, it’s almost irrelevant because the curators are not trying to tell the whole story. Some works are included, I suspect, for their provenance. The point is that Durand-Ruel kept Impressionism afloat at his own financial peril by taking out loans to purchase thousands of paintings to support the artists, narrowly avoiding bankruptcy.

Durand-Ruel was surprisingly modern in his thinking, developing innovative marketing strategies and tactics that are used routinely today in the gallery world by Gagosian, David Zwirner, among others. While being a visual feast for the eyes (especially Monet’s mouthwatering Gallettes) and serving up many major serial Impressionist works such as Monet’s Poplars and Renoir’s Dancers, this show looked at Impressionism from the perspective of a gallerist, providing an intriguing glimpse of the financial inner workings of the gallery world. (Unfortunately photos weren’t allowed of the paintings or the charts, so thanks to whoever took these.)

Claude Monet’s “The Galettes” (1882)

Durand-Ruel established himself as the forerunner of modern day gallery owners by establishing outposts in various geographic locations (Paris, London, multiple venues in the US), cornering the market by purchasing thousands of Impressionist paintings (think 1,000 Monet’s and 1,500 Renoirs alone), manipulating auction prices, wheeling and dealing with discounts, and more. And I learned that pop-up galleries are nothing new, having originated over more than a century ago.

He singlehandedly supported the Impressionists on a day-to-day basis (no consignment agreements for him!), introduced his artists in solo and group shows, and producing catalogs that could be passed along, generating word-of-mouth. He even promoted his shows with the press, commissioned essays, using strategies akin to contemporary PR. All of this sounds like what I learned in Marketing 101 at Northwestern – and yet it all happened in the 19th century.

One of the highlights for me was the reproduction of a Durand-Ruel gallery ledger showing the prices he paid for the the paintings and sculptures, his selling prices, and therefore revealing his profits – which were gigantic on some of the name artists of the day such as Corot, Millet and Rousseau, and funded his Impressionism investment. The ledger essential functions as a defacto list of all the unsold inventory – which represented a huge investment.

Fitzgerald says we don’t know much about Durand-Ruel, but I beg to differ. We know he was a private man, a conservative and a Catholic, who raised his kids alone after his wife died, and put a priority on his family. He was a creative thinker who committed himself vehemently to those artists whose work he believed in, putting his conservative politics aside. Durand-Ruel remained fiercely loyal to his artists throughout their lives – even when a few started using Theo van Gogh (brother of Vincent van Gogh) as a secondary dealer (which would have put an arrow through a lesser man’s heart). And he ventured out into the American art market, where he found the financial success that bailed him out and saved Impressionism.

After Jay and I finished viewing this impressive show, we had a few minutes to wander around and participate in a veritable treasure hunt for paintings in the permanent collection that were handled by Durand-Ruel. Almost an extension of the show, here’s one of many, many works marked with a special labels at the bottoms saying, “This object was sold by the Durand-Ruel Gallery”.

The fascinating part was finding out that large number of 19th century works in the Philadelphia Art Museum came through Durand-Ruel. At one point, we were in a gallery with a whole wall of these special tags!

I highly recommend seeing Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the New Painting without hesitation. There’s something here for everyone.

So get in your car and go before the show closes on September 13th. Be ready for a treat on multiple levels.

Seward Johnson Retrospective – Revisited

June 25, 2015 by Beverly

Our first two visits to this exhibit in 2014 left us wanting more. And we were lucky enough to get it.

By popular demand, this record-breaking Seward Johnson Retrospective at Grounds for Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton, NJ was extended through the first half of 2015 (the last day is July 1st).

Jay and I went for the third time since I first blogged about it in 2014, and we still discovered new things in nooks and crannies. GFS is a dynamic place, packed full of sculpture that is constantly evolving and changing.

This trip we got to GFS early enough to take a tour, which we highly recommend. When you get to the ticket counter, ask about the free tours and sign up since space is limited (first-come first-serve basis).

Our tour guide covered a lot of territory in an hour, and led us through several popular permanent installations including this Seward Johnson 3-D take of Henri Rousseau’s popular painting at MOMA called The Dream, which was buried deep in the bamboo forest. At the end of the path, we were greeted by the mesmerizing stare of this beast.

We learned that the weather takes its toll on these outdoor bronze-cast sculptures, which are repaired on an ongoing basis, sometimes 3-4 times a year. Johnson’s Atelier (aka workshop where you can see the casting process) is open to the public once a month, alas, not during our visit. Instead, we settled for a peek through the fence at this collection of work currently being restored.

At this point, you might be asking yourself: Why did Jay and I go back 3 times? What exactly is the attraction?

The answer is fun and accessible art – and a lot of it with over 270 sculptures, 150 of which were Johnson’s in 2014 (some have moved on due to previous commitments. Not to worry – there’s so much to see!). You can touch the sculptures, walk around them (no climbing!), and interact with them

There is a lightness about these sculptures that comes from Johnson’s own internal compass and innate sense of humor.

Here is an artist who is comfortable in his own skin, and doesn’t take himself too seriously. This is most evident when you read the newspaper articles and book titles that are thoughtfully incorporated into his works, with powerful messages. In this article, But Is It Art?, Johnson pokes fun at himself and his entire body of work – which hasn’t always received critical acclaim.

When you’re visiting GFS, you don’t take yourself too seriously either. That’s my husband “inspecting” Marilyn Monroe’s backside… and asking for directions from the “guard” by the Mona Lisa – one of many classic icons, photos and Impressionist paintings reinterpreted by Johnson. Being an artist and art historian, I was particularly delighted to sit in full scale version of Van Gogh’s bedroom.

Johnson plays with scale on a monumental level, and gives us a chance to experience Impressionist icons in different settings, so that our relationship with the original art changes.

You can get a good idea of Seward Johnson’s approach by looking at his treatment of this well-known painting, Olympia by Manet.

Edouard Manet, “Olympia”,
1863, Oil on canvas,
H. 130; W. 190 cm, Courtesy of the Musée d’Orsay, Paris

When you park your car, this huge nude sculpture confronts you from a big hill, entirely out of context and blown up to a gigantic scale.

Inside, we find this same life-size, humanized nude sculpture set in a formal Parisian room, chandeliers and all. We’re free to walk around the installations, view them from every angle, and participate in them. I’ll never look at Manet’s Olympia the same again! (I wrote about this transformative experience in Monet Through A Different Lens)

By playing with sculpture on such a huge scale, Johnson also plays with our minds.

Monumental sculptures, like two ladies on a bench in The Meadows, a solder kissing a nurse (remember the famous photo?), and Johnson’s giant version of Matisse’s Dance for Joy reflecting in a pond, are juxtaposed with works of life-size everyday people scattered all over the park. Around each corner, we might find a window washer, policeman, mailman, or this girl reading on a park bench.

In one of the videos, Johnson says his space is the area beyond the frame (in fact, the name of one of his series). I can’t but help think it’s also in front of the frame, behind it and through the frame. He allows us to literally play with the frame in his version of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and the Mona Lisa.

Take some time to watch the video of Seward Johnson in the main building to get a sense of the man. Johnson has a strong sense of self (and even joked about being fired from the family business, Johnson and Johnson!), and creates the art he is compelled to make. He is quite an authentic character who is true to himself, willing to take risks, and has made a long-standing commitment to bring art to more people – as evidenced by evolution of this 42-acre park offering a a calendar full of events and activities for all ages.

In Johnson’s world, art imitates art, which imitates life, which can in turn imitate art…. Here we see how Seward Johnson inserted himself (wearing a hat) into Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party, having drinks with his friend Red Grooms and other cronies. On this particular day, Jay and I were delighted to find Johnson – in person – exuberantly leading a Sing-A-Long and thoroughly enjoying himself (like in the installation) while belting out a variety of Broadway tunes (which takes courage since he doesn’t have the greatest voice…).

We had dinner at Rats Restaurant at GFS, receiving generous portions that were wrapped up to go in a light-hearted way, in keeping with the day.

Then, OMG, it was time to leave! I realized I can’t come back again before the show closes on July 1st…

But you can! There’s 10 days left for the Seward Johnson Retrospective. Check the website for the latest information, and get there early to get a parking space (which is the constraining factor at the GFS).

It’s worth the trip. Experience art like you never have before!

Andy Warhol at MOMA

June 18, 2015 by Beverly

Of course, being a food art junkie, I had to see Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Can series at MOMA.

“Campbell Soup Can” by Andy Warhol, 1962, synthetic polymer painting, 20 x 16 inches canvas, courtesy of MOMA.

While this infamous print series had typically been displayed in a grid, for the first time it is installed at MOMA like it was for the original installation at Ferus Gallery, Los Angeles, in 1962 – in a straight line.

There is something very satisfying about seeing them all in lined up in a row, establishing a rhythm in the gallery that draws your eye around the room from one to another. I couldn’t help think about Peter Dreher’s serial imagery of drinking glasses similarly lined up on the wall, which I saw a year ago and loved, and blogged about.

Certainly it made it easier to compare individual works, which was an interesting exercise since these works were hand-painted. Warhol used his photo-screening technique on subsequent series’ after he completed his Campbell’s Soup Cans.

Contrast the way the Campbells Soup Cans are hung vs. Warhol’s Marilyn series of photo-screened images, which is in the next gallery. Imagine how different this body of work would look spread out in a single line. Neither installation is better or worse, just different. Which would you prefer – straight line or grid?

The show also includes drawings and illustrated books Warhol made in the 1950s and 1960s, featuring work from his years as a commercial artist in the 5os.

You’ll have plenty of time to stop by this small show the next time you’re at MOMA since it runs through October 15th, 2015.

Indoors at the New Whitney

June 7, 2015 by Beverly

Now that I’ve given you a preview of the outside of the downtown Whitney Museum building in yesterday’s blog, it’s time to move inside to the art.

The inaugural show is called “American Is Hard To See” (through September 27) and features the Whitney’s permanent collection, an impressive compendium of American art, some of which I hadn’t seen in years.

Starting with the chronologically older works on the top floor and working down, I found some old friends in more traditional paintings from Georgia O’Keefe and Wayne Thiebaud.

And I discovered new ones, like Chiura Obata, whose striking Yosemite prints caught the spirit of that magical place, which we just visited a few weeks ago.

On the 7th and 8th floors, I confess I missed the more intimate, distinctive feeling of the old galleries in the Marcel Breuer Madison Avenue building, whose space and flow felt more appropriate for the smaller works. Maybe I was even a bit disappointed, but unwilling to admit it to myself.

So I gave in to urge to explore outside once again. Jay and I revisited the Whitney sculpture collection against the Manhattan skyline, including this David Smith. Up until this point, I found the outside art more compelling than the inside.

