Just To Say

Catherine Smith"Big Night at RoCo"

( SOLD )

Vitality is on view at Rochester Contemporary (RoCo) and it seems that we are lucky to have such a vibrant art community!  This annual show gives one a cause for hope in this year of political division and deadly serious world news...  Thinking of what people are capable of - not only the bad stuff, but the creative impulse,  that is what keeps me afloat.

Time to step in and see what is in store.  I know there are only a few days left to see what the members have brought forth.  I am immediately reminded of the poetry of WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, when I read the sign from Judy Livingston about art and design.

Art & Design by Judy Livingston

( SOLD )

WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS tells us in his poem about "The Orchestra", that "birds twitter now anew

But a design surmounts their twittering.  It is a design of a man that makes them twitter.  It is a design.

And all along in this poem it is about our efforts in a creative mode that makes an exhibition like this so enjoyable.  The variety and capacity of the gallery to offer something for everyone.

33rd Annual Members Exhibition now at Rochester Contemporary

137 East Avenue, Rochester, NY

When I walked into RoCo I found many pieces on the walls ( over 400 ) and there was a pussycat padding around on the floor.  RoCo Director, Bleu Cease told me the story of how the cat came to the art gallery, and I thought - "How Unique".  

Our art community can provide something for all ages including children, so just look for Dina Toto's fabric work below, or Craig Wilson's sculptural bird ( below that )...

Dina Noto ( fabric construction )

Craig Wilson's "Morning Glory"

Welded steel

Some artworks in this annual exhibition point to our future, as in the framed photo called: "Save Seeds;Save The World" which has a power as an image and a concept  with a bigger horizon.  Talking about a big horizon I also found the painting "Three White Birds" to be quite engaging ( first I saw Two white birds...).

Save Seeds; Save The World

"Three White Birds" by Hayley Davis

I would love to walk around the gallery and find out what attracts you!  There is a wonderful variety of styles to look at and forms and colors to contemplate.  I was attracted to artworks by people who I know, and many new names that I found in the exhibition.

Congratulations to all of those members who support RoCo and the efforts made to keep the art community involved and active.  We owe a lot to our community for their support and this makes Rochester a hub of activity and engagement! 

Richard Figueras work "Untitled"

 

 

Winter Wonders

 

Introducing "OUR NATURE" to the Rochester community.

A wonderful show with art & design from the Singer family:

Arthur and Judy, Paul & Alan

This winter I have been working on the presentation and curation of a major  exhibition and if you are in the area, please come out to see what we have done.  In the Mascioli Gallery at The Rundel Library located on 115 South Avenue in downtown Rochester, New York, we have a far ranging show filled with art and design that I think is unique.

My father and mother were both working artists, and they also had their artwork published in books over many years.  In this exhibition my brother Paul, who is a graphic designer, contributes a timeline that will help orient the viewer to the chronology of when important steps in their careers occurred.

Timeline helps orient the gallery-goer  in the Mascioli Gallery

We call this show "OUR NATURE" because it says something about the family dynamic and also about our interests in portraying many aspects of our natural surroundings.  My father, born in 1917 got started early, because he loved to draw the birds and animals that he saw when he visited  The Bronx Zoo.  My father grew up in Washington Heights - on Audubon Avenue in Manhattan!  Later he met my mom in college at The Cooper Union and they married before the war years in the early 1940s.

The Ghost Army was a battalion dedicated to deception in World War ll

Of my father, Arthur Singer, it could be said that because of his creative abilities as an artist, it saved his life!  During World War ll my father was drafted and served his country in Europe as part of the now famous "Ghost Army".  This battalion was top secret during the war, and they practiced deception on the battlefields.  

At the opening of our show in the Mascioli Gallery, our guest speaker, Rick Beyer, spoke about what the Ghost Army did, and how they performed their magic.

Rick Beyer, author and documentary film maker

for "the Ghost Army" of World War ll

Once the war had ended, my father and mother got down to raising a family, and we grew up on Long Island.  My father and mother embarked on their careers - my father was in advertising during the day and worked on his paintings and illustrations at night.  My mom was a painter, and textile artist, and she was the one to make the meals and do the gardening - which later became her passion.

