HAPPY HALLOWEEN . . from EVIL SWORD (2013)
a zine out of PHILLY – made by KATE FERENCZ and BEN FURGAL.
see: EVIL SWORD on . . SINGLE GIRL MARRIED GIRL
see: NEWS . . SINGLE GIRL MARRIED GIRLS
EVIL SWORD: BEN FURGAL, KATE FERENCZ, and YIANNI KOURMADES, drummer.
PHOTO via EVIL SWORD – SINGLE GIRL, MARRIED GIRL
ps: KATE FERENCZ . . penned those super ferocious words, and the band would like to give a shout-out to ANDREW MAHER, for his – inspired lighting !!
~HAPPY HALLOWEEN . . EVIL SWORD !! | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 31st, 2014, 10:17am
GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN, N.Y.
SAT OCT 25, 2014
the fun thing is, when you turn the corner to access BRIAN WILLMONT’S own studio, from the public exhibition space of his GREENPOINT TERMINAL GALLERY, you get to see the workplace of artist / master ceramist . . CODY HOYT.
this being the season of ‘CLAY’, ‘SATAN CERAMICS’ downtown , and uptown ‘FIRE’ – and all . . I wondered why I hadn’t made note of his work, although I had seen it, and even very recently at the big CINDERS tenth anniversary group show this past summer.
I think the oversight was based on . . 2 factors.
1. esp in the CINDERS showing, Cody’s work had to compete with so much other really strong pictorial visual art, and the pieces they showed by him were not large enough in scale, or well-lit enough, or whatever . . to compete.
2. Cody’s work requires more of a ‘setting’ to stand out in all it’s functional, playful weirdness and . . beauty. nobody should ever display his work, standing alone – on a cold empty shelf.
his work also needs . . plants, gorgeous living plants, and flowers. as in: greenery !!
to come alive. these pots need settings. lights. camera, action.
contrast, life, and – drama.
ok. well, they look pretty good ‘stand-alone’ on his website, but then they are just competing within their own context, and in some sense are re-inforced by that.
his sculptural shapes need an array, to make the whole and the individual . . come alive in all their wild inventive diversity, and well . . even: music.
of form.
and rhythm . . of design.
as I saw here, where there’s variety, ironically there’s also a chance to note the great restrained order of things. in these clay pieces. function, balance, order, raw-like surface finish, inner volume, outer volume, gesture. presence. etc, etc.
SO,
from now on CODY HOYT here’s some advice . .
don’t let anyone ever again, just pop a couple of your hand-wrought geometric vessels on a shelf. instead, build a setting for them, like you have in your studio, and let them stand tall, and be graced in all their gorgeous minimalist primitive clay being . . by the very contents for which they were designed and made to hold: and that is: g-r-e-e-n-e-r-y.
greenery and hand-built clay, a full-blown life force.
now, that’s what I call . . a win win.
definite, see more: CODY HOYT
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~CODY HOYT . . STUDIO AT A GLANCE | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 30th, 2014, 1:05pm
BRIAN WILLMONT STUDIO VISIT – GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN. N.Y.
SAT OCT 25, 2014
upon visiting the big and intense (!!) ‘DUCKS’ group show at his gallery, GREENPOINT TERMINAL – when Brian mentioned his studio was in a space just adjacent, of course – I asked to check it out.
if the whole, and really . . explosive – if you consider how mundane a show focused on ‘ducks’ sounds in the first place – visual and conceptual content contained in that small gallery space expanded it’s actual physical space by a factor of at least a 1,000 with the vibrancy of ‘DUCKS’ – then what can I say, the journey . . just kept on growing.
BRIAN WILLMONT with his work behind him, whole worlds opened up . . on the physical plane of the painted canvases . .
I’m thinking . . Halloween, of course, on some dumb seasonal primordial level, but also, really more !! more on how . . the depth that comes to an artist-run gallery, is usually reflective of the deep creative reach or vision of the artists who helm those start-up galleries, and what drives them, so strongly.
close-up you can see small slits of reflecting foil, or other shiny materials reflecting the darts of light – that light up the deep pool of the whole brooding mass. deep pool, is the recurring metaphor.
as my eyes adjusted to all the work, and works-in-progress, and other props in the room – I began to pick out pieces that made me feel I was in the presence of a formal . . illusionist.
or in art terms – somebody who plays with light !!
and shape.
and not . . just soccer balls.
but, let’s back up a moment, at the work/computer/desk station . .
I got to see some of Brian’s earlier works, and so the journey was multi-leveled, took many paths. I got the feeling that unlike many other artist-gallerists, Brian was also more open in the dialogs, as opposed to narrow or more focused agendas – he wanted to bring to his gallery space. that’s so rare, I found that a big breath of fresh air.
an earlier installation archive – re-inforced this experience.