When we went back to the art in the 6th floor gallery, I let out an involuntary sigh of relief. Maybe it was my mood or my personal taste, but all of a sudden I felt the Whitney I knew and loved was back. Once again, the art was the hero rather than the building, and was enhanced by the large open spaces.

Finally, I was caught up in the art itself rather than the design of the building and NYC views. However, we were running out of time. As I quickly walked through the rest of the galleries, a smattering of works caught my eye, like this whimsical Marisol wood sculpture.

And then there was this gallery, one of several whose floor to ceiling windows allowed a successful melding of the art, building and city.

I liked the large installations on the lower floors which worked well in the new space. And many of the smaller pieces commanded more than their fair share of attention. The innovative combinations and juxtapositions from the permanent collection offered pleasant surprises around every corner.

I was glad to see that Jay and I are not the only ones who imitate the statues in museums.

While the novelty of the new Renzo Piano building dominated this first visit, the art itself commanded my attention in the end. Unfortunately, we had to leave before I was ready to go. Fortunately, we live close by and can go back often.

As we walked down the High Line back to our car, we came across this mural.

In a way, it summarized the essence of the new Whitney and this exhibit – a labor of love – which has changed the face of the downtown art scene forever. Next time, I’ll plan a longer visit and even get the audio tour. And I promise to give the art the attention that it deserves.

New Whitney Museum Building

June 5, 2015 by Beverly

Jay and I made our maiden visit to the new downtown Whitney Museum, designed by Renzo Piano. It was an extraordinary architectural experience – with the building as hero.

We approached the Whitney from the High Line. I noticed a series of metal walkways jutting out from a stepped building with new pink accents. I thought that was the Whitney, but wasn’t sure since it was so well integrated into the neighborhood and the High Line itself.

We took an elevator to the entrance, and found an inviting public space full of tables of people eating and hanging out. Even though it was Wednesday, we waited in line to get into this lobby. I can’t imagine what it’s like on weekends!

The 8th floor was our destination, and our art emersion began when we stepped into elevator designed by artist Richard Artschwager. When we to the top, unlike my usual lingering self, I zipped through the art exhibit to get to the stunning views outside.

The icons of NYC were visible from one spot – the uptown view of the Empire State Building, the downtown view of the Freedom Tower and Statue of Liberty in the distance, and the Hudson River. (Note to self: Find the panorama setting on my new camera….).

The Freedom Tower seemed to be the most popular picture taking attraction, with people taking selfies everywhere. After taking photos of many couples against the skyline, we were rewarded with this shot.

Then we shifted our attention to the High Line and the outdoor terraces below. In one direction, we saw a scattering of dayglow chairs filled with people (an installation by Mary Heilmann) and some abstract sculptures in another.

We ventured further out on the terraces and outdoor stairs with a nautical feeling that fit with the river setting (think Fleet Week). The constantly shifting angles and views were exciting and almost dizzying with photo ops everywhere. (That’s Jay waving in the red Cardinal jacket.)

Reluctantly I dragged myself inside, and walked to the 7th floor. The indoor staircase was almost an extension of outside, so I felt I was back on a ship. I loved the airy feeling, with the play of light and shadows. I was taking more photos of the stairs than the art!

The lower we went, the more dynamic the views of the building with its protruding platforms and irregular shapes. On the 6th floor, there was an awareness of contrasting raw materials, everything from metal, concrete, to glass. Our vantage point kept changing every few feet as did our perspective of this dynamic structure and the sculptures surrounding it.

The art seemed connected to the museum and neighborhood buildings. This David Smith sculpture played off one of the water towers that punctuate the lower Manhattan skyline, and had people talking about it.
When I walked four floors down to the lobby, I was greeted by this light installation on the interior staircase.The creative Whitney Building is an experience to be savored, and I wanted more. I broke my resolution to cut down on digital clutter and not take so many photos…. oh well.

On our way out, we exchanged our tickets for a Whitney Membership to avoid wasting time in line, and to allow for short visits. Taking out an unplanned museum membership says a lot about the downtown Whitney, which will give MOMA a run for its money in 2015. See for yourself.

Helpful Hint for Parking: We broke our all-time Manhattan parking record at $58.50 for only 3 hours in one of the recommended lots, dampening our enthusiasm just a bit at the end. Next time we’ll park in Chelsea or more towards the center of Manhattan to avoid sticker shock – and we’ll look for online parking coupons elsewhere.

Day 22 of the 30/30 Challenge – Sunflower

January 23, 2015 by Beverly

Growing up, I remember a vase of Van Gogh’s sunflowers hanging in our house, an image which is permanently imprinted in my subconscious mind. So I evoked the spirit of that Van Gogh painting today while painting my own version of a Sunflower. Maybe that’s something I should try more often since I had a great day.

Day 22. “Sunflower” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled panel, 6 x 6 inches

I distinctly remember where I took the photo for this painting. Laura, Bonnie, Jay and I had just come back from Paris, where we all met to celebrate Bonnie’s Marist College graduation – our first family vacation together in many years. When I asked the kids (they aren’t really kids any more, are they?) to check out Paris sites and tell me where they wanted to do, they both said the same thing – Monet’s Home and Studio at Giverny, an hour by train outside of Paris.

