~BRIAN WILLMONT . . STUDIO VISIT
BRIAN WILLMONT STUDIO VISIT – GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN. N.Y.
SAT OCT 25, 2014
upon visiting the big and intense (!!) ‘DUCKS’ group show at his gallery, GREENPOINT TERMINAL – when Brian mentioned his studio was in a space just adjacent, of course – I asked to check it out.
if the whole, and really . . explosive – if you consider how mundane a show focused on ‘ducks’ sounds in the first place – visual and conceptual content contained in that small gallery space expanded it’s actual physical space by a factor of at least a 1,000 with the vibrancy of ‘DUCKS’ – then what can I say, the journey . . just kept on growing.
BRIAN WILLMONT with his work behind him, whole worlds opened up . . on the physical plane of the painted canvases . .
I’m thinking . . Halloween, of course, on some dumb seasonal primordial level, but also, really more !! more on how . . the depth that comes to an artist-run gallery, is usually reflective of the deep creative reach or vision of the artists who helm those start-up galleries, and what drives them, so strongly.
close-up you can see small slits of reflecting foil, or other shiny materials reflecting the darts of light – that light up the deep pool of the whole brooding mass. deep pool, is the recurring metaphor.
as my eyes adjusted to all the work, and works-in-progress, and other props in the room – I began to pick out pieces that made me feel I was in the presence of a formal . . illusionist.
or in art terms – somebody who plays with light !!
and shape.
and not . . just soccer balls.
but, let’s back up a moment, at the work/computer/desk station . .
I got to see some of Brian’s earlier works, and so the journey was multi-leveled, took many paths. I got the feeling that unlike many other artist-gallerists, Brian was also more open in the dialogs, as opposed to narrow or more focused agendas – he wanted to bring to his gallery space. that’s so rare, I found that a big breath of fresh air.
an earlier installation archive – re-inforced this experience.
BRIAN related that he grew up in NEW MEXICO on many folk stories about magic, rituals, witches, and all.
if you consider New Mexico was the birthplace of AGNES MARTIN, the great non-objective ‘abstract’ painter – than things start falling into place.
you can see more of his work, on his: website
on the other side of the studio . .
note: I should have grabbed a better photo, but that small romantic/visionary/ritualistic figure, a coppery and white plaster-type statuette – in the foreground, on the big table is . . by NICK VAN WOERT.
you can see a better photo of the work, if you scroll down the exhibition pix from Greenpoint Terminal’s last show, called aptly enough: ‘RITUAL MAGIC’.
another wall, for a smallish space – this studio packed a pretty big punch !!
close-up of a work on that wall.
yeah for sure, I was in the presence of an illusionist with a background in formal painting, magic and a big wide open . . mind ready and willing to populate the scene with new stuff, new people, and new visions.
look out: a new ghost army masses . . on the horizon.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH