Many people, from both inside and outside of our city, have told me that Chicago is broken. I’ve sat through panel after panel, and have read article after article complaining about art writing in Chicago and pointing fingers at one another as to who’s to blame. I’m not interested in joining those ranks of naysayers here. I do not want to hear any more about how internet writing is deemed less important than print, and I don’t want to hear any more about how the decades-old model for arts criticism has disappeared.

You want to know what happened to arts criticism? It changed. Just like how art has changed. Oh, and now it’s on the internet.

Web writer and editor Erin Kissane explains in a recent book that, in the midst of the vast, democratic space of the internet, “the fact that anyone reads anything at all online is a demonstration of an extraordinary hunger for content.” Applied to the art world, I’d like to take this as proof that the outmoded, disappearing model of print publishing has turned our arts community to the internet to find the information that they can rely on. Art moves fast these days, and internet publishing has been poised to be the best medium through which it can be documented, expounded upon and distributed to those hungry for information.

At Chicago Art Magazine, we not only had to shoulder the weight of running our business and maintaining the quality of our publishing, but we also had to shoulder the weight of explaining the value and relevance of all internet publishing in general to an old guard of potential advertisers who have forever before been convinced of the authority of print media. Many galleries, institutions and individuals stepped up to the plate, offering support in a variety of ways, including supporting our revenue model that was heavily based upon advertising, and for that I thank you dearly.

I want to thank our dedicated Chicago readership for perusing, commenting, liking, sharing, tweeting, +1-ing and otherwise caring about our content. We dedicated our whole business to you, Chicago, and we always felt the love from our city’s artists, art-workers, gallerists, dealers and enthusiasts.

I would also like to acknowledge the woman who has made this all possible: our beloved founder and publisher, Kathryn Born. Besides being fearless, independent and exceptionally competent, Kathryn has never let her responsibility for the business’ bottom line compromise her belief in the value of artists. She is an unparalleled advocate for artists and art writers as a valuable workforce, and I absolutely cannot imagine where I would be without her mentorship.

But as Editor-in-Chief, the group I’d like to thank most is my beautiful team of loyal and talented art writers. Some of you came from Chicago, writing for decades about Chicago art and kindly adapted your skill set for the web. Others, like me, came out of art school woefully unprepared for the realities of a life as an artist, and found a voice and a platform for your ideas that I hope were assets to your careers. Others came from arts communities in other cities and other states, and still others from outside of the art world completely, courageously diving into this intimidating and incestuous world that we call the art scene.

My writers, we couldn’t pay you anywhere near as much as you deserved, but someday you will be, and you’ll have your archive of fine work here at Chicago Art Magazine.

If I had a spirit animal, it would be the Komodo dragon:  the master of the slow kill.  The Komodo dragon takes game much larger than itself by a rather unique method.  The Komodo dragon isn’t venomous. However, the Komodo dragon has rather poor oral hygiene.  It feeds on meat, especially carrion, and this gets stuck between the lizard’s teeth, festering and rotting, creating a mouth that is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.  It is this bacteria which kills the Komodo’s prey:  it rushes a deer or other prey item, bites it, and then lets it go. The Komodo dragon follows.  Slowly, after days or even weeks, the wound becomes infected, and the deer grows ill.  One day, sick and exhausted, the deer lays down to rest. The Komodo dragon, which had been following it, unseen, all this time begins to feed while the deer, still alive, is too weak to resist.

The Komodo dragon approach has worked for me in a lot of ways.  Take graduate school, for example.  I first applied to a handful of schools in 2002. I was actually accepted to one of these schools, but by the time I got the news, I had decided that I needed to go to a real “art school,” so I declined the invitation.  The following year, I applied to 19 of the best art programs in the country, and was waitlisted at two of them…but not ultimately accepted to any of them.  This was a disappointing setback, but I immediately began a new body of work, far better than anything I’d done before, applied again the following year, and was accepted to several excellent programs. I ended up attending the Hoffberger School of Painting, at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

After graduating with my MFA in 2007, I moved to Chicago, as my wife, Stephanie Burke, had been accepted into SAIC’s MFA program in photography.  So we moved here, she started school, and I started looking for work. Within two weeks I’d been hired as a sales associate at an Ace Hardware location just a few minutes walk from my house. In the meantime, though, I was working on finding a teaching job, maintaining my studio practice, and securing gallery representation.  By Spring of 2008 I had picked up a few classes at LillStreet Art Center and Hyde Park Art Center, and the following fall I started as an adjunct instructor at Wilbur Wright Community College.

As soon as we’d landed in Chicago, Stephanie and I committed ourselves to familiarizing ourselves with Chicago’s gallery scene.  Each week, while I was working in the hardware store, Stephanie found time to come up with a list of what galleries were having openings that Friday.  I avoided working closing shifts on Fridays whenever possible, and we’d go out to the openings. After a while we started writing reviews for our blog, and between that and the fact that we showed up to pretty much all of their openings, the galleries got to know us.

I sent slides to a number of galleries –a select handful who seemed like good venues for my work:  Ann Nathan, Zg, Aron Packer, and Linda Warren. Of these, Zg and Nathan sent me polite rejection letters (Ann’s was handwritten!), and Packer invited me to bring some work by the gallery to show him.  I did so, and although it was pretty clear he wasn’t interested in showing it, he did provide me with some useful feedback.

