‘GARDEN of FORKING PATHS’ – a group show on the L.E.S.
AURA ROSENBERG, BARBARA ESS, CALVIN MARCUS, CRAIG SMYTH, HANNAH BUONAGURO, HEATHER BURSCH, KEVIN ZUCKER, MEGAN PLUNKETT, NOWORK, PETER SUTHERLAND, RONI SHNEIOR, RYAN FOERSTER, STEEL STILLMAN, THATCHER KEATS
organized by ADAM MARNIE
opens SUN, JAN 8, 2017 / 6 – 8 PM
the show runs thru FEB 12, 2017
MAGENTA PLAINS , 94 ALLEN ST, Lower East Side.
HRS: WED-SUN / 11am – 6pm
“Crystaline memories are adjacent to forgetting, blocked inabilities to remember. One form becomes another. Hands hold hands”.
~MAGENTA PLAINS
also: RELEASE PARTY . . for F Magazine, issue 5, at the opening – with a reading by MATT KENNY.
PETER SUTHERLAND – WINDOW INSTALLATION / ‘GARDEN of FORKING PATHS’ – ORGANIZED by ADAM MARNIE
MAGENTA PLAINS STOREFRONT & ENTRANCE WINDOOW – 94 ALLEN ST.
IMAGE via Instagram, @petersutherland / pic by @ebayontheblock
AFTER-PARTY: JAH DIVISION at MAX FISH – 120 ORCHARD ST, LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC.
PLAYING DOWNSTAIRS / “DUBBED OUTER SPACE VERSIONS of JOY DIVISION CLASSICS”
~MAX FISH (!!)
~GARDEN of FORKING PATHS, MAGENTA PLAINS . . incl PETER SUTHERLAND / opens to-nite SUN / after-party w JAH DIVISION |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 8th, 2017, 5:39pm
HURRAY, vintage DIY craft folk art !!
by ANONYMOUS WOMEN !!
with AWESOME . . SKILLS !!
vintage DIY / craft ornaments . . are the most fun, esp those that were done by hand-crochet, or hand-knit.
a lost art – in my humble opinion.
I’m sure these pieces – are bound for a folk art museum, one day.
vintage DIY hand-crochet Christmas ornament ?
with craft baby doll face . . boo hoo.
it’s about 8 inches in diameter. it’s made of synthetic craft yarn, which doesn’t necessarily mean it was made recently, or even way back in the 60s. it could be even earlier: 1940s, 50s.
“DuPont created the first acrylic fibers in 1941.” ~Wikipedia
one might be able to date it – via the soft plastic baby doll head.
found it last week in a Jersey thrift shop, for like a $1.50.
great hand / caft skills.
it actually has a little white button on the reverse, with a tiny loop ‘latch’ at the upper edge, so it must have been . . . an arm muff ?
for carolling, or a school play ?
wah !!!!!
this Christmas ‘pot holder’, looks to be made by the same maker.
the crochet stitches are similar in size & tension, and the yarn is identical.
same wonderful DIY homemaker / craftsperson made these 2 pieces. they were kept safe and treasured and then, somehow they end up in a thrift shop.
well, at least they have a found a new home, to be loved & appreciated in.
it’s also about 8 inches in diameter, and it even has tiny craft metal bells, inside the yarn ‘bells’, that tiny chime, and charm. the attention to detail is amazing.
so American, at its best.
this tiny ‘Santa’ Christmas tree, home-made yarn ornament . . looks to be made by another craftswoman, even though the yarn is similar, because of the difference in the ‘weight’ & tension of the crochet stitching. also, the googly craft eyes, make me feel it’s like . . 1960s, 70s ?
it’s amazing how mint condition, clean and perfect all these forgotten ‘folk art’ pieces are.
this little craft Santa is approx 5 inches in height, and about 3 inches wide at its middle.
it even has a ‘backing’ , so it’s a . . ‘pocket’ ornament, to put small gifts into . . like candy or jewelery. the sweetest.
