From childhood stories of beached whales to having her work acquired by MoMA, New York based artist Petah Coyne and I cover it all! To say that this episode has been a game-changer for my own artwork would be a massive understatement. This amazing woman lit a fire under me, and I have a sneaking suspicion she’s going to do the same thing to you! Listen right up there underneath Petah installing her work at Galerie Lelong in New York, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts / Spotify.

First up, here are the images I posted the first time I wrote about Petah a couple of months ago:

The peacocks! I mean, I am in awe. Again.

This is “Dante’s Daphne”. Petah and I didn’t talk about it, but she mentions it in the fabulous video she did with SFMoMA so I thought I’d pop in here for you to see:

Sigh. The detail she puts into each piece astounds me.

Oooh, and this… this is the piece MoMA acquired {that was one of my favorite stories from this episode!}:

I’d love to stand under this beauty so that I could just really, really LOOK.

So yes, Petah often works with found objects and wax, but just look at these absolutely stunning glass pieces:

Gasp! I saw these at “Glasstress” in Venice a few years ago, but didn’t realize who the artist was. When I started down the ‘Petah Coyne rabbit hole’ before I wrote about her last month, I came across these images and realized I actually have seen her work in person! They were breathtaking. Clearly.

Next, I had to include some of Petah’s photography. These are more recent than the photos she showed “at a bank in Dayton”… I believe these are from the late 1990’s – early 2000’s:

Aren’t they gorgeous? See, everything Petah does has a bit of magic to it!

And finally, let’s finish up with a whole bunch of birds:

Love, love, love! I cannot even begin to express how much this episode meant to me and the progression of my own artwork. Thank you so much to Petah for being so warm, generous, brilliant and wise; and of course, thank YOU for listening. There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other Links:

1. Petah on Instagram
2. Galerie Lelong & Co, NYC
3. SVA (School of Visual Art, NYC)
4. Alice Aycock, Artist
5. Donna Dennis, Artist
6. Jodi Pinto, Artist
7. Kenji Fujita, Artist
8. Daisy Patton, Artist
9. SFMoMA video with Petah {so good!}
10. New York Times – Art section
11. Whitney Museum of American Art
12. The Brooklyn Museum
13. MoMA
14. Toby Lewis, Collector
15. Strand Book Store, NYC
16. Chanel
17. My latest work

“Wall and Floor”. She’s not kidding, and that work in progress studio shot above is cold hard proof! Yep, Rhode Island based artist Kirstin Lamb has been painting the bits and pieces that serve as inspiration around her studio… both on her wall, and on her floor. From pages ripped out of old books to found cross-stitch works {gah – gorgeous!}, Kirstin considers each one – even the blue tape anchoring them in place – as visual treasures. Here are a couple of snippets from Kirstin’s artist statement about this latest work:

“In my studio I hang a range of objects on the wall and arrange things on the floor. Documenting the changing arrangement of objects and ephemera in my studio is a portrait of a moment in time for my creativity. The pictures function as images of a studio, but also a kind of curation of my wall of inspiration, love, compulsion, collections  … I feel a need to lionize the project of all artists, especially at a moment of great precarity and conflict. My love of studio as a refuge, bunker, or some might say dubious ivory tower, is equally tempered by what I feel is an interest in the concrete way studios suggest individual and collective wishes and dreams. Why make now? It is a quiet stubborn optimism that keeps a maker making, and I wish to depict that, to share and spur my peers on as much as image my own creative endeavor.”

Beautiful. “Wall and Floor” can be seen at Periphery Space @ Paper Nautilus, both in person {Wayland Square, Providence, RI} or online, from now until January 3rd, 2021. Happy Friday!

Looooooove! South African artist & designer Porky Hefer creates everything from public sculpture to furniture design… LIKE THESE AMAZING CHAIRS! His work often makes a statement about environmental issues (just ask Leonardo DiCaprio), and that giant Buttpuss – yes, you read that correctly – is no different. This piece is part of his major new collection, “Plastocene: Marine Mutants From a Disposable World”. This work will be making its debut at the NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) Triennial 2020 in Melbourne, opening on December 19th, 2020. Here are his words about this latest work:

“Our plastics are filling the oceans and heavy pollutants are changing the pH of our seas. While thousands of species die off, unable to adapt to the rapid changes in their environments, others begin to transmutate. Here, we see the earliest indications of the PLASTOCENE, a new era defined by organismal adaptation to the endless abundance of plastics and pollutants accumulating in our environment. The collection of 5 large-scale handmade environments, including Buttpuss, a 14 metre-wide octopus clad with giant hand-felted cigarette butts, are an example of the types of creatures that shall inherit the earth. Transitional forms that exemplify the fruits of the fossil-fuel consuming and the never-ending hunger for convenience and hyper-efficiency of the ANTHROPOCENE.”