Hildwine's "Zombie Hunter Stephanie," acrylic on canvas, 2012

Here’s where the Komodo dragon comes in.  I’d made my bite, introduced myself.  What I did NOT do was take these initial rejections personally, nor as the end of the discussion.  I still showed up to all the openings, even at galleries where I was pretty sure I’d never show my work.  For fun, I started blogging about the food and beverage offerings at the gallery openings:  the Snack Report, started on The Gallery Crawl blog and run, until late last year, on Art Talk Chicago. We tried some other blogging projects as well:  Monday Morning Quarterback, which were quick reviews of all the work we’d seen the weekend before, and the Red Dot Report, which were our notes on work that had sold. All the while, I was applying to group shows, and did some exhibitions in apartment galleries and alternative spaces.

My studio practice continued to develop as well, and was greatly informed by my teaching practice. Prior to teaching, I just sort of “messed with it ‘til it looked right,” a method (or non-method) that is common, and pretty effective, among a lot of very skilled and realistic painters whom I know. When I started teaching, I needed a method that I could easily explain.  I remembered a book I’d seen while I was in undergrad:  Joseph Sheppard’s How To Paint Like The Old Masters. I ordered a copy, and set about adapting Sheppard’s techniques to acrylics.  My interpretations of Sheppard’s interpretations of the Old Masters became the basis not only of my teaching of figure painting, but also of my studio practice.

All this allowed me to finally start making the paintings I wanted to make, the way I wanted to make them. As these pieces came together, I began to exhibit this work in group shows. All this time, I kept attending the gallery openings, and got to know some of the gallerists pretty well.  I very specifically did NOT harangue them about showing my work.  In fact, after I sent them the initial contact, I didn’t bring it up at all.

Eventually one of these gallerists, Linda Warren, asked me what was up with my own studio work, and wanted to come visit my studio.  This didn’t come out of nowhere:  I’d been attending nearly every one of her gallery openings for over three years, written about many of them, hung out, been cool, and most importantly, I was respectful of her time.  I didn’t talk business at her openings, and I didn’t press her to show, or even come look at, my work:  I sent her a link, a remained a part of the community, and eventually, she asked me.

Having a gallerist come visit your studio can be an intense experience; for a young artist especially, it’s easy to see it as the make-it-or-break-it career opportunity.  I just told myself to relax, and made sure the bathroom was reasonably clean and put a couple of beers in the fridge.  On the advice of a friend, I found an excuse to leave Linda alone with the work for a minute, so she could look at it without me looking over her shoulder.

She talked about some local collectors who might be into this kind of work, but when she asked about whether I was interested in selling the work, I mentioned that I’d rather show it as a complete body first. She told me that the main exhibition space was booked two years in advance, but that she could show some of the work in the project space, concurrent with Tom Torluemke’s show in the main space.  This was, in fact, exactly what I’d been hoping for. Gallery X (the smaller of the two rooms in her new space) is just large enough to accommodate the entire Living Dead Girls series, and the timing was just right for me to be able to finish the work to fill it.

Jeriah Hildwine, Living Dead Girls, opens at Linda Warren Projects (327 N. Aberdeen Suite 151) on Friday, April 27^th, 2012.  Also on view will be Tom Torluemke, Ring Around The Rosie.

-Sponsored Post-

“The most unusual thing about public art, and the thing that makes it so different from a conventional art practice, is that you don’t make your own art. It’s made by fabricators.”

National Metal Fabricators offers laser-cut, custom metal fabrication. Their 50,000 square foot manufacturing center provides a space and capacity to take on services that include press brake formation, shearing, punching, robotic welding and assembly.  These Chicago custom metal fabricators utilize a 2,000-watt Cincinnati Laser Cutter that can cut carbon steel that is up to ½ “ thick. They can work with measurements so small, a human welder or metal cutter wouldn’t even consider an actual measurement, a distance of 0.005 of an inch!

Their 6’ 12’ cutting table is a dual-pallet table allows then to take on large volume jobs – as one piece of metal is finishing, they can load up the next piece.

The primary benefit of Laser Cutting, as opposed to saws, is that the machine cannot be contaminated by the materials they’re cutting. Saws also have the capacity to dull, and do not always offer the consistency and “clean,” burr-free cuts. By using a laser, a low divergence beam, it avoids human error, saves on cost, and offers a superior finished product.

National Metal Fabricators have served industries and projects that range from locomotive, special machinery, target ranges, custom lighting, architectural and amusement parts.  They’ve created hoppers, architectural parts, frames, custom light fixtures, frames and machine and conveyor components.

They offer the following custom metal fabrication services:  Carbon Steel Fabrication, Stainless Steel Fabrication, Aluminum Fabrication, Metal Laser Cutting, Press Brake Forming, Metal Shearing and assembly.

Linda Warren's Los Angeles house gallery

SK: Linda, I think some may be surprised to know that Chicago’s Linda Warren Projects actually started as Linda Warren Gallery in 1997 in your home in Los Angeles while you were still working in the film industry. I am picturing the gallery, a swimming pool, film stars, producers, and a house on the hill. Would you fill in some of those details without crushing my romantic notions too much?

LW: For me, it was extremely romantic.  But not in the manner you describe. It was a house on a hill, in Silver Lake, without a pool, but a view all the way to the ocean.  It was a multi-level art deco’y fixer-upper that I bought at the lowest point in the market (1994) from an 85 year old woman artist, whose husband, also an artist, had just passed away (Lolli and Oscar Van Young).  I was very into painting myself during those years, and the house, full of hundreds and hundreds of their paintings, was so enchanting…. I fell in love.  I had looked at over 100 homes at that point.  But I knew when I first saw it, that this was it. I slowly spent every penny I had to turn it from a terrible fixer-up to a very mediocre and funky but functioning and awesome home for me.  When I sold it in 2000, the value of the house had doubled. But I know the new owners thought it was still a fixer-upper.  And it was.

