FOULADI - ELEANOR HARWOOD - QUEEN'S NAILS

RVCA - GRANT'S TOMB - WICKED GROUNDS

03.15.13

(with assistance from Marian Ferrara and RWM)



Artist website do's and don'ts. Click Here.

***

Fouladi Projects : Shifted Perception - Marcus Payzant.

Review by RWM: One can get lost here in the subconscious which is abstracted on the canvas. Here the work has symbols; some may consider it surrealistic to an extent. Not quite beauty here. More of decay as a natural process. Easy to get pulled into the narrative story.

***

Eleanor Harwood Gallery : Mel Davis - Begin Here.

Review by RWM: Nice mixture of floral and elements remind of a playful Matisse. Fun being had here, but it is not all fun. The color choices do seem disconcerting, but involving nonetheless. They help get your defenses down for a mild artistic experience.

Comment by AB: Sometimes I ask myself, "Self, if an artist can paint in a certain style that's emblematic as well as demonstrative of proficiency in that style, but not in any other styles to any significant degree, like representationally for example, can we still call the artist an accomplished painter?" Many of the best known Impressionist and Modernist artists were superb representational painters. They mastered the compulsory... and then proceeded to advance the evolution of art into realms it had never ever been to before. And we have all the more respect for those artists because of the breadth of their skills. Meanwhile back at the show, Mel Davis certainly manifests an admirable amount of aptitude with respect to the realm she's chosen to ensconce herself in.

***

Queen's Nails : The Modern Monster. Curated by Jeanne Gerrity.

Artists: Michelle Blade, Anthony Discenza, Valerie Hegarty, Jillian McDonald, George Pfau.

Comment by AB: The artists employ dramatic devices of horror films and apply them to the current state of The American Dream (and to the human condition in general). The outcomes seem a little cataclysmic at times, but aesthetically gratifying all the way there. Stop on by.

***

RVCA : What New Mystery Is This - Ryan De La Hoz; Window Artists - Ben Venom, Bill McRight.

Comment by AB: In the gallery at the rear of the store, Ryan De La Hoz takes us on a twisty trip through history with his digitally manipulated imagery. Yes, digital art is well established as a medium in its own right, and De La Hoz demonstrates why. The good news? Prices are reasonable; go buy. In the front show window, Ben Venom stitches up a little anarchy in quilts, pillows and fashion, while Bill McRight provides the weaponry with which to attain it. Worth a visit on all counts.

***

Grant's Tomb : First Impres­sions - Prints by Gee Vaucher.

Images c/o Marian Ferrara:

***

Addendum:

***