In the  exhibition "OUR NATURE". we focus in on the books that the family has produced.  Early on in the 1950s, my dad had a contract with Golden Books, and he produced over many years a dozen guide books and big picture books like his "Birds of the World".

Arthur Singer's early published work included his "Birds of the World"

My brother Paul Singer, and I watched our parents work and we tried doing art ourselves,  learning to be patient and seeing the results.  The medium matters, as we found that color pencils could do a lot, and that paints and brushes needed discipline!

My mom worked with anthropologist Sonia Bleeker on her books about native peoples and below is a cover of a book published in the mid-1960s.  

My mom's given name was Edith, but the family called her Judy!

My brother and I also produced books after we graduated from college.  My brother is the graphic design person who worked on our poster for this show, and also the great timeline which you will see, leads a viewer through the family history from early in the 20th century to the present.  My brother, Paul, also as a designer worked on numerous guide books and also wrote about my father in his biography of Arthur Singer, a Master of Wildlife Art, published by RIT Press.

So, we invite you to come and see our show in Rochester, and you will learn much more about the artwork we made, and the impact we have had on our community, and I may even plan to do a guided tour through the show!  Here is a link to my website where we have a video that takes you through part of the show, so enjoy!If you would like to get a better idea of what our exhibition is about, I attach a link for a short video walk-through, and also the talk that Rick Beyer gave at our opening.

Here is the link:  https://singerarts.com/alan/exhibitions/

 

 

Some More Than Others

 

New Studio view in the Egypt Hills, Perinton, NY

As this year draws to a close, I have to say that this season really stands out for me in a number of ways.  This is a year of change for all of us, and I first consider the way the globe is heating up, and here in upstate New York ( see above ) we are having warm weather and it is WINTER!  What is going on?

With great luck my wife and I haven't gotten Covid, or RSV and  the flu so we've missed all that so far, and we have to be thankful that we are not living in war zone!  The daily news has some horrors to deal with all the same!  This year has seen some dislodgment for me as I had to move out from The Hungerford Building in Rochester, after more than thirty years on the fourth floor....

My old studio space, fourth floor of the Hungerford Building

When we moved the studio it took months to pack up the art supplies and paintings, and now I have to unpack!  So most of this year will be about change!  For me I have a new studio view that is all natural as you can see at the top of this post.  I did like the light however in my studio space in the Hungerford, but the rent was too high!

Looking forward there is much to be thankful for and not the least of it has to do with a new exhibition we are planning to open in January, 2024 called: "Our Nature".  This is a rare opportunity to bring together almost ninety items to be displayed in the Mascioli Gallery of the Rundel Library in downtown Rochester, New York.

Opening Tuesday, January 16th, 2024 at 4:00. pm 

Mascioli Gallery, Central Library, Rochester, NY

Artwork by my father, Arthur Singer will be presented along with pieces by my mother, Judy Singer, and brother Paul, along with my work.  Since this is a library show there will also be a focus on the books we have  produced over a period of almost 65 years!  Speaking of books, I am also happy to report that I will be having a launch of my new edition of "WheelHouse" - an art book published by ArtVoices Art Books and I can sign a copy for you if you are at the opening!  Below you will see the cover of my new book which I am proud to say has taken years to bring to the public.

New edition, hardback book called "WheelHouse" 

featuring artwork from my studio starting back in the early 1980s all the way to the present..

So, there is much more work for me to do, especially since I  still have to unpack and organize my new studio space, and as far as I know, most everything arrived in good shape.  I don't have to go far from home to my new workspace, it is only a few feet away from my door, and it has a lot of potential!

New Studio at home in the Egypt Hills

So for now, I want to say that I will be getting back to a schedule and that I hope to be able to visit people and see other shows that I can write about!  So Have  a GREAT NEW Year!  2024,  Here we come!

