A RARE BIRD – TAKES FLIGHT OVER . . . MIAMI
HALEY JOSEPHS, ‘Rare Bird’, 2021
oil on canvas / 80 x 70 in.
image via Instagram @haley.joesphs
on display at . . .
JACK BARRETT GALLERY, NYC / NADA ART FAIR / MIAMI – ICE PALACE FILM STUDIOS
check out: HALEY JOSEPHS / Instagram @haley.josephs
check out: JACK BARRETT GALLERY / Instagram @jackbarrettgallery
from the . . . ARTLOVERSNEWYORK ARCHIVE:
HALEY JOSEPHS, YALE MFA OPEN STUDIOS, APRIL 2013
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
see: HALEY JOSEPHS – YALE MFA STUDIO VISIT
HALEY JOSEPHS . . .
at the opening of her solo show: ‘Childhoods End’ / JACK BARRETT GALLERY, LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC
the show ran . . MARCH 1 – April 19, 2020
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH / MARCH 1, 2020 – OPENING
see: HALEY JOSEPHS – ‘CHILDHOODS END’ / JACK BARRETT
JACK BARRETT . . .
at his Gallery / LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC, MARCH 15, 2019
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
see: JACK BARRETT / SOPHIA NARRETT, PAUL ROUPHAIL, NATHANIEL DE LARGE OPENING – MARCH 15, 2019
~HALEY JOSEPHS / ‘RARE BIRD’ / JACK BARRETT GALLERY / NADA, MIAMI |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 3rd, 2021, 9:10am
NOAH BECKER . . . !!
what, IF ?!!!!!
NOAH BECKER, perhaps best known as the publisher of WHITEHOT MAGAZINE.COM /
check out: WHITEHOT MAGAZINE on Instagram / @whitehotmagazine
has an even deeper passion: his own, art !!
he exhibited . . .
a wonderful, twisty narrative, dreamy, screaming painting . . this past Fall, that still – haunts me.
half self-portrait / half shout-out to the . . world.
and, which most definitely . . invoked the vast dark unknown, the unrelenting furies, the very possibly, and near, deep . . scary future / was it a dream ?
that settles on every one of us, in our deepest times.
not to mention: the ‘code’, and power . . of the color: RED.
and, the 3 horsemen / . . . of yore.
NOAH BECKER, ‘Three Figures’, 2021.
acrylic on canvas / 48 x 36 in.
image via FILO SOFI ARTS Instagram / @filosofiarts
it was part of a group show called, ‘What If . .’,
that was mounted by FILO SOFI ARTS, and ran Aug 25 – Oct 3, 2021.
the exhibit was curated by: KaPow & Gaboo / a curatorial & advisory team – founded by:
Gabrielle Dominique Aruta, (owner of Filo Sofi Arts), and Kourosh Mahboubian, (fine art dealer, and advisor).
note: the painting was placed strikingly, on a pink wall – of no small hue (!!)
see: FILO SOFI ARTS on Instagram / @filosofiarts
check out more: ‘What If . . .’ – FILO SOFI ARTS’ – website
‘What If . . .?’ / was a show – which asked us to . . “to consider whether the hypothetical and that which we imagine – might also be part of our reality.”
detail, NOAH BECKER, ‘Three Figures’.
image via FILO SOFI ARTS Instagram / @filosofiarts
detail, NOAH BECKER, ‘Three Figures’.
image via FILO SOFI ARTS Instagram / @filosofiarts
still intrigued, I asked Noah . . . last week, Nov 15 – 20, 2021:
1. What drives you to paint ?
his answer: “Sometimes trauma, but I’m learning to feed off of more healthy feelings. Most people create based on stress or trauma. I’m thinking more about love these days.”
2. Does this (red) painting have a message or narrative ?
his answer: “It’s about distorting nature and enhancing certain colors – so you find yourself in a painting. Nature is usually used more naturalistically. This piece has a naturalistic feeling even with the heightened aspects.”
3. Why is this painting red . . rather than say, blue ?
his answer: “It’s a heightened experience, so the viewer feels the work more electrically – within their subconscious.”
4. What’s your goal here, in this painting ? And/or in life in general ?
his answer: “Sometimes life feels like a waste of energy, and just a waiting period before death. Other times I’ll make something special like this painting, and my love, and excitement for life – is restored.”
from the ARTLOVERSNEWYORK ARCHIVE:
NOAH BECKER, with his self-portrait, Lodge Gallery, Lower East Side, NYC.
