Best Wishes

 

My new studio view in the Egypt Hills, December 6, 2024

The old studio view from The Hungerford Building

East Main Street, Rochester, NY

As this tumultuous year draws to a close, I offer my Best Wishes to you my readers, and there is so much to be thankful for here in December, 2024.  I. am hopeful that the visual arts will draw us together as a community, and we strive for those connections that bring us together rather than the factors that tend to divide us.  

Here in the Rochester area, this is the first full year that I have had my art studio at my home in the hills.  I had moved away from The Hungerford Building on East Main Street because of friction I felt with the new owners there.  Now, all I have to do is walk a few feet to my new studio space, and save all that time and money driving to East Main Street!

During this year I reconnected with  my audience thru the exhibition that we held at The Rundel Library in the early months of 2024, and I really enjoyed putting that show together.  I also connected with the editorial team at Marquis Who's Who.  For years I was listed in their book - The Who's Who of American Art, and now I have a new page that you can visit that lists "Industry Leaders":

https://whoswhoindustryleaders.com/2024/10/02/alan-singer/

The Marquis Who's Who also sent me a commemorative plaque which you can see below:

Cover: https://marquismillennium.com/17th_Ed/alan-singer/116

Over the course of this year I have been working on a series of paintings using a matte acrylic, in a very geometric style.  The  inspiration for this series  started out with an interest in patterns and branched out into a  mathematical concept based on the notion of a cellular automaton.  This cellular structure is an idea that is championed by the book "A New Kind of Science" authored by Stephen Wolfram who has a brilliant idea of how things organize themselves in nature.

Here is one of my new paintings which I call: "Dispatch".  I use some of the rules that I found when I was reading this book...

"Dispatch", acrylic on board, 2024 by Alan Singer

Now, I have a new connection to mention before I go off to celebrate the holidays, and that is a site where you can  find this and other new paintings of mine.  I  was asked to join a group of artists  by Henry Clark who runs a site  for art collectors called:  "Apricus".  You can find  this website  easily! 

Alan D. Singer Link on Apricus Marketplace

 

'Apricus Weekly' Podcast Calendar Link

 Check it out.. I did a short video interview which I will post when I get the link.  In the meantime - Happy Holiday..!

Breakthrough

 

'Our Nature", a Singer family show presented earlier this year in

Rundel Library, Rochester, New York 

January  thru  May 2024

We are proud and pleased to be a part of a creative family engaged in the visual arts community.

Just recently, in the New York Times, they ran an article about an exhibition happening at The Brooklyn Museum that features local artists who may not have gotten this form of exposure before.

Our niece, Akiko Yamamoto and her husband Phil Scherer are involved in the arts and they live along Eastern Parkway near the Brooklyn Museum.  Akiko has a painting/collage  in this new exhibition at The Brooklyn Museum, and her work was singled out by the writer and critic Max Lakin.  It must be nice to have favorable comments about the artwork published in  The Times!  This is a big show with over 200 pieces of artwork selected from over 4000 entries.

The Brooklyn Museum then sent out an e-mail with Akiko's work and a statement from her talking about how she arrived at making this artwork called:  "Shoji 4 - Bedford Avenue.  Here is her work and her artist statement:

Shoji 4 - Bedford Avenue#153

Akiko Yamamoto

2024

Collage, rice paper, magazine paper, origami paper, silver leaf, acrylic paint on wood

---

DESCRIPTION

"My childhood home was built by my father in the traditional Japanese style, and it was filled with shoji doors. Because they are made of paper, they would often tear and need to be repaired, and I remember watching my mother do this work. She would boil rice flour to create a rice glue, and use it to bind fresh paper to the frames. I loved the clean white translucence of the refreshed screens. 

I wanted to commemorate this tradition in my Shoji series. I live and make art in Brooklyn, so my shoji screens incorporate the textures of the city. They are not minimal clean white, but rather show the complexity of textures, patterns and colors. I wanted to embrace the essence of Brooklyn’s bold attitude.

When I start a new work in this series I begin by building the shoji 'frame' on the canvas. As my mother did, I make my own rice glue and use it to bind layers of material. The layers accumulate like memory and experience, obscuring the ones below. Later, the layers are worn away again revealing them as a new moment to explore.

This one, Shoji 4 / Bedford Ave, is named for Brooklyn’s longest street, which passes through so many layers of culture along its length."

–Akiko Yamamoto

I applaud Akiko and hope to see her artwork when we visit Brooklyn in a few weeks!

