Chris Succo at Journal Gallery Brooklyn NY

Of the few exhibitions I witnessed while in NYC for this visit. I knew that two of them were high on my desirable list. One was Chris Succo at The Journal Gallery in Williamsburg. Photos all with my iPhone 4, which doesn't have the best white balance.

I first learned of Succo's work from an online article about him and his work. To see someone who seemed so obsessed with white paint was quite interesting to me in this age. So much so that he even has his own custom white made for him.

These paintings are a group of 7 large paintings in the front room and a suite of small paintings in the back room. The hanging of this exhibition was very well planned and executed in my eyes. Thankfully the light was able to diffuse in such a way by being so close to the ceiling that it made it feel like it was almost all lit by natural light. The people behind The Journal Gallery really have shows their passion for making one of the best spaces for viewing art in Brooklyn.

The main painting in the back wall of the main viewing room is quite the showpiece for the exhibition. Filled like the other landscape painting in the show with his famous signature in black aerosol paint. But then counterpointed with a glazing of white over top, done in a manner very similar, if not exactly similar to that of Gerhard Richter. Who is known to him for doing this technique. My knowledge of art history tells me it was done many years before by David Diao and Jack Whitten, but both of those painters did the technique in their own way. Which is what Succo accomplishes here, his own riff on the squeegee method.

Remember you can click on the images and see it's larger size.

The more portrait oriented paintings were filled with mystery. A mystery that discussed to me, Succo's love for painting, and his love of history. Which I saw in the catalog for the exhibition. The man has got one heck of a library in his studio. Enough to make any artist jealous. As my eyes danced over the calm but once violent surfaces, I began to notice the way Succo signs his work. Remember, this was my first time witnessing the work in person. My mind immediately went to another of my favorite painters...Robert Ryman. A painter who signed almost all his work in such a way, that if you looked hard enough you could always find his signature. Succo's work was in that same manner in these works. I even caught myself taking pics of all the signatures I could find from one painting in the images below...found 6.

I began counting Succo's signature within the painting below. Counted 6 signatures.

Playing with surfaces is always something that is of interest to me in painting and these paintings kept me interested for quite the period of time. I usually don't spend that much time in a gallery but this day was definitely different for me.

Usually in my viewing of paintings, when it comes to large work such as this, I usually see the painting accompanied by a thicker stretcher, this was definitely not the case in these paintings. I loved how thin the stretchers were and how it allowed the work to sink into the walls, almost giving it a fresco effect.

In the back room are a series of 12 paintings which I would refer to as "For the love of pleasure in painting". Very happy work that asks you to dare him to not have fun while painting. I can imagine these bringing their new adoptees much pleasure in their lives. Within these works you can clearly, and sometimes not so clearly, see his signature strokes. Which definitely set him apart from others who make this type of "reckless abandon" painting. Each work is also cleverly dated IN the painting. Lush surfaces and even more lush colorings tell me that if you spend some time in this room, it'll bring you out of your funk.

The exhibition DRIVE will be on view until the 21st of June. So if you have been tempted by my talk, head on down and swim in it for yourself.

Oil Sticks and flattened out wood pulp...

Lately on top of my working on my paintings. I have been focusing again on my oil stick on paper drawings. If you could call them drawings. As they are definitely not recognizable forms. Though the first oil stick drawings I have done were using your basic shapes, squares, rectangles, etc. This has become one particular thing I have liked what it was and wanted to develop it more.

Color is the primary focus of these works, and the ways I approach the materials is a physical mannerism, which helps make the drawing turn out the way it does.



The works here were done on 80LB unsealed paper, within the most recent of drawings, of which I have yet to take pics of. I have begun working on 180LB Primed cold pressed watercolor paper.

For archives sake.









All oil sticks were Windsor and Newton Oil Bars. Very wonderfully workable oil sticks with gorgeous color.

More to come...

Rothko and uses of materials.

