Beall Drawings

"Master Drawings"

Lester Beall at University Gallery

Booth Building

Rochester Institute of Technology

When I was a youngster, my drawings at age twelve featured bulldozers and other Caterpillar tractors.  I sent away to the company to get pictures, and I was rewarded with glossy photos and a letter from Lester Beall encouraging my artwork.  Any kind of encouragement when you are that age means a lot, and I kept his letter, and also kept drawing.  Caterpillar actually published my art in their newsletter.  Only later did I find out that Lester Beall had the concept for a new logo that Caterpillar adopted and used on all of their products.

Lester Beall in the late 1940s

Flash forward to today, and I am now teaching drawing to my students at Rochester Institute of Technology and we are going to see the show at The University Gallery in the Booth Building of drawings by that same Lester Beall who expressed an interest in my artwork so many years ago.

On view is a slew of works on paper from an early period when Beall was in the throes of making fine art as well as fine design.  He is heavily influenced by the abstract expressionism of that time period ( think Jackson Pollock ) and he is also fascinated by the figure drawings of Matisse, among others.

Lester Beall with works on paper

Reading about how these drawings came to R.I.T., I see that the present show was curated by R. Roger Remington and Darrell Chapnick.  I know that Roger Remington wrote a biography of Lester Beall a few years back that traced the history of Beall and his influence on graphic design when it was part of the modernist movement.

Lester Beall 

at University Gallery

R.I.T.

There are many fluid figure drawings, some done with ink and brush ( and maybe a finger or two ) and there are a few  pure abstracts, and even a landscape or two in the present show.  In the back of the room is a crate in which all of these drawings were found, and a descriptive sign that lets a visitor know how these drawings came to be exhibited...and it is an interesting story.

Lester Beall 

a graphic designer with a distinct style

Lester Beall, like many other artists is partially self-taught.  He certainly had his eyes opened by great artists and practiced when he could.  He will be remembered mostly for his work as a designer and we are lucky to have many of his works in the design archive in the Wallace Library right here on campus.  Thanks to Roger Remington and Darrell Chapnick for bringing this great art to our attention.

Beall poster design

and CAT logo

Art Collecting

                                  James Havens print: "Scarlet Runner Beans"

Collection: Alan Singer

This week I learned that a new group is forming in our community to engage the topic of art collecting -  and,  you may have an interest in this subject.  There is now a website I have seen and here is the link:  www.rochesterartcollectors.org/

You can join this new group for free, and look forward to some social get-togethers to share information and maybe even get started collecting on your own.  You don't have to spend a fortune to own something that is expressive and maybe something like this even becomes essential to you.

Arthur Singer, gouache on board

Collection: Alan Singer

I have been thinking about art collectors, and I am thankful for their support since I have been involved in selling my art since I was 15 years old.  I have also been buying artworks from time to time, and I think of the pieces I now have in my collection which I am so thankful for - and I look at them everyday.  Some of my favorite things I bought at The Rochester Contemporary Art Center's 6 x 6 shows, so I didn't have to spend much to get something truly unique.  If you haven't had a chance to see the 6 x 6 shows, there are literally hundreds of works to choose from, all at the same $20 price tag( and you get to support a terrific organization ! ).

Northwest Coast Indian art

I took the day off to be in Ithaca, New York, and I went up to the Herbert F. Johnson Museum on the Cornell University campus.  A great museum like that often has artworks given to them by donors and collectors and this visit I took note of that.    My late mother-in-law had a gallery in Ithaca, New York called "New Visions", and so I would go there all the time to see the shows she would put on for the public.  She travelled regularly to bring new works to her gallery and she would feature shows that would have art by native Americans, or new works from Seatle, or New Orleans.  She let me curate two shows from New York City artists I knew well.

Picasso cubist work , 1915

At the Johnson Museum  they had a large works on paper show, .  So many artists, so little time! There I saw a wonderful Picasso cubist work, and a suave Matisse drawing of his daughter-in-law "Teeny"done in charcoal circa 1940.  Downstairs there was also a large abstract expressionist painting from Norman Bluhm  and many fine works in their study collections.

Painting by Norman Bluhm

At the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, they have a selection of 20th century art that you can really spend some quality time with.  I read about Arthur Dove,  who grew up in Geneva, New York, and later became a student at Cornell University.  Dove had an influence on painters for many years because his paintings had a mixture of realism with abstraction.  It is interesting that many of his paintings ( some on view in the present show ) are no larger than a postcard.

Arthur Dove

at

The Herbert F.Johnson Museum

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

So, I drove down the hill and parked to go over and view the show I SEE YOU  ( IC / CU ) at The Ink Shop on the second floor of the CSMA Building on State Street.  Here was a wonderful opportunity to see prints by up-an-coming students from the local colleges and university world.

Hannah Lang, lithograph

at

The Ink Shop

I liked the direction that Hannah Lang took with her textured prints.  They are  nuanced, colorful and abstract - maybe they are details from a larger world we have yet to experience fully...

At the entrance to the show there were a handful of smaller prints, and then there was this one seen below,  of a drawer full of bird skins - orioles.  what a surprising subject for a print!