I had no idea that I would ever turn it into a gallery.  I was in the film business, working in production (ultimately becoming an Associate Producer on the last few big-budget films I worked on), and that was how I made my living.  It was a sort of brutal experience – almost every film was a ringer doozy pain in the ass – and it was just not my passion at all.  So in 1997, when a good artist sculptor friend, Dale Edwards, was evicted from his studio and needed a place to store 100 or so pieces of work, I agreed to place them all over my house. I was trying to help him out. But the next thing you know – my film friends started coming by and buying his work.  And then another couple artists thought – well, if you’re selling Dale’s work, you can maybe sell mine.  And they brought it over to my house, and in fact I did sell their work… again, just to friends stopping by.   I knew I could be a good conduit to this sort of thing… but never did I believe I could do this for a living.  So I slowly, without leaving the film industry for good (they were to be my clients, of course, and also my real income), converted that house into a very meandering, well-lit gallery, displaying over 100 pieces at a time and rotating and opening new shows all year round of artists from around LA and well beyond.

Linda Warren Projects Artist: Carson Fox, Cold Comfort (installation), 2010

Yes, some film stars and producers and agents made it up there – but also big collectors – like Peter Norton.  And finally, I was successful enough at selling art that I really didn’t need to work anymore in the industry.

SK: So, shortly after this you moved to Chicago and now, with 8 1/2 years as a gallerist here, you have proven that this city is a place to have a growing, successful gallery. Many people have the perception that the major Chicago collectors only buy in New York, but you have found a way to sell emerging art here, and with admirable success. Does your business model include collectors based both in and outside Chicago?

LW: Yes, I have a strong collector base from all over the United States, as well as a bit abroad. As I generally don’t participate in too many art fairs, I have to assume that the broader success of my business stems mainly from the fact that I show some pretty fantastic artists, as well as from word of mouth, and that my website (while in need of a major overhaul and update) is thorough and direct. It shows as many as ten artworks by each artist, and it lists prices. This uncommon practice of having the prices listed on the site lends both a transparency to the business, as well as an immediate awareness of the viewers as to whether or not they can afford the work.  I also know that my belief in my artists and my passion for what I do plays a part in the success of my business model.  I am confident in the value of the artists I work with, and I think collectors ultimately know how to find the galleries and artists that resonate for them.  They are smart seekers and finders.

Linda Warren Projects’ grand opening of the new space with Emmett Kerrigan's Grand Ave (Installation 2011-Gallery Y)

SK: In November 2011, you inaugurated your new location at 327 North Aberdeen – a much more expansive space – and you brought some innovative nomenclature into this new space. Case in point: the “X” and “Y” names of your two gallery spaces in the Linda Warren Projects.

LW: The “X” and “Y” idea came from multiple ideas. First, my desire to not diminish one exhibition space to the other as superior or inferior, which calling them A and B or 1 and 2 might do.  I also liked that x and y are used in a range of mathematical applications, and thus they, as subtext, suggest the existence of another realm of thought  – coordinates to explore two-dimensional and three-dimensional ideas. If people reflect on space and time in the context of looking at the work while being in the gallery, that is a huge plus.

SK: Would you also address your changing Linda Warren Gallery to Linda Warren Projects with the inauguration of your new Chicago space? 

Linda Warren Projects’ grand opening of the new space with Lora Fosberg’s, Fallible Memories and Wayward Fictions, (Installation 2011- Gallery X)

LW: The word “project” better describes the growing scope of my business and vision for its future.  Since its inception, I have seen my business grow to now include the fact that I am an Art Consultant working on some large corporate projects.  Though I never thought this was something I was much interested in, it has turned out to actually be very rewarding both creatively and financially and something I hope to continue doing in the years ahead while still, of course, running the gallery.  I am also trying to launch this year a nonprofit called Higher Art, Conscious Corporate Collecting.  This project will seek to find and cultivate the talent of young artists of all ages (not yet in college) by selling their art to businesses and corporations. The money from the sales of the artwork will go back to the artists’ schools to assist in the support of their art programs. Or the kids who are creating this artwork will hopefully get involved in deciding where this money should go.  Maybe not to their own school but a different school that is in need of the finances.  Validating their talent as young artists and empowering them to realize their own ability to facilitate change and become philanthropic themselves is a part of the vision.  All of this is in the present, but hopefully more projects that push the importance of art and the artists who are creating it will emerge in the future.

SK: What is your philosophy in representing a large roster of artists?

Linda Warren Projects Artist: Matthew Woodward, State Street (installation), 2010, graphite on paper, 100" x 88" each

LW: The term “represents” really doesn’t describe the nature of the relationships that I have with some of the artists who are listed on my website. I have worked with many artists in the past  – some, who had solo shows at the gallery, but are not necessarily going to have one in the near future. However, I can sell and promote these artists’ work in other ways. And there are other artists, who do not appear on my website roster, who will be having shows in future.  But that, too, for me doesn’t mean that I necessarily represent them.  Some artists I work with demand a lot more effort and time than others – they have more shows lined up in other galleries, and we do a lot more to help them to expand and navigate their careers, including large-scale commissions and licensing agreements. I think it feels more accurate with these people to say I do “represent” them when I start participating in other aspects of their career outside of the gallery confines and they have also had shows in the gallery. Not every artist that I work with has the same opportunities as others.   But my dream would be that ultimately everyone becomes tremendously successful.