Come Into The Library

 

12th Annual Juried International Exhibit

Once the weather gets cold, it is time to come into the Library to see this very creative show which features many hand-made artist's books and interesting kinds of paper sculptures from  around the country and abroad.  These books tell a different kind of story, many of them are not dependent on an engaging text, but more often they use the nature of the book to expand upon.  

Elaine Downing: 2022: A Diary of Temperatures

The creative impulse could take the notion of folded paper and make it sing a new song. Here is a grouping of  colorful fan like sculpted paper pieces that  cross over to another land -maybe of palm trees in a breeze.

Rosemary Rae

Rosemary Rae from El Cajon, California creates a fantasy with sculpted pieces of Medieval Art that spring out towards you in a wild grouping.  Color is not an issue here, but rather shape and form - taking a two dimensional flat surface and populating it with ancient art.  This has an historical  look backwards and forwards.

Percy So from Hong Kong gets into classical geometry in "Conversations with a Stone.   I am  wondering whether these are models for something much larger.  Scale does matter here, and most of the works by these artists could be held in the palm of your hand.  

"Unsweetened Flaxmilk" by Ben Rubin

It is rewarding to see one of our graduates from R.I.T. up on these walls, and I enjoy the look of this sprawling paper craft and the stories that unfold.  This work is like a layout for a multipage journal with a sense of humor.

"Garden Herbs" by Laurel Rogers  & Jennifer Scheuer's "Silent Conversations

These artist books remind me that years ago I worked with cyanotypes to make my own books but I did not get into the fancy cutting that Jennifer establishes here in this "Silent Conversations".  I like the depth that references the space of a room, and in fact it turns a book into a room!

There is so much to see in this show that I hope you take the time to go over to the library to see this show which runs to January 6th, 2024.

And I want to say that I am very pleased to write that we have the show that follows on the heels of Art of the Book.  

"Our Nature" is a  exhibition with a wide ranging number of pieces of art - some are illustrations from more than fifty different titles that the Singer family has produced, and we are still at it!

We will also be having a guest speaker coming to The Rundel Library in downtown Rochester,NY.

Come on over January 16th, 2024 to hear Rick Beyer talk about "The Ghost Army" of WWll

Rick is a documentary film-maker who did the PBS video on the "Artists of Illusion"

The Ghost Army of WWll

Rick Beyer will speak at 4:30 pm

Post Thanksgiving News

 

Watch Out

My Hungerford Clear Out

We have much to be thankful for...

This year has been disruptive, not only international events ( and wars ), but local ones as well. It wasn't that long ago that I remember sitting in at a meeting at Rochester Contemporary and listening to the talk about artists and others who were leaving the Hungerford Building because of a steep rise in the rent bill each month.  I didn't want to think about what it would be like if I decided to move too... But I no longer had a lease on my space. ( see the photo above ).  The new owners of the building didn't offer me a lease and so I had no legal rights to be in the space, just paying a much larger bill!

I Know that rental property is a business and I have been a loyal customer for over 30 years!  But imagine you are a business owner - would you treat a customer this way?  And there was no explanation offered as to why there was no lease.... So eventually I decided it was time to go..  Now, five months later I have a studio space that is close to home!  ( see below )

To move out I put everything in boxes..

Luckily we have a little building on our property that absorbed most of what I had stored in my studio at The Hungerford, so we are lucky!  But what about those folks who were forced to move and don't have this kind of extra space?

It will take a lot of effort to sort out what is in all those boxes!  But we have a lot to be thankful for... like the fact that I now have a new project and it is called organization!

Also I want to say that the show must go on, and in that context - I can invite you to see my painting in the Annual Members show at RoCo which will start  this December, coming soon!  I have a painting I call "Dynamic Equilibrium" which is found in the kind of geometric abstraction that I have been working with these past few years..  ( see below )

"Dynamic Equilibrium"

acrylic Gouache on board

So I am thankful for being part of this large exhibit at RoCo which has over 400 participating artists.  We do have a vibrant community, even with the events that happened at The Hungerford Building... If you had wondered why I have not been posting to this Blog, I also have another project which I want to talk about and that is a very large new exhibition that will be presented in the new year at The Rundel Library, which will have artwork and so much more from my family.  When I say my family, I mean my father and mother who were both artists, and my brother and I.  The title I gave this show is called: "Our Nature"

My mom, Judy Singer and dad, Arthur Singer

Yes, there is a lot to be thankful for even with major disruptions!  Like I can thank my parents for bringing us up with great care, and instilling in us the respect we have for others in our environment.  As you will see if you come out to view our exhibition, when it opens - we have been a productive family of artists.