Bravo! Now, how do I get myself to Australia in time to sit inside the majestic Buttpuss?

Bio: 1957 Born, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 1981 She moved to Italy. This is the most to-the-point artist bio I’ve ever seen, and I love it! Yep, that is exactly what Silvia Levenson did and, as far as I can tell, she’s been creating artwork since forever. Silvia has made so many breathtaking works over the years – from colorful glass clothing to thorn-covered teapots – but her “Strange Little Girls” series grabbed me immediately. How could it not… I can totally relate! Here’s a description about this work from her Instagram feed:

“As a child you have to be good and smile so as not ruin the family photo album irreparably. Living up to these expectations is difficult : I refuse thinking to the childhood as the “Golden Age”to be looked back with nostalgia … Here, my Strange Little Girls, living in an era where the edge between dreams and reality is very evanescent. It doesn’t matter if we are rabbit, crow, fox, wolf or sheep, it is an age that will mark us forever.”

Love. ps. I also love that image from this past summer of Silvia, in her studio, working on a head for yet another ‘strange little girl’.

Ahhhh, as soon as we can travel again, I’m booking a flight into all of these wondrous paintings! Fragrant flowers, cool waterfalls, and magical underwater worlds… yes please! This is the work {gouache on paper} of London based, American artist Ashley Amery. Here are her words about these dreamy, detailed worlds:

“My art practice is based upon drawing and pattern making as a way to investigate form, depth and spatial representation. The process of revisiting a painting many times over the course of weeks, months, or even years, is essential to the way these paintings develop. The resulting images are as much a tracing out of time and visual thinking as they are pictures that reference the outside world. Beginning from the smallest marks, and using the simple materials of water-based paints and inks on paper, these works grow into complexity gradually, reflecting the very processes of nature they depict, often changing directions throughout the course of their evolution. Imagined shapes from memories and impressions of nature form an all-over landscape that speaks to this process of slow growth, wandering pathways, and multiple layers.

I am interested in the way memory informs image making. I draw from a personal stock of impressions to make sense of them through painting. My early years as a child spent in South America and Southern California feed into my use of bold colour, as well as subjects that centre around water and the ocean.”

Beautiful! Ashley’s work is available through Rebecca Hossack Gallery {ps. She has a solo show opening at their London gallery – and online – in the new year: January 30th – February 27th 2021} 

I always love checking in on Pakistan born, Vancouver based artist Sara Khan because, clearly, she never disappoints! Almost as good as her modern day mythical creatures, are the comments she writes along with them. Read this one she posted with the two-headed bull:

Bullheaded. Everyday there’s a new question in my head about my work.. Is this painting, is this an illustration, is this too design oriented, are the colours too bright, are the colours too specific, am I making any sense, am I making too much sense, am I not being serious enough, is this ridiculous, will this survive me, is this a cartoon, is this repetitive, is this too preemptive, is it too contained, and the answer is always it doesn’t matter. It used to be harder to arrive at that answer, but somehow it keeps getting easier. I hope I’m not becoming bullheaded.
This reminded me to re-read Sol Lewitts letters to Eva Hesse:
“You must practice being stupid, dumb, unthinking, empty. Then you will be able to
DO”
♥️
She died at 34. How lucky to be alive and be able to do.

Amen. Let’s all DO. Ready? Go! ps. As an added bonus on this Monday morning, here’s Benedict Cumberbatch reading that letter from Sol to Eva.

I’ve been dying to share this episode with you! My podcast guest today is Bisa Butler, a New Jersey based artist who, “paints with fabric”. Looooove! I wrote about her jaw dropping, life-size portraits, made entirely from bits of beautiful colorful patterned fabric, a few months ago {posted below} … and then immediately reached out to invite her onto the podcast. We cover everything from being a child of the rainbow {that will make sense in a minute} and flirting with Tupac, to how she found her way to quilting and eventually to where she is now… which is an incredibly exciting place to be. As we speak, she has just arrived in Chicago for the opening of her exhibit at The Art Institute of Chicago! WHAT!? Anyway, we’ll get into all of that and more. You can listen right up there underneath Bisa and “Dahomey Amazon,”, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts / Spotify.