Linda Warren Projects Artist: Juan Angel Chavez, Dragging the Leash (installation), 2009

SK: Your aesthetic has a wide scope – from work of Conrad Freiburg, Emmett Kerrigan, Matt Woodward, Lora Fosberg, Juan Chavez, Alex O’Neal, Chris Cosnowski, Tom Torleumke, Ed Valentine, Nicole Gordon, Brenda Moore, Peter Drake, Carson Fox, Jon Waldo, Joseph Noderer, Paula Henderson – just to name some of the artists that you work with. Is there some common essence in the work (and/or artists) that you look for in putting together your roster?

LW: The roster has evolved as a consequence of both my own personal aesthetic as well as my personal and professional relationship with each artist. I like work that is content driven, that is visually compelling and unique on a visceral level, and that has a high concern for craftsmanship and a value in beauty. Some is very quirky and humorous, some very dark and somber. I like a lot of work that is narrative driven.  I love great painting, installation and sculpture.  Basically, I like work that has the ability to immediately engage the viewer with a sense of awe and wonder, and curiosity, respect and concern for what the artists are trying to explore and communicate.  All of the artists you mention, and others that you haven’t who I work with, all do that for me and continue to do it in almost everything they create.

SK: With the remarkable growth of the Fine Arts in Chicago, ironically it seems that quality Chicago-based art criticism is contracting. One can see this in the reputable dailies and the absence of, say, a model like the Atlanta-based Art Papers Magazine or the Miami-based ARTPULSE Magazine. Do we need a writing model that is parallel to your gallery model–something Chicago-based that targets both local artistic talent and talent beyond Chicago? What would you say to those critics, editors, and publishers weighing the potential of locating in Chicago?

LW: Yes, 100% absolutely, of course.  The artists and galleries in Chicago are currently experiencing an enormous hole in the world of local art criticism.  It is like driving around a huge metropolis and not finding a single McDonald’s.  Yes, we have a few printed publications that do gallery exhibition reviews: New City, Time Out, and slightly: the Tribune. I have no idea what’s going on with the Sun Times, as I don’t read it nor has anyone been in my gallery for quite some time – so I wouldn’t know. And there are some blogs that are doing a bit of that – like this blog, Bad at Sports, and Paul Klein who really goes out of his way to look at what’s out there and gives things a thumbs up and a bit of encouragement.  But you would hope that after the blogs say,  “You should check this out or that out,” that someone will actually come and check it out…and then write.  But the local options for where writers can place their stories are so narrow.  The writers have to reach out and advocate for this city in more national magazines. Show them what is going on here. Champion the art scene here. Artists have to get reviews to build their resumes and credentials.  Critics need to do that.  They need to give the validation, help put things in context for the viewer, explain why something is good or why it isn’t.

Linda Warren Projects Artist: Joseph Noderer, Likens and Sue; Misters, 2011

Chicago is a huge city with a lot of talented fine artists who deserve to be recognized. The MFA program at the SAIC just got moved in ranking from third best in the nation to 2^nd best.  Do we want all these great artists coming out of there to leave? How can artists thrive in this community if there isn’t hardly anyone in the local media paying much attention to them? If we aren’t doing it for ourselves, it is no wonder why it’s so hard to get a national publication to pay much attention.  I think that a model that targets local artistic talent and talent beyond Chicago, in the same publication, seems like the best approach for everyone’s benefit. I’m sure there would be a local readership for this. But I get it – it’s not just subscriptions that are needed; local galleries need to support publications with advertising dollars.  I am willing to do that. I do do that.  And I guess that is one of the biggest issues. So galleries need to invest in this.  And if they do, they will attract more reviewers from national art magazines…and then maybe, hopefully, people will realize that it would be viable to have a more constant presence reviewing the art scene here.  I would say it has to be a community effort to support this – the galleries and the institutions in Chicago and art critics need to come together and raise the awareness further about what is happening locally.

SK: Thank You, Linda.

———

Stephen Knudsen is a Writer/ Critic for ARTPULSE Magazine, New York Arts Magazine, The SECAC Journal, and many other publications. He is a Professor of Painting at Savannah College of Art and Design.

 www.steveknudsen.com

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To experiment with space in the name of art is to stretch our collective definitions of what is private and public, individual and shared, personal and political. At The Fenn House, an 18-room Victorian mansion in Hyde Park and home to Southside Hub of Production, explorations into these and many other concepts are continually occurring.

The aim of Southside Hub of Production is to provide cultural and communal free space as an alternative to the museums, galleries, and universities that largely comprise Chicago’s art scene. SHoP came to fruition in August 2011 through the collective efforts of Laura Shaeffer, John Preus, and a number of other local artists, writers, filmmakers, craftspeople, and educators.

Chicago Art Magazine recently caught up with Laura and John to discuss the ideas and events materializing throughout The Fenn House, as well as SHoP’s communities taking shape and thriving here.

The Psychology of Space

The wheels that set SHoP in motion began turning much earlier than 2011. In 2009, Laura, who is an artist and curator, created The Opportunity Shop, a mobile space for community involvement and artistic exchange.

The Op Shop was conceived as a way to utilize existing resources, share ideas, and provide a sense of wonderment in the everyday. It has been brought to life through exhibitions, events, and programs that take place in empty spaces throughout Chicago. After the Op Shop’s fourth iteration, a public gardening project in Hyde Park, its creators recognized a need for more time and synergy in one space in order to deepen artistic ideas and further develop programming.

