If you noticed last Sunday's post about the blue gates in Santa Fe, and if you inferred that I'd been there recently on vacation, you would be right. Got on a plane the morning after the election to meet up with my brother (from Australia) and sister (from Michigan) in a place where none of us had been in many years, if at all. Santa Fe is a big arts center, and we enjoyed our hours of gallery strolling, over three different days, in which we barely scratched the surface of what's available.
At GVG Contemporary this batch of "accumulation paintings" caught my eye. Six inches square and displayed in multiples, they are the simplest of all designs: bits of wood arranged onto a canvas to make a bas relief, and then painted in near-monochrome. They reminded me of Louise Nevelson's all-black sculptures (although hers are more like ten feet across than six inches).
Several galleries had multiples on display, sized from six inches to maybe a foot. The gallerists made a point of telling us how some people come in and buy four, or 30 to make a nice installation. I wonder if that's true, or wishful thinking.
But it makes me think of a beautiful installation of multiples at my PYRO Gallery show that opened last weekend. These pieces are rust-dyed fabric, stretched over 8x8" boards. Wouldn't you love to have these on your living room wall?
My brothers, sister and I, all widely scattered met for a reunion in Puerto Vallarta. I, too, climbed on a plane the day after the election. We cried together, ranted and raved, and helped each other to deal with the unthinkable. Galleries and guacamole were part of the process. I hope the same for you.
ReplyDeleteyes, guacamole heals most wounds.
ReplyDeletecerveza also helps.
I can see you interpreting the Santa Fe accumulation paintings into quilt designs.
ReplyDelete