~BEST of 2018: JONATHAN HARTSHORN, ‘LOLLIPOP HOLDERS’, curated by JEFFREY TRANCHELL / ESSEX FLOWERS

JONATHAN HARTSHORN, ‘Suckers, copycats, lollipops, fast cash, fashion, one hit wonders and heat lamps’
curated by JEFFREY TRANCHELL
Oct 13 – Nov 11, 2018
ESSEX FLOWERS, LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC

see: Jonathan Hartshorn – it’s all about ‘exchange’ / Essex Flowers

this, should really be captioned, BEST of 2018 . . that I have not already posted about !!
sometimes, contrarian that I am / it’s because I hoard my fav pix, yes I do !!
often, it’s because too much else is coming on own the never-ending pipeline / when it rains it pours in this BIG art scene !!
& sometimes . . it’s because I need to process the experience, run it around inside my soul for a little bit.
& sometimes . . it’s because / I am just stunned.
that’s / all of the above !!
why I’m so late to publish my photos & thoughts, on this show which really was . .
stark, curious, inventive, pretty & . . . profound.


at the exhibit . . JONATHAN HARTSHORN’S whimsical pieces overhead,
the show’s curator JEFFREY TRANCHELL, with his friend & fellow artist PHILIP BIRCH at right.
it seems right to post a photo which has Jeffrey in the company of a friend, and fellow artist.
Jeffrey is very much an artist who is about . . community.
it’s my experience that most artists are very self-centered & focused on their own art, but then there are the rare ones, who really like to look at other artists’ work, and either write, or curate shows reflecting those interactions. Jeffrey is an artist who understands, in a very concrete & yet far-reaching way, other artists’ art & visions, motivations & influence.

to that end, this show is a sad landmark as it is Jeffrey’s last curatorial contribution to this communal, artist-run gallery. A founding member of Essex Flowers since its initiation in 2013, Jeffrey has resigned due to his gradual relocation & growing involvement in the burgeoning art scene over in Detroit, centering around the Hamtramck.
It’s a 10 hr. drive between NYC and Detroit, one way – and I guess after a really intensive few years here, and increasingly over there, the scale tipped.


JONATHAN HARTSHORN, ‘Lollipop Holder’, 2018.
acrylic and lollipops on sculpey. 9 x 4 x 2-1/2 in.

so, that’s the thing about seeing something, like you’ve never seen before !!
to the extreme / because most art . . is.
and it’s ironic, because the premise is . . so playful.
functional, realist & fanciful.


JONATHAN HARTSHORN, ‘Lollipop Holder’, 2018.
acrylic and lollipops / looks like ‘found’ hardware base. 8 x 8 x 4-1/2 in.

these strange, quiet yet intense pieces are quite telling, re: the Jeffrey Tranchell . . ‘effect’.
he could rescue DIY, from crafty.
he could take function & separate it from old-fashioned, & old-fashioned technology, & point to archival, historical and playful.
he could arouse curiosity from the mundane / art from the everyday & bring new ways of looking at things, and art / and new ‘faces’ onto the scene . . .


JONATHAN HARTSHORN, ‘Lollipop Holder’, 2018.
acrylic, hardware and lollipops on sculpey
13 x 8-1/4 x 3-1/2 in.

from sculpey to . . . ‘found’.
AND BACK AGAIN.

playful. functional. ‘re-discovered’ industrial ?

the show was quite worth seeing, esp in person / so many angles to the objects.
so thoughtful, and yet so engaging, so entertaining.
such a great potential to both tell a ‘story’, illuminate a function. create ‘influence’, exploit ‘pop’ culture.
OG hardware. young kid treasure. society moves on in mysterious ways.
encapsulation of idea / context, form.

I guess that sums up Jeffrey, too.
great show / but, big loss.
can somebody please give me, a great big, fruit-flavored tootsie roll pop – to suck on. whaaaaa.
I wonder just how many people were forward-thinking, and innovative enough to snag one of these, I def def would want one.
talk about a ‘zen’ poem.

‘Essex Flowers Home Edition’ – 2018 . . . what a great year of conversation !!!!!
Jeffrey Tranchell – had alot to do with that.
best show – worst moment ?

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. NOV 3, 2018.