Tuesday, October 30, 2007

My first pie!



I call this one: "Apple Bits"

Pet Post


I love the holidays. This guy doesn't seem to be as pumped...but still looks incredible.

Heather and the Barbarians



There are no words. Too good.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Kent Gallery



Upon closer look,
Kumi Yamashita's credit card portrait at Kent Gallery reveals an acute attention to detail in numbers. The credit card (usually of the seated subject) is rubbed over meticulously with graphite to create the face.


Another well crafted work at Kent was a collage by American artist JESS, nodding to Russian constructivism and Hannah Höch.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Oskar Korsár at Yossi Milo Gallery


Detail from Holiday at the Graveyard

Oskar Korsar's recent ink drawings feature slender, somber subjects with injections of imaginative contemporary references throughout each piece. This one reminded me of a lost Matilda, which reminds me of Tom Waits' Waltzing Matilda...


Thursday, October 25, 2007

Sketchbook 7

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Plainville Music and Sometymes Why



Last night's soul shaking double bill at Cornelia Street Cafe featured Jeremy Udden's band, Plainville Music, and Aoife O'Donovan in the sultry and seductive trio, Sometymes Why.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Fisher Landau



This is me looking blurry and serious after my wonderful visit to the Fisher Landau Center for Art, posing with Francois-Xavier Lalanne's sheep sculptures. The building's clean, crisp architecture made the art pop off the walls and waltz into my heart! Emily Landau's collection provides its viewer with a relatively comprehensive survey of the past 50 years of art, albeit mostly prints. One Zachary Wollard piece particularly caught my eye:



LIC Sculpture Center


The sounds of Long Island City oscillate between noisy construction and utterly silent gallery spaces. The basement of the Sculpture Center provided sweet relief from the power drills and steel scraping. Down the narrow, damp corridor (aka the Center's jam-packed showing space) a video piece by Cesare Pietroiusti fit perfectly in an old brick archway:


Pet Post

New friend:

Dumbo (Elisabits)

Smack Mellon View


While the view from Smack Mellon's new location is far more substantial than its previous one, the new smaller space limits the amount of art that be shown at one time. Peter Dudek's work (pictured below) spiraled around the space beautifully while Elena Herzog's piece exposed the more unfinished aspects of the back rooms. To her credit, her piece felt like a mysterious work in progress, which perhaps is exactly what boat the gallery itself is in.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Pet Post

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Sketchbook 6

Gagosian on Madison

I am continually impressed with the amount of bad expensive art in this city. Today's Gagosian Gallery visit was no exception. However, to my surprise and delight, there was one piece worth noting. Within this red abstract maze, Steven Parrino weaves a few cryptic skulls into his composition. Other than that, the visit reaffirmed my distaste for Andy Warhol and the market in general.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello

Opera Nite



Last night the gals and I saw the Metropolitan Opera's breathtaking production of "Lucia di Lammermoor." Mary Zimmerman's contemporary twist on this classic Donizetti tragedy blew me away. I can't believe people actually write operas, let alone sing them. Even robots couldn't make music that complicated and make it so sound flawlessly smooth. I used to hate operas (and the Beatles) because it was the only music my mom liked-- thus my rebellion has kept me from truly connecting with this splendid art form. Maestro James Levine might be the cutest man alive. In addition to an incredible triangle player, the glass harmonica stood out as the best/craziest solo ever. There were also two bassoon players there; I didn't hear or see them play the whole night. It made me think of this video with Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello where they try to figure out how to get the instrument to make a sound...

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Monuments



When driving, they all seem so close together...

Keytar solo



Wow.

Crunk



This is me with Andrew in DC, celebrating my birthday.

DC Dogs


Izzy posing in the garden.


Sparky posing on the table.

Frannie and Vinnie in Italy



Oh no, wait. It's just their new apartment in DC. They're obviously very stoked.



Friday, October 12, 2007

Nice View



I took this pic of the Empire on Laurel's tricked out penthouse roof last night!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Armory Books



Book design from American Modernist Alvin Lustig.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Sketchbook 5

Monday, October 8, 2007

Pet Post

Roosevelt Island



Yesterday, Bits and I were trapped in an architecture tour on Roosevelt Island.
Pictured above: NYC's only historic ruins, the abandoned Smallpox Hospital and a view of the Queensborough Bridge through one of the many fences surrounding the island

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Memories



Today's 'Memories' post is dedicated to Lauren Andrews.
Congrats, girl!

Friday, October 5, 2007

Armory Art






Snapshots from the Haughton Park Ave. Armory show --
this piece reminded me of Wags and Helen Corning's work.

(Art from Japanese folding screen artist Motoko Maio)

Jams

Songs in my head today:

Coltrane's "I'm old fashioned" (one of my faves of all time)
Sun Ra's "I Loves You, Porgy" (makes me miss Peetah)
Lorette Lynn's "You ain't woman enough to take my man"
(just recently watched Coal Miner's Daughter)
Rob Jost's "Family Tree" (pictured below)



Thursday, October 4, 2007

Sketchbook 4

Drums



Some of NYC's hottest drummers can be found in strollers by the subway.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

SVA (Sam Visual Arts)


My SVA studio visit revealed that Samuel T. Adams is clearly the best artist there, despite him reverting back to baggy jeans and clogs.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Holy Sax!



Well, it's safe to say that this record rocked my socks off.
I heard parts of it on the radio and promptly lost my mind in a world of sonic delights.
Highly recommended.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Sketchbook 3