Karla Wozniak

On Monday evening I visited Karla Wozniak's studio in Sunset Park to have a chat and do some drawings. It was perfect timing too, since she had not only just packed up a bunch of her paintings to send out west for a show in San Francisco, but is also currently packing up her studio altogether to move to Tennessee. She just got hired as a painting professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Cheers to that! It was a splendid visit with Karla, talking to her about her work, her move ahead, her time in NYC, and her travels.

Karla: I try not to take pictures while driving, but I have been known to do that.

Wozniak's paintings are based, in part, on photos she has taken while on road trips to various places across the country. As soon as I stepped inside her studio loads of questions came to mind. I love it when new paintings evoke that kind of inquisitive feeling. Did you take the photos yourself? Are these all trips you have been on? Is each one a specific place or are they composites of different places? Yes, she takes the photos. Yes, she gets to go on all these fab drives. And each painting is either one specific view or a handful of views of one trip, combined into a single painting. It is like Wozniak is sharing the experience of being in a moving car, passing by all the sights that have caught her eye; giving the viewer a blurred, playful sense of the memories of her travels. The views of the road weave in and out of perspective by way of her use of light and space. Adding to the excitement of her work is the fact that Wozniak is no stickler: she lets the paintings speak to her as she is making them.  For instance, a highly abstracted flat form can lead smoothly to a cleanly painted road sign that juts out from on top of it.

 The road signs in the paintings act as not only a marker for where she has been, but also as a commentary on the ugliness of capitalism when juxtaposed with the beautiful landscapes that make up our United States.

While there, being a pencil in the studio kind of gal herself, Karla drew me drawing her paintings.

Referring to the unfinished mountainous drawing on the wall behind her:

Karla: This one is of Shasta, you are driving down highway 5 and then you see this huge mountain appear out of nowhere.

I felt lucky to be able to catch Karla before she made it on the road to Tennessee. I look forward to seeing her next group of paintings. BBQ signage perhaps? I really really dig her work. It gives me a lot of what I want from a painting, fantastically varied use of paint and pencil, luscious and vibrant abstracted fields of color, and a little day dreaming about where she was when taking the photos. In some ways, Karla is sticking to a long-standing tradition in painting: she went there, she saw something interesting in the place, and she painted it. Hey, if you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair, and go see her show at Gregory Lind Gallery opening June 29th-August 12th. Also check out the rest of her amazing art here: http://www.karlawozniak.com/index4.html.

Mernet Larsen

My next visit was with artist Mernet Larsen in Jackson Heights, Queens. I have known