After visiting the National Gallery in DC last year, and taking a number of photos. Most of which didn't come out the way I had hoped because these new cameras pretty much always need a tripod, if you aren't using the flash.

I was visiting the section with all the Rothko's and Newman's, one thing really hit me about the one particular painting from the Seagram Mural job he did. How crappily it had been painted.

As you can see in these pics. The one painting from the Seagram murals has got some pretty crappy paint that Rothko used in these paintings. I don't know what the hell kind of paint he had used on these paintings. But it sure wasn't artists grade oil or acrylic paint.

I've heard many stories about how he was always using cheap materials in his paintings. Which is not what one should be doing when you are a serious painter as he was. You can look in these pics and see where one section of paint has bled through the rest of the paint on top of it. It almost looks as if someone had taken a torch to that section to make the other paint seep through the top coat.

Seeing this really bothered me, as I really try to take as good care of my paintings as I possibly can. As do my other painter friends. Only in my very first paintings were I not using high grade artist acrylic paint.

Thinking about this painting and it's bad aging, leads me to think of the Rothko Chapel in Houston where he has his largest paintings. Which from his uses of materials, and his being stingy with the cash flow he had been given for the set of paintings. We today will never be able to see the paintings as they were when they left his studio. I know they have been "restored" but in cases of restoration, it never turns out the same way as the original had been the day it was finished. If you want to learn a bit about how restorers can be, just read the book "I was Vermeer"...it'll tell you about a number of ways restorers over the years have screwed up painting after painting.









Here's where you can really see some of the results of using inferior materials. Thankfully he didn't do this on all of his paintings.

So in lieu of the above. Please let me say to all of you painters out there who wish to be selling paintings like crazy. Give a thought to the future and how you would want these paintings to look after 50 years, 100 years, and then ask yourself...is this house paint really something I should be using on this canvas. Think about the people who will become your patrons, spending their well earned money on a painting of yours only to have it fall apart after 15-20 years. And go to your local artist supply store and put down some money on the good stuff. You'll feel a lot better about it in the future, when you can look at your paintings and they still look as good as the day you finished them.

I have also seen a number of older Twombly's where they are now under glass, as the paint has literally fallen off the weave of the canvas.



Oh it's so sad to see great paintings go bad.

Not About Alan Ebnother

I could probably write a thousand words on how much my life has been touched by the personality and painting of Alan Ebnother...but I won't. I'll leave that for my archives.

One thing I can gladly tell you is how I got to know Alan and his painting. We met in July 2004 when I made my first trip to NYC to visit our mutual friend Joseph Marioni. I originally thought that while sitting in my crowded and smelling greyhound seat for around 11 hours, which I didn't sleep at all through it. That I would simply be meeting Joe and hanging with him through my visit. Not so. After meeting Joe in the bus terminal and making my way down the street with my arms feeling like jello, and trying to take in the situations I was in. I'm a 29 year old guy, visiting the biggest city in the world for the first time. Going to visit and hang with my favorite painter. Trying to take in all the sites at once during that first stroll down 8th Avenue.

Skipping ahead a bit. We met Alan at Joes, and proceeded to hit up the Hells Kitchen Diner for breakfast. Awesome place with great food. Heading out to Chelsea to see the galleries, and hearing Joe and Alan speak about the different spaces, I felt for the first time like a real artist, hanging out with other real painters. Trying to soak in as much as I could, and writing this. Realizing I can remember a LOT more than I give myself credit for.



Since that day, it took me awhile to get back in touch with Alan, but I knew it was something that I really wanted to do. You know how sometimes you feel compelled to wanna meet someone. You feel that maybe they have something that you are supposed to learn from that person, and you wanna find out what it is.

It wasn't till about a few years ago...I think. That I finally met Alan again online. Thank God for Myspace and it's technology which helps you to get to meet and learn about other people. This was before everyone jumped on the FB bandwagon, which I have found far more interest in.

