3.20.2010
GALERIE HALF
Galerie Half opened in Hollywood at the end of last summer. It's a beautiful setting for well lived aesthetically pleasing pieces of indeterminate age. The large and open space lets all the objects breathe, and there's a lovely silence that hangs in the air.
3.14.2010
THINKING ABOUT MORANDI
Giorgio Morandi Natura Morta, 1960
Whenever I see a group of bottles together I think about Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964). He spent his life painting a variety of bottles and objects he had in his studio, located in the centuries old house in Bologna that he shared with his three sisters. They lived a comfortable and cosmopolitan life, entertained a good deal, and none of them ever married. He studied the work of Paul Cezanne and Jean-Simeon Chardin and was very much influenced by them. He was considered by many the greatest Italian painter of his time, and has been an influence on many artists who came after him.
Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) Apples and Biscuits, 1879-82
Jean-Simeon Chardin (1699-1779) Water Glass and Jug, 1760
Photo in Morandi's Studio
Kirsten Coelho is an artist who shows her work at the Matin Gallery in Culver City. They are perfectly pure forms, with oxidation that gives a sense of age. These look as though they came from one of Morandi's paintings.
Morandi Natura Morta, 1951
Gwyn Hanssen Pigott An Australian potter, who has certainly thought about Morandi.
Cy Twombly Still Life, Black Mountain College, 1951
Nicolas De Stael (1914-1955) Nature Morte, 1955
Giorgio Morandi Natura Morta, 1916
Frances Palmer, a potter living in Weston, Connecticut, who has a line of pieces made from old molds, as well as a handmade line. I found this on Remodelista.
Giorgio Morandi Natura Morta, 1931
Constance Spry (1886-1960), Florist, Author, and Social Reformer! I love this piece. I saw a number of her pieces a few years ago at Gordon Watson in London and thought they were wonderful.
Andrew Lord I really enjoy his groupings of objects. He's thought about Morandi too.
Giorgio Morandi Natura Morta, 1955
Simon Pearce Pitchers via Remodelista. The clean lines of these pitchers are lovely. They have the simple forms of Morandi's objects.
Photo of Morandi's Studio and his Collection of Bottles
Whenever I see a group of bottles together I think about Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964). He spent his life painting a variety of bottles and objects he had in his studio, located in the centuries old house in Bologna that he shared with his three sisters. They lived a comfortable and cosmopolitan life, entertained a good deal, and none of them ever married. He studied the work of Paul Cezanne and Jean-Simeon Chardin and was very much influenced by them. He was considered by many the greatest Italian painter of his time, and has been an influence on many artists who came after him.
Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) Apples and Biscuits, 1879-82
Jean-Simeon Chardin (1699-1779) Water Glass and Jug, 1760
Photo in Morandi's Studio
Kirsten Coelho is an artist who shows her work at the Matin Gallery in Culver City. They are perfectly pure forms, with oxidation that gives a sense of age. These look as though they came from one of Morandi's paintings.
Morandi Natura Morta, 1951
Gwyn Hanssen Pigott An Australian potter, who has certainly thought about Morandi.
Cy Twombly Still Life, Black Mountain College, 1951
Nicolas De Stael (1914-1955) Nature Morte, 1955
Giorgio Morandi Natura Morta, 1916
Frances Palmer, a potter living in Weston, Connecticut, who has a line of pieces made from old molds, as well as a handmade line. I found this on Remodelista.
Giorgio Morandi Natura Morta, 1931
Constance Spry (1886-1960), Florist, Author, and Social Reformer! I love this piece. I saw a number of her pieces a few years ago at Gordon Watson in London and thought they were wonderful.
Andrew Lord I really enjoy his groupings of objects. He's thought about Morandi too.
Giorgio Morandi Natura Morta, 1955
Simon Pearce Pitchers via Remodelista. The clean lines of these pitchers are lovely. They have the simple forms of Morandi's objects.
Photo of Morandi's Studio and his Collection of Bottles
3.12.2010
J.B. BLUNK IN L.A.
My husband and I saw a preview of the J.B. Blunk show at the Blum & Poe gallery in Culver City last week. J.B. Blunk (1926-2002) made eccentric furniture and beautiful wood sculptures from local redwood and cypress trees at his studio in Inverness California. The show has been curated by our friend Gerard O'Brien who runs the Reform Gallery in Los Angeles. Gerard has been showing Blunk's works at his shop for a number of years now. He's also showed some of Blunk's best pieces at Design Miami/Basel and Design Basel/Switzerland. Showing this work at Blum & Poe's spacious second floor gallery gives the viewer a chance to see this work in an uncluttered environment. You can see Blunk's work at its best in this spare installation.
The J.B. Blunk show opens tonight, March 12th and runs till May 15th.
A headboard with a place for a robe, a cup, and something to read
A Chair
This looks like a Hummingbird to me
There's something very tender about this piece
A Bed
Bed Detail
Portal
Beak, close up
“My way of working, the core of all my sculpture, is a theme, the soul the piece. Sometimes it is evoked by the material, sometimes it is an idea or concept in my own mind. It is always present, regardless of the material, size or scale of what will be the finished piece... Since I principally use a chainsaw to do this, it is a process that moves quickly. At times the cutting away and forming happen so fast it is almost unconscious… I suppose one could say I enter into a relationship with the material I am using and as in all relationships, there are opportunities for surprise.”
- J.B. Blunk, 1999
The J.B. Blunk show opens tonight, March 12th and runs till May 15th.
A headboard with a place for a robe, a cup, and something to read
A Chair
This looks like a Hummingbird to me
There's something very tender about this piece
A Bed
Bed Detail
Portal
Beak, close up
“My way of working, the core of all my sculpture, is a theme, the soul the piece. Sometimes it is evoked by the material, sometimes it is an idea or concept in my own mind. It is always present, regardless of the material, size or scale of what will be the finished piece... Since I principally use a chainsaw to do this, it is a process that moves quickly. At times the cutting away and forming happen so fast it is almost unconscious… I suppose one could say I enter into a relationship with the material I am using and as in all relationships, there are opportunities for surprise.”
- J.B. Blunk, 1999