BRIAN related that he grew up in NEW MEXICO on many folk stories about magic, rituals, witches, and all.
if you consider New Mexico was the birthplace of AGNES MARTIN, the great non-objective ‘abstract’ painter – than things start falling into place.
you can see more of his work, on his: website
on the other side of the studio . .
note: I should have grabbed a better photo, but that small romantic/visionary/ritualistic figure, a coppery and white plaster-type statuette – in the foreground, on the big table is . . by NICK VAN WOERT.
you can see a better photo of the work, if you scroll down the exhibition pix from Greenpoint Terminal’s last show, called aptly enough: ‘RITUAL MAGIC’.
another wall, for a smallish space – this studio packed a pretty big punch !!
close-up of a work on that wall.
yeah for sure, I was in the presence of an illusionist with a background in formal painting, magic and a big wide open . . mind ready and willing to populate the scene with new stuff, new people, and new visions.
look out: a new ghost army masses . . on the horizon.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~BRIAN WILLMONT . . STUDIO VISIT | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 30th, 2014, 11:31am
‘DUCKS’ – CURATED BY RYAN TRAVIS CHRISTIAN
OCT 24 – NOV 29, 2014
GREENPOINT TERMINAL GALLERY – 67 WEST ST. #320 – BROOKLYN, N.Y.
HRS: FRI & SAT / 1-6 PM or by appointment
GREENPOINT TERMINAL GALLERY is a small, but big ambitions . . artist-run gallery in Brooklyn, and the – artist who runs it is . . BRIAN WILLMONT.
he has his own studio behind the gallery, so making an appointment to see the shows – is . . NO BIG DEAL. he’s a very friendly, engaging, social is the word – and smart, guy. he’s definitely taking the ‘Brooklyn’ brand . . forward.
the contact is on the gallery website.
RYAN TRAVIS CHRISTIAN, ‘The Scientist’, 2014.
color pencil on paper, 10.25 x 12.75 in.
($900)
RYAN TRAVIS CHRISTIAN curated the show – pretty much everything was made specifically for the show. the many & very diverse contributors were given like 2 months – to come up with something about ducks !!
what is it about ducks, anyway ?
I asked BRIAN, why the ducky theme ?
and this is what he said: “I think RYAN chose ducks because they’re funny and silly. He has a history of ducks in his work and there’s a rich history of ducks in cartoons, which he works with a lot.”
it’s a very retro – theme. I was thinking DAFFY and Donald and all that, incl Mother Goose – must have been before ca. 1940, when more people grew up on farms, or closer to rural areas – and ducks had big CHARACTERS in the family yard. !! now we all live in cities and only know rats, dogs, cats – and, Sharks !!
and, oh yeah – pigeons.
sure enough in a nice essay on the show, ‘What the Duck ?’ posted by OPENING CEREMONY
we get to learn that RYAN “recently moved to a house with a pond in the suburbs of Chicago, so he’s had a lot of time to observe them” – who’s the leader of the pack, etc.
I’m thinking there is something about ducks – that goes counter intuitive to the fast paced and high risk world today, so it was even more interesting to see such a big group effort – trying to pin them down, or is that – set them free.
ducks, they not only seem akin to humans, but they get cut up a lot, comically speaking . . and hunted into food, more ominously. yum yum Peking duck. so there’s got to be a moral in there – somewhere.
but – on with the . . show !!
ERIC SHAW, ‘DuckDuck’, 2014.
vinyl paint and gauche on paper, 16.5 x 11.5 in.
($800)
MATT LOCK. ‘Ruffians Visiting an Art Exhibit’, 2014
mixed media on paper, 8.5 x 12 in.
($120) (wow – that’s a STEAL !!)
CASSIE MARIE EDWARDS, ‘Sitting Duck’, 2014
oil/alkyd on paper, 11 x 14 in.
($750)
SOFIA LEIBY, ‘DUCK (after Steinberg)’, 2014
acrylic on Arches paper, 7 x 11 in.
($350)
JOSH REAMES, ‘Fucked Up Mallard’. 2014
acrylic on canvas, 12 x 16 in.
($1,200)
MORGAN BLAIR, ‘Quack is Wack’, 2014
acrylic and sand on panel, 11 x 14 in.
($550)
detail, MORGAN BLAIR, ‘Quack is Wack’.
STACIE JOHNSON, ‘Ducky duck’, 2014
acrylic on cardboard and paper clay, 5 x 8 x 1 in.
LOUIS SCHMIDT, ‘Duck Study #12’, 2014
acrylic and graphite on paper, 11 x 14 in.
($350).
I liked this one – because the duck was so . . pensive, and sad.