First Hand

Lin Price spoke at Axom in the South Wedge, Rochester, New York

Saturday, November 16, 2024

Last Saturday night I heard a very inspiring talk given by Lin Price at Axom in the South Wedge.  Lin Price is a painter and I had seen some of her artwork in shows at Axom and also at Corners Gallery in Ithaca, New York.  Now on at Axom, there is a fine show of her paintings through mid-January 2025. Her show is called "Inside Out", and she had the opportunity to introduce an audience to her methods and themes that one would find in her artwork on the walls of the gallery.

"Willow Run", oil on board by Lin Price

Landscape is a major theme, and Lin Price treats it almost as a metaphor.  In fact, as I listened to her talk, it brought to mind a kind of poetry, a visual way of speaking about emotions and the passage of time in a physical setting that one can see.  These are the kinds of things that can happen when a painter is in a landscape and is trying to communicate what the landscape represents to her.  This is not a kind of photo-realism that some might expect.

"John Laurie's Field by Lin Price

The painting above with a field ( a corn crop ) is one that  Lin spoke about as a kind of memory of  a real place she visited as a youngster.  Other paintings have an inside-out quality that Lin describes in her artist statement, and she writes that she looks for a sense of intimacy in each invented space.  A set of paintings like the one featured on her invitation card give a viewer a feeling of looking out from an enclosed space which could be her home,  and off into a more realistic landscape.  This effect is achieved by taking studies made en plein air and attaching them to a larger surface, creating a painting around painting!

"Inside Out" paintings by Lin Price at Axom, Rochester, NY

Other paintings like "Willow Run" also have a story to tell.  I was thinking of the image and it brought to mind a quote from baseball player Yogi Berra who remarked when faced with a fork in the road: "Take It".

Yes, this painting has a fork in the road, but the story is much more telling...like why is there a sailing ship on the snowy horizon?  One of the tiny houses on the right side looks like it is on fire, and what is the story there?  Lin reveals the details in her conversation and it is unsettling to say the least!

Yes, it was a really quite a nice way to be introduced to an artist's inner voice, expressed through her imagery, so I can recommend that you go out and see these paintings for yourself!

 

Consider Arts & Culture

 

Autumn in New York, we visit The Memorial Art Gallery

This year has been a real merry-go-round, and I did not expect it to be so difficult to comprehend how this election season would end!

We went on a visit to The Memorial Art Gallery to see the new mural in the Hurlbut Gallery, by an artist I had not heard of - Avinash Kumar.  This South Asian has created a large scale painting that  engages a viewer like me, especially because the subject matter is something I have also explored in the past.  It is bold, has geometric elements, it has a flying bird and so much more!

Avinash Kumr mural called: "Illusionary Odyssey"

******

It has now been a year since I moved my studio away from the Hungerford Building on East Main Street in Rochester -- out to my home in Fairport, New York - with fresh air and a terrific view!  As we enter the holiday season, I can think about what we just went through,  and I can imagine the past as prologue. I can also  wonder how younger artists ( for example my students who have graduated from R.I.T. ) will deal with their new reality.. everyone has to find and define their own path!

This year started out in a big way for me and my family, and how we move forward is anyone's guess.  I could share with you the way to communicate your ideas about the arts. and cultural situation here in our  region by taking a survey.  I read in the latest CITY Newspaper that there is a planning commission asking for feedback and asking our community for their help by going online to register their own ideas at:

rochesterartsplan.com

We need people to advocate for the arts!  In the visual arts - for example - who reviews some of the many shows that take place in our area?  This is one of the reasons why I write my blog...to at least call out to folks who read this note - there are people who deserve to be noticed, and they bring a richness to this region!

Making a plan is essential, and also knowing how  and when to lobby for funds to promote the arts is necessary, so we need people who can work with us creative types and negotiate the way forward!

Sculpture in my new town of Fairport, New York

by Carlos C. Perez

There are ways we can all move ahead as a community, and I can look forward to the exhibition in the fall of the members who contribute to The Rochester Contemporary show that is coming soon.  I just dropped off a framed print for the show that I call: "Re-Entry".

"Re-Entry", print by Alan Singer soon to be on exhibit at RoCo

Now before I head off to work in my studio, you might want to visit the site that Renee Rose has set up with her online magazine Explore Art.  I gave her an interview earlier this year and here is a link to see this  conversation:

https://youtu.be/BnAzJxcaogU?si=JsoTp2rRweW-3Nes

 

So Much To See

 

The "White Bridge" by John Twachtman, oil painting (c. 1900 )

at

The Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY

Recently, when I was in The Memorial Art Gallery, I happened to come across a painting called "White Bridge" by John Twachtman, painted at the beginning of the 20th Century.  It really reminded me of paintings by Lin Price that I had just seen at Axom ( 661 South Avenue, Rochester, NY ) in the South Wedge.  Lin Price seems to have a gift for creating structures in her paintings that have textures like the impressionists - and she really loves her materials!