And I will write more about this show as we get closer to the Opening which will take place on January 16th, 2024.

Finally, I want to Thank you, if you are reading this, and I hope to be back writing more posts about the visual arts in western New York!  We have so much going on here, and it is my pleasure to serve as part of this larger community!

Around We Go

 

Axom Home in the South Wedge

661 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620

Planning to see some art by my friend Tarrant Clements at Axom in the South Wedge and I couldn't have picked a better day!  Skies were clear and temperature was moderate, and when we stepped into the gallery I found myself captivated by an artist's effort to express a colorful and generous concept of abstraction that maintains a sense of humor ( which is quite unusual in this era of Pandemic and Political Polarization ).

Tarrant Clements sculpture "JJ 47"

at Axom 

Some new features in Tarrant's artwork include her use of collage onto the surface of her paintings and this adds a texture that is as clear as it is complex.  The sense of humor that I mention comes from the fact that many of these pieces ( painting and sculpture ) have implied movement in forms that want to shake and rattle.  One often doesn't see forms in sculpture that have a nervous tick unless they are animated with a motor drive, but Tarrant's works often have a swerve or a curve that casts a shadow which then becomes part of the composition.

Tarrant Clement's sculptures of a modest size..at Axom

Many of the sculptural pieces presented here are modest in size and could be models for a much larger manifestation.  A poster here in my office in Fairport reminds me of the giant sculptural works presented by artists like Richard Serra, but I also know that large scale art often presents large scale problems like the expense of materials and cost of moving these things around!  Of course, what I love about sculpture is that it exists in the same three dimensional space that we all do, and it seems to have  a life force because of that condition.

Tarrant identifies this painting as "MM 34"

Tarrant's paintings on the other hand are a bit more intellectual - in the sense that you have to really look at it and read into it this artist's intentions. Tarrant does not go in for literary titles for her works - rather she institutes a system of initials and numbers to identify each work. Sometimes other artists will show their intent by giving their works a title that tells you something descriptive.  When I look at a painting and find something active and attractive I wonder how the painting was made... Did it start out as a sketch, or did it start out from a color preference, or even a mistake of sorts?  Something here reminds me of the prints on paper that Tarrant would make, and I also wonder how she got started using collage elements that look like fabric clippings..  The environment at Axom also suggests that her works look great with furniture around like you would have at home, and that is very stimulating!

Tarrant Clements "Chasing My Muse" at Axom Gallery

through July 1, 2023

Later in the week I went over to The Rundel Library to look over  the Anthony Mascioli Gallery show dedicated to 150 years at Lollypop Farm which is just down to road from us who live in the Egypt Hills in Fairport.  This gallery space is is a real gem and it allows one to present a timeline along with artifacts that comment on the history of an institution that is kind to animals.  Walk around the show and find evidence of services that are provided to our community and certainly for the animals that they protect.

A show at The Rundel Library shares the long history of Lollypop Farm

I am also interested in conservation and in issues that come up when dealing with birds and animals.

Many people know Lollypop Farm as a place to find a pet or to just take a walk around the spacious grounds.  Since a lot of my early works have to do with illustrating wildlife when I worked for publishers in New York City, I am made aware of many of the environmental issues that are revealed by this show.

Rundel Library in downtown Rochester, New York

In the coming winter I am planning to curate a show for the Anthony Mascioli Gallery space that will include the artworks and published books of my family members, my father and mother, Arthur Singer and Judy Singer, and myself and my brother.  We have all produced a variety of books during our lives and careers so I think it will be an interesting show and it will give me a meaningful project to work on between now in the early summer and next winter.  Wish me luck!