Alan is always on FB, sharing new photos of his new paintings and him mixing his own paints. He's given me countless ideas about painting and about life.



And I just realized that i've said too much. The rest is between the two of us, and all of our friends on Facebook. HEHEHEHE.



So go add him as a friend and get to know Alan and his wonderful paintings. The rest is up to you. You'll just have to wait for the Biography to learn more.

Cheers and have a wonderful week! J

Quote for the day...5-04-09

Today's quote comes from the documentary on Brice Marden from 1977. It's all about painting today.

"It's hard to look at paintings. It's really difficult, very strenuous kind of activity, but very very rewarding. Just like it's strenuous to listen to a great piece of music, they're very complicated, you have to think a lot. You have to be able to bring all sorts of things together in your mind, your imagination, your whole body. Really get off on it. It's a very high experience. It isn't something that comes out and hits you over the head, it's something very deep and felt."

Quote for the day...4-11-09

Today I bring you a quote from Jason Martin. A painter I have admired for quite some time, since I first saw an advert in Art In America back in 1999.



"I find that whenever I see a painting I always look at the edge anyway, because the edge informs you of the history of the painting - what's gone into making the surface. The time aspect of what has built this surface up. You can tell all sorts about the painter by the edges of their paintings. Just how open they are, I suppose." Quote taken from Transcript Magazine in an interview with Alan Woods.

To me this quote rings oh so true. Almost immediately after being confronted with viewing a new painting, I always check the sides...somewhat to see how it was attached to the wall. And to see just how the painter made said painting. Sometimes I feel as if I am more interested in the sides than in the surface of the painting.

You can learn more about Martin's paintings through the links below.

http://www.artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/exhibitionInfo/exhibition/15252/lang/1

http://www.artnet.com/artist/11227/jason-martin.html

Words of wisdom from Dirk de Bruycker

I was just reminded of something Dirk DeBruycker told me when I met him back in 1999. We were speaking of the use of materials in a painting.

I was telling him about my being quite stingy with materials, being that I was relatively new to painting and didn't have a bunch of money. "If you are afraid to use too much materials in a painting, you'll never make the paintings you really wanna make."



Of course I am paraphrasing. It's really damn hard to remember something someone told you ten years ago. But the meaning behind the words rings true today just as it did ten years ago when I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Jan Maiden Gallery in Columbus Ohio.

If you ever get the chance to see his paintings in person I highly recommend it.



Thanks.

Quote for the day...3-28-09

Today's quote comes to us from Frederic Matys Thursz.

"Dust to dust, to ashes, to dirt. Paint. It is said, turns to stone. Sculpture. Then crumbles to sand. Sand painting. Painting once more."





This painting is entitled "In Praise of Hands"

Quote of the day 3-27-2009

Today's quote is brought to you by the painter Georg Baselitz. From 1992. This is a wonderful quote about the differences between our child persona and our adult persona.

"When children draw, they sit hunched over the table, treating the paper by turning it, constantly around, bending and rocking, especially their heads, almost gymnastically. Grown-ups, perhaps just because they have no choice physically, have decided to fix the paper with nails and to peer very earnestly as if disturbing a hare while it eats. No one understands at they are doing, perhaps they themselves least of all." Derneburg, March 3, 1992.





I had to share this awesome photo of Georg in his studio.

Cheers and have a fantastic weekend.

James Kalm introduces us to a new side of Still

New showing for a friend

My good friend Michael Lukacsko is including two sets of his mandala prints at BOMA in Columbus Ohio. BOMA is the Bar of Modern Art...where they have many showings of local artists and paintings and sculpture abound in the club. Mike took 24 pieces from his Mandala series there and spent two days hanging all of them to great fanfare. Many people have been expressing an interest in his prints. And I wanted to show a few photos of the mandala and their installation.

You can view the full amount of installation photos on Mike's Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/neterhet
and you can also view them at http://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?ArtID=30435