truly, joy-ful.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~DIY YARN SANTAS . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 30th, 2016, 11:42am
this year, I really got into ‘seeking’ out vintage / plastic Christmas tree ornaments.
if living in Jersey City Heights has a silver lining, the thrift shops are . . the cake.
most of these came in small $1.50 baggies – of assorted finds. usually 5 or 6 to a bag.
try to find that – in Brooklyn, or Manhattan now – no way, those days are long gone.
you’d be paying a pretty penny, and maybe even up to $25 a piece.
besides the thrill of the hunt, the locals are clueless . . the crazy wonderful tactile sense of these crazy old kind of hard plastic (vinyl ?) is beyond tactile-in-words description.
they have a magic, and a luminosity . .
you wouldn’t . . expect.
not to forget history, graphic narrative & design / re: beginning mass consumerism – charm.
plus the . . colors. colored plastic is the best, whether opaque or transparent.
file under:
endless fascination for the visually – skewered / hammered ?
and, a sheer delight for all us, retro graphics – nerds.
vintage plastic ‘lace’ doily, a softer plastic. but strangely, more . . actually: VERY opaque.
somewhat pliable, too.
very strangely shifting shape to the heat, or the cold / coming in from the window.
almost . . alive, I tell ya !!
so vintage, the ‘red’ dye is not permanently ‘set’.
lol, try finding that – in a contemporary place mat.
traveling ‘red’ – a sure of age, whether it be vintage quilts, or vintage ‘faux’ plastic lace.
vintage plastic Santa Christmas tree ornaments, these are so wild – they defy the imagination.
whoever thought this up ?
what can we do with plastic – that we can’t do with . . glass ?!!
the luminosity – is wicked.
and, the ‘skirts’. well, trying making that out of glass. shards ?
design-wise, really – blew me away.
what planet did these toy makers come from ?
well, whatever happened to plastic – it sure ain’t the same, today.
I don’t think these were made in Va-China, either.
faux ‘stained glass’ Cardinal.
my new totem. it used to be a crow, for decades: advance wave, publicity-hounds, talkers to dead people, storytellers, first greeters / ghost messengers, bloggers etc etc, but ever since I saw one, a beautiful red male Cardinal in my recently located from Lower East Side, after 30 years . . Jersey backyard 3 years ago: I’ve stepped up the evolutionary ladder.
not for better or worse, just for: new (self-knowledge). (& not completely attained, yet.)
these hard plastic lanterns must have been very popular at one time. the 40s. 50s. 60s ?
who knows. time is passing by so fleetly, the 70s are the new 40s. if you follow vintage stuff, you know what I mean.
this one has a tiny candy cane, tell me about: luminosity.
I’m such a retro freak – it must have something to do with contemporary art / guess I just like living life . . on the extremes: the old & the . . cutting edge.
nothing in-between.
besides: there’s a lot of luminosity in the digital realm. computer images, graphics & filters, etc etc / digital photography . . is incredibly luminous vs old stock film.
‘acid’ tonality . . sharp, sleek, fleet or what !!
this one has a tiny rocking horse inside.
collective cultural memories of sailors putting DIY miniature ships in bottles.
even though they are plastic, it’s a pretty brittle kind of hard plastic, if you drop them, and they land hard – they can chip or break.
didn’t quite catch the light, here.
luminosity . . is in the hands of the photographer.
these looked more like Japanese hanging lanterns.
this one has a ‘lit’ candle.
great violent . . blue.
this one echoed the traditional glass globe Christmas tree ornaments, with a tiny deer scenario.
