Hey! Check it out: The Chron's Ken Baker finally reviews not one, not two, but THREE good painting shows!

Of course, an art critic when talking about painting usually has to bring up "the fraught condition of representation in 21st century painting", or the "the cultural circumstances that make abstract painting look absurd", ore he might just lose his rep as sort of a "champion" of new genres, risking being seen as on the cusp of all cutting edge trends period. So, although it's great to see Baker review three painting shows (and to his credit he does give painting about 1/10th of his time), it's getting tiresome to see this circular debate go on and on to no conclusive end.

In the May 2008 issue of Vogue Magazine, Michael Govan (the new director of LACMA) is quoted definitively as saying "Painting is Dead", while showing off his own collection of purely sculpture, furniture, video and installation. Govan, unfortunately is about a decade behind the most current movement in contemporary art - Painting, and unfortunately the Broad Museum of Contemporary Art will be the first to experience the hurt that's going to follow his statement. Plus how many times must a curator, writer or collector declare the death of Painting? How many times have we heard it all before?

No matter how many trends come and go in contemporary art, Painting will always be relevant, and this is proven by the ubiquity of painting as a centuries-old institution, and as a building block for most mediums and new genres, and even with the recent arrival of art stars like Cecily Brown, Dana Schutz and Kristin Baker as household names. Here's the latest Vogue feature on Kristen Baker.

Regardless of Painting NOT being dead nor showing any sign of dying ever, I've observed a trend in contemporary art, especially at the grad school level, to deliberately circumvent Painting in an attempt to appeal to curators making absurd and revolving claims about Painting. This will ultimately eat itself with an over saturation of marginal installation works that display no apparent concept, no real craftsmanship and no technological innovation.

Upcoming Shows

Now permanently on view, at the GWPC climbing gym, is a 27' x 13' mural painted by myself and my husband Pete:


December 15th, 2007 5pm - 10pm
Rowan Morrison Gallery

(Rowan Morrison Low Commission Group Show)

28 of our favorite artists have been asked to exhibit a few small pieces of work to hang in the 332 portion of Rowan Morrison (which is our studio). Since I've put the list of artists together, I will be adding a few new paintings to the wall. The gallery is taking only 15% commission on the sales of any works - this is hopefully an incentive for art collectors to support some of our personal favorites.

In addition to the group show, Rowan Morrison's latest book publication, "Killer Cuts and Killing Shapes" by Tokyo artist Royhei Tanaka will be unveiled.

RoMo will be offering a 10% discount on all books and paper goods.

Come on out and enjoy champagne and holiday treats on us! We want to party with you, because it's you that's helped us get this far!

Work will be available for purchase until December 22nd.



November 2nd - December 22nd, 2007
Rowan Morrison Gallery
"Paint by Needle"
The Textile works of Narangkar Glover and Ako Castuera

Details
In this split show both artists exhibit a series of new textiles that explore the concepts of using these traditional mediums to express their own currents of artistic practice and ideas. The artists combine their love for the needle arts to create elaborate, colorful, and very narrative work that is most characteristic of traditional and expressionist painting.

Narangkar's works literally combine crewel embroidery with paint to convey a cohesive personal narrative that cuts through the obvious paradox of using one medium to express another. A common thread in her work is the use of the figure and the self portrait, which is primarily expressed through very formal principles in modernist painting, yet allowing room for interdisciplinary exploration. Throughout her career, Narangkar has consistently used old fashioned art forms, from hand drawn animation shot on film and optically printed, to crewel embroidery, to an ongoing dedication to the institution of painting. Her work conveys, not only in the subject but also in the medium itself, a sense of belonging, a connection to humanity and ancestry, and a deep understanding of the profundity of making art: process, progress and narrative.

While saturated color is a running visual theme for the exhibit, Ako Castuera offers an entirely different beast. Castuera is a freelance illustrator from Los Angeles, and character artist for the animated TV program, “Metalocalypse”, which satisfies her blood-thirst for drawing monsters and unfortunate people. For Ako, knitting is a challenging and stimulating process that fuels her interest in craft and narrative. Structure and image are simultaneously created one stitch at a time using various traditional knitting techniques to create colorful woolen pictures that are largely freestyle and unplanned. They show the energy and unexpected decision making of one who is testing new waters, and reflect the artist's mythical view of everyday life, from glimpses of the suburbs (as familiar as knitting itself) to portraits of monsters you will NEVER see anywhere else.


Narangkar Glover, "Color Wheel", 18" x 18", Crewel Embroidery on Jute


Ako Castuera, "Roadkill", 8.5" x 15.5", Hand Knit Wool

For Press Kit or images email info at rowanmorrison.com

The Studio

Lovin' the studio life...

Three Girls #2, 68" x 98", oil on canvas

Here's my latest work from the Three Girls series. I think I'll put it to bed for a bit, and start a new series, but mostly I'll be getting my show together for November.







and I posted this one a while back, here it is again (now it's an "official" series)

Hans Hoffman: 1880-1966

I've gotten a chance to look at a lot of work by Hans Hoffman lateley, as I have visited the Berekely Art Museum twice in the last week. His paintings are really, really good - I guess that's putting it a little simplistic, but it's true. He was a great painting teacher too, and pushed his students hard. Sometimes it's those teachers, whose work is not of "star" status in their own time, that make a bigger imact on their students. Apparently he made Wolfe Kahn have a nervous breakdown when he was studying under him. Hoffman taught summer sessions at UC Berkeley, and later donated a huge portion of his body of work to the Museum. There are about five or six huge paintings always on display.

Also, new to the BAM collection is a piece by Jennifer Bartlett. The sculpture by Maria Porges is always fun to visit. In the "Measure of Time" exhibit there's a wonderful painting by the legendary Jay DeFeo.


Nocturnal Splendor, 1963


Equinox, 1958


Ecstasy, 1947


The Golden Wall, 1961

The bad news is that last night we tried to go to Moma for the Picasso show, but it was sold out. Better luck next time.

Next Up: my re-cap of Allison Smith's Notion Nanny Open House Day of Demonstrations at the Berkeley Art Museum.

timelapse video in the studio - then, MEXICO!

...and now I leave you with a video of some painting ...a work in progress as it were



Be back in May... VIVA AKUMAL!

new and not so new work

A week or so ago I delivered a commissioned work to the buyer, Emmanuel Canteras.

"Portrait of Zoe", 40" x 48". Oil on Canvas, ©narangkar glover

I also just sold a small painting that was in my Twenty-Two Shoes show:

"Polish Woman with Head Scarf", 12" x 12", Oil on Canvas, ©narangkar glover

I don't sell a ton of work, so it's always a good feeling when it's up there and someone responds with a genuine interest. I know they must really like it, as opposed to buying it because its the latest in art trends. And hopefully it will provide some enjoyment, as does my own art collection provide enjoyment to me. Hey, maybe I could write about our art collection next time... but first I've got some beef brewing about certain shit. coming soon...