First, the pieces I wrote about a few months ago. Again, THIS IS ALL FABRIC:

Allllllll fabric!? Stunning. And her subjects? They tell the African American side of the story about American life, because as Bisa’s artist statement says:

“History is the story of men and women, but the narrative is controlled by those who hold the pen. My community has been marginalized for hundreds of years. While we have been right beside our white counterparts experiencing and creating history, our contributions and perspectives have been ignored, unrecorded, and lost.”

I love that she has chosen to tell these stories in bits of vintage fabric. Here is the first story she ever told that way, during her Masters program in 2001:

The second piece is the rework from a year later. Look how much she’d honed her skills! This is a portrait of “Grandpa Zakani”.

Next, “A New Dawn, 2020”, which features the young boy Bisa talked about:

So beautiful in so many ways… his repaired overalls, bare feet covered in a pair of Converse, the WWII airplanes on his pants, all of it. Oh, and I had to throw in a sample of  “Devaluation” so you could see what Bisa was referring to. She hasn’t used this fabric in any of her pieces yet, but it’s ready and waiting.

Ummmm, how did we not talk about either of these huge career milestones? :

The cover of TIME Magazine, and a feature in the New York Times! Clearly I’ll have to have her back on so we can discuss this properly. That fabulous shot of Bisa from the Times article was taken by @gioncarlovalentine.

Up next… oh you know, just a giant show at The Art Institute of Chicago that happens to include an absolutely huge piece {144″ x 108″}, titled “The Warmth of Other Sons”. Bisa spent seven months making this. Take a peek:

Gah! She just posted this jumping-for-joy photo to Instagram! Oh my word, can you even imagine seeing your work like that? I would sob. I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU, BISA! She also included this caption with a sneak peek of the exhibit and I just have to share:

“I am beyond grateful for this opportunity to share my work at such a beautiful institution. I was told today that not only am I the first African American woman to exhibit in the 2nd floor European Painting galleries, but I am the first living artist in the museums 141 year history. I walk in the path left by the African American artists who have come before me, and I hope to leave a path for others to follow.”

I’m not crying, you’re crying. Oof. Okay, deep breath. Back to that insane work… I mean, seriously, the amount of detail in that one piece alone is staggering. And where does this magic happen? In her dining room, of course:

Yep, that’s Bisa’s crazy sewing machine… I kinda wanna take it for a spin around the block, don’t you?

And finally, let’s wrap things up with these two stylish graduates:

Ha! I had to, because Grad 91 RULES! Thank you to Bisa for hanging out with me for so long, sharing all of her stories, and for emailing me her graduation photo!

Isn’t it kind of wonderful that a little girl who started school at “Children of the Rainbow” is now creating artwork filled with colorful, rainbow-hued people? I think that’s exactly how this was meant to play out. Bisa, if you happen to be reading this from Chicago, have an amazing time! What an incredible, well-deserved moment for you. And of course, huge thanks to all of you for listening. There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend. ~ Danielle

Other links:

1. Bisa on Instagram
2. Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem
3. Howard University
4. AfriCOBRA / Jeff Donaldson
5. A Big Important Art Book – Now With Women 
6. Simone Leigh, Venice 2022
7. Montclair State University
8. Dutch wax fabric
9. Natalie Baxter {textile guns}
10. Art 1-54 Fair
11. Art Institute of Chicago: “Bisa Butler – Portraits” Nov 16, 2020 ~ April 19, 2021

Gasp! Sculptures for your wall… and your ceiling!? Okay, I almost posted the entire portfolio of Berlin based artist Brittany Gould, but managed to control myself. I found her “Illuminated” series first, so it only seemed fair to obsess over that. However, I would highly recommend that you go see everything else, too! Happy Friday.

Sigh. These gorgeous mixed media pieces by London based artist/illustrator Rose Blake make me want to cry. I miss galleries, and everything in her “Now I Am An Artist” series makes me miss them even more… art, people, actual clothes, leaving my house in actual clothes to see art and people. You get it. Speaking of galleries, Rose’s fine art pieces are available through Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London.

ps. She is represented for commercial illustration worldwide by B&A Reps, and for children’s books by Bell Lomax Moreton.

 

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A post shared by Rachel Burke (@imakestagram) on Mar 1, 2020 at 6:10pm PST

Yessssssss. Seriously, how can you look at all of this and NOT want to be BFF’s with Australian artist Rachel Burke!? She makes everything from sparkly wearable art, to art you can sit on. Her glittery portfolio is filled with both personal work {like that FAB CUTE RITZY pop-up tinsel cafe}, and collaborations with clients {like Mindy Kahling, Miley Cyrus, Sephora, Visa… and check out that floral headband she did with LEGO!}. Okay, I gotta go brainstorm a BFF plan. Happy Wednesday!