LOOK INTO MY OWL

After months of work and hundreds of buckets of paint the latest wall animation from Blu is ready to thrill you. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the video in its entirety.

Blu, Big Bang Big Boom, still from video, 2010.

“Big Bang Big Boom” is a narrative, frame-by-frame animation that runs a course from the initial big bang that sparked our Universe to a hypothetical end to our own planet.

Blu, Big Bang Big Boom, still from video, 2010.

Despite the potentially alarmist nature of the material, Blu’s sense of play can be felt running through the entire video. This endearing quality is enhanced with a marvelous soundtrack by Andrea Martignoni.

Blu, Big Bang Big Boom, still from video, 2010.

This is the most impressive animation that Blu has done to date. This is saying a lot as there has been some astonishing work in the past. “Big Bang Big Boom” continues to evolve with new ideas in addition to providing a perfect balance of two and three dimensional animation with powerful transitions.

Artists Tom Sanford and Ryan Schneider have been huddled together for nearly a year curating this group show at Priska C. Juschka Fine Art. “Big Picture” is comprised of large paintings from nineteen artists that reside in New York. These works resonate as “big” in more ways than scale as described in the press release:

“While reflecting a contrasting artistic vocabulary, the individual paintings interact conceptually, insisting in commonality and commanding a shared synergy reminiscent of the Gestalt theory — whereby the entire show pronounces a bigger picture and perspective, rising above the summary of its parts.”

Check with the gallery for more information about a panel discussion on Monday evening, July 12th.

Daniel Heidkamp, Cold Coordinate, oil on canvas, 2010.

Liz Markus, The Man (Picasso), acrylic on unprimed canvas, 2010.

John Copeland, Red Roses for Me, acrylic on canvas, 2010.

Lisa Sanditz, Pontiac Kingston, acrylic and polyurethane on canvas, 2010.

Michael Williams, Tongue of Timberlake, oil on canvas, 2008.

Big Picture
Kamrooz Aram, Colleen Asper, Paul Brainard, John Copeland, Holly Coulis, Justin Craun, Van Hanos, Daniel Heidkamp, Aaron Johnson, Emily Noelle Lambert, Wes Lang, Liz Markus, Eddie Martinez, Brian Montuori, Lisa Sanditz, Tom Sanford, Ryan Schneider, Michael Williams and Jeremy Willis
8 July – 6 August 2010
Priska C. Juschka Fine Art
NYC

“Reflexive Self” is a show from five skillful creatives. The exhibit runs through the middle of August at the Mike Weiss Gallery in NYC. The title of the exhibit refers to a sociological term used to describe the ability to step back and understand the way others perceive us.

Kim Dorland, For Seymour, oil, acrylic, ink & spraypaint on wood panel, 2010.

Dead Dads Corporation, Hi Dad, Send Money, Crayola crayon and neodymium magnets on cotton paper, 2010.

Stefanie Gutheil, Miamitheaterfertig, oil and mixed media on canvas, 2010.

Marc Sequin, Success and Failure of Abstract Art no. 1-5, oil and human ashes on canvas, 2010.

Reflexive Self
Kim Dorland, Stefanie Gutheil, Kris Knight, Dead Dads Club Corporation & Marc Seguin
24 June – 14 August 2010
Mike Weiss Gallery
NYC

Like the Spice has put together a group show of six artists each investigating the figure in different ways. “Marked: A Show of Figure” runs through the better part of the Summer.

This Friday, June 25th, the gallery will be hosting a meal in the space as part of their ongoing dinner series. Hurry up, reservations are required by tomorrow!

Reuben Negrón, Untitled, watercolor and gouache on paper, 2010.

The gallery has a history of dealing with artists that love the human form. Their taste leans toward technical prowess coupled with a strong sense of contemporary context.

Brendan Lott, Import, Export, oil on canvas, 2009.

It’s nice to see that Brooklyn has some great shows going even through the Summer months. Be prepared when you step into this one or you may just be overcome.

Robin Williams, Swoon at the Water Pump, oil on canvas, 2010.

Marked: A Show of Figure
Chino Amobi, Alison Blickle, Brendan Lott, Jenny Morgan, Reuben Negrón and Robin Williams
11 June – 8 August 2010
Like the Spice Gallery
Brooklyn

“Don’t Be Scared, You’re Supposed to Be” is an exhibition of recent work from Aaron Johnson and Barnaby Whitfield. The show runs through the first week in June at Irvine Contemporary in Washington, DC.

Aaron Johnson, Sick Muse, acrylic on polyester knit mesh, 2010.

Sometimes, when great painters are in the process of resolving their individual destinies, it becomes important to present new work alongside the work of other great painters. This is what you can expect if you make the trip into the nation’s capital.