Nov 7, 2013
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
NOAH BECKER, another self-portrait, this time / in conversation with: JEAN-MICHEL (BASQUIAT).
Lodge Gallery, Lower East Side, NYC.
Nov 7. 2013
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
see: NOAH BECKER – LODGE GALLERY, L.E.S. – artloversnewyork
~NOAH BECKER / ‘WHAT IF . . . ‘ |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 23rd, 2021, 2:03pm
PIX FROM THE OPENING, NOV 12, 2021 – PHOTOS BY KATE CERIGO
BLINN AND LAMBERT /
aka the creative COLLABORATIVE of: NICHOLAS STEINDORF & KYLE WILLIAMS . . . in:
‘How Do I Measure My Gratitude?’ – curated by SOUHAD RAFEY
THE AMERICAN ACADEMY of ARTS & LETTERS
the show runs thru . . . JAN 26, 2022
more on the show: ‘How Do I Measure My Gratitude?’ – American Academy of Arts & Letters
BLINN AND LAMBERT, (NICHOLAS STEINDORF and KYLE WILLIAMS), ‘Dormers’, 2020
Fifty-four archival pigment prints under museum glass . . on a custom wood table of their own making /
21 x 42 x 98 in. / each photo is: 5 x 7 in.
check out: BLINN and LAMBERT on Instagram / @blinn_and_lambert
and, from the ARTLOVERSNEWYORK ARCHIVE:
BLINN and LAMBERT / from left: NICHOLAS STEINDORF & KYLE WILLIAMS
‘EDGE of LIGHT’, PLAXALL GALLERY, LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS, NY
DEC 3, 2020
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
~BLINN AND LAMBERT / ‘HOW DO I MEASURE MY GRATITUDE?’ . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 20th, 2021, 2:13pm
PIX FROM THE OPENING, TUES NOV 9, 2021 – PHOTOS BY KATE CERIGO
JAMES MILLER . . . in:
‘How Do I Measure My Gratitude?’ – curated by SOUHAD RAFEY
The American Academy of Arts and Letters
the show runs thru . . JAN 26, 2022
more info: ‘How Do I Measure My Gratitude?’ – American Academy of Arts and Letters
JAMES MILLER . . .
JAMES MILLER, ‘Lid’, 2019.
acrylic on canvas / 79 x 55 in.
JAMES MILLER . . .
on the right:
‘JAMES MILLER, ‘Receiver’, 2019.
acrylic on canvas / 79 x 55 in.
check out: JAMES MILLER on Instagram / @skinlizard
and, from the ARTLOVERSNEWYORK ARCHIVE:
JAMES MILLER, Brooklyn, June 2015
Photo: NANCY SMITH
check out: JAMES MILLER & friends – JUNE 2015 / DEDALUS FOUNDATION / artloversnewyork
where that photo of James, above came from / one of my best photo-shoots ever . . between the art, the people, the venue & the great lighting !! – one of my all-time favs !!
~JAMES MILLER / ‘HOW DO I MEASURE MY GRATITUDE?’ . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 19th, 2021, 2:09pm
PIX FROM THE OPENING, TUES NOV 9, 2021 – PHOTOS BY KATE CERIGO
DREW MILLER has several of his fantastical drawings . . . in:
‘How Do I Measure My Gratitude/’ – curated by SOUHAD RAFEY
The American Academy of Arts and Letters
the show is up thru . . . JAN 26, 2022
more info: ‘How Do I Measure My Gratitude?’ – American Academy of Arts and Letters
DREW MILLER, ‘Ground Fault’ / colored pencil on paper.
24 x 30 in.
DREW MILLER, ‘Cicada House’ / colored pencil on paper
19 x 22 in.
DREW MILLER, ‘Worms’ / colored pencil on paper.
22 x 23 in.
check out: DREW MILLER on Instagram @drewrileymiller
and, from the ARTLOVERSNEWYORK ARCHIVE:
DREW MILLER, NYC. MAY 5, 2016
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
~DREW MILLER / ‘HOW DO I MEASURE MY GRATITUDE?’ . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 18th, 2021, 2:24pm
PIX FROM THE OPENING, TUES NOV 9, 2021 – PHOTOS BY KATE CERIGO
MICHAEL HANDLEY . . . in:
‘How Do I Measure My Gratitude?’ – curated by SOUHAD RAFEY
American Academy of Arts and Letters
the show runs thru . . . JAN 26, 2022
more info: ‘How Do I Measure My Gratitude?’ – American Academy of Arts and Letters
MICHAEL HANDLEY, large painting in . . .’How Do I Measure My Gratitude?’?
part of a very ‘existential’ . . installation !!