Spring Things

 

By the World Trade site on West Side Highway, New York City

in April, 2023

We had a quick car trip to New York City to pick up a package of my father's artwork that we plan to donate later this year and on the way home we see this beautiful scene and my wife Anna quickly made this photo!  And on we drove...

The entrance to The Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, New York

Once we were settled back at home, I made it my business to go over to The Memorial Art Gallery to check in and see what the new spring season has to offer, and I was SO glad I did!  There is a lot to catch up with especially the Finger Lakes juried show and a selection of works from Joan Lyons - an important figure here in the Rochester area.

Joan Lyons has been creatively using photographic techniques and combining them with a wide range of materials as can be seen in the numerous examples selected for this retrospective look at her work.  A descriptive wall label in this special exhibition introduces you to the artist and her view that different ideas of making her artwork have brought her to new ways of expressing herself and she breaks away from what you might expect from a photographer.

Selections of art by Joan Lyons at MAG

Yes, some of Joan Lyons work is about portraiture, but there is a wider context that she establishes... Joan may make a wall mural of a sequence of images that you would not expect, or she might print on a silky fabric that has a certain allure.  Lyons tells a story with her work that may document the simple pleasures of the backyard, or takes you to a political demonstration that really makes you feel the case being made.

Joan Lyons prints on silky fabric

Before going in to see the Finger Lakes exhibit I stopped to admire a new piece on loan from Shawn Dunwoody called: " Unfinished Business".  I got a wide view of an acrylic painting on canvas that looks like it could be ripped from a newspaper account of demonstrations and street activism following the death of Daniel Prude here in Rochester.  Shawn has been making the case here in town and he is having an impact...

"Unfinished Business"...details from a acrylic painting by Shawn Dunwoody

68th Rochester Finger Lakes Exhibition on now thru August 6th, 2023

Molly Donovan served as the juror for this show where she selected from over 800 submissions by 294 artists, and so we have the greatest respect for those whose works were finally chosen.  You may know some of these artists, and then there are always the nice surprises of seeing works new to the neighborhood.

Stream Crossing by Jean Gerow a fabric work

If you like what you see in this show you can vote for your favorite work ( I know I did! ).  Stepping into the show I stopped to look at an interesting fabric work by Jean Gerow simply called "Stream Crossing".  I really like the textures and the semi-abstract nature of this art.  I had a similar feeling about the twin paintings from Phyllis Bryce Ely that she calls "Lake Ontario's Icy Grip".

Lake Ontario's Icy Grip by Phyllis Bryce Ely

My eye was caught by a unique sculptural piece by Jennifer Hecker called: " Rain Maker" which you can see here in my photo but it doesn't do the work justice..!

"Rain Maker" by Jenifer Hecker

I think about interesting invention in technique or materials and I get drawn in to see the details like in the painting that is a tribute to the likes of Muhammad Ali on view here as well. This painting is called of "Bees & Butterflies" by Ya'qub Shabazz.  Step in close to read the little quips painted in the work made last year.

Bees & Butterflies by Ya'qub Shabazz

I thought it was great to see a new work from the artist Unique Fair-Smith  who was outstanding even when he was our student at RIT.  Here he is represented by a portrait of a sober looking lady at a table still life with glassware so beautifully painted ( you need a lot of patience to do this ).

"At The Table", oil on panel by Unique Fair-Smith

Before you leave the show step over to see the photo by Walter Colley - it is so PEACEFUL!

 

Walter Colley

Before I left The Memorial Art Gallery I stopped in to see the show called "In Praise of Trees" just down the hall.  It is full of woodcuts  -and these prints are made by Naoko Matsubara who is about the same age as Joan Lyons who I wrote about earlier on... and these woodblock prints were a real inspiration!

Poplars , a woodcut by Naoko Matsubara

So this is the new spring season, and I wonder if The Memorial Art Gallery has made any progress in finding a new Director,  now that Mr. J. Binstock has taken his new position in Washington, D.C.....?

I guess we will find out later!

On now through August 6, 2023, Check Gallery hours...