![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/R-Blair-Sullivan-Studio-Monroe-St-Chinatown.gif\")
<\/a>\nluckily I was able to catch him in his studio recently: Sat May 11, 2019.
\nthe studio is small, compact . . but holds a lot \/ both storage, ‘forage’, supplies, computer, works in progress, & works complete, and on exhibit.<\/p>\n
Cold Porcelain . . “is an inexpensive, non-toxic, easy-to-work material, which despite is name, is not<\/strong> porcelain (clay). and, they do<\/strong> project a mysterious smooth, strong but fragile appearing surface – very fluid, yet rigid. totally in tune with that specific DIY medium. the works are kind of a cross between ‘craft’ and DIY . . vs. pure concept. note:<\/strong> re the wire . . . a note from Ryan:<\/strong> lovely. <\/p>\n note: the ‘Candle Flames’ . . . note:<\/strong> the ‘Candle Flames’ . . .<\/a>
\nthe space is located under the Essex Flowers storefront gallery, 19 Monroe St, Chinatown, Two Bridges \/ Lower East Side \/ Manhattan, NYC.
\neven though it’s sub-level, it had natural light coming from windows facing a tiny, mostly ventilation \/ inner ‘courtyard’, which made it feel fresh, and filled with agreeable light, both natural and man-made.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nthe lighting was important – because the works were subtle in surface, details, material and . . shape.
\nhand-sculpted, they were almost: bones.
\nthis head (phone) . . of ‘hands’– was one of several that referenced \/ or were of a series of similar 3-D sculptures made from ‘cold porcelain’ \/ just like the ‘wishbone’ sharing hands, ‘Holding (First Position)’, 2018 . . featured in the post below – covering his participation in ‘Stream 5: Give and Take’, a Two Chairs<\/strong> curatorial presentation \/ alongside a rural stream, in Vermont.<\/p>\n
\nits main components being cornstarch and white glue.” (the web)<\/p>\n
\nlike I said, very human bone-like. <\/p>\n<\/a>
\nwhile many other pieces were fashioned simply from ‘foraged’ computer screen filters, on the right; and some were a combo – the middle. no matter, all things R. Blair Sullivan: light, light-handed . .
\nand somehow: historical ?<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nblack line drawing, detail.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nR. Blair Sullivan: wishbone . . legs.
\nobviously, very radical & contemporary \/ yet feeling ‘ancient’ ?
\nmaybe, because bare bones – are associated with . . archaeologist ‘digs’ ?<\/p>\n
\nthe impression I got was more<\/strong> concept – than craft.
\nthe skills, though flawless, fluid, were subservient.
\nit was visual ‘poetry’ . . . over ‘function’.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nanother – combo.
\na small mirror-like . . inner (\/) landscape ?<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nother pieces were . . waver-y !! reflective, and optical.
\nmade from old TV or computer monitor screens \/ which he forages off the streets.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nwell, if waver-y, isn’t a word, it should be.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\na more typical . . found artist \/ ‘metal’ sculptural forage, with some kind of very unusual<\/strong>, scientific ‘light show’ \/ going on behind the ‘scenes’.
\nI didn’t even want to ask – what it was. how it worked. though, now I notice a wire of some kind, hanging from it. the pure mystery was – astounding. gorgeous. kinetic. magical.
\na kind of . . animated ‘sunset – in a ‘snow-globe’.
\nNorthern Lights, anybody ?<\/p>\n
\nthere are a small set of LED lights inside the sculpture, to illuminate the ‘content’.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nthis had depth. solidity, weight. and, yet . . what was going on – inside.
\nvery scientific \/ amoeba-like, when you looked deeper. a sense of both ‘found’ ‘assemblage’, and folk art . . DNA ?
\nas if people, could do . . DNA – DIY !!<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nare these pieces, light boxes ?
\nLED lights.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nthis one definitely skews . . folk art, and history. and DIY.
\nthat’s an old vintage ‘popcorn’ quilt, puffing around \/ and, an Appalachian folk art, shrunken dried & carved – apple head !!
\nbtw: the teeth . . are fashioned from white Sculpy \/ polymer clay.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nBlair, or Ryan as his friends call him . . told me, he made the carved apple head himself.
\nit is a traditional North American, mostly Appalachian folk art \/ made from dried apples, sometimes called shrunken heads. they were commonly used as DIY doll heads.
\nthe apple is peeled, then carved, then dunked in lemon juice & water, to keep it from turning yellow \/ then dried.
\noften put on the top of a stick. then clothed, I guess.
\nthe Seneca Indians were the first American peoples to make these dolls, they went on to become popular with the ‘whittlers’ of the Appalachian Blue Ridge mountains. (the web) <\/p>\n<\/a>
\nthis plexi-case, holds an actual, cloth-based DIY doll family \/ folk art, he picked up in . . Ohio.
\nI believe that’s where he grew up.
\nnote:<\/strong> Ryan is from . . Lancaster, Ohio.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nso that’s his Chinese-influenced, landscape brushwork watercolor in the background, and a close-up of the precious, hand-made ragged doll family. the branch, is a piece of ‘bark engrabed naturally, ot organically by beetle egg pathways, which he found on Etsy !!<\/p>\n
\n“the ‘Chinese’ landscape, as you call it, was done in collaboration with my, at the time, 3 year old daughter. The dolls are ‘worry dolls’, and it’s called ‘Family’.”<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nR. Blair Sullivan . . also has a series of lenticular candles . . happening.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nas well as, a whole pile of DIY (?) candles – in flame \/ black & white primitive – photos.<\/p>\n
\n“are called ‘chemigrams’. No camera and no darkroom. They are basically paintings done on on photo paper with photo chemistry. The interesting thing about the candle flames in particular however, is that it’s all done with black-and-white chemistry and because I did the process in reverse<\/strong>, I got color out of it – which was a surprise to me.”
\n~R. BLAIR SULLIVAN<\/p>\n<\/a>
\ndoes he hand color . . the flames ?
\nit’s kind of a zen situation, even though the artist in there with you, you don’t<\/strong> want to break the poetry, by asking . . too many questions.<\/p>\n
\n“are called ‘chemigrams’. No camera and no darkroom. They are basically paintings done on on photo paper with photo chemistry. The interesting thing about the candle flames in particular however, is that it’s all done with black-and-white chemistry and because I did the process in reverse<\/strong>, I got color out of it – which was a surprise to me.”
\n~R. BLAIR SULLIVAN<\/p>\n