John’s background as a builder has further informed the conception and realization of SHoP in distinct ways. In this vocation, he often thinks about the rules that govern public space: how it is organized, paid for, and maintained. While it is a direct and pragmatic way to alter one’s environment, John also believes that building “encourages metaphorical and poetic thought about how things fit together, how space affects relationships, how people inhabit space according to the degree that it is proscribed or malleable.”

The on-going construction of new environments at The Fenn House unites these impulses of stability and fluidity, through the people, events, and exhibitions found in this space. Once home to a Unitarian Church and subsequently a meeting place for various groups of interest, SHoP has transformed The Fenn House into a center for artistic practice and production, and eclectic social gatherings.

The Pulse of SHoP

SHoP’s core is made up of like-minded individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences, bound by a desire for community engagement through the arts and the union of aspects of community life that are often kept separate. Because many of the artists involved in SHoP have children, their current lifestyles have forced them to alter their commitment to art-making in practical ways. The Fenn House is a welcome space in this regard, as artists and their families can gather and engage in many forms of creative community—and, by extension—explore issues related to domesticity and family life through the lens of art.

SHoP is also a response to the pressing reality that artists need and want venues for artistic production and interaction outside of traditional institutional spaces; in other words, they are seeking freedom from the impulse to create art in response to other art. While SHoP promotes this kind of creative license, The Fenn House’s physical structure necessarily informs decisions of what can or should take place here. Exhibition proposals are judged critically, but also pragmatically—according to relevance and suitability to the space, as well as its expected, diverse, audience.

Fenn House

Artists often respond to what may otherwise be perceived as constraints with creativity and humor. As part of SHoP’s on-going exhibition, This House is Not a Home, which runs through April 8, Matt Joynt has utilized a 3rd floor closet space for his work. Adam Grossi’s small, intimate paintings wind up the back stairwell of the house, forcing viewers to try and view the art while walking up or down the stairs. For the Hyde Park Kunstveirin, Dan Peterman’s plastic boards have overtaken the mansion’s library, imbuing the room with reflections upon waste and memory. In all these ways, contributors and visitors alike find delight and surprise in the discovery of appropriated environments.

In addition to the many cultural events and exhibitions that have taken place at SHoP to date, subtler communities are kept alive through projects such as the South Side Seed Exchange and the Community Woodshop. It is also in the everyday that deeply poignant moments are shared at The Fenn House. John speaks of the Chinese dance troupe that meets to practice on the third floor of the house. When they leave, he says, “Each person waves goodbye, and the last woman hugs me and beats my back, there is no language between us but we understand each other.” Whether in the midst of a packed exhibition or during the tranquility of a Sunday afternoon potluck, a sense of profound connection is experienced here often.

Finding New Roots

The premise of SHoP may not be novel, but it is nonetheless filling a particular niche in Chicago, one that its creators hope will endure. As SHoP’s 12-month lease on The Fenn House comes to an end this summer, its future is open to speculation and some concern. The house is currently on the market, and the nearby University of Chicago is a likely buyer. With lease renewal a slim prospect, John and Laura are in the process of forming an Artists Union with Jim Duignan, founder and director of DePaul University’s Stockyard Institute. The goal is to develop a solid foundation and network of support for similar endeavors around the city, to keep artistic production alive in new and exciting ways.

The likelihood of SHoP’s physical relocation is fraught with feelings of uncertainty but also possibility, as there are many reasons to believe that its collective spirit will find roots in new and evolving communities throughout Chicago.

Woodward's "Huron Street" 71"x87" Graphite and coffee on Paper, 2011

The gritty, aggressive, large-scale works of Matthew Woodward are a kind of contemporary art anomaly. Without that self-conscious level of remove that dominates much of contemporary work created by artists with their terminal degrees, Woodward’s practice is centered around an unabashedly emotional drive. Like emotions, his work is not necessarily difficult to understand, but is decidedly difficult to approach intellectually. Though admittedly, getting a viewer to go beyond the personal expression and the drama of the gesture and surface is often a challenge for artists who work in this manner, Woodward’s practice contains content that can be accessed at varying points of entry.

Viewers are inevitably drawn to his remarkably consistent aesthetic: the heavy-handed mark-making enacted upon the artist’s ubiquitous trope of isolated, decorative architectural forms. A violent treatment of his materials, primarily graphite on paper, takes place through erasure marks, scratches, tears, and other traces of glue and grit by whatever means necessary, paralleling the layering of deterioration and buildup indicative of the wear of urban life. These decorative forms of winding, vaguely floral reliefs, lifted from their original context and hand-drawn onto Woodward’s works on paper, are a composite of anonymity and specificity.

The artist’s employment of these architectural details is discernibly more complicated than it may seem at first sight. Through manufacturing, patterning and reproduction, the forms’ uniqueness has been lost, and their original authors unknown. Through time and familiarity, the forms are overlooked and taken for granted, almost un-seeable to those who live amongst them. Woodward uses these architectural forms in every piece with an urgent repetition that, given their homogeny, becomes a kind of catalog of anonymous forms in the urban landscapes.

Detail of Woodward's "Huron Street"

As the forms are moved from the street, to the photograph, to the studio and into the drawings, they are further and farther removed from their original context. In his drawings, Woodward isolates each of these forms, enlarging them, centering them in the composition, and rendering them in a classical technique that is offset by his heavy-handed marks and the tattered surfaces of the abstracted ground. Through scale, dramatic chiaroscuro, and composition, these rather unimportant decorative images are transformed into grand icons, elevating their importance, though without establishing what it is that they have become symbols of.