This was a wonderful surprise since I am a Monet worshipper, and I was expecting them to say something more showy like Versailles. Maybe that book I gave them as a kid, Linnea in Monet’s Garden, made a bigger impact on them than I thought!

You’re probably thinking that I am going to say the photo came from Giverny – well, it didn’t. Instead, it was taken at an major show Jay and I went to after we returned from Paris called Monet’s Garden at the New York Botannical Gardens (NYBG) . This exhibit reinterpreted Giverny, right down to the turquoise Japanese wisteria bridge and the water lilies. It was a terrific tribute to Monet and his avid passion for gardening (for lack of a better word at 1am), which ultimately inspired some of his most famous paintings – the water lilies.

Apparently, between Van Gogh and Monet, I was truly inspired. I was in the zone. Time flew by and this painting just worked. I didn’t want to come out of the zone – and wouldn’t have except that I was expecting 10 friends for a 7pm meeting at my house tonight. So I had to take a break around 6pm, when this photo was taken. As you can see, I had already simplified the background by taking out the greenery.

At 10pm, I eagerly came back to the painting, finished around midnight – and had a lot of fun doing it. I think one of the reasons that this painting came easier was that I took some time upfront to refine the sketch, so I had a clear sense of the textured of the “face” and how the leaves overlapped. Today was a heavy Q-tip day since I often used them as brush replacements to keep the colors pure, and just threw them out afterwards (saved a lot of time cleaning brushes).

While this will be my last flower painting of the challenge, flowers will be a subject that I will revisit – and I am not just talking about the sugar ones on cakes!

See you tomorrow.

Day 16 of the 30/30 Painting Challenge – Hood Ornament

January 17, 2015 by Beverly

Today I went back to the hood in more ways than one. This painting of a 1930’s Chevy Vintage Phoenix Hood Ornament came from a 2010 photo that I took at the Woodward Dream Cruise, an annual event that is held in my native city of Detroit. My best guess is that it’s from 1934 or 1935.

Day 15. “Chevy Vintage Phoenix Hood Oranament” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled panel, 5 x 7 inches

I love going to the Woodward Dream Cruise (as do a million other people!) every August to see the classic cars. It’s really amazing how much design work went into the old cars (the same thought I had about the Art of the Motorcycle Exhibit at the Guggenheim in 1998). Driving up and down Woodward Avenue in the Cruise brings back so many memories of my teenage years when that was the highlight of the weekend.

Many years ago I just happened to be in Detroit visiting my mother during the Dream Cruise and went because I was curious about it. I was hooked! For the record, my kids aren’t but they go to humor me. Now I try to be there every year. Recently I started taking photos of hood ornaments, which are really truly elegant works of art.

I started this painting by making a sketch directly on the panel, using my photo as a reference.

I could see faint pink reflections in the hood ornament and decided to use a pink ground, which you can see here defining the shape of the phoenix. After painting the blue background, I felt was too opaque and heavy looking. I used a large brush to soften it, taking off some of the paint to allow the pink ground to peek through and warm up the sky in the final painting. My other secret weapon for taking unwanted paint off panel is the lowly Q-tip, which came in handy several times. The important thing is to look closely at the subject and capture the sharp juxtapositions between the darkest and lightest surfaces, and the highlights – which kicked this painting up a notch.

I had wanted to paint this for a long time, both because the stylized design is striking and it’s metal. Lately I have been trying to push myself to paint subjects made from different materials.

Tomorrow I’m going to get started early so I can be finished by lunch, when I have to leave. At least that’s the plan.

Thanks for stopping by today and coming along for the ride.

Day 11 of the 30/30 Challenge – Sedona Painting

January 12, 2015 by Beverly

Here’s my first landscape painting of the challenge, Cathedral Rock in Sedona at sunset.

Day 11. “Cathedral Rock” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled panel, 5 x 7 inches.

If you read my post from yesterday, you already know that the last time I painted a western landscape was 25 years ago. News flash: Rocky terrain isn’t any easier to paint today than back then. I must admit I thought it would be, but I was struggling with the color all day. When I tried working more red into the rocks while the paint was this wet, I lost the feeling of sunset. So I stuck with a more yellow/orange palatte.

Of all the paintings I have done so far in this challenge, this is the one that I really wanted more time for. Perhaps letting the painting dry completely and then adding a thin transparent reddish glaze would work well. But having said that, the painting might become overworked. On Day 8, I probably would have said the same thing about my box of donuts, but in the light of day I love it just the way it is. In fact, I think it’s one of my favorite paintings so far. I’ll have to take another in the morning.

Unlike yesterday’s square drawing, I decided to paint this Sedona landscape in a horizontal format so that Cathedral Rock would be more recognizable. Since I was surprised to the miss the square format which maybe feels more contemporary to me (less like a postcard), I might try painting another version using the square format. Maybe the second one will get easier and I can play with different reds. Any thoughts?

Now it’s time for dinner (thank you Bonnie!), and to think about tomorrow’s painting. The next time I do this challenge, I am going to take Jay’s advice and plan out 30 paintings in advance of Day 1 so I can relax in the evenings.

See you tomorrow!

Day 10 of the 30/30 Challenge – Sedona Drawing

January 10, 2015 by Beverly

Today I decided to do a drawing of one of my favorite places, Cathedral Rock in Sedona. It’s hard to believe it’s been 4 years since my last visit there. How time flies! Maybe this will motivate us to go back soon.