Bambi.
these round ones had some kind of ‘spackle’ on their exteriors.
snowballs !!
cut in half.
they had various miniature trinkets inside, too.
they were take-offs on these kind of older, traditional glass ball Christmas ornaments.
riff, riff, riff. the jazz of Christmas past.
the only glass one I bought, I fumbled and broke. I thought it was . . plastic !!
oh lord, the glass vs plastic wars.
and, it was such a find: SNOOPY !!
from the 70s.
the dreaded treasure . . drop. heart-broken is not the word.
but, then I found this, a kind of mid-century modern, faux stained glass . . suburban house ornament, really magic in the light dept. other years, I would have completely overlooked this as: tacky.
now it’s . . treasure above all.
also the colors are so . . pastel-ly.
here comes Santa, also looks so . . suburban !!
hey, lose a SNOOPY, gain a . . GOOFY !!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~PLASTIC SANTA . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 29th, 2016, 11:18am
‘Stone Soup Nasty’
a big group show – created by KATHERINE AUNGIER, JENNIFER LEE, ZURIEL WATERS and STEVEN MYKIETYN
OPENS FRI DEC 16, 2016 / 7 – 10 PM
the show runs thru JAN 16, 2017
ORGY PARK, 237 JEFFERSON STREET, 1B. BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN.
between Wilson & Knickerbocker Ave
hrs: open by appointment
ORGY PARK is an artist-run space founded by STEVE MYKIETYN in 2012.
~STONE SOUP NASTY . . ORGY PARK opens FRI |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 15th, 2016, 9:13am
‘SHADOWS of the MOONLIGHT’ . . . with:
MARYSIA GACEK, ANNA MIKHAILOVSKAIA, TIM WILSON
CURATED by JERRY BLACKMAN
OPENS THURS DEC 15, 2016 / 6 – 9 PM
326 GALLERY, 326 7th AVE, NYC
HRS: by appointment
WORK BY . . MARYSIA GACEK
IMAGE COURTESY: JERRY BLACKMAN
SOME NOTES: FROM THE CURATOR . . . artist/sculptor JERRY BLACKMAN:
“LIGHT . . is a central focus here. Handled as either subject to be considered, material to be reflected, or energy to be absorbed.
Within GACEK’S melancholic sculptures, matte neoprene fabric not only insulates physically, but akso visually, and offers a strong contrast against the glazed ceramic hands that punctuate the pieces.
Similarly, there is a formal disconnect between the image of light in WILSON’S revisiting of baroque painter Georges de La tour’s candle paintings, and the palette which borrows from Josef Albers’ studies on the optical effects of light.
MIKHAILOVSKAIA’S sculptures play with light as her matte, celestial-like constructions absorb it and emphasize the resultant shadow ed effects.”
MARYSIA GACEK . . b. 1986, Nowy Targ, Poland, received her MFA from the GLASGOW SCHOOL of ART, SCOTLANE, and BFA from the SCHOOL of VISUAL ARTS, here in NYC. Now NYC-based, Marysia is a co-founder of the publishing imprint MARIA+. editions.
see: MARYSIA GACEK – PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
follow . . @mariaeditions on Instagram
ANNA MIKHAILOVSKAIA . . b. 1982, Kiev, Ukraine, received her MFA in sculpture from the RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL of DESIGN, and her BA in sculpture and philosophy from BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY. Now NYC-based she recently had work in the ‘Tropic-Aire Market’ at REGINA REX, NY (2015).
see: ANNA MIKHAILOVSKAIA – PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
TIM WILSON . . b. 1970, Newport News, Virgnia, USA, received his MFA in painting form YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL of ART and his BFA from VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY. currently NYC-based, his work was featured, among other exhibits, in ‘See Me, Feel Me’ at 31 GRAND in Brooklyn.
see: TIM WILSON – PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
(timwilsonartist.com)
the show’s curator – JERRY BLACKMAN, b. 1984 NY, was born and raised in New York, and is NYC-based. He received his MFA in Sculpture from YALE UNIVERSITY in 2014. His work was most recently featured in ‘OUROBOROUS IS BROKEN’ at HOMETOWN, in Brooklyn.
see: JERRY BLACKMAN – PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
JERRY BLACKMAN, YALE GRADUATE PROGRAM OPEN STUDIOS, APRIL 27, 2013
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
see: photos from the studio visit – artlovers archive
~SHADOWS of the MOONLIGHT . . CURATED by JERRY BLACKMAN / opens to-nite – THURS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 15th, 2016, 8:25am
yeah, damnit . . ENLIGHTENMENT !!
and right – now !!
so, yeah I have met the kool kid . . behind HONEY’S / MEAD QUIRKY SIDE !!