At the end of all this layering, rendering and recontexualizing, after the forms have been moved and removed, cataloged and elevated, their meaning really hasn’t been changed. They are each assigned a title specifying the location in which the artist first encountered them, but that is where the explanations end; their ambiguity has remained intact and perhaps that is the very space left open for viewers to linger long after they have been drawn in by Woodward’s tactile surfaces and expressionistic hand. I suppose these works necessitate the use of your gut to appreciate their emotional content, though I think that a patient viewer will find herself able to spend much more time thoughtfully engaged in Woodward’s open-ended subject matter.

—————-

View From the Birth Day, a solo exhibition of new works by Matthew Woodward will be on display at the Chicago Cultural Center, beginning with an opening reception Friday, April 13^th from 5:30-7:30pm.

Additional information about Woodward’s work can be found on his website, and through Linda Warren Projects.

Critical Inquiry performed by Candice Weber

A recent portrait of the former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin brought together images of fluffy clouds, rainbows, cute animals, and a perplexing shot of a Menorah. The artist credited with such a likeness: Portwiture, one of many new Twitter “mash-up” websites creating a portrait of any Twitter-user by mashing up their most frequently tweeted words with images pulled from the popular photo site Flickr. The obnoxiously-named Twyric takes advantage of poets on Twitter to match haiku with Flickr photos. The results are a bit confusing, like seeing a poet “tweet in” beside a bizarre invitation to a two-year-old’s birthday party – the site definitely achieves its goal of creating a contemplative, though not quite meditative, online experience.

These works of so-called Twitter art lack that certain spark of genuine creativity, being computer generated and all – something very puzzling considering Twitter is nothing but the murmurings of a sea of diverse humanity. Portwiture’s (and other Twitter ‘mash-up sites’) reliance on perfectly composed stock photography is overly sentimental and flattens more than it emphasizes the Twitter-er’s individuality. Overall, the ability to pair the keyword “tree” with a picture of a tree isn’t all that impressive.

Twyric

These kinds of projects are at best a kind of novelty art form akin to any Facebook personality quiz. Some, like Twitter Mosaic, quite appropriately offer to broadcast your Twitter friends and followers on your very own mug or t-shirt.

However, Twitter’s and Flickr’s ability to unfailingly bombard you with a stream of random images ranging from the sublime to the utterly inappropriate has some major appeal, and the coolest works of Twitter art have tapped into this feature. TimeTweets follows the simple format of a clock that updates in real-time with a parade of Twitters by-the-numbers: blasts of birthday wishes, concert dates, and other milestones create an experience that can be a bit humbling, until the quiet 9 o’clock hour is interrupted by mandybaby011′s urgent message about just how beautiful the new (two story!) Forever 21 store is at the mall. Twistori is similarly mesmerizing as it constantly scrolls Tweets containing words like love, hate, and wish (things Twitter folk love: According to Jim, pumpkin spice latte, Craigslist, and the blues. Things Twitter folk hate: their life, you, this song, and the Eastern Hills mall).

TimeTweets

I suppose at one point in time many scoffed at the potential of audio sampling and musical mash-ups, a genre becoming more popular all the time. Maybe someday I’ll look back and kick myself for scoffing at the Twitter art bandwagon. So, while the sprawling, collective crying-out from the mundane human experience that is the essence of Twitter is fascinating in and of itself, the day Twitter art becomes the next big thing, I’ll eat my hat.

(Kathryn’s Note: Thank you to Mashable.com for the original Twitter Art roundup.)

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“If you are a student in grades 6-12 who lives in Chicago, and you can’t afford to pay for art courses elsewhere, you are invited to take art courses at Marwen for free.”

Although these words may sound like an online scam, they actually appear on the website for Marwen, a dynamic artistic community located in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, just a short distance from the downtown Loop.  However, the classes at Marwen are not just ordinary classes for cutting and pasting crafts; Marwen gives students who otherwise might not receive arts instruction the kind of education usually only available to those in upper income brackets:  first-class facilities, instruction from leading Chicago artists, and opportunities to exhibit and learn within a dynamic community that even professional might artists envy.  Relying almost entirely on donations, the students and employees at Marwen have proven how essential art is to them now and to the future of Chicago at large.

Even when just walking into the building, one begins to understand the spirit of Marwen.  The brick building’s small entrance opens up to a large gallery. The Berkowitz Gallery was named for Marwen’s founder, Steven Berkowitz, an entrepreneur and avid art collector who wanted to provide students with the kind of art education his daughters received. With a high ceiling, exposed structural wooden beams, and a structurally independent glass and steel staircase, the gallery was designed by Wheeler Kearns Architects, a highly-awarded firm based out of Chicago, the building was awarded the Excellence in Architecture Award by the American Institute of Architects, Chicago chapter.  Upstairs is an art library for research and inspiration.  The building also includes a college and career center to help students plan for their academic futures.

Along the gallery’s walls, one finds the work of student artists using video, graphic design software, advanced photography techniques, clay, paint, and other forms of media.  Marwen invites teaching artists in Chicago to submit course proposals each term. Past teaching artists include Angee Lennard of Spudnik Press, Kelly Kaminski of Grip Design, Regin Igloria of Ragdale, filmmaker John Lyons, painter Ann Worthing, sound artist Nick Jaffe, and Academy Award-nominated animator Joe Merideth.  One clearly sees this in the high level of work exhibited in the galleries.