I SEE YOU  ( IC / CU )

at

The Ink Shop

Hot Spots

At Gallery r

100 College Avenue

Rochester, New York

solo show for Dongyi Wu

During this winter I like to go out and see art shows and look for something new, and this warms me up.  I look for artwork to take me to a new place, or show me something I have never seen before.  Here are a few of the hot spots:

R.I.T. operates Gallery r on College Avenue and is now presenting a solo exhibition for Dongyi Wu.  Full disclosure: I serve on her Thesis committee, and I am so supportive of what she has accomplished while she has been here in Rochester.  

The artist, Dongyi Wu

at her opening

The show is called "Wandering in Deep Deep Dreams" and as she says -"it is more important to raise questions than seek answers".  Here the mainstream of this work is sculptural and some of her pieces are wearable art.  At the top of this post is a black and white sculptural work that reminds me of  the spirit of Eva Hesse and the dimensional art of Louise Bourgeois.  The size is modest but the effect is  rather large for the diverse range of Dongyi Wu's talents.

Gallery r presents artist Dongyi Wu "Wandering in Deep, Deep Dreams"

I was told that this interesting work which is a cascade of gloves made out of light color fabric tells a tale out of Chinese culture about the red fingerprints that stand out even in this photo.  The way the fingerprints are constructed speaks about the fortunes of people going about their lives.  Stories are told through their fingerprints about whether they will survive with good fortune or not. 

Dongyi Wu, necklace

Dongyi Wu is also a jeweler, someone who takes her fashions seriously.  She creates wearable art and I think that she has a fine future ahead as she has already won some recognition for her constructions.

Painting by Danny Allen, 1974

In another new show - this one actually has four parts - we see the art of a fellow who is no longer alive, but we see the results of this largely self taught artist, Danny Allen.  Here is a different imagination at work, one which speaks more directly about gender, and about the gay community here in town.  The Art and Life of Danny Allen is being presented in part at Rochester Contemporary Art Center, the surreal image above is but one example of  this artist's work.

"Drifters" by Howard Koft

at Mercer Gallery, Monroe Community College

Howard Koft has been instrumental in curating shows in and around Rochester for a while, and there is a presentation on now at The Mercer Gallery on the campus of Monroe Community College.  From now to February 22, 2018, you can see: "Regrouping for a Respite from the Doldrums" which includes seven working artists from our area.  I enjoyed the local color of Dustan Luke whose painting "The Blue Bridge" is featured on the postcard for the show.  Howard Koft's artwork in this show called "Drifters" ( above ) is an engaging digital production beautifully printed representing wave patterns in a subtle range of color.

Dustan Luke's "The Blue Bridge"

at The Mercer Gallery, Monroe Community College

While these area shows are going on you may want to see what is happening at The Memorial Art Gallery.  The videos from Bill Viola being presented are called "Martyrs".  They are not easy to look at.  The videos show representations of torture, so if you are at all bothered by such images..take care they are cautionary, and call attention to extreme measures taken against fellow human beings.  Judging from the daily news,  even Bill Viola's art form hasn't changed the minds of those who would carry out acts of violence.

Rosalyn Engelman, paintings in the Lockhart Gallery

Memorial Art Gallery

Rochester, New York

To end this post on a more positive note, just down the hall from Bill Viola we have paintings and an interview with Rosalyn Engelman who has taken to heart the poetry and calligraphy of the Japanese poet Koetsu (1558-1637), and she gives new life to the poems by using them as her subject matter.  The paintings are light and ethereal, maybe just the right thing for you after viewing the Bill Viola show.

Contemporary Consciousness

Rochester Contemporary Art Center

NO SOIL BETTER:

THE

ART AND THE LIVING LEGACY OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS

A celebration of Frederick Douglass is now on view at Rochester Contemporary Art Center and it is part of a larger enterprise reminding us of the accomplishments of this great man.  The title of the present exhibition "No Soil Better" comes from a speech that Douglass wrote many years ago, and it holds forth the promise that here, in these United States we have the best time and place to make a difference for our fellow human beings, no matter what race or religion or ethnic background they come from.

Portrait of Frederick Douglass

by

Thievin Stephen

At the entrance to the show there is a fine painted portrait by Thievin Stephen opposite a little library of books featuring the writings and speeches of Frederick Douglass, and I am looking forward to reading these books in the future.  I want to know more about his time and his effect on this country.  The subtitle of this present exhibition is: "Art & The Living Legacy of Frederick Douglass" and that presents the opportunity for you to view artwork from 12 working artists and see how they come to terms with this famous man.

Opening night hand shake

I noticed an actor having his picture taken during the opening and I thought that this fellow was doing a very credible job - a performance artist impersonating Douglass - in front of a painting of Douglass.....

Reading room

as you enter

and the 

Frederick Douglass Monument

Also as you enter the show there are photos of the statue that memorializes Frederick Douglass, soon to be moved to a new location here in Rochester.  Artists, like my office mate Luvon Sheppard respond to what Douglass wrote, and what he stood for.  Luvon is well regarded for his watercolors made over the years in tribute to Douglass, and there are a group of them presented here.  Luvon's paintings include quotes from Douglass that echo the theme of this exhibition.  Carefully conceived, the portraits are made in layers and have a friendly but earnest glow.

