SOFA

I saw the SOFA Show in New York at the Armory last week. I was somewhat appalled by the overall lack of real quality or inovation in the show itself, seemed like a glorified craft fair. Lots of jewelry and very highly polished pots. There were a couple of acceptions, though. The highlight, in my humble opinion, was Goro Suzuki's wonderful tea bowls at Gallery Gen. Like a quilt, they are reconstructed fragments of simply glazed ceramic, joined with Kintsugi, a traditional method of repairing broken pottery by laying gold on the adhesive in the crack. Aparently this is especially true of tea bowls. His use of this technique with great intention exhibits a real flare for reinventing an impossibly old and used form. So poetic. I was reminded of Cezanne in their gorgeousness and true innovative vigor.

Another breath of fresh air was Jun Kaneko, my old mentor. His famous Dungos, always bold and undeniable were on display at Chiaroscuro Contemporary Art.

Marcia Lyons had these cool cubes dripping with paint on view at David Richard Contemporary.

I look forward to the day when "art" and "craft" end their meaningless war.

Art Fairs, NYC : Wrap Up

Yayoi Kusama, 2010, acrylic on canvas

Paul Villinski, 2010-2011

OK, so I went to New York last week to take in some art during what really needs to be called New York Art Week. I went to Pulse, The Independent, The ADAA Show and the Armory Show. I know I missed some spectacular shows, but I saw enough art to keep me going for a while. My favorite piece, if that is even a reasonable declaration, is this wonderful cello spilling butterflies by Paul Villinski. This was found at the booth of Morgan Lehman Gallery and took my breath away.

Another favorite was this simple painting by Yayoi Kusama.

Art Fairs

Am getting ready to head into the city tomorrow, or town as I also call New York City. From my perch up here in the hill, "town" is all too much of a contrast with where I spend most of my days.

I am particularly looking forward to Volta. As a fair that focuses 100% on artists, I suspect it may be extremely dynamic. This will be my first time at this relatively new show.