Barnaby Whitfield, Into The Woods! (All The Blondes Are Fantasies), pastel on paper, 2010.

This exhibition will have gallery goers slowing down to rubberneck at these gorgeous atrocities. Johnson and Whitfield share a love for the abject and infect the viewer with a fever that will not subside. Look too long and you may find yourself transfixed by the confrontational gaze from the curious subject within the picture plane.

Aaron Johnson, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, acrylic, copper pigment and urine on polyester knit mesh, 2010.

A common theme that appears in this show is that of a real Americana. This nation, like most empires, was formed from force and ruled with the detachment of a raised brow. Both artists in “Don’t Be Scared, You’re Supposed to Be” have a shared interest in this seedy underbelly of our decadence. The directness of approach stands out and makes for wonderfully candid expressions that indict power and often transform it into a friendlier state.

Barnaby Whitfield, I Can’t Get Out of What I’m Into With You, pastel on paper, 2010.

Aaron Johnson & Barnaby Whitfield
Don’t Be Scared, You’re Supposed to Be
1 May – 5 June 2010
Irvine Contemporary
Washington, DC

Brace yourself New York, it’s Mark Ryden’s first major solo show on the island since 2003 and he’s brought the goods. “The Gay 90’s: Old Tyme Art Show” opens Thursday, April 29th at the Paul Kasmin Gallery. Here is a peek.

Mark Ryden, Incarnation (#100), oil on panel, 2009.

Ryden has put together an exhibition that carries over his easily identifiable style with a meticulous commitment to the application of oil paint. Be sure to check out the time lapse video from the making of “Incarnation” at the bottom of this post.

Mark Ryden, The Piano Player, oil on canvas, 2010.

For some time, his paintings have concentrated on the juxtaposition of the darling and disgusting with subtle stabs at humor. Some of the work exhibited bypasses innuendo and heads straight for the punchline. Knee-jerk opinion will raise suspicion but the fact is that these pieces are strong and the artist should be commended for his alterations to the expected.

Mark Ryden, The Grinder, oil on canvas, 2010.

Oh Abe!

Mark Ryden, Riding with the Lord, graphite and watercolor on paper, 2010.

If you have merely seen the paintings in digital form, do yourself a favor, jaded New Yorkers, drop the pretense and get over to the gallery.

Mark Ryden, Virgin and Child, oil on canvas, 2010.

***UPDATE***
The images in this post have been updated (at the request of the artist) to include the intricate hand carved frames that stage these exceptional works.

Mark Ryden, Pink Lincoln, oil on canvas, 2010.

Mark Ryden
The Gay 90’s: Old Tyme Art Show
29 April – 5 June 2010
Paul Kasmin Gallery
NYC

“The Paradigm,” the first solo show from painter Matt Mignanelli is on view at Recoat Gallery in Glasgow, Scotland.

Matt Mignanelli, Strength in Numbers, acrylic on panel, 2010.

Mignanelli made the trip over to the UK for the exhibition. He painted a mural in the space in addition to hanging a large body of recent works on panel. We Sink Ships Radio has posted an audio interview with the artist along with the proprietors of Recoat.

Matt Mignanelli, Structure, acrylic on panel, 2009.

The dense compositions are gathered personal symbols that collide in unusual ways. The picture plane is further activated by comic styled black line and a day-glo color palette. Initially these reductions seem at odds with the basis of traditional abstraction. The method is the same but the subject matter has jumped from natural concerns to our civilized plastic environment.

Matt Mignanelli, Aqueous, acrylic on panel, 2009.

Matt Mignanelli
Paradigm
3 April – 2 May 2010
Recoat Gallery
Glasgow

An exhibit of eighteen paintings from Dawn Frasch opens tonight at Haas & Fischer in Zurich. The first international solo show for the artist will be on display through April 3rd.

Dawn Frasch, X-Mas Special Featuring Ratty, oil on panel, 2010.

Frasch has invited the viewer into a familiar world recalling the imagined horrors that shift through the safe confines of a child’s bedroom after dark. Her approach to this content strikes at the root of the creative mind. It’s a sad slide when, on the verge of sleep, the boogie man transforms into the mundane trepidations that arise with maturity. These paintings can take us all back to the waking dream.

Dawn Frasch, Armchair Anarchist, oil on canvas, 2010.

The explosive application of paint mates well with the recurring theme of uncontrollable creation. Large brushstrokes work against minute details to develop these intriguing spaces. A sense of time is instantly felt in the frenetic arrangements. Speculations concerning before and after the evidenced moment serve as a nice corollary to the artist’s video and performance work. Have a look for yourself here.

Dawn Frasch, Pussy Pizza Party, oil on canvas, 2010.

Dawn Frasch
18 February – 3 April 2010
Haas & Fischer
Zurich