"A Wonderful Opportunity" by Lin Price, 2016

Paintings by Lin Price evoke feelings that also have a bit of mystery attached.  There is some abstraction in the simple forms she seems to be attracted to - like the grey barn in a grey environment.  It is her form of nature with an influence of abstract expressionism that attracts a visitor...

Lin Price painting called: "John Laurie's Field,  2024

Back at The Memorial Art Gallery there have been many changes since I was there last.  Now, they have a new Director - Sarah Jesse who has replaced Mr. Jonathan Binstock  who moved on to The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. late last year.  I was pleased to see that MAG is making more of an effort to communicate with visitors, especially in the new installation "Drawing As Discovery".

30 Original works by Wendy Red Star

Even before I entered the "Drawing As Discovery" show I was able to spend time enjoying new displays including Wendy Red Star and her corral of horse paintings which are adaptations from historical ledgers. It is a real step forward to have the MAG feature works by indigenous people who were previously overlooked.  Maybe this can be traced back to G. Peter Jemison and his advocacy for the arts both locally and nationally as an artist member and leader of the Seneca Nation.

There are many features at the MAG, not the least of which is the fact that they have great pieces by a wide range of artists, and I am always finding new things to study.  as an example, I had not come across the wall work by Sol Lewitt that is now by the main doors to the galleries.  A photo does not do it justice!

Sol Lewitt, wall work

"Unfinished Business" by Shawn Dunwoody

Once inside the galleries there are other new works like the mural size piece "Unfinished Business" from Shawn Dunwoody that honors political activism on behalf of BLM ( Black Lives Matter ).  This is also a good point to take since so much of Dunwoody's work here is about drawing!

Once inside "Drawing As Discovery" I found that the stories for each work were carefully researched and it supports an effort to really engage and inform a visitor.  I have never seen many of the pieces featured in this show which includes a wonderful selection that ranges from the tiny Rembrandt  sketch of his mother to the lush pastel drawing by Degas of ballet dancers, and onto the most modern artists of today including my old office mate, Luvon Sheppard.

Edgar Degas uses pastels in this drawing of ballet dancers

"Drawing As Discovery" encourages the viewer to see the act of drawing from a variety of viewpoints.  One can use drawing as a study for larger works, or the drawing can stand by itself as the final work of art.

When I read the description of the drawing by Charles Sheeler I was surprised to learn that his materials were Conte crayons, which I have tried to use myself, but not with such accuracy as Sheeler used for this factory drawing ( see below ):

Charles Sheeler employs Conte crayon in his Ballet Mechanique

There is so much to see in this large exhibition, and I found myself reading all of the labels so I could better understand what I was experiencing.  I think that The MAG curators are really reaching out to the viewers and getting them closer to the art.  I even like that they have a little room in which you can practice your drawing skill.  This makes for a great afternoon at the museum!

Rembrandt drew his mother for this work on paper

Reading, Writing, and Railroad Street

Fairport, New York, a glorious Saturday afternoon on the Erie Canal

We arrived in Fairport, in time for an art opening, just off the Erie Canal on Railroad Street.

I have been thinking that the art gallery as a business concept is going to need some revival, and maybe we will see what can be accomplished here, in our own vicinity.

 

A profound impression had been made for us when we were at The Clark last week in western, Massachusetts. Just a wonderful new building and a great collection of artwork to see, and later when we were about to leave, I stepped into the museum bookstore. I looked through the new arrivals.

I was pleased to see that there was a new book called: "Finding A  Likeness" written by Nicholson Baker.  Now, I have read a few of his books, but I was surprised to see this one in an art museum bookstore, so I picked up a copy.  The subtitle of the book is revealing: "How I Got Somewhat Better At Art", and this new volume introduced me to a new theme in his writing - that of delving into the nuts and bolts of creating satisfying art from the basics of drawing people ( and also trees and clouds! ) using a variety of media and techniques.  

Nicholson Baker's new literature on fine art

Now, I should give my readers a bit of the back story, in that the Baker family has long been a supporter of the arts.  Nicholson's parents met in the Parson's School of Design, New York City ( where I was a guest lecturer - though I didn't know them then ). Nicholson's uncle,  David Baker was lawyer and patron of mine in New York City.  David Baker bought a number of my early artworks which gave me more confidence that I could emerge as an artist in THE BIG APPLE.  Then, when we moved upstate to Rochester, New York,  so I could teach at R.I.T., Nicholson Baker's dad was one of the first people I met in our new town. Nicholson's mom also was a friend and she had worked in New York City as a fabric designer for Ginny Eckelberry ( another family friend ).  Small World!

