I’m proud of every show I curate, but this one? Well, it’s a doozie. Somehow, I managed to bring a few of my most favorite artists together into one show. Add to that a beautiful gallery in downtown Aspen during the holidays and hello, we’ve got a winner. There are five artists in BIG PICTURE, BABY … American artists Ashley Longshore and Daisy Patton, and three Canadians – Janna Watson, Meghan Hildebrand, and myself, Danielle Krysa. Yes, I curated myself into the show because it was just too exciting not to. Here’s my curatorial statement:
“At first glance, it may seem like the artists in this show don’t have much in common (well, other than ‘going big or going home’ that is), but when you look a little closer there are actually quite a few similarities that connect them. From vivid color palettes and dizzying patterns, to bizarre narratives and intricate details… and, of course the fact all of five of these artists step up to the canvas with a fearless approach to art making. “Big Picture, Baby” will be bringing larger than life portraits, bold paint strokes, and even a few big laughs to Skye Gallery this winter.” ~ Danielle Krysa, Curator/Artist
I will be in Aspen this THURSDAY night, December 13th from 6-9pm, for the artists’ reception party. If you’re in town, please join us for some big bold beautifulness, and if you aren’t in Aspen at the moment, you can also reach out to Skye Gallery to inquire about available work {each artist has included three BIG pieces}. Happy Monday.
Clearly I had to include the closeup of that final piece … the worm! I can almost smell freshly dug soil and a warm summer breeze in this latest body of work {acrylic, enamel, ink, and in some cases, cut paper too} by American artist Amy Rice. Her new show, titled “Root Down”, opens TOMORROW: December 1, 12-5 pm at Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis. Here are a few of their words about this show:
“Amy Rice’s artwork presents wildlife at its fullest. Her affection for the outdoors manifests itself in vibrant reds, yellows, purples, blues and greens – from rolling fields of flowers ready to be gathered to isolated flora depicted stem, root, and all. Having studied the anatomy of flowers and invested time into growing her own, Rice’s work is both a study and celebration of her wild subjects.”
Sigh. I’m not sure I’m ready for December just yet.
The first time I saw the work of LA based artist Michael Reeder was the day before I set out to paint my first mural. Someone pulled out their phone and said, “Did you see what Michael Reeder just did in Montreal?“… let’s say my confidence may have been shaken a tiny bit! Anyway, he does all sorts of amazing things – paintings, murals, installations, etc. If you’re in New York check out his latest show, titled “DeadRinger”, that opens this Saturday, Dec 1, 6-8pm, at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York{210 Rivington St}… and maybe don’t look at his murals 24hrs before you do one for the first time. Just sayin’.
She had me at ‘metallic unicorn head balloon’. This is the work of Australian born, Vancouver based painter Kellie Orr. Obviously I had to include process shots so that you’d believe me when I said, “YOU GUYS… THESE ARE OIL PAINTINGS!” Sigh. Gorgeous.
Acrylic and oil on canvas. Yes, they’re paintings, and no, they’re not digital. Crazy. This is the latest work from Canadian artist Kathryn MacNaughton. I wrote about her in 2010{whoa}, and I loved what she was doing back then, but this latest work… well, it made me gasp out loud. She is a brilliant artist who constantly pushes her work to new and wonderful places. Clearly.
This body of Kathryn’s work is available via Bau-Xi Gallery {Toronto and Vancouver}
Yayoi Kusama. Can you imagine, not only meeting her, but getting to spend time with her – over years – while making a documentary about her incredible life? Well, that is exactly what my guest did. American filmmaker Heather Lenz first fell in love with the work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama years ago during art school … and in 2018 she watched her film, Kusama Infinity, premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. AMAZING. It is such a beautiful movie on so many levels. Kusama is now 89, and I think it’s beyond fantastic that Heather was able to document this very important artist’s life in person. Just imagine, Heather got to sit with Kusama … watching her work, asking her questions, listening to stories about her time in New York, Japan, Venice and more. You can listen right up there under Kusama in her fabulous red wig, or subscribe on iTunes.
Heather did a wonderful job of telling Kusama’s story, from childhood until now. Here are just a few images that take us through this fascinating life:
Ah, yes … Kusama’s early paintings, the dizzying infinity net paintings, and literally boatloads of soft sculptures.
And then, of course, her very famous dots:
… and she’s still doing them today. In fact, she’s probably putting dots on something right this very second!
There are so many gorgeous images in the film too. These are two of my favorites, from Kusama’s early days in New York:
Gah! So stylish.
Ok, this might be one of my favorite Kusama adventures. This is when she showed up to the 1966 Venice Biennale, uninvited, and created her installation titled “Narcissus Garden”:
After she got in trouble for selling her orbs to visitors, she laid amongst them in a red unitard knowing full well the press would cover such a beautiful spectacle. She was right.
