Cool Palettes at Bushwick Beat Nite

Todd Bienvenu's astounding Lynrd Skynrd painting at the promising new gallery Life on Mars at 56 Bogart

Ben Pritchard. Some artists in this inaugural show were featured at the National Arts Club exhibition Flight From Nature, curated by Fran O'Neill in early summer 2013 and documented on this blog, including O'Neill, Miah, Pritchard.

A painting hasn't felt so vertiginous since Karin Davie's first show at Fawbush in the 1990s. Believe this is James Gillespie.

Riad Miah's glass-like surface catching light...hard to portray on camera. Good company including Paul D'Agostino below, whose work looks great in this show--small, intense, marked paintings

Fran O'Neill, painter and one of the gallery masterminds, though painter Michael David, himself an accomplished artist, heads Life on Mars' curatorial direction. Look forward to seeing more of O'Neill's gestural work, which I also enjoyed at Flight From Nature.

On the other side of Bushwick at Outpost: Color Line curated by artist Rico Gatson. Here, from L to R back wall, Brooke Moyse, Siebren Viersteeg, Patrick Todd, and Liz Atzberger. In front, Elle Murphy sculptures.

Siebren Viersteeg, Ben Godward.

A favorite pairing: Rico Gatson and Tamara Zahaykevich

Zahaykevich - paper - this really looked good.

Gatson - photo - this also looked really good.

Atzberger.

Detail - painted on a faux alligator like surface...tiny raised dots throughout

Viersteeg - monitor with shifting patterns responding to program commands.

Too busy ogling the fabulous David Humphrey and Michael Ryan Ford show, deftly curated by Deborah Brown, at Storefront Ten Eyck, to document...along with talking--the opening was packed.
Link to exhibition page at Storefront Ten Eyck

3 Shows: LES

The Language of Painting (Katherine Daniels on left, Carol Salmanson right) at Lesley Heller Workspace, back room, Fran Siegel with large, idiosyncratic paper works in front

Joan Grubin

Vicky DaSilva, Martha Clippinger, Doreen McCarthy

Clippinger's work reminds me of Cordy Ryman a little. Salmanson's exhibition premise is the co-optation of formal painting language (line, color, shape) by new technologies, from material to color.

Gelah Penn

Carol Salmanson

Artist-Curator Carol Salmanson, her work on left, Lynn Harlow's right

Several blocks over on Broome near Bowery at the new Nichelle Beauchene: Kristin Moran, my favorite one. It's smaller, and the work feels just right at this scale: pyrotechnic, like Fragonard.

Her strange, elegant paintings do not look process driven.

This is bravura painting, in which marks act as forms.

Almost like Manet, or Boldini--spaces seen in paintings that remain undefined.

Upstairs at Jack Hanley in a new 2 story loft building, 5 painters, who include Matthew Fischer. His work was also in a summer show at Brian Morris...change from flat surfaces and trompe l'oeil detail, but in some way all that is incorporated into the new mode of textural paint

Ariel Dill. Love the marked up stuff inside the green swoosh.

Ariel Dill's paintings have lots of air and space

Everything about this Heidi Han is wonderful, both fully considered and insouciant.

Han again

Tisch Abelow, two of four--a little like Amanda Church, Stuart Davis...beautiful color.

Heidi Han

Mathew Fischer

Studio Visit, August 2013: Charles Koegel

Charles Koegel's studio, on the other side of Atlantic Ave, which I visited in August. We first met at the Fountainhead Residency in Miami, where he was finishing up. He had a show at Dimensions Variable, which I loved. I was particularly taken with his drawings of apartment buildings with geometric, domed skies. Here is a small fire escape he built.

Patterns Charles uses in his work. He is rigorous, often taking classes to build skill sets needed for particular bodies of work.

My favorite painting: geometry meets Japanese painting.

These paintings recall the Miami drawings, but are more physical,

combining oil and acrylic in a layered application.

Geometry.

and decay.

Paper tapestry.

Slight color changes.

Paper apartments.

Wall above tapestry.

Charles' work is featured in Earthward, opening Thursday 10/24 at 538 29th St.
Earthward link
This exhibition is curated by David Gibson and includes two paintings of mine with works by Sandy Litchfield, Charles Koegel, Thomas Frontini and Alysha Colangeli.

He photographs his travels around the city and beyond.

Charles Koegel in his Brooklyn studio.

His hallway entrance contains an art collection.

It includes Bellmer.

and Koons.

Not sure--but I liked it.

Again not sure, but loved it.

Lichenstein.

A work from Pierogi on the bottom.