MICHAEL HANDLEY, installation . . . ‘How Do I Measure My Gratitude?’.
image via Instagram @mchlhndl
see: MICHAEL HANDLEY on Instagram @mchlhndl
and,from the ARTLOVERSNEWYORK ARCHIVE:
MICHAEL HANDLEY, and LADY SOULE, Brooklyn, June 2015.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
~MICHAEL HANDLEY / ‘HOW DO I MEASURE MY GRATITUDE?’ . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 17th, 2021, 10:46am
SOME PIX FROM THE OPENING, TUES NOV 9, 2021 – PHOTOS BY KATE CERIGO
JOHN SZLASA . . . in:
‘HOW DO I MEASURE MY GRATITUDE?’ – A BIG GROUP SHOW of 46 ARTISTS
CURATED BY SOUHAD RAFEY
AMERICAN ACADEMY of ARTS AND LETTERS, 633 WEST 155 STREET, NY, NY 10032
the show runs thru . . . JAN 26, 2022
HRS:
NOV 12-28 / FRI-SUN 1-5 PM
from thereafter thru . . . JAN 26, 2022 – OPEN BY APPOINTMENT
THE ACADEMY’S curator of 23 years, SOUHAD RAFEY . .
is retiring at the end of 2021 & has . . “organized a farewell exhibit featuring the work of 46 artists
who have supported and collaborated with Souhad during her career in their ‘day job’ at the Academy
as art handlers, museum guards, fine art truckers, and museum colleagues, as a way of honoring them by showcasing their own art work.”
read more & see artist list: ‘How Do I Measure My Gratitude?’ – American Academy of Arts & Letters
Artlovers has run into 5 of those artists over the years, and we are so pleased to showcase their work in the show – on our page – as well !!
JOHN SZLASA, ‘FASTPLANT’, 2020.
polymer modified gypsum cement, pigment acrylic, burlap and construction mesh.
JOHN SZLASA, ‘Untitled (blue, free), 2020.
polymer modified gypsum cement, fiberglass, pigment, and acrylic.
see: JOHN SZLASA on Instagram @johnszlasa
and, from the ARTLOVERSNEWYORK ARCHIVE:
ANTONE KONST, and, on the right . . . JOHN SZLASA.
‘The Socrates Annual 2018’ – Group Exhibit, Socrates Sculpture Park, QUEENS, NY.
March 24, 2019.
Photo: NANCY SMITH
~JOHN SZLASA / ‘HOW DO I MEASURE MY GRATITUDE?’/ AMERICAN ACADEMY of ARTS & LETTERS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 16th, 2021, 4:13pm
‘IN WITH – THE OLD’ . . . . !!!!!!!
START – YOUR MOTORS – RUNNING !!!!!!
PATRICK MOHUNDRO & P.A.D. / PROJECT ART DISTRIBUTION . . .
INVITE YOU TO THE: P.A.D. ‘IN WITH THE OLD’ / RETROSPECTIVE – RUMMAGE SALE . . . !!!!!
THIS SAT NOV 13, 2021 / 2 – 8 PM !!
AT . . WALTER’S – THE CONTEMPORARY WING of the WALTER ELWOOD MUSEUM – of the MOHAWK VALLEY
100 CHURCH ST., AMSTERDAM, NY, 12010 / UP-STATE / ABOUT A 3 HR. DRIVE from MANHATTAN
PS: THE EXHIBIT WILL BE UP & . . ‘INTERACTIVE’ – THRU . . . FEB 27, 2022.
CELEBRATING . . . THE P.A.D. – almost 5 year retrospective !! /
‘IN WITH THE OLD’ . . . is a curated presentation of over 200 artists – with 350 works / curated from the first 50 . . P.A.D. / PROJECT ART DISTRIBUTION / POP-UPS.
spanning – the past 4.5 seasons !!