Back to Nicholson's book, "Finding A Likeness" - this was such fun to read and also catch up on the latest avenues one can take as a student of drawing and painting.  The story he tells reveals many details about materials that an artist can use, and there are multiple samples of how a drawing can evolve, also how one can catch the nuance of an individual face.  Having the motivation also to finish a drawing to your satisfaction is also a theme in this new book.  Even our Rochester Art Supply store gets a favorable mention in a section about pastels!

Railroad Street Artworks, is now open

I have been thinking a lot about teaching art myself and having identified myself as a Professor in the field of Fine Art I wonder how I would prepare my students for what they must face in our new economy.  Here in our town of Fairport we have a new art cooperative that might show some promise.  The gallery has just opened and they had a good crowd - with many new faces and a large selection of mostly small scale artworks for you to enjoy - and maybe even purchase!

Opening Day for Railroad Street Artworks

On a table there was a layout of  artworks that you could bid on - like a silent auction, and I wondered how long the bidding would last before a work found a buyer.  Many attractive pieces to choose from!

Make an offer for your favorite work and support the arts!

I am sure to put this gallery on my list of places to visit, and I wish them well on their endeavors!  Always  stimulating to see new works by a whole new crowd!

Photo print by Nikki Bittner

Many fine works in the opening show including this photo print by Nikki Bittner.  This looks like it was made on a day like today!  So clear and beautiful!  Now, I wonder how Nikki  got such sharp edges on everything in this print...she must have some new technique at hand!  Come and see for yourself!

 

The Clark

 

Looking off towards Acadia National Park, in Maine

Reluctant to leave this beautiful coast, we cast off from Maine, and make the big drive to western Massachusetts to go and see The Clark. We took in the sites including a boat yard at Castine and a walk along the point ( see above ) in Brooklin ( in Maine, not Brooklyn in NYC ).The fresh air was marvelous!

I had not seen The Clark in over ten years, so I was surprised when we drove in to Williamstown in western Massachusetts and parked our car to walk into the entrance.  The entire museum building has changed!

A new building greeted us and I must say that they had a brilliant idea to make-over this famous collection!  They now have a stunning reflective pool outdoors with space to sit and enjoy your lunch and inside there are spacious galleries in which to view their collections.  We didn't have time to see it all!

Winslow Homer , oil on canvas at The Clark

In the museum there is always a nice surprise right around the next corner.  The artwork is carefully selected to educate and inform the viewer....( I was surprised also that the gallery with Winslow Homer and George Inness - didn't have better lighting! ).  Some of Homer's most famous paintings are on view and I had a special interest in looking over the paintings of George Inness.  Here is a painting by George Inness at The Clark, followed by a painting by Inness that I own.

George Inness at The Clark

George Inness oil painting (in the Alan Singer collection)

The Clark has a wonderful permanent collection that goes back to Renaissance and like a textbook leads us through a short history lesson of mainly European art.  There was so much to see we didn't have time to see the exhibitions of glass borrowed from the museum in Corning, or the other temporary shows.

Sandro Botticelli at The Clark

"Virgin and Child with St. John the Baptist"

There are marvelous paintings of the past to see at The Clark, and the Botticelli above is one of the most eye-catching.This is a history lesson as well as a refresher course in painting and I found myself looking at every little detail.  This is necessary especially if one is attracted to the smaller scale compositions like the Goya painting called "Autumn" you see below:

"Autumn" by Goya

In the time we had spent at The Clark I felt refreshed and we went through the more recent compositions of the French artists which seems to be the heart of the permanent collection.  Drawn to the work of Degas and Renoir there is much to take in.  I was completely captivated by Renoir's portraits, especially the face of the young lady below ( you could almost read her mind...).

Portrait by Renoir

Renoir's Self Portrait

I am sure that we will have to come back to this museum, because we have only seen a fraction of what they have on exhibit.  I know this part of western Massachusetts has a lot to offer in the arts: music, dance and the visual arts...plus the beauty of the Berkshires!  We stepped out in the back to have a bite to eat and took in the view with their great reflecting pool and a comfortable chair for each of us.  Then it was time to get back behind the wheel and find our way home!

Taking a break and enjoying the view at The Clark, Williamstown, Massachusetts