Watercolor by Luvon Sheppard

Words also come up in many other parts of this exhibition.  Meleko Mokgosi has pencil drawings that set Douglass's statements on paper along with commentary and you can learn a lot by stopping to read all parts of these drawings.  In another section of this exhibition a large painting by Shawn Dunwoody appears to be at a demonstration with protesters holding signs that say: " I Am A  Man".  A fight has ensued with one man down, while the other hovers over him with a bright halo around the man left standing.  In big letters at the bottom of the canvas - the word is spelled out: RESIST - which seems to come up a lot now around the Trump Presidency.

Painting by Shawn Dunwoody

One might say that recognition of racial and social problems comes with the territory, and our hope is that there will be constructive efforts made to deal with these problems.  Art can point to these trends, but we still as a constituency have to organize to do what we can to deal with our problems. The visual arts can respond to social pressures - this is ripe material for artists of all stripes to wrestle with.  

Painting by Rodney Taylor

An arsonist's fire consumed property that Frederick Douglass owned and Rodney Taylor sums up the terrifying picture in the image above.  Connections to the time and environment in which Frederick Douglass lived is important, and with Caitlin Cass, the projections on the wall tell it like it was at the time.

Drawing and projections by Caitlin Cass

Around the corner there is a large and  recent drawing from Olivia Kim of a dancer, and here I am thinking more of  the exercise of the freedom of expression, but I am less sure of the connection to Douglass.  I think of Olivia and her engagement with the dancers in the Garth Fagan troupe and her drawing is full of life and vitality, and a sense of relief and hopes for the future.

Olivia Kim at the Opening of "No Soil Better"

at 

Rochester Contemporary Art Center,

Rochester, New York

now thru March 18, 2018

What an inspiration to have an exhibition dedicated to Frederick Douglass.  I first heard of this celebration listening to Evan Dawson and Blue Cease in a dialog on radio station WXXI.  When I went to see the show I found many interesting artworks built around Douglass's life and writings which still have great relevance today.

Poster take away 

Juried Show

Rochester Art Club

A juried show

at St. John Fisher College

Joseph Skalny Welcome Center

If you are an artist, how many times have you entered a juried show?  Like me, getting rejected is always tough on the ego, but a necessary part of the give and take in the art world. Will being rejected change anything that you do in the studio?  Probably not.  When you step up to play, you can expect a bit of rough and tumble, and you can take that into account if you are asked ( as I was ) to jury a show.

302-B  "Stand With Fist", oil on canvas

The Rochester Art Club asked me to look over a large raft of art work this week and I made my choices on the spot, and then had a chance to review my picks and say something about the works that I juried into the show.  This time around I took careful notes, and wrote some reviews along the way.  Also, I felt the organization of this operation was very carefully orchestrated and they even asked if wouldn't mind writing up a critique.  I have juried many shows, and this one was no different in some respects - the quality in general was very high, and the artists in the RAC have their accomplishments to be proud of.  This is a club you would like to join!

More sculpture please....

The judge ( me in this case ) should just look at the art and not care about the signatures, to be impartial.  I look for evidence of commitment to the work at hand, and maybe  I will see something new and different.  I have been involved with visual art my entire life and I have seen my share of giants and nothing-burgers, and have even created some of them myself.

222-A  "Surfside, Winter", mixed media and intaglio

In Rochester, I am always surprised that I don't see as much sculpture as painting, but then again, there is the problem of storing and carting sculpture around that you must contend with if you are an artist.  Another concern I have has to do with the generations of people represented in the shows I have juried...and in particular - where are the younger participants?  I hope the art clubs actively look for younger folks to join the society supporting a younger generation coming up.

258-B "Little Miss Furia", pastel

In this particular exhibition which will be opening at St. John Fisher College, my feeling was one of inspiration - I really got into the imagery that people here pursued in their art.  Some of these artists I have seen before, though not these particular pieces,  so it was all new to me.  When I was jurying the show, the art works are identified by number, so I was never really aware of who did what, I just looked at the evidence.  It was fun making selections, and I thought it was interesting that several artists had made animal portraits of a very high quality.  You expect a certain number of human portraits, but a portrait of a Lemur?  That was unusual... especially since I thought this was an oil painting, but up close I could see it was a pastel.

237-A  Thawing Creek

I am glad to see that people go outdoors to paint.  There are several very respectable painters out in the field today, and they remind me of the artists I studied with including Edwin Dickinson, Wolf Kahn, and Paul Resika.  There is a renewal of interest in this form of art these days, so folks, keep at it!

237-B  Old Shed

I did make a comment that I feel people are too dependent on working from photos, and while that may serve as a reference, I think it is more important to work directly - and challenge yourself to see and feel in three dimensions.  So if you have a chance, go and see the art work for yourself at the Joseph Skalny Welcome Center, opening this coming Friday.  I hope you like the choices I made.

Rochester Art Club at St. John Fisher College