Wols At The Menil Collection

I first saw Wols artwork at the Barnes Foundation in 2009, three small watercolors nestled amongst the vast collection of Post Impressionist masterpieces. I noted his name in my sketch book but never followed up on him.

This past fall I flew up to Philadelphia to see the Barns Foundation in its new home, and there were those three little scribbles on torn out book pages. Again I noted down his name. When I got back to Dallas I saw that the Menil Collection in Houston was having a Wols retrospective. And so, after a few false starts I made the three and a half hour road trip from Dallas to Houston.

Was it worth the drive? Yes!

Wols (1913- 1951) is one of those artists who made a great impact while he was alive, and in Europe he maintained a high profile after his death. But he quickly disappeared from the annuals of art history as seen from the American vantage point. Talking with the book buyer at the Menil Book Store I learned that there are only two books on Wols written in english, one being the must have Wols Retrospective catalogue published by the Menil Collection.

I am a sucker for artists such as Paul Klee, Max Ernst, Hans Bellmer, and Joan Miro. Artists who function on that edge of subconscious abstraction and the exploration of lush materials.

This retrospective of Wols artwork is like finding new chapters to your favorite book. It brings a new perspective to art history, and makes you question how much Wols was influenced by his comrades and how much they were influenced by him.

I don't know much about Wols' life other than a few intriguing hints of drama such as being imprisoned in France with Max Ernst and Hans Bellmer for 19 months, dieing of food poisoning, and that his wife continued to create and sell his paints long after he was dead. Sounds like this catalogue is going to be a good read.

Debbie Ballard: Alter Ego at the Valley House Gallery

I went to the exhibit Debbie Ballard: Alter Ego (Resent Sculpture) at the Valley House Gallery expecting to see resent work based around some sort of alter ego narrative. Turns out, this show is not about an alter ego, or resent work. Instead, it's a straight forward survey of an accomplished sculptor's creative path over the last ten years. A sculptor who's works of art quietly depict those moments when interior thoughts become illustrated in the body's posture.

Sure, depictions of rage and anger are easy, that's not what Debbie is doing here. These figures are caught in those spaces where the outer world dissolves, as thoughts begin to fold back upon themselves. These figures sit, stand and sometimes congregate in poses that reflect a certain amount of self absorbed melancholia.

Yes, these sculptures do tap into my secret fondness for the Pre-Raphaelites, except here, Debbie has stripped them of all the flowers, tapestries and silken hair. What remains is very moody and modern.

The Vallie House has done a wonderful job of curating this show. The newest works are found in the main gallery space, along with some really wonderful drawings and sculpture studies. There a dozen more sculptures scattered throughout the 6 acre, heavily wooded sculpture garden. These works range from 1993 - 2012.

All combined, this exhibition is a wonderful and unique opportunity to see an artist develop. And to see a clear illustration of an artist thinking, reasoning and quietly showing the world who she is.

Posting About The Art Fairs In Dallas On Art and Seek

This is a quick post. Still have more art to see before it's all gone. I've been posting about the Dallas Art Fair and the Suite Art Fair on Art and Seek.net. Here's the link to all those pages, plus my older posts on art go by.

 I'll be blogging more about the art fairs on my blog soon.

A Museum in the Dark

Segal and Me

Once a month the Nasher Sculpture Center stays open until midnight. They have all kinds of things happening after dark like movie screenings, live concerts, guided tours...

Burton Chairs in Moonlight

...But what I like best is that it gives me the opportunity to see some of my favorite sculptures literally in a new light.

Night Time Boolean 

Of course I just play at taking photos. The subdued lighting in the sculpture garden results in mostly blurry grainy images, but I like the way that shifts my perspective.

Water Works

There is also the James Turrel "Skyspace" which I didn't photograph. If you have never gazed up through that square hole at the night sky, you have miss out on a psychedelic experience.

Adding a New Blog to the Blogville

Turn Turn Turn by Mekhala Bahl

Dear Ada,
If you are writing a letter to a special someone named Ada you might start that letter with "Dear Ada" and then writing about all the wonderful things you have seen, and how much you wish Ada was there to share them with.


Well, this is pretty much what Birdie is doing with the blog Dear Ada, except that there are very few words and lots of photos with links to artwork that Birdie thinks Ada would like. Who is Ada? The author says "Ada was a very important person I grew up with and shared a love for art, nature, design and culture. She was the most positive, curious, interested person I've ever known and this blog is a bit like a series of letters or notes to her."


Birdie has been posting these art notes to Ada on a regular basses since August 2005. The artists represented here tend to be emerging artists from a wide variety of locations across the world. The scope of  the artwork is from abstract to representational. Sculpture, craft, painting, printmaking, weaving... There is a lot of drawing and works on paper which is quite alright with me. The blog also has Book Love which is Birdie's list of recommended books.


I am adding Dear Ada to my Blogville list of blogs I follow. I hope you will visit the site and follow as well.

SculptCAd Rapid Artists hit the Media

Ginger Fox Bird on a Branch

Last week Jerome Weeks from KERA Art & Seek stopped by SculptCAD to see what the SculptCAD Rapid Artists program was all about. He talked with the director Nancy Hairston and 5 of the artists; Heather Gorham, Shane Pennington, David VanNess, Ginger Fox, and myself. A few days later he meet up with Nancy and Ginger Fox at the Rapid Prototyping Lab at SMU to see what it looks to print something using the 3D rapid prototyping process.