RAPHAEL LYON.
of course. the younger bro of NOAH LYON, & also a socially conscious artist – just not so, literally.
used to go by MUDPONY or something like that. MUDBOY !!!!!
which just goes to prove:
1. what goes around . . comes around
2. RAPHAEL & NOAH !! literally, bros of the same mother & father / DANNY LYON !!
4. talking about politically & socially conscious & . . alternative VISION, POTIONS & DREAMS & AMERICAN (SWEET MEAD) CRAFTS
3. it didn’t take long . . for that shoe to drop / IRAN VS TRUMP.
see: IRAN WARNS TRUMP – HIS STANCE IS GOING TO START A WORLD WAR
or:
the opposite of HONEY’S MESSAGE, damn – why can’t the whole world – just grow up, and be like . . BROOKLYN ?
RAPHAEL LYON aka MUDBOY . . NOV 16, 2007. AD HOC, BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN.
ARCHIVAL PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
so . . I met RAPHAEL a few times, but the earliest I can recall, and find the pix (!!) is back in the winter of 2007, at a should-be legendary show . . called ‘Secrets of Woonasquatucket – Screenprints from Providence’ – curated by ANDREW MOON BAIN, at the now defunct early Bushwick gallery pioneer – AD HOC.
RAPHAEL LYON. NOV 17, 2007.
ARCHIVAL PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
RAPHAEL is much more comfortable as a behind-the-scenes guy, so maybe that’s why you haven’t heard of him so much, he’s most definite NOT into the mainstream hustle, let alone, the alternative side of things, but obviously, he does POP UP !! in the strangest and really far-out places.
His mom knit his hat, she knits a lot. his dad is the getting famous alternative culture photographer & filmmaker DANNY LYON, who just had a critically acclaimed retrospective at The Whitney, and his bro . . is the outrageous NOAH LYON aka retard riot.
a wall of RAPHAEL LYON prints . . at the ‘Secrets of Woonasquatucket’ show, Nov 16-Dec 2, 2007. Ad Hoc Gallery, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY.
ARCHIVAL PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
so:
after I posted that weekend blast . . on HONEY’S CRAFT FAIR, just off the ‘pottery’ post I caught on . . . @senyor_amigo / NICK PAYNE’S feed, lo & behold, in comes this note from long-time-no-see, RAPHAEL !!
“I’m one of the owner’s of Honeys / also Noah’s brother.
Honeys is the tasting room of ENLIGHTENMENT WINES / EnlightenmentWines.com”
accompanied . . with permission to pull some pix about the CRAFT FAIR, off their Instagram feed.
and so here, in the interests of world harmony, a sweet sweet alternative life . . .
not to forget . . healthy bees – much honey, and craft mead !!
and anybody with love potions, you know where to send them / let’s hope to raise a glass of DIY mead in the White House.
here – they are:
‘WE’RE ALL SCREWED.’
looks that could be a . . t-shirt ?
doomsday artwork by . . the great LEIF GOLDBERG !!
collab pottery dishes by @hot4chonki / Christina, and @seyor_amigo / NICK PAYNE.
‘FUCK TRUMP’ buttons by NOAH LYON.
no sibling rivalry . . on these pages !!
pipe cleaners . . clean up, good – by @mtshelves aka MATTHEW THURBER . . !!
shoulda known.
so . . when IRAN & THE U.S. and let’s face it, whoever else has em nukes !! destroy the world as we know it, and the next wave of aliens arrive to make a new ‘beginning’ . . they might uncover one little guy like this – and say: no wonder they blew themselves up to pieces / or,
hey !! long lost buddy, sorry it took so long for us to come back & save ya.