It comes as no surprise, then, that classes are overflowing. This past fall, Marwen had its highest turnout ever, and plans are already being made to meet the needs of the students. Marwen’s programs have received much national attention, including grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, Surdna Foundation, and Wallace Foundation, as well as the Coming Up Taller Award from the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities. However, Marwen relies almost entirely on donations to sustain its programs, with its current budget at about $2 million.

Marwen’s impact is often felt outside of the gallery walls.  In 2004, Marwen published Fuel: Giving Youth the Power to Succeed with arts educator Philip Yenawine.  Marwen has a close relationship with the city. The Executive Director, Antonia Contro, sits on the mayor’s cultural advisory council, and Marwen has developed strong ties with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.  Students’ work also moves out of the gallery.  For example, students in Marwen (and other organizations) worked with artist Jan Tichy for his Project Cabrini Green last year.  Tichy selected Marwen because of its proximity to the housing project.  Students wrote and performed pieces inspired by Cabrini Green, the housing project that became infamously associated with crime by various media outlets.  After watching documentaries made by Cabrini Green residents and reflecting on their own experiences with themes such as ‘home,’ and ‘memory,’ students wrote and performed their own poetry.  The recorded pieces were transmitted into light signals and installed in the building during demolition.  Their work was featured on the project’s website and in a piece exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. The work also attracted attention from media outlets, including The New York Times, The Associated Press and WBEZ and has garnered international attention.

Marwen is a hub for Chicago’s students–students from fifty-four of Chicago’s fifty-seven zip codes attend Marwen.  At Marwen, students from all over the city connect with peers they might not meet otherwise. Although Chicago is rich in historical contributions from ethnic neighborhoods, it has been described by sociologists as “hypersegregated.” According to Brandon Hayes, manager of communications and development, “Marwen students and their families are a huge source of strength.” Mingling students from many neighborhoods enables a variety of voices in student work and raises awareness of issues outside of art and promises a future of deeper understanding among Chicago residents.

Amid growing insecurity and shrinking budgets, people are realizing more and more the importance of the kind of art education offered by Marwen.  With so many dedicated donors, employees, and outside supporters, Marwen should continue to make its mark on Chicago for years to come.

Joyce Owens

Before you get started with this, let me clarify that I am talking about artists who are still selling work at moderate prices through art galleries. The artists whose work can be resold without them even knowing. And not the Kerry James Marshall type artists. He recently sold a painting through his gallery, Jack Shainman, at the Miami Basel art fair for $350,000.00.  I am not speaking of him or the other art giants that we read about.

I am speaking to most artists who sell their work in the hundreds, maybe up to 10 or 20  thousands of dollars. The auction house artists, such as Mr. Marshall,  are another story. I hope we all get there!

But a year or two later the collector is incapacitated because of a stroke and his wife has a sale of his collection at a local gallery. You have NOT been notified. You find out because you run into someone who tells you how thrilled they are to have acquired your work from the prominent collection!

Really?

So here is another way that living artists get the screw. Some people, especially artists, think the creator of the original art work or the vendor (gallery) who sold it should be notified when the work is de-acquisitioned. And secondly, that the artist should receive a percentage of the resale price, especially if it sells for higher than the original price. Artists should also know if their work is going at higher prices. The Europeans have laws to protect their artists. And you may think California is flaky on some issues but they have laws to protect artists when their work is resold, too.The artists should also be given the option of buying back their work before it goes to someone else. (article continues).

Here is an excerpt from a 1995 article:  If art is resold, should the artist profit?

by Edmund H. Mantell

I INTRODUCTION

The title of this essay is taken from the headline of a recent news article appearing in The New York Times.(2) The article described public hearings held in San Francisco. The hearings were conducted by the office of the Policy Planning Advisor for the United States Register of Copyrights, as part of a study on the feasibility of federal legislation to establish mandatory resale royalties applying to works of fine art. The person holding the position of the federal Policy Planning Advisor is reported to have said that the San Francisco hearings carry particular weight because the participants were the people “actually involved” with resale royalties. The pending federal legislation is modeled on a California statute.(3) The California statute was originally enacted in 1976, and was amended in 1982. Subject to certain qualifications,(4) it requires the seller of a work of “fine art” (or his agent) to pay to the artist 5 percent of the amount of the sale price. Important to the functioning of this law is that it specifies that the right of the artist to receive the royalty cannot be waived by the artist unless by a written contract providing for a royalty in excess of 5 percent of the amount of the sale. The evident purpose of the California statute, and its pending federal equivalent, is to increase the income that artists derive from their creations.(5) Struggling artists, so it is argued, should be treated with special solicitude by legislators. The special solicitude should be manifested in a practical way. In view of the propensity of legislative bodies to shun talk of taxing the electorate to provide subsidies to artists…

I think many collectors buy art because they love it and would get a second job before selling off their collections.  But if you find you need to sell, please give the artist the right of first refusal. And give them a 5% cut of your profits which they have earned already by producing the work.

I hope providing a little insight I will encourage all art buyers be sensitive to the artist whose life’s work is in their hands. For legal help check with the Lawyers for the Creative Arts.

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Ashley Frick

“Fork It Over” by Scott Jacobs (2004). 32'' x 25'. Serigraph in color on paper.

Saturating under the varnish of Scott Jacobs’ photorealistic paintings are the markings of a fulfilled life. From the rumbling of a Harley Davidson Twin Cam engine to the enticing tones of a delicate Cabernet Sauvignon, Jacobs’ paintings unlock a side of life that’s carefree and gratifying. Through his depictions of motorcycles, wine and spirits, and classic cars, Jacobs reveals something more: his passion for life and the road well-traveled. From skydiving and body building to road-tripping and starting a family, he’s racked up a laundry list of remarkable adventures. Through it all, Scott’s family and paintings have become his life. With his many inspirations, Scott has been working with Park West Gallery to expand their collection of photorealistic paintings, doing what he loves every day.

