Janet Fish

Janet Fish - Grocery-wrapped Pears - 1971 - pastel on brown wove Canson paper - sheet: 50.8 x 65.4 cm (20 x 25 3/4 in.) mount: 73.7 x 65.4 cm (29 x 25 3/4 in. - National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.American contemporary Realist Janet Fish (born 1938) paints still life paintings—many of which focus on bouncing and reflective light. It’s been suggested that her achievements have helped to revitalize both still life and realism, which have often been looked down upon by artists and critics alike. However, “even in modern times still life has presented opportunities for artists to create a visual equivalent of states of being…” and this is certainly a view held by Janet Fish.

She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised on the island of Bermuda. Her grandfather, Clark Voorhees (1871-1933) was an American Impressionist painter whose works very much inspired her. Her father was a teacher of Art History, and her mother was a sculptor and potter. Janet began her art studies in Maine, and eventually studied at the Yale University School of Art and Architecture. She was one of the first women to receive her MFA from Yale.

Janet’s solidification as an artist did not come easily—because the generation of young artists who came of age in the 1950s were influenced by the then dominant New York School of Abstract Expressionists. But now her work is exhibited by many prestigious museums and institutions around the world. She’s also received numerous fellowships and awards. Janet Fish now lives and paints out of her SoHo loft in New York City, and her Vermont farmhouse.

Contemporary Realism: A Post-Abstract Movement

William Bailey - Strada Bianca - 1990 - Oil on canvas - 31 1/2 x 39 1/2 in. (80 x 100.3 cm) - John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco (click photo for larger image)Contemporary Realism is the straightforward realistic approach to representation which continues to be widely practiced today—in what we call the post-abstract era. It should not be confused with Photorealism (which began in the late 1960s). The true subject of a photorealist work is the way in which we interpret photographs and paintings, in order to create an internal representation of the scene depicted. Because the subject matter in Photorealist works is often banal, without any particular interest, the approach is somewhat ironic and conceptual in nature.

Contemporary Realists are literate in the concepts of Modern Art, but choose to work in a more traditional form. Many Contemporary Realists actually began as abstract painters, having come through an educational system dominated by professors and theorists dismissive of representational painting.

One of the best known Contemporary Realists is William Bailey, who himself was a professor at Yale from 1969 to 1995. Born in Iowa, he studied Fine Art at the University of Kansas from 1948 to 1951, until his studies were interrupted by service in the United States Army. His B.A. and M.F.A degrees were earned after his military service, at Yale. His career as a working artist evolved over time.

Bailey’s still-life paintings are neither nostalgic nor narrative. Rather, they are composed of pots, jugs, eggs, and bowls that make up an “ideal form-world”.

Helen Frankenthaler: Abstract Lyricism

Frankenthaler - Coral Wedge (1972) - acrylic on canvas, 81 1/2 x 46 1/2 inches, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO. (click photo for larger image)American painter Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) created brilliantly colored, abstract paintings, widely known for their lyricism. Within those parameters her style was continually evolving, and she’s considered a major contributor to postwar painting.

“A Universe of Puzzles” The Art of Tom Wills – May 27th – June 11th

(click photo for larger image)Anderson Chase Gallery is announcing an upcoming exhibit featuring the work of Ossining, NY artist Tom Wills. Tom’s has been a life working with his hands—building custom houses, blacksmithing, farming, lumbering on a 130-acre rural Maine homestead, working on the restoration of the Watts Towers in California, and working on an architecture school in Boulder.  

Ossining New York artist Tom Wills creates art inspired by our everyday humanity and its dynamic energy. The ethical tensions of our world are a major theme in his work—along with the expanding universe and its puzzles, as seen through the lens of science. 

Tom combines different printing techniques and hand coloring in a variety of ways, using a broad range of inking techniques and materials. He also brings many years of carpentry to his work, using an array of tools. Metaphors for his art emerge from his sketchbooks, photos, computer graphics, and combinations of these resources.

Tom also creates series of multi-material collages made from various “bits and pieces” as well as “backyard works” (dubbed Don’t Fence Me in)—comprised of painted collages called Scats. Tom has just completed a series of wood sculptures, as well, called In This Neck of the Woods.

The art of Tom Wills will be on exhibit at The Anderson Chase Gallery, at 65 Old Bedford Road, Goldens Bridge, NY, from 5/27 though 6/11. The Opening Reception will be held on Saturday, May 28^th  from 3:00 – 6:00 PM.

Contact

To learn more about this event, please contact

Anderson Chase Gallery - 65 Old Bedford Rd. Goldens Bridge, NY 10526

Phone: (914) 232-4843

Email: katonahartcentermedia@gmail.com

Avian Avatars

The Realist: A Red-Tailed Hawk. @ Broadway between 37th and 38th (click photo for larger image)If you're in New York City, April marks the final month to see "Avian Avatars", a group of five enormous sculptures , each symbolizing a unique, mythical bird, on Broadway’s Garment District Plazas, between 36th and 41st streets.

"Crafted from maple saplings, wire ties and found objects, the sculptures stand from 18 to 26 feet tall, with each bird sharing a unique myth. Avian Avatars is meant to indicate transformation, encouraging the public to heed to the stories about current human impact on the changing natural world."

Read all about it HERE...