@enlightenmentwines: “Look for KOKO the CLOWN on Flushing and Scott. HONEY’S HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR”.
RUN, don’t walk. if ya missed it – there is always, ?????
next year ?!!!!
except for my 3 archival photos from 2007, HONEY’S CRAFT FAIR photos courtesy of @enlightenmentwines via Instagram & RAPHAEL LYON, thank you !!
and good luck !!
and CONGRATS !!
and BEE, . . WELL. and prosper.
~RAPHAEL (the) LYON . . roarin’ behind HONEY’S !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 12th, 2016, 3:59pm
FILE UNDER: “honey from our bees’ – !!!!
NICK PAYNE aka @senyor_amigo . . will be selling “lots of stuff” at the . . HONEY’S CRAFT SALE
TODAY – SAT DEC 10, 2016 / 12 – 7 PM
HONEY’S BAR – 93 SCOTT AVE, EAST WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN.
OTHER COOL VENDORS – TOO !!
12+ VENDORS, SWEETFLAG, ARTIST-MADE OBJECTS. SPIRITS. HERBAL REMEDIES, AND POTIONS, SEX TOYS, MAGIC WANDS,
SMALL BATCH MEADS, CALENDARS, GIFTS, TREATS !!
HONEY’S BROOKLYN SAYS: Come by Honey’s this Saturday and check out crafts abd craft spirits from amazing friends !!
be gone you crporate monsters !!
NICK PAYNE / @senyor_amigo: Christina and I are selling lots of stuff at the HONEY’S craft sale- gonna have a bunch of colab plates, honey from our bees & she’ll have lots of her own aewsome ceramics.
IMAGE via INSTAGRAM @senyor_amigo
~NICK PAYNE . . at HONEY’S, BROOKLYN – TODAY !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 10th, 2016, 10:13am
FILE UNDER: FANTASTICAL BEASTS !!
ONE NIGHT ONLY – POP UP / SAT DEC 10, 2016 – SAN FRANCISCO
BEEHIVE SOCIETY PRESENTS: BEASTS OF HOGWARTS
incl: DIANNA XU & MANY OTHER TALENTED, DREAMER LYRICAL ARTIST / ILLUSTRATORS
SAT DEC 10, 2016 / 6 PM
HERON ARTS, 7 HERON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
DIANNA XU: Beasts of Hogwarts show is happening this Saturday at HERON ARTS.
Can’t wait to see all the other fantastical beasts / Thank You BEEHIVE SOCIETY for inviting me.
#illustration #harrypotter #art #gouache #pen #unicorn #cat
IMAGE via INSTAGRAM @diannaxu
see: BEEHIVE SOCIETY
~DIANNA XU . . BEASTS OF HOGWARTS, BEEHIVE SOCIETY, SAN FRANCISCO |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 10th, 2016, 9:49am
WILLIAMSBURG BROOKLYN. OCT 21, 2016
glass mosaics – tagging, on the lighter side of things.
tilting: LYRICAL.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~WING GLASS STREET ART . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 10th, 2016, 9:47am
wing_glassstreetart: Check out some art at the WILD BIRD FUND – FIRST EVER – VOLUNTEER ART SHOW.
I have a piece in the show and 50% of all sales benefit . . WBF / WILD BIRD FUND.
FRI DEC 9, 2016 / 6 – 8:30 PM
THE SHOW RUNS THRU JAN 15, 2017
565 COLUMBUS AVE at 87th ST.
DONATE: WILD BIRD FUND
~WING GLASS STREET ART – VOLUNTEER ART SHOW: WILD BIRD FUND OPENING TO-NITE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 9th, 2016, 4:03pm
