Lauren Luloff

Working these days has been a flurry of collaging--whenever I can, whenever the baby is asleep, while students are working contentedly.  I supplement the flurry with images that I love--and post them here so as to collect.  Here are some recent Lauren Luloff paintings that fuel the push for me.  Love these--their informality, their delight in the specificity of fragments, their "world dipped in paint" quality.  If the most important, most delightful moments of the world were dipped in paint and gathered together, this is what we would see.

Lorenzo Hurtado Segovia

These are simply remarkable. 

Basil Beattie and Claude Viallat

These days are tough ones for me in terms of studio work.  I still have not figured how one nurtures an infant AND nurtures a studio.  All in due time I tell myself, as the remnant of baby vomit on my shoulder wafts through my nostrils.  I think this current reality makes finding new (to me that is..) painting so wonderful, so soul-feeding.  Basil Beattie (top) and Claude Viallat (bottom) came to my attention just today.

Ann Toebbe

I found these images of Ann Toebbe's while looking over Jered's show.  In posting them I realize how rare it is for me to post anything representational on this blog.  But the fastidiousness of these images and their over-the-top sense of exuberant (but kind of wonderfully clumsy) color and pattern grabbed me.

Jered Sprecher (new paintings up)

I just saw images of Jered Sprecher's upcoming show at Steven Zevitas Gallery.  I'm truly delighted by his demonstration of the depth and endlessness of formal play.  For a painter (at least this painter), seeing these is a great way to start the day.

Studio View: Christopher Thomas

My husband's studio is definitely a source of energy and encouragement to me often, but especially of late.  Here are some recent pics of what is happening out there, in the building just beyond my own studio. 

State of the Studio: tape ball (and some of what it generates)

Some things in progress...

Inspiration of Late: Rochelle Feinstein

Love the looks of her show, up now.

Meghan Brady

I just discovered these paintings by Meghan Brady--love their unexpected use of color, shape, movement, composition.  They are jarringly right, like proof that walking around akimbo all day is really the way to walk.
The top image is Untitled (yellow), oil on canvas, 40.5"x30", 2010 while the bottom image is called Jackrabbit, oil on canvas, 18"x14", 2010.  You can see more at her website.

Eva Hesse Spectres

I've never seen this image of Eva Hesse's before--it's from a show at the Hammer Museum in LA.

I don't think I'd be who I am without Eva Hesse's work. 

It is wonderful to be confronted with something truly amazing and indescribable--I feel the fullness of living when I see images like the above.

Eva Hesse, 20"x20", oil on canvas, 1960

Tamra Hunt and Lauren Lopez (top image is Tamra's, bottom image is Lauren's...)

The Womens' Abstract Painters Group, Climax, North Carolina

Since August, I've been meeting monthly with two former student, who also happen to be wonderful abstract painters and wonderful women.  Tamra Hunt and Lauren Lopez bring their work from the month to my studio for viewing and discussion.  Both are amazing, and I anticipate great things as they continue developing their painting language.  Here are a couple views from our meeting this month.

Fall paintings (stripes, stackings and new color realizations/understanding)

Some recent paintings from this fall...somehow amidst its craziness, paintings were made!!!!

I love Hilma af Klint!

Red and red (painting)

In an attempt to keep Benny the dog from eating the wings off of Alexander's toy planes while I was outside in my studio, I devised an elaborate pillow/blanket covering scenario--which in the end was more interesting to me as an oblique reference to painting being a blanket/film over a substrate/support.

I love Suzan Frecon

cathedral series, variation 5 (closer), oil on linen, at David Zwirner right now...

Hamlett Dobbins and Erica Svec

Two of my friends have openings tomorrow night.  If by some miracle of time and space I could head up to New York to see Erica Svec's show of recent paintings at Larissa Goldston and then down to Memphis to see Hamlett Dobbins's new work at David Lusk Gallery I most certainly would.  This is work that excites me and makes me want to RUN to the studio to make paintings. 

The top image is Hamlett's, courtesy of David Lusk Gallery, called Untitled (for L.Y./E.I.E), oil on linen on panel, 18"x16", 2010.

The second image is Erica's, courtesy of Larissa Goldston Gallery, called Eyes and Thighs, oil and acrylic on canvas, 62"x54", 2010

Melting

An older drawing on paper--from Fall 2009.  I am seeing it anew of late though.  Of the pile of images made at that time this one has risen to the top.

I am back to writing syllabi (two down, one to go) and I'm hoping desperately to grab a few moments in the studio before the semester begins next week.  Maybe, just maybe.  Though realistically this notion will not happen.  As Alex is no longer in his summer program, Chris and I are back to balancing our work day with a lovely, energetic five year old who has just one week left until he begins kindergarten.  We go about our days normally, with an eye toward preparing for the start of all our schools.  But in some way we are all also waiting/dreading that moment when Alexander will disappear onto that school bus...which will then drive on down the road while I stand still, watching, no doubt feeling just about ready to implode.   

I am not sure how the above image turned into a post about me imploding.  But then if this blog is anything it is an attempt to see what happens when an ostensibly formal abstract image is placed right next to these lived (visual) moments of a life/our lives--a pile of orange carrots, a yellow school bus with black stripes, my son's red hair.

In the studio today

Yellow shape

This painting no longer exists as viewed here--I left it alone for awhile but then, yesterday, decided to keep going.  So I've lost it's original simplicity now, and indeed the image is necessarily on to another permutation.  I am not sure what it will be yet.