This summer’s exhibit at the Art Institute Chicago brought together 5 artists, Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Emile Bernard, and Charles Angrand who painted for a period from 1882-1890 in the smaller villages outside Paris. They were painting in styles called Divisionism (contrasting colors in unblended strokes), Pointillism (small dots of complimentary colors), and Cloisonnism (bold color areas defined by dark contours). I was especially interested in the paintings by Emile Bernard, an artist I was not familiar with. I personally am not a painter that dabs bits of color, but prefer the larger swaths of color. I can learn something new with every visit.
Monet and Bisa Butler
It’s been over a year that our ability to see art in person has been limited. The Chicago Art Institute is open and I went to see the Monet and Bisa Butler exhibits. The Monet exhibit centered around his connection to Chicago and the privately held works in the Chicago area. What a treat to see Monet paintings that I’ve never seen before. This one grabbed me as it was still winter in Chicago at the time of my visit.
Bisa Butler creates the most amazing quilts. With applique she develops intricate details. The messages conveyed through the use of specific materials and figurative expressions totally engaged me as a viewer. So much to see and devour.
Crystal Bridges - Bentonville, Arkansas
This fall I had the great pleasure of taking a road trip to Bentonville, Arkansas for the opportunity to see art in a museum founded in 2005 by philanthropist, Alice Walton, the daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton. It’s the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Arts. Named from the bridges constructed over spring fed ponds, the museum was designed by architect Moshe Safdie and opened on 11/11/2011.
Crystal Bridges is situated on 120 wooded acres integrating sculptural art, walking trails and more. The permanent collection features American art from colonial times to present day. This is not a huge museum, but we loved the way works were exhibited. They were mostly chronological, but within spans of years they were hung in sub categories like daily life, industry, social commentary, etc. The plaques accompanying each work of art are informative and written so that everyone can understand. The museum also holds special exhibitions and events throughout the year.
Outside, in addition to the permanent sculptures, is the Bachman-Wilson House by Frank Lloyd Wright which was acquired by the museum in 2013, deconstructed, moved, and reconstructed in 2015. Free tickets for timed entry are required.
My favorite outside experience is James Turrell’s Skyspace, The Way of Color. This is a round structure with bench seating on the interior and an oculus open to the sky. During sunrise and sunset color is manipulated with LED lighting along with the natural light outside. We first tried to go for sunrise (it was recommended to get there 45 minutes prior to sunrise). We, however, hadn’t been to the museum yet so by the time we figured out which trail to use, the sun was up. You only need to get there 10 minutes prior to sunset for evening viewing. This is a sample of how the colors changed over time.
What's in Winona, Minnesota?
Back in December of 2018 I stayed in Winona, Minnesota while I was curling in the United States Women’s Curling Association Senior Bonspiel (tournament) at the Centerville Curling Club in Wisconsin. We had some down time and I urged my team to go to the Minnesota Marine Art Museum. It’s a marvelous small museum with “great art inspired by water”. Its permanent collection has art by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Gauguin, Cézanne, Turner, Constable, O'Keefe, Cassatt, Homer, Cole, Wyeth, and many more. Photos were not allowed of any of these works, but I was allowed to take pictures of the temporary exhibit Annie Hejny: Waterlines. She creates abstract paintings harvesting water and sediment from various sources in her home state of Minnesota. Annie has great respect for the area’s ecology and environment. These are beautiful textured works.
Rebecca Louise Law: Community
This September I was in Toledo, Ohio for US Women’s Curling Association meetings. I’m so glad there was some free time to get over to the Toledo Museum of Art to see this special exhibit. It was an installation in one room of suspended flowers, leaves, pods, etc. It was magical to walk through and the scent, not overwhelming, brought me outdoors. Even the shadows on the walls fit into the exhibit. A multitude of volunteers “worked with Law and her team cut, press, wire, and hang thousands of locally grown flowers”. They used 520,000 feet of copper wire to suspend 520,000 individual dried and live flowers and plant elements. Even if this exhibit is gone, check out this fine museum.