Scott’s first introduction to the art world was not as a painter. When he was growing up, he naturally gravitated toward a more creative lifestyle. He loved art in its many forms and began sketching with pencils, showing a natural talent in drawing. When he turned nineteen, Scott decided to buy a failing art gallery and before he knew it, he had inaugurated Reflections in Canvas in Westfield, New Jersey. While Scott was busy developing his business, painting worked its way in.

Until his wife bought him a new set of paints, Scott hadn’t picked up a brush in years. Getting his chops back, Jacobs wanted to assess his audience before he did anything serious. Exhibiting under the pseudonym “Escoteté”, he hung his art on his own gallery’s walls, and sure enough, received an overwhelmingly honest response from his clients. While he had dabbled with Cubism and abstraction, he received the best feedback for his photorealistic paintings, pushing him to really develop this style.

“Chateau” by Scott Jacobs (2004). 32'' x 21''. Giclée in color on canvas.

He began by painting celebrities. Joan Lunden, Kathy Ireland, and Malcolm Forbes Sr. were some of his initial subjects. But in 1993, at the suggestion of his friend Ron Copple, Scott branched out, incorporating his love for motorcycles. Scott’s first Harley paintings were Fat Boy and Live to Ride. Within sixty days, his paintings were recognized by the Chief of the Board of Harley Davidson and his career as the first officially licensed Harley Davidson artist began.

Scott begins his paintings with a photo of his subject, focusing on angles and details. He maps out a basic outline in pencil before he even wets a brush, preparing to improvise when needed. As he paints, he works in layers, taping and masking sections to maintain fine edges and outlines. These sections are usually part of the foreground, the first stage of his painting. Once the foreground is established, it’s taped off for clarity while he paints the background. And while Scott’s artistic talent began with a pencil, it stayed within the lines; his paintings are so detailed that his brush is the size of a pencil point (000). After anywhere between two-hundred and four-hundred hours of work, the painting is sealed with varnish, locking in the color.

Motorcycles can be tricky to paint, as are other complex objects. Depending on the age and condition of the bike, some of his paintings take longer than it took to make the bikes themselves. Scott gets every detail perfect – or better than – improvising when necessary to heighten colors and set the stage. While ninety-five percent of Scott’s work is done with his tiny brushes, an airbrush comes in handy to create whatever effect he needs. After everything is complete, months may have gone by. His most complicated painting was commissioned by Harley Davidson, called “100 Great Years”. The painting took more than four-hundred hours to complete – his longest work to date.

“Split End” by Scott Jacobs (2012). 34'' x 24 1/8''. Acrylic painting on canvas.

Harleys are so entwined in the Jacobs’ family lifestyle that even his daughters, Olivia and Alex, have bikes. Riding to brunch on a Sunday morning is a favorite tradition of theirs, as is attending the Sturgis and Daytona festivals every year. Connecting his paintings with the reality of the bikes and their riders is very important to Scott. He and his family set up in booths and hotels, soaking in the scene. Visitors can catch Scott in the act, working on a painting while he’s there, too. For some people, it’s hard to believe Scott paints the canvases himself, convinced that they’re photographs. One man actually thought they were paint-by-numbers – even as he watched Scott paint.

With the success of Scott’s Harley Davidson paintings, he’s been able to branch out, becoming the official licensed artist for Chevy’s Corvette division and Mattel’s “Hot Wheels”. Marilyn Monroe Estates also licensed Scott to paint their Marilyn Merlot wine label, as did Elvis Presley Enterprises. A type of collecting in its own right, each wine or spirit label is an integral way for Scott to showcase his eye for detail. From the most intricate lettering to the precise drops in a glass, each painting is flawless.

Since 2005, Park West Gallery has been working with Scott, selling his art internationally via land and cruise art auctions. With the popularity of his paintings, Scott has translated his photorealism to new media, perfecting the arts of lithography, serigraphy, and giclée. He’s been featured on Jay Leno’s Garage and in countless publications. In 2009, he published his second book – The Art of Scott Jacobs: the Complete Works.

“Santorini Sunset” by Scott Jacobs (2010). 30'' x 20''. Acrylic painting on canvas.

Constantly adding to his impressive résumé, Scott has become an internationally respected artist. Collectors like Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, and Jon Elway are able to appreciate the innumerable hours he spends on each of his paintings, adjusting for the most miniscule of details to make each piece perfect. With the support of his wife and two daughters, Scott is able to convey a kind of lifestyle that’s inspires thousands of collectors to jump on their bikes and see the world – one of the most rewarding experiences of all.

For more information on Scott Jacobs, please visit http://www.parkwest-jacobs.com/.

About Park West Gallery

Founded in 1969 by Albert Scaglione, Park West Gallery has brought fine artworks to more than 1.3 million clients around the world through its gallery locations in Michigan and Florida as well as cruise ship art auctions and in major metropolitan areas. Park West Gallery’s mission is to create an educational, entertaining, and welcoming environment that ignites a passion for the arts and creates a collecting experience like no other company in the world. Park West Gallery supports a myriad of artistic talent, engages the widest array of audiences, and advocates genuine artistry while maintaining only the highest of professional standards.

For more information, please visit Park West Gallery at www.parkwestgallery.com, or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and on our blog.