"Process & Purpose, 2019"
Curated by Alan Singer
for
RIT City Art Space
Liberty Pole Plaza, Rochester, New York
I am a printmaker and painter and it has been a very busy time for me, - now it is August and I must begin to prepare my classes at Rochester Institute of Technology. Before I get down to that task I can report that we had a very fine artist reception on August 2nd for a show I have curated called: "Process & Purpose, 2019". This new exhibition is dedicated to printmakers and features eight regional artists with over thirty prints on display in this rather spacious gallery right near Liberty Pole Plaza in the heart of Rochester, New York!
"Razzle Dazzle" by Sarah Kinard
Of the eight artists, including Eileen Bushnell, Sarah Kinard, Shane Durgee, Kumi Korf, Craig Mains, Nick Ruth, Minna Resnick, and myself, a few artists are just starting their career like Sarah Kinard seen above. Others like myself have been at it for over fifty years. We get to see a variety of techniques put to work in the service of artistic expression. In our present show I prepared wall labels that allow each artist to say something about how they develop their images; what their process is and this helps inform a visitor who stops to see the artwork and may not know what goes into making a print.
Red Back Yard by Alan Singer
I found out from Minna Resnick that her process might include lithography and use some images that are in the public domain. In one of my own prints ( above ) included in our show, I blend a photograph I made through a red filter with some mathematical forms I built on my computer, and then under the pressure of my etching press a transfer print was made which I hope leaves a good impression!
"Process & Purpose, 2019" at RIT City Art Space
thru August 24th, 2019
Our show runs through August 24th, so you have time to see our exhibition if you have not ventured into the city recently. Also on view - another show featuring prints from a wider selection of artists - "The Art of the Print" now at Phillips Fine Art and Frame, 1115 East Main Street in the Hungerford Building. Warren Phillips selected these prints and there you will find gorgeous art from Japan, with woodblock prints by Toyokuni across from classics by American, John James Audubon.
"The Art of the Print" at Phillips Fine Art and Frame
1115 East Main Street, Hungerford Building
Rochester, NY
There is a fine group of prints here including one from Wassily Kandinsky that was originally published in an issue of VERVE Magazine that came out of France in the mid- 20th century. Next to that is a rather rugged Picasso from late in his career. I was standing in the gallery when another print - a beautiful Nicolas De Stael was sold to a collector..
Colorful print by De Stael
"The Art of the Print" will continue at Phillips Fine Art & Frame through August 27th, so this is a good time to consider prints and printmaking as a valuable art form.
On my reading list: by Jack Whitten ( 1939-2018 )
This summer I have been reading "Notes from the Woodshed" by Jack Whitten, - a painter who I met years ago when I was a student at The Cooper Union School of Art. Jack was teaching painting then and there, and I would see him from time to time at Cooper. Had I known more about him, I might have taken his class! Now we have his published journals to read, and it is worth your time and effort to find this gem.
Painter, Jack Whitten in his studio
Jack Whitten was an African American and his writing is all about his philosophy and his progress in the New York City art world when there were few opportunities for people of color to move forward with their artwork - in a commercial sense. The competition has always been fierce - to have your work recognized - and at least Jack Whitten attained some stature in the field, and this is a good cause to re-evaluate his art if you are not familiar with it. Take a look for this book, and check out his art online!