MATT LEINES, ‘Duck Hunt, a Humorous Rifle Industry Publication Aimed at Japanese Children’, 2014
ink, colored pencil, and graphite on paper, 8 x 10 in.
($1,000)
it was great to see this piece in person, I liked it because it was so graphic as only MATT LEINES can be, in that twisty & funny . . offbeat, upbeat . . you know kind of way of his, you know . . aimed at children, and, Japanese at that !!
yep, looking a lot like a woodblock print.
detail, MATT LEINES, ‘Duck Hunt’
more like a tarot card, than a how-to-hunt, and KILL . . ?!!
your OWN species ?!!
EDRA SOTO, ‘Duck Parts (Milagros)’, 2014
Tooling metal, Dimensions variable.
($250)
talk about complete . . deconstruction.
CHRISTIAN REX van MINNEN, ‘Duckface’, 2014
oil on panel, 14 x 11 x 2 in.
(SOLD)
it’s the tattoo – on the face . . !!
awesome / gruesome, off the wall. funnie. lush. not a bad price – either.
ADAM SCOTT, ‘KALLE ANKA (Leave Me Alone)’, 2014
color pencil on paper, 11 x 14 in.
($800)
JEREMY TINDER, ‘Sliced Duck’, 2014
acrylic on wood, dimensions variable.
($400)
JAY STUCKWISCH, ‘Two Drakes’, 2014
Digital on canvas, 11 x 14 in.
($600)
BRIAN COOPER, ‘Empty Space is Not Nothing 9’, 2014
oil on wood, 9 x 12 in.
($1,000)
DANIEL ALBRIGO, ‘3 1/2 Ducks’, 2014
gesso on linen wrapped panel, 11 x 14 in.
($500)
in the CHINESE HOROSCOPE . . to be DUCKY, is to be . . LUCKY !!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~DUCKS . . PIX FROM THE EXHIBIT | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 29th, 2014, 11:08am
STREET MURALS
CURATED BY KEVIN MICHAEL NYC
OCT 24-27, 2014 / 11 AM – 7 PM
BE-ELECTRIC STUDIOS – 1298 WILLOUGHBY AVE, BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN, N.Y.
ESTEBAN DEL VALLE
from the show’s title I was expecting large scale ‘murals’ – but this was the only large scale wall piece in the show. this had it’s ups and downs, you realized just how much of the excitement of street art came from it’s scale and locale on the streets, but this way you had access to a piece of the action.
KEVN MICHAEL NYC – the show’s curator.
behind him on the left – works by JOSEPH MELOY, and on the right – AINAC.
AINAC, ‘Gangs of New York’.
($620 – SOLD)
DOA
FUMERO, ‘STREET ART – FINE ART – SAME THING’
($800)
and sometimes maybe, even BETTER . . .
ADAM DARE, ‘BE UP TO SOMETHING’.
I really liked this piece a lot, black on black, with reflection, nice presentation re hanging suspended canvas, and the message, fab fab fab.
listen up, peoples.
detail, ADAM DARE – the surface reflections, swirly evolving shapes, with the stripe of block calligraphy running through it at just right the offset height – added up to: dynamic. great surface fun and painterly ‘formalism’.
NICOLE SALGAR, ‘untitled’.
($800)
CHUCK BERRETT.
SONNI, ‘Roll with it’.
($1,400)
CHRIS RWK, ‘Don’t Put Off Tomorrow, What You Can Do Today’.
($1,200)
MR.PRVRT
MR.PRVRT
the room was really big and wide open, it was interesting to see some pieces . . . suspended. it kept some of the original magic of the ‘pop-up’ street art magic – in the room.
DASIC FERNANDEZ, ‘untitled’.
($2,000)
ANGELINA CHRISTINA, ‘Symbolically Challenged’.
($1,000)
DAMIEN MITCHELL, ‘One Man’s Treasure’.
($1,300)
DAMIEN MITCHELL, ‘One Man’s Trash’.
($1,600)
DAMIEN MITCHELL, with work by MAGDA LOVE – to the right.
DAMIEN MITCHELL’S work was deceptively simple, I really liked it a lot. very smart. it also benefitted from being suspended against that curved base – wall.
PRAXIS . . just like we are seeing in the more traditional fixed wall – ‘fine’ art scene – earth ‘animals’ made a big presence.
CERNESTO, ‘The Many Truths of Being Human’.
($700)
yeah, I’d like to take home . . a piece – of that !!
many-splendored . . magic.
detail, CERNESTO.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~STREET MURALS . . at the exhibit | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 27th, 2014, 9:23am
STREET MURALS – CURATED BY KEVIN MICHAEL NYC
OCT 24 – 27, 2014 / 11AM – 7PM
BE-ELECTRIC STUDIOS – 1298 WILLOUGHBY AVE, BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN, N.Y.