Skip ahead almost thirty years, and here we are in Venice again. This time it’s 1993 and Kusama was invited to represent Japan at the Biennale… this was hugely important for two reasons. One, she was the first woman to represent Japan, and two, in previous years Japan typically sent several artists, not just one:
Her exhibition included a range of work including a mirror room, small yellow pumpkin sculptures, and more. But this was not the first or last of Kusama’s spectacular infinity rooms:
So brilliant, and ridiculously beautiful.
Speaking of which, this is the woman we’ve been talking to. The tenacious and passionate Heather Lenz:
Inspiring and unbelievably determined … both of them! If you can see this film, please see it. We only touched on a fraction of the stories … there is so much MORE. Huge thanks to Heather for her dedication and unrelenting passion that was required to make this wonderful piece of art history come to life… I think she and Kusama have a lot in common when it comes to forging ahead no matter what. Thank you to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and thank YOU for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.
Aaaaaand, exhale. This is the dreamy underwater work of Canadian painter Vicki Smith. Where did this fascination with bodies in water come from? I’ll let Vicki explain…
“The female figure has always been central to my work. Water became the solution for where to place the figures. Watching my daughter swim in a northern lake was an “aha” moment. Slipping in and out of the surface of the water was pure poetry, no gravity, no boundaries, just a lovely fluid movement. It gave my figures a recognizable place to exist, without confining them to a specific statement. Also, because water and swimming are universal, it allows the viewer to bring their own story to the painting.” ~ 2016 interview with Bau-Xi Gallery
Paintings. Lovely paintings of old, stored-away boxes. Yes, I am a sucker for old boxes filled with forgotten treasures, and apparently so is American artist Jeanne Ludeke. Here are her words behind this most recent series:
“I come from a family of builders and makers. My father built the house I grew up in and my mother remained in that house until she passed away in 2014. While sorting through her belongings with my brothers and sisters, I became interested in the cardboard boxes my mother had used to store and preserve what was important to her. The history of what each box had once held was recorded with her script on the lids and sides of the boxes. What she had saved and valued and how it was kept spoke of her connection to our family and her relationship with the material world. For me, the boxes became a metaphor for the transience of home, family and the impermanence of things. These box paintings evolved from a series of paper houses that were painted as observational studies. They embodied the idea of home and a sense of place, but also the temporary nature of the structure of our families.”
I absolutely love it when big, beautiful, high-end brands work with artists. Gucci is particularly good at this {I shared this project they did with Toronto’s Kris Knight in 2014}, and this is their latest artsy collaboration. They recently invited six artists to reimagine their DIY cardigans… I found out about this because of the unstoppable Ashley Longshore{hers is the first image above}. Ashley & Gucci … um yeah, that’s a match made in fashion heaven. Anyway, I did a little more digging and found the whole campaign. Here is Gucci’s description:
“Angela Deane’s friendly ghosts, named Sam and Wendall, wear the sweaters painted on top of winter scenes. Isabella Cotier’s portrait style illustrations are based on the characters who live around her London neighborhood, and artist and illustrator Marc Burckhardt’s richly detailed creations feature a gorilla and a tiger, chosen by the artist because “the elegance and style of a tiger seemed like a perfect fit for Gucci, and the brute strength of the gorilla felt like an amusing counterpoint to the sophistication of the DIY line.” Amber Vittoria—an artist who focuses on the accurate portrayal of women within art—imagines two female characters, Ashley Longshore paints a girl immersed in flowers and Brianda Fitz James Stuart’s whimsical illustrations, inspired by classic Renaissance paintings, feature a swan.”
Love, love, loooooove! {ps. I also really love that 5 of the 6 artists are women}. Stay tuned because there is another top secret project that is part of this, but I have to wait until next week to show you.
A couple that creates crazy worlds together, stays together? In this particular case… YES! This is the collaborative work of Australian husband and wife team, DABSMYLA. This post is just a teeny tiny fraction of their work. They paint {yes, those are paintings, not digital illustrations}, build whimsical interior installations, and cover entire buildings in their spectacular outdoor murals. Here is part of their ‘about’ section that sums things up quite nicely:
“There is nothing random or erroneous in DABSMYLA’s work; it’s planned and executed with the precision of a diamond heist and with the charm of a Technicolor world.
DABSMYLA enhance their works with immersive environments that enhance the sense of whimsy and grandeur contained inside paintings, mixed media and sculpture. This milieu isn’t simply adornment, but rather the tangible foundation for which everything else stands upon.
It’s this warmth and willingness to share which makes DABSMYLA’s art completely unique. Exploring tactile themes through sight, touch and sound, there are no boundaries so that the lines between real life and dreamscape are non-existent.”