Charles White and John Singer Sargent
My last visit to the Art Institute of Chicago brought me to two wonderful, and very different exhibits: Charles White: A Retrospective and John Singer Sargent and Chicago's Gilded Age. Both artists are American, but from very different backgrounds and times.
Charles White (1918 – 1979) emerged from Chicago as an artist, activist, and educator in New York and Los Angeles during his four decade career. His work depicts the role of the African American in American culture and history. I found this exhibit to be profoundly impactful, meaningful, and relevant to current times.
The Trenton Six, 1949
John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925) was born in Florence, Italy to American parents. The Sargent exhibit was devoted to his connections to Chicago at the turn of the century. Dozens of his paintings were exhibited in Chicago including the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. Chicagoan, Charles Derring, was a friend and patron, who help secure Sargent's legacy with the city. Sargent paintings are beautiful in color and brushwork, but really live in the past with little connection to the present.
La Carmencita, 1890
Jasper Johns & Helen Frankenthaler
Was in Los Angeles for a Jasper Johns exhibit at the Broad and later back in Chicago for an exhibit of prints by Helen Frankenthaler at the Art Institute...two American abstract expressionists. My key learnings from both of these exhibits were: 1. Find a theme and create multiple iterations and 2. Don't fear trying a new approach - print making, painting on different surfaces, different media, etc. Not every attempt will be perfect, but it's only by repetition and trying over and over that I will find my comfort zone and create something meaningful, at least to me.
Read MoreOpening Reception
In April 2017 I signed myself up to exhibit my work through the North Shore Art League in February, 2018. That commitment spurred me to action and I completed 46 paintings that I deemed worthy to hang in a solo show. After spending months stacking finished work in a spare bedroom the day came to hang everything in the the exhibit space. My daughter, Katie, friend, Ann, and Valerie from the art league helped me. The moment everything was hung and I took a step back...WOW! I was amazed at how good it looked and how well everything meshed together. I had the opening reception on a Sunday from 2-4 after football season had ended. It was snowy, cold and I had a great turnout and most of all...FUN!
Key Learning...challenge yourself, but enjoy the process along the way, and celebrate your success.
Read MoreYayoi Kusama Exhibit
Over Christmas holidays I attended the Yayoi Kusama exhibit at the Broad museum in Los Angeles. Yayoi Kusama is a contemporary Japanese artist (born in 1929). She works mostly in sculpture and installation, but was visible in the 1960's avant-garde scene. Needless to say, I was blown away by the Infinity Mirror rooms. The picture below shows a small group of us in a room that isn't very large, but appears to go on into infinity. I which we could have spent more than the 30 seconds alloted in each of the rooms throughout the exhibit.
Read MoreMy SPACE
In my area October is the month that celebrates art and artists. Many local exhibits and art walks take place. In addition artists open up their studios so that folks can get a closer look at how and where they do their creating. My studio is in an extra bedroom at home. It makes it very easy for me to put on my create hat and hide out for minutes or hours at a time. It's old carpet so I don't care right now if I get paint on it. My biggest issue is keeping organized. Do I dare show you a current picture and then a second one after I've picked it up....?
Ancestral Modern
My sister and I went on a roadtrip in late July to Nashville, TN. It was hot and with no plans we were wandering and saw this neat building that might offer some air conditioning. That building happened to be the old post office which now houses The Frist Center for the Visual Arts. It's a wonderful museum with a lot of interesting work. What got our attention, however, was a special exhibit Ancestral Modern Australian Aboriginal Art from the Kaplan & Levi Collection. By date, the paintings are modern, but the artistic tradition is from ancient Australian Aboriginals. It's a fantastic exhibit well worth a visit if you're in the area or passing through.
Read MoreWelcome to my blog!
I love art and enjoy going to different exhibits and show openings. My plan is to share the art I see and expose some of it to anyone who might read this blog. If there is one thing I learned, I may not like some art. However, once I learn what the artist is trying to convey and the back story, I usually have a greater appreciation for what is exhibited. There are also times I have to laugh when reading the descriptions curators concoct (especially for abstract works)...are they for real?