Day 10. “Cathedral Rock” by Beverly Shipko, Pencil on bristol board, 6 x 6 inches.

I confess this choice of subject and change in media was at least partially driven by external forces. First, I wanted the time to go to a museum in New York City before our New York Philharmonic Concert tonight. A drawing is so much quicker for me (so I thought) than an oil sketch – especially when the subject is rocky terrain packed full of details. The urge to try and get out in front of things was irresistible.

Second, I needed to do a line drawing for a long overdue bi-monthly art card with the theme, “Follow the Line”. Well, the line took me to Sedona. I had even bought new Micron pens which everyone was raving about, which just sat around until today. I thought that I could try the pens and do a pencil sketch too.

Wrong. When I used the pens on drawing paper, I found that they aren’t suited to my style of drawing, at least for red rocks in a horizontal format. There’s no way to correct errors with the pencils and I missed the gradations and changes in line thickness that pencils have to offer. After one false start with the Micron pens, I began a second drawing using soft pencils on square bristol board, which you see here, which had been previously reserved just for drawing Oreo Cookies. This even may be my first serious landscape drawing.

Drawing rocks and shrubbery bathed in sunlight proved more problematic that expected. Without color, the red rock shadows and green vegetation looked the same. I wanted to capture the sunlight and the subtle striations, but then I lost the freshness. Thank goodness for Pentel Hi-Polymer Erasers to help brighten things back up. I think I was getting the hang of this drawing, but then it was time to stop.

Working on Cathedral Rock put me back in the spirit of the Wild West and got me looking more closely at the image that I plan to paint tomorrow. In fact, I was hoping to get lucky and be extremely efficient today, and start painting a bit today – a plan that was too ambitious

This subject is not without its risks, and it’s one that I have been avoiding for over 25 years since I painted Monument Valley in acrylic (which probably isn’t as well suited for this wonderfully textured, craggy landscape as oil). Cathedral Rock is just so stunning at sunset that I thought a painting couldn’t possibly live up to the photo, let alone the real thing. Yet thousands of artists do paint it. So it’s time to change my thoughts to “I can too.” (Thank you, Carol!) The compromise will be to capture the essence of the landscape quickly without giving up too much detail – to hint at the striations but not get caught up in them.

The 30/30 format gives me the opportunity to face my fears and just do it. Isn’t that what the spirit of challenge is all about? The bonus is that it’s only a two day investment between the drawing and oil sketch.

Sometimes I dream about renting a place in Sedona and just making art there every day. For now, this is as close as I’m going to get.

I am looking forward to tomorrow and the painting challenges Day 11 will bring. The bonus is that I’ll get to take a vacation – in my mind – along the way.

My Detroit Roots Are Showing Again

December 31, 2014 by Beverly

I have been thinking about the 1969 riots in my native Detroit ever since Liz and I finalized the latest bi-monthly theme for the art card group, Abandonment and Reclamation. Back then, I was a junior at Southfield High School in Michigan, and it seemed that Detroit was never the same after the riots. Six months later when I went to a Detroit Pistons basketball game at Cobo Arena, there were so few people downtown at the game that Piston management offered free tickets to everyone who brought their ticket stubs the following week.

Here is my collage card titled “Detroit – A Prototype of Abandonment and Reclamation”, which I mailed to another member in the group. Somehow the theme struck a nerve with me this time, perhaps because of Detroit’s much publicized plight, its financial woes, together with the relatively recent Ferguson case in Missouri that resulted in more destruction.

The art card includes these two photos of the largest plant in the world, the Ford Rouge River Plant, so you can see the before and after. The Ford plant has risen from the dead like a phoenix from the ashes, and now offers popular tours to the public.

In between the two plant photos, you can see houses from the Heidelberg Project, which was started in a devastated area on Detroit’s east side. The homes were given over to communities of artists to restore and decorate using recycled material, resulting in a new tourist destination and with the ultimate goal over time being a viable arts center for the city. Here is the Dotty House, perhaps the most well-known structure since it’s showcased by the Heidelberg Project.

The right side of the card shows a rainbow of shards that are pieces that Mike Kelly recovered from the riverbeds of the Detroit and Rouge Rivers. I took some photos at Kelly’s 2013 MOMA show, as did my daughter Laura (aka my webmaster) which I used in the collage. The shattered pieces are central to the Kelly installation that partially inspired this card called the John Glenn Memorial Detroit River Reclamation Project (Including the Local Culture Pictorial Guide, 1968–1972, Wayne/Westland Eagle. 2001.

This shot shows much of the installation, which filled a large room dominated by the huge figure covered in more shattered shards.

I thought this was a rather haunting portrait of Detroit made from found bottles and jars, which is situated on the river – here a river of crushed porcelain (hence the name detroit which means strait in French). The collection of glassware presents a hauntingly fragile vision of a city in decay (I’m thinking New York City in the Pixar movie Wall-e).

Both the Heidelberg Project and the Ford Rouge River Plant tour (which gets rave reviews) are on my list of sites to see this upcoming year when I visit my mother – and the Detroit Institute of Arts, of course.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that these two glimmers of hope represent a turning point in the history of Detroit, and open a new chapter now for this city that has finally emerged from bankruptcy – with the Detroit Institute of Arts still in tact. May 2015 be a much better year for my hometown.

In that spirit, I wish all of you a happy, healthy – and even more creative – New Year!

