I know it is no longer Monday, nor exactly music (although there is some appropriate accompaniment in the Gurney one), but I thought some overviews of the weekend would be a good thing to post while I'm processing all the pictures and promo material and information I acquired whilst in Kansas City last week...
Here is James Gurney's mini-film of his adventures (in typical humorous, smart, Gurney-form):
And here is a photo from Irene Gallo (one of the few I know I'm actually in. Mostly I just took them):
(It's me, and Greg Manchess and Arkady Roytman fairly drooling over some Eric Fortune originals. Yum!)
So MUCH yummy, arty goodness! Much more to come.
This week I got to run into Seattle with
POBL friend and awesome artist
Rebecca Bush for some 'culture'-
We started off at the
Roq la Rue gallery - mostly to see the mini show of
Eric Fortune (which was unsurprisingly breath-taking. The guy can paint like nobody's business! Click his name above to see these pieces close up.)
Featured at this show was
Glenn Barr - although I must say I was more impressed with his painting-on-wood-with-funky-frames than the actual paintings......
Rebecca is also a docent for the
Seattle Art Museums and took me to see the
Asian Museum, in the very lovely Volunteer Park... (if you look closely, you can see the
Space Needle through the hole in the giant Asian donut sculpture. :-))
A smattering from inside:
Super cool Indian relief sculpture... (East Indian angels? Pig gods and Ganesh!)
Dragon riding anyone? (See the fabulous dragon claws in the close-up)
Today I got to meet up with a lovely art friend of mine who lives in Seattle and together we ventured off to see the current (and entirely sold out!) show at the eclectic
Roq La Rue Gallery-
(Look at this fun space- Black floors and ceilings. Indian themed cut-outs. Crystal chandeliers.)
There was an entire wall devoted to new pieces by Italian illustrator
Nicoletta Ceccoli. I first saw some of her work at the
Bologna Children's Fair a couple of years ago. These were even more impressive.
Every piece was like a finely finely rendered pale pastel confection of fantastical imagery... They were absolutely beautiful.
In the back corner were these large breathtaking pieces by
Eric Fortune.
I've seen his pieces in print and online, but that totally does not do them justice. They are so incredibly soft, textural and nuanced in person. (We spent a long time looking). His website describes his work thusly:
Packed with emotional nuances he creates soft yet riveting lighting and atmosphere. With uncompromising patience and discipline he slowly builds up his luminous characters and worlds until they radiate life. And so what sometimes seems to be a simple image to the viewer becomes richer and richer as he or she becomes increasingly entranced by the emotional presences within the art. A true original, Fortune is emerging as a subtle yet powerful artistic voice. All true. He shows several of these pieces in progress on his
blog. The hours and painstakingly sensitive labor that go into them are immediately apparent in person.
And you can see nice, clear shots of all the pieces in this gorgeous show
here.
And to top all that huge visual treat off, we indulged in a bit of the burgeoning market of gourmet
cupcakes of awesomeness! Wow! I've heard about these specialty stores-of-tastebud-delight, but I've never really been a huge cupcake fan. Until now. I tried a Mexican chocolate, and a Lavender flavored mini cake. I think I may have actually swooned...
Thanks
Rebecca for an completely delicious afternoon.
3 Comments on Succulent Saturday - Galleries and Museums..., last added: 7/19/2010
Fun! I had heard about Gurney's film but hadn't seen it yet. Thanks for posting it. Ah, I wish we could rewind time and do it all over again.
Eric Fortune is great! Wasn't it amazing to see so much original work? I was in so much awe at the skill of so many different artists.