‘IN WITH THE OLD’,
besides being a large ‘survey’ look back / is also ‘interactive’ – in that it also functions – as an old-fashioned community-based ‘rummage sale’ / where viewers are “encouraged to touch & actually buy the art on exhibit” / which is so . . . the P.A.D. mission /
bringing new artists to community awareness & while most definite over-riding – the ingrained / and seriously ‘slow’ / ‘institutional’ status-quo.
note: 90% of the works on sale will be under $75 !!, with some as low as . . $5 !!
so yo, people: go, get yourself – some cutting-edge / history-making art !!!!
all the while finding yourself – in the Adirondacks / Mohawk Valley region, amidst a brilliant, crisp Fall slowly changing out – into winter, just before . . . the big ‘Cold’ sets in.
The Walter Elwood Museum – looks like such a fun, folksy, richly archival / place to explore, too / the minute I read Mohawk Valley, I was already researching the deep-rooted Native American history – of the area.
for SURE:
‘IN WITH THE OLD’ . . . will be chock-full of all kinds of artist editions, including zines of all formats, incredibly diverse hand-made artifacts.
it’s going to be – some of the most . . . cutting-edge, curious, creative, hysterical, sobering, skilled, just plain crazy, & often . . serious mission statement & ‘souvenir’ items / you’ll ever see in one place again, or . . . for awhile, anyways !!
everything – priced . . . to go !!
at the very least, re: these social-media thick / online virtual days
‘IN WITH THE OLD’ . . . “is for you – to touch, hold, smell, and listen to” !!!!
P.A.D. / PROJECT ART DISTRIBUTION INVITES YOU TO . . . .’IN WITH THE OLD’.
PRESENTED BY . . . PATRICK MOHUNDRO
CURATED BY . . . SOPHIA MA & ELIANA BLECHMAN
WITH MUCH THANKS TO . . . WALTER’S – for HOSTING !!
THE BIG OPENING – IS THIS . . . SAT, NOV 13 / 2 – 8 PM
THE EXHIBIT – WILL BE RUNNING . . THRU: FEB, 27, 2022.
check: WALTER ELWOOD MUSEUM for the HRS. / post NOV 13th.
yes !! YES !! check out: the WALTER ELWOOD MUSEUM / MOHAWK VALLEY / COLLECTIONS & HISTORY !!
follow: P.A.D. – IG
WATER ELWOOD MUSEUM IMAGES / COURTESY: WALTER ELWOOD MUSEUM / MOHAWK VALLEY
~P.A.D. RETROSPECTIVE – RUMMAGE SALE / ‘IN WITH THE OLD’ / WALTER ELWOOD MUSEUM / AMSTERDAM, NY / SAT NOV 13 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 9th, 2021, 2:27pm
for: the true . . WORDSMITHS.
when people die, it’s like a little fire goes out . . .
I hadn’t spoken to Peter van Toorn, ever since I left Montreal for NYC, in 1981,
just over 40 years ago, by now – but still, I was shocked, and so saddened by his passing.
“There’s a silence, and there’s silence. And then there’s a stillness to hold it all without noise.
Enough! The crazy fingers of the wind just hit the roof and raise the red roof tiles . . . ”
~ PETER VAN TOORN, ‘Mountain Easter’, in ‘Mountain Tea’, pg. 78.
PETER VAN TOORN, and NANCY SMITH,
at the ubiquitous Greek diner,
in the Mt. Royal / St. Laurent section of Montreal, ca. mid-to-late, 1970s.
yeah, he was a little bit older – than me / but we both came from recent immigrant English-speaking families.
PHOTO: Collection Nancy Smith
I knew him very well during the period when he wrote what was to be – his last published book / a great work, a collection with the depth of, of . . knock-knock-on-that mountain, solid-as-rock & wide as the sky, almost sing-songs / original poems, & which also included some absolutely brilliant translations / of other poets’ classic, historic poems, the book titled . . . ‘MOUNTAIN TEA’.
I painted the watercolor, that was printed in gray-scale, which graced the cover of the original first edition. as well I contributed the cover art for a few other books – he put out – with various collaborators, all under the creative whirlwind of Vehicule Press / then an Indie artist / writer start-up, in Montreal, and which has gone to become almost an institutional powerhouse, that it is – today.
to be an English poet in Montreal, especially in the French language rights era of the 1970s,
was to be a unique & stubbornly contrarian voice . . .
a collective subconscious cultural landmark, a cry, a burning vision, a voice, which not only embraced the poetic whole of Montreal, but which would also not be – denied.
down with DNA – up with poetic truths.
PETER, still relatively un-sung in the Canadian mainstream media / in only the way a country like Canada can treat it’s best / don’t get me started / was the leader of the English talent pack, and will be – forever.
