Collision in the best way possible

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.

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. 

Helen O'Leary

Two images from Helen O'Leary's recent show at Coleman Burke Gallery.  I particularly love the second image's matter-of-fact crustiness.

Mark Grotjahn

Intrigued by the fact that these paintings by Mark Grotjahn are on cardboard--wish I could see what the impact of that is visually, wish I was standing in front of this instead of wondering.  But they still look great.

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

Some things in progress...

Summer collages

A couple of the collages I made at Hambidge....

Inspiration of Late: Yifat Gat

In a lovely turn of events, Yifat contacted me through Facebook--to let me know of a post of my work on her blog.  I then came to know her enigmatic-while-being pointedly-precise images through her website.  Again, there are many more treasures than this one...

Inspiration of Late: Garima Saxena

Of late I've been having these moments of intense visual love!  I think the world is looking out for me--giving me amazingly inspiring things to see just when I need them most....
One of the biggest delights recently has been seeing the collage-marathon of Garima Saxena posted on her blog.  I love the frank willingness to try anything and to show us that really so much more is possible here than we thought.  I've just picked out six here; there are many, many more to see, and I urge you to go look 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.

Final/From Representation to Abstraction

I had a particularly strong beginning drawing class this semester.  They moved swiftly through all the usual drawings, finishing what is typically the final drawing a couple weeks early.  So we got to try out some higher level thinking for the last project.  They grappled with the potentially unwieldy and unlimited possibilities of turning facets of representation into abstraction.  From deeply rendered drawings of cork screws and car engines, tea kettles and chopsticks they made lovely and highly individual abstract charcoal drawings.  I was so pleased yesterday when I saw them all gathered together on the wall.

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!!!!

In the studio...

The very beginnings of a wall collage.