JOSEPH MELOY – image via TOKIDOKI, JACKIE HADEL
FUMERO – image via STREET ART NYC
DASIC FERNANDEZ – image via THIS IS CHILE
CHUCK BERRETT & NICOLE SALGAR – image via STREET ART NYC
DAMIEN MITCHELL – PHOTO BY JAIME ROJO via BROOKLYN STREET ART
JOHN ARTHUR CARR – image via JOHN ARTHUR CARR
CERNESTO – image via THE MUSEUM OF URBAN ART
JOHN PAUL O’GRODNICK – image via STREET ART NYC
ANGELINA CHRISTINA – image via THE MUSEUM OF URBAN ART
ESTEBAN DEL VALLE – image via 5 POINTZ NYC
MAGDA LOVE – image via STREET ART NYC
~STREET MURALS . . A FEW MORE | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 24th, 2014, 9:39pm
BIG STREET ART . . THROW DOWN !!
OPENS FRI OCT 24, 2014 / 6-11 PM
show is up thru OCT 27, 2014 / 11AM – 7PM
CURATED BY KEVIN MICHAEL NYC
BE-ELECTRIC STUDIOS – 1298 WILLOUGHBY AVE, BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN, NY
L TRAIN TO JEFFERSON ST
here’s a small sampling:
AINAC – PHOTO BY JAIME ROJO – via BROOKLYN STREET ART
MR.PRVRT – OUTER RIM: INNER CITY, STAR WARS STREET ART – image via RETURN TO FLEET
PRAXIS – BOMBS BOGOTA (with surveillance reminders) – image via VANDALOG
VENG & CHRIS / RWK / ROBOTS WILL KILL – PHOTO BY JAIME ROJO – via BROOKLYN STREET ART
ADAM DARE – ‘KING, QUEEN’ – image via ADAM DARE
SONNI – image via THE CHEATS MOVEMENT
~STREET MURALS . . OPENS FRI | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 23rd, 2014, 6:39pm
what, DUCK !! again ?!!
DUCKS put out a few more images, that are hard to resist !!
‘DUCKS’ – OPENS FRI OCT 24, 2014 / 7-10 PM
with a PERFORMANCE BY ‘YETI and FIREBUSH’ – JUSTIN COOPER and ROSS MORENO . . at 10 PM
the big ‘duck-themed’ group show runs thru NOV 29, 2014
CURATED by RYAN TRAVIS CHRISTIAN – see: ‘DUCKS’ EXHIBIT PAGE
GREENPOINT TERMINAL GALLERY – 67 WEST ST #320, BROOKLYN, NY
interesting fact:
artist-comedian JUSTIN COOPER (b. 1976) & artist-comedian-professional magician ROSS MORENO (b. 1979) both have M.F.A. degrees in Sculpture from The School of Art, Institute of Chicago, 2005.
must have been some class !!
‘DANNY DUCKO’ – ERIC YAHNKER
~DUCKS . . OPENS FRI / with added perfomance at 10 PM | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 23rd, 2014, 8:34am
up next:
1. FLASH FLOOD – JIM MANGAN & PETER SUTHERLAND at MUDDGUTS
2. SEAN VEGEZZI & 170 SUFFOLK – A KNOCK-OUT DIY POP-UP, that set the bar for STEALTH !!
in the meantime . . . SAVE THE DATE:
CATCH THAT . .. CAB !!!!!
IT’S BOUND FOR . . GLORY !!!!!
CAB / COMIC ARTS BROOKLYN 2014 – SAT & SUN, NOV 8 & 9, 2014 / 11AM – 7PM
FREE TO ATTEND – !!
MT. CARMEL CHURCH – 275 N 8TH ST – WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN
PRESENTED BY DESERT ISLAND
FOR: MORE INFO & SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – CAB 2014
so, cute & funnie !! DESERT ISLAND HAS CHANGED THEIR LEADER IMAGE !!
see: DESERT ISLAND – !!
and that’s why I generally stay away from the mainstream & blue chip scene, unless some really great art is going on, case in point: Satan Ceramics, Rob Pruitt – I’ve got absolutely no negatives . . for the NYC underground indies !!
indies . . rule !!
~which brings us back to NYC, and CAB !! | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 22nd, 2014, 7:47am
in NYC, sometimes it’s just about . . style, fashion, and flair – sexy !!
but the formal elements are always there: color, graded color, composition, gesture. dynamics.
and always kept very close to the . . edge. no big romanticism, no big emotions.
catch: a style.com exclusive – WATCH ROB PRUITT CREATE DENIM ART with J BRAND !!
~ROB PRUITT paints J BRAND . . | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 22nd, 2014, 7:42am