All of Jerome's work has resulted in a report broad cast on KERA's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Plus a posting on the KERA Art & Seek website, plus a Youtube video of the Rapid Prototype Lab.

It's Worth the Risk Parking

Alison Starr

It was on one of those cold rainy days that we are having so many of, when I turned the corner and saw the sign for Mokah Coffee Bar and Mokah Art Gallery. Cold, wet, needing hot coffee and a good dose of art I ambled inside.

No Parking Any Time is the title of the group show that is up through March 6th. Kathy Lova, Alison Starr and Du Chau have filled this surprisingly will put together gallery space with sculptures and wall installations that are derived from found objects.

Du Chau

Each artists is working with a source material that is commonly found in our everyday environment, such as sticks, stuffed animals or plastic shopping bags. These base materials have been transformed through various processes to become something new but still recognizable.

Kathy Lovas

This juxtaposition creates a wide variety of tactile sensations and narratives. Du Chau's porcelain tree branches convey nature's beauty and it's fragileness. Kathy Lovas' plastic rapped bunnies expose the scary interior of what we consider to be cute and cuddly. Alison Starr uses her sewing skills to transform pounds of plastic shopping bags into beautiful icons of mass consumerism.

So even though the card says No Parking Any Time, ignore that. Grab a hot cup of Joe and spend some time in the gallery.

Dallas Art Fair posting on Art & Seek

I just posted an article about the second annual Dallas Art Fair on Art and Seek, click here. I am heading down there tomorrow to hopefully load up my eyeballs on some hot relevant artwork. Then I'll pop over to the new Art In The District 2010 art fair. Perhaps if I am lucky I will OD on art.

David Bates at Dunn and Brown Contemporary

This was originally posted on Art and Seek in January 2010, but it seems to have been lost when they reformatted.

I stopped in at Dunn and Brown Contemporary to see the new show by David Bates, Themes and Variation. Of the 24 paintings on view only 3 are not of flowers. So it's safe to say that this is a show of floral still lives. It is not breaking any new ground in the world of painting, in fact it is looking backwards into the history of painting, one of the things that David Bates does with skill and passion.

There are strong connections with the stone solid flowers of Marsden Hartley, Picasso's late decorative work, and Manet's paintings of cut flowers. All artists that demonstrate an obvious love for the medium of oil painting.

From this platform of art historical connections David Bates launches into a series of paintings that are thick with paint, rich with deep color, and bold with mark making. When all combined, this show of Themes and Variations is a strong must see for those who love oil paint.

Marco Breuer speaks at SMU

I went to a wonderful lecture by Marco Breuer at SMU. I was not familiar with his work, but I heard that SMU was having some really good artist's lectures, so I went and discovered a really interesting artist. 

He works with photographic paper with out using a camera. Check out the link above to see his work.

Kitty Alice Snead at Janette Kennedy Gallery

Kitty Alice Snead, one of the best photographers in Texas is having a show at the Janette Kennedy Gallery. I wrote a review of the show for Art & Seek. Please note that the above photo has been cropped, but it gives you the flavor of her subject matter.

Kara Walker Has Spoken

I went to see Kara Walker talk. I took lots of notes so I could write about it for Art & Seek. I am glad I did because Ms. Walker was so scattered in her presentation it was hard to keep trace of the important topics. Check out the article.

Kara Walker Steps up

Kara Walker is giving a lecture at the  Modern art Museum of Fort Worth.  I posted a notice 

on Art & Seek.

Tonybones article on Art & Seek

Once again for the sake of art, I stayed up until the wee hours struggling with the english language in hopes of constructing a new article for Art & Seek. This time it is about the Tonybones show at the Public Trust.

Check it out, and let me know if there are any misspellings. 

Kara Walker Article For Art & Seek

I saw the Kara Walker exhibit at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth this past Sunday. It really was a suppressing and overwhelming show. I submitted a review of it to Art & Seek. If they post it like I'll make a link to it.

Site Santa Fe "Lucky Number 7?"

I stopped in to see the seventh edition of Site Santa Fe. This time it was a show of site specific art work that was not were only in the museum but also scattered around the center of the city.  There are 25 artists from 16 countries that created art for just this show and just these sites.

I had high hopes for this show but I think the majority of the reviews got it right. There just wasn't enough real meat to chew on. My hunt for the outside installations was derailed by heat, food and other galleries. I did enjoy leaping from the balcony onto the big foamy stunt pads. I now know why I am not a stunt double.

What I did like was the ball point pin drawings by Timothy Nero at the Box Gallery . They had that obsessive noodling that I am a sucker for. Also the Tai Gallery  which is know for showing woven bamboo baskets from Japan has started to show photography. Masaru Tatsuki captures a vanishing lifestyle that combines low riders, transformers, and diesel trucks.  

Marsden Hartley article for Art & Seek

 Art & Seek posted a review that I wrote of the Marsden Hartley exhibit at the Fort Worth's Amon Carter Museum. Art & Seek has asked several art professionals to write articles on various cultural events that are going on around town. 

The experience of seeing a show then writing about it reminded me of being back in college. I think it makes me look at things differently. And then to see it posted on their web site was fun but also weird.

Anyway, you can see the article by clicking Marsden Hartley.