A brilliant, brilliant poet, who preferred to look inwards, and knock, knock out those poems – working, and re-working them, for years, really, until they sung like tapped glass, or spun copper – sturdy as the old metal typewriters, on which he tapped, tapped them out – til they were rendered with pure hardcore perfection, and, . . . meaning, like a wondrous pebble – skipping across the cold, cold surface, of a blue, blue . . . lake.
see: PETER VAN TOORN (1944 – Oct 6, 2021) – Wiki
see: VEHICULE PRESS
see: History of VEHICULE PRESS
PETER VAN TOORN, ‘MOUNTAIN TEA & Other Poems’, the first edition / with my watercolor, reproduced in gray-scale, on the cover.
published by McClelland and Stewart, Toronto. 1984.
Cover illustration: Watercolour by NANCY SMITH, photographed in black & white by G. SZILASI.
Peter wanted a tea pot, but one that was rural, a peasant utility – in a campfire metal, but that still spoke “Chinese” (!!), and, was designed to .. pour widely, as diverse as the ground the poems, yet elegant with homespun, heartfelt generosity. the original watercolor is all rendered in earthy tones of dark greens 7 ddeep blues, with a hint of turquoise, and jade. It’s night time, it’s time to pour a warm cup of tea, on a circular woven folk art mat, flecked with ‘listening’, and spin some tuneful, poetic thoughts – up, into the night sky.
“I can tell fresh milk from fresh flies,
I can tell nice ties from nice guys,
I can tell good from bad weather,
I can tell apples by their blush,
I can tell trees from their green gear,
I can tell who’s broke from who’s flush,
I can tell hefty, from handy, I can tell nothing about me . . ”
– the first verse from PETER VAN TOORN, ‘Mountain Dragon’, translated from VILLON,
‘MOUNTAIN TEA’, pg 81.
IF, you know anything about me – you know, there I go.
he also inscribed a good-bye gift, a vintage hardcover book on Mexican Folk Art / published 1966 (!!),
to me, just before I departed for the unknowns – of NYC.
“for Nancy
Give that cotton canvas one of your snazzy swats and get on the map with both Emily’s (Carr & Dickinson) as a first-rate fire-head – and man snucklers tuck their tongues in !
Peter / Mar 20, 1981”.
quite the send-off.
and, like a Mayan sacrifice, off to the to challenge the harsh gods, of NYC – I went.
after writing this about me,
in a poem that was indeed published – in ‘Mountain Tea’:
‘Mountain Cameo’ – for Nancy Smith
“How to show this fresh lie to her –
I’ve licked its wet fur clean,
fed it cream of dream,
heard its vowels puu,
but if the smell of my hands is on it
she’ll bite its head off.”
~PETER VAN TOORN, last verse of ‘Mountain Cameo’,
in ‘Mountain Tea’, pg 95.
‘THE INSECURITY of ART’, Essays on Poetics /
Edited by KEN NORRIS & PETER VAN TOORN.
Vehicule Press, Montreal, 1982.
Published with the assistance of the Canada Council.
Cover artwork by NANCY SMITH.
Cover graphics by JW STEWART
Book Design by SIMON DARDICK.
I remember, clear as crystal, how absolutely stunning it was. to see . . my watercolor,
published full-page, and in . . . full color !!
thank you, so much: to the book’s prescient designer . . SIMON DARDICK / Vehicule Press.
one of Peter’s essays was: ‘Kosher Carp on the Nuclear Harp’ (!!), pg. 138.
which began thus:
“There is no shock in the acknowledgement: poets have chucked their fountain pens. Gone
the goose quill which once gave them wings on paper.”
and, so from the painter / a sable-tailed . . a watercolor brush spun out, a top . .
a tea cup.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~PETER VAN TOORN / CANADIAN POET / A POETIC OBITUARY . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 6th, 2021, 12:08pm
dedicated – to the stab-you-in-your-back / players in the art world,
here & in . . . Paris.
so tired of that greedy. lying, thieving . . old school game, can’t you guys – EVOLVE ?!!!!
the world is def, gonna leave you – behind.
ELTON JOHN, DUA LIPA . . .
“it’s a human sign
when things go wrong . . .
Cold, cold heart
Hardened by you (oh)
Some things lookin’ better, baby
Just passing through . . . ”
watch: ELTON JOHN, DUA LIPA . . ‘Cold Heart’ / Official video
~COLD, COLD HEART . . . |
Posted in Indie Music Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 6th, 2021, 11:42am