Monet Through a Different Lens

December 22, 2014 by Beverly

Jay and I decided to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City yesterday to see the Assyria to Iberia exhibit. When we got there, we took a quick detour through the Impressionism rooms – always a favorite.

We both came to a complete halt by this painting, Claude Monet’s Garden of Sainte-Andresse (1867), where we both had strong feelings of déjà vu, like we had been there before. The feelings of going back in time were powerful, and Jay said he felt like he had been talking to Monet while the work was being painted.

Why did we feel this way? The simple answer is: We had been there before! In fact, in was a multi-sensory experience – we walked in the garden, saw it from all angles, felt the warm sunlight on our skin and the breeze in our faces. We even “met” the artist. Being a guy, Jay remarked,”The restaurant is to the left, so I’m getting hungry”, a comment that makes me smile even now.

The good news is that you don’t have to go to France to do this. Just take a drive to Hamilton, New Jersey and visit the Grounds for Sculpture where Seward Johnson constructed his outdoor sculpture installation titled, If It Were Time, based on the Monet’s Sainte-Andresse painting. If It Were Time is a full scale 3-D translation of Monet’s 2-D oil painting, which I had previously included in a June blog entry. The installation sits on a plot of land at least as large as our house lot (1/4 acre) looking out on a lake (unlike our house which looks right at our neighbors).

© The Sculpture Foundation, Inc., photo: David W. Steele

While the photos of these two works of art look similar in this blog post, our interaction with these pieces couldn’t be more different. Viewing a painting as an outsider looking in is a far cry from inhabiting the space as a participant.

To give you some idea of Seward Johnson’s sense of humor and irony, which comes out in subtle ways in many of his sculptures, here is a bronze cast of Monet who greets you at the entrance before you walk down the stairs to the scene below. Monet is working outdoors for the day in his plein air style, as he typically did.

Take a closer look at what Monet is doing in this photo, taken from a different viewpoint. The artist is painting Johnson’s If It Were Time sculpture, which is in turn based on Monet’s own Sainte-Andresse painting at the museum! Seward Johnson provocatively named this bronze portrait of the artist, Copyright Violation!!, raising numerous issues on many levels.

Is Johnson’s work really an original work of art, a slavish imitation, or a copyright infringement? The art historian in me is intrigued by all the possible interpretations. What do you think? I would love to hear your opinions.

Here’s a photo I took of the sailboat that Monet is painting, before I realized how the boat fit into the bigger picture. (FYI. While we looking at Monet’s painting at the Met, we noticed the many boats on the horizon line for the first time – quite a contrast to Johnson’s serene focus on a single sailboat.)

As you walk down the stairs and begin to inhabit the space, the effect is startling. The cast bronze bronze sculptures almost come to life, somehow bringing out the playfulness in you, as if you are actors on the stage, or talking and taking pictures with costumed interpreters at Williamsburg.

You not only walk around Johnson’s re-creation, you touch it and even sit on it. Jay was delighted there was an empty chair so he could take a break with his newfound friend.

The dictionary definition of “installation” explains things well and gives you a handle on the way to think the Monet and Johnson connection. Installation: a large sculpture-like artwork which alters the way a space is experienced. Certainly that was the case in New Jersey, quite a vivid memory too. What we didn’t expect, was for that memorable interactive, multi-sensory experience to carry over and enrich our viewing of the original artwork back in New York. At the time, we felt it was quite surreal since the two works of art became inseparable.

Yesterday we were looking at the Monet’s painting through a different lens. Our perspective changed, probably forever, which is a good thing. In fact, I think a visit to see Seward Johnson’s work at Grounds for Sculpture is an excellent way for people, particularly kids, to be exposed to art and to get truly excited about it.

P.S. We did make it to the Assyria to Iberia show, a major scholarly undertaking which is excellent, just not as much fun.

Matisse’s Cut-Outs: A Triumph

December 8, 2014 by Beverly

It must be over five years ago that I bought this box of Matisse holiday cards at MOMA. I always smiled when I looked at the uplifting design composed using cut paper, and was reluctant to use the cards since they were so “special”. After hanging on to them for so long, it was exciting and somewhat jarring at the same time to come across the magnificent original work in the “Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs” exhibit at MOMA in Manhattan (through February 8th, 2015). The scale of the real cut-out (over 10 feet tall vs. my 9 inch card) seemed absolutely gigantic, reminding me how important it is to see artwork in person to fully appreciate the artist’s intention.

In addition, I had forgotten that this cut-out design was actually a full-size mockup for a vibrant stained glass window. While I don’t think the experience of interacting with original artwork can ever be completely replicated by the online world, you can get an idea of the scale of Matisse’s works by viewing the slide show from the New York Times review. (The ‘no photo’ rule was strictly enforced by the guards the day I visited.)

“Henry Matisse: The Cutouts” at MOMA. Courtesy of Ruth Fremson / The New York Times. October 9, 2014 review.

When I first entered the show, I overheard someone say, “But these are just cutouts!” – which is exactly the point.

Matisse elevated the simple cut-out – which we all did as kids – to a major art form in his late work. After spending much of his life as a painter and sculptor, using cut-outs as mockups for stage sets, books (“Jazz”), and stained glass, Matisse turned to them as his primary medium in his last decade out of necessity (the mother of invention, so they say) – but on his own terms. Although wheelchair bound, Matisse rejuvenated himself with the help of assistants who painted custom paper to his color specifications and then cut the forms under his direction. A fascinating video part way through the exhibit demonstrates the process of cutting, pinning and re-pinning shapes (almost foreshadowing Pinterest!) that Matisse used to realize his vision, before glueing down the pieces for the final composition.

The entire show is a colorful, exuberant experience, and a testimony to Matisse’s vision and commitment to making art. He was a passionate artist with a mission, who would not allow anything to interfere with his art, whether it’s a divorce from his wife of 31 years, World War II, or abdominal cancer surgery. It’s interesting that the spirit of the work transcends these major life challenges – truly a triumph for Matisse on many levels.

If you want to see an upbeat, light-hearted show that will put you in the holiday spirit, go see the Matisse cut-outs and find out for yourself why over 500,000 people went to see this exhibit the Tate in London. Enjoy lunch at MOMA’s 2nd floor Cafe, take a short stroll to see the tree at Rockefeller Center – and don’t forget to walk by the Saks and Bergdorf holiday windows. It will be a lovely way to spend a day!

Inside Out: Frank Gehry’s Strata Center

November 3, 2014 by Beverly

Every once in a while everyone needs to get out of their comfort zone.

That’s why I look forward to working on my bi-monthly Art Card. It’s an opportunity to open myself up, to experiment with and explore different subjects and art forms. My artist friend Liz De Betheune and I run an Art Card Group, initially started by Mia and Annie (two of Liz’s sisters), with 18 artist members who create original postcard-size art based on an assigned theme, and exchange cards with other members. The latest theme was Positive/Negative.

Ever since Liz and I selected the theme, I kept thinking about Frank Gehry and the Strata Center at MIT. After finally revisiting my Cambridge photos from June, I realized that a key design element that dazzles me is Gehry’s masterful use of 3-D positive and negative space to energize buildings in surprising ways, both in the exterior and interior.

Frank Gehry is a prize winning contemporary architectect who literally turned modern architecture on its ear by removing right angles and straight lines from his architectural vocabulary, and introducing new, innovative materials with contrasting surfaces such as corrugated steel and shiny metal. Gehry designed the Guggenheim Museum Bilboa in Spain, his most renowned work that has become a major tourist destination in its own right – and is certainly on my bucket list.

While I had seen several Gehry complexes before, such as Gehry’s home in Venice, CA, the IAC Building off the West Side Highway in the Chelsea district of Manhattan, and the newer and expansive Millennium Park Pavillion in Chicago, I had never been as captivated by them as much as by the Strata Center. This huge innovative complex takes up 750,000 square feet, and is both an inspiration and counterpoint for the heavy-duty scientific research that goes on inside its walls (unlike any other walls I have seen, that’s for sure!) – an ever-present reminder to think outside the box.

From the street, the outside of the Strata Center looks like a series of unexpected moving shapes and unique structures that is strung together temporarily, deconstructing traditional norms along the way. A plethora of materials greet you. Textured brick surfaces mingle with polished metal creating pulsing forms of contrasting colors and shadows.

Fortunately, for the first time, I was able to go inside a Gehry building, where my senses were initially overwhelmed by the dynamic design of interior space – a positive and awe inspiring thing in this instance. Vibrating space pushed and pulled, turned and twisted, contracted and expanded. Walking on the higher floors was somewhat challenging and disorienting initially as the walkways whooshed around. Unlike most buildings, I could see where I wanted to go, but couldn’t get there.

The unexpected use of strong color on the inside increased the feeling of drama. In the hour that I had, I was only able to walk around a small part of the complex. Next time I’ll wander around the roof, a concept that Gehry essentially redefined.

I thought it was interesting that Bill Gates sponsored one of the Strata Center towers, and that Mark Zuckerberg chose Frank Gehry to design the new Facebook headquarters. What a bold and exciting statement! And how appropriate that the tech world is not just content with revolutionizing our social experience, but is now turning our brick and mortar world inside out too. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance tour the new Facebook headquarters when it opens in 2015.

Ultimately, I decided to work with my Gehry Strata Center photos for this my art card contribution. I started by assembling a composite of several interior shots in a folding rectangular format, a rather traditional concept in the end.

By eliminating the mental restriction of a rectangular shaped card, the idea felt more like Gehry in spirit. So I created a second card.

The card has an element of surprise by unfolding into something much larger (over a foot long) and unexpected, mimicking my experience with the Strata Center on a micro level. I was happy with my Positive/Negative contribution and mailed both of them in the end.

Thanks to the Art Card Group for keeping me from being too complacent, and encouraging me to explore new paths and grow as an artist. One day I’ll even buy Photoshop and really move out of my comfort zone!

Facebook Murals

August 10, 2014 by Beverly

As artists, don’t we all have dreams of striking it rich by painting masterpieces that become famous and are auctioned off at astronomical prices? Artist David Choe actually lived this rags to riches story when Facebook went public in 2012. In 2005, David painted graffifi-style murals at Facebook’s first headquarters in Palo Alto, CA, although he is infamously quoted as saying the idea of FB is “ridiculous and pointless.” Rather than taking cash, he took payment in shares which are reportedly worth $200 million. Smart guy!

Our recent tour of San Francisco’s treasure trove of murals set the stage for our private tour of the current Facebook Headquarters in Menlo Park, where I got to see David Choe’s past and present murals first hand. While the complex includes over 20 buildings, we went into just a fraction of them in two hours. I was told that an art tour of just FB murals would take more than a day. When you walk into the main lobby, this huge, imaginative, quirky, celebratory and just plain fun David Choe mural greets you.

Here’s another view since my camera lacks a wide angle lens to capture the entire wall in one shot.

On the back wall, we found this one which inspired my fish bump with a friend.

I found David’s signature in the corner near this creature reminiscent of something out of Monsters, Inc.

The tour guide reported that this more conservative creature wearing a tie was started by Mark Zuckerberg himself, beginning with the head, and was finished by David.

Of course, a Facebook mural tour wouldn’t be complete without an official Facebook Wall. Here we are with our host for the day, Jay’s bridge partner, Ed.

While everyone else was eating ice cream at the Sweet Stop (one of many retail restaurants on the fb campus), the tour guide took Jay and I to see the original David Choe murals I had asked about earlier. I was surprised to find two relatively small, vertical panels depicting a face that had been removed from its original FB walls. According to Choe, “They cut the walls out of all my paintings and sent them to Facebook offices around the world.” He called himself the “most highest-paid decorator alive.” These two works were completely different from anything I expected after experiencing the lobby murals, but then these panels were executed in 2005 and taken from their original site. As you all know, artists evolve and their style changes – a fact that somehow escaped me that day.

After seeing the second set of Choe panels, I wondered what would come next, and FB did not disappoint. It was this mural, known as the Facebook Zipper, which certainly popped from a distance as we entered another gigantic warehouse-like space. It is really a terrific illusion, isn’t it?

FB didn’t stop with painted murals. Say hello to this Lego mural and go back in time to your childhood.

Following our trip to Legoland, we came across something quite different and peaceful. I got a kick out of this mural for a number of reasons: the whimsical subject of two painters plying their craft on each other, the soft drip technique that made me want to try it, and the dramatically contrasting colors.

Then I found this mural near the office of Sheryl Sandberg (FB Chief Operating Officer since 2008), whose 2012 book “Lean In” was intended to help professional women advance their careers. I wonder whether her kids had anything to do with this one, and what this will be worth someday….

Just a random mural at least partially painted with a spray can.

I was gratified to see that Facebook is making a commitment to supporting and mentoring young artists – as well as geeks. We toured the print shop, which is home to a group of upcoming residential artists.

Here is some of their handiwork.

Thankfully these souvenir posters from the shop made the trip home safely.

Finally we returned to where we started, with Facebook goody bags in hand, feeling a bit like celebrities receiving their gift bags at the Oscars. Well, not quite since they included shirts, caps, and flash drives instead of luxury items.

Words can’t describe the rush we experienced on the FB tour of a facility packed with creative, dynamic murals and permeated by a mindset of endless possibilities. But I think this sign does the trick!

The FB motto on this mirror in the Sweet Stop Cafe sums it up more eloquently than I ever could.

Just in case you are struggling to read this – it says Livin’ the Dream.

San Francisco 16st Avenue Tiled Steps Project

August 4, 2014 by Beverly

After spending a successful afternoon looking at San Francisco murals, our public art tour continued the next day with a visit to the San Francisco 16^th Avenue Tiled Steps Project (at Moraga and 16^th Street). My husband, Jay, and I wandered around numerous winding roads looking for vibrant mosaics when we arrived at this bland-looking set of stairs on an overcast day, and began to wonder why this was even on our sightseeing list.

Since we were there, we decided to drive around to the bottom of the steps, and found a plaque commemorating the completion of this project – and got our first glimpse of what was to come.

We learned the 163 step mosaic project was initiated as a community effort by the Golden Gate Heights Neighborhood Association in 2003, and supported by a number of private and public groups and contractors, from the Mayor’s Beautification Fund to the Union Bank of California. With the help of KZ Tile, who generously agreed to set the finished tiles into the steps, this group project was completed by the team in 2005.

Over 300 neighbors worked on this project in some capacity, with 220 neighbors sponsoring hand-made tiles of fish, animals, and birds imprinted with their names. The swirling patterns of vibrant blue strewn with aquatic life were an exciting surprise – so different from anything else I had ever seen. The way the individual steps fit together with such precision when seen from the bottom was nothing less than spectacular craftsmanship!

In this series of steps, patron names are inscribed in many of the fish.

As you walk up the steps, the energy shifts into a quieter design which made me think of a distant shoreline.

The colors became more intense and brilliant as we passed through a flower garden of custom shaped tiles. You can see more names, like those inscribed in the flower petals on the left of the bottom step.

Here’s a closeup of a tile with two squirrels munching away, sponsored by a couple.

I was mesmerized by the grand scope and vision of the project, the strong visual impact of the shifting perspectives as you make your way up the steps, and the surprisingly personal nature of this piece of public art. I found myself reading the inscriptions and hypothesizing what the patrons were like, based on their choice of tiles. Here names appear on the plants (maybe vegetarians with luscious gardens), animals (families with pets like the turtle), and birds (people with birdhouses in their backyard)

As we made our way up higher, the viewpoint shifted again so we were walking into a flowing stream of blue water cascading down the steps.

The variety of flowing blue colors and a myriad of marine life transported us to a delightful aquatic world.

Walking up the 16^th Avenue Tiled Step Project – obviously a labor of love – is a unique outdoor experience that fits in with the quirky character of SF Bay Area. It felt monumental, like a modern day version of ancient Roman mosaics from Pompeii.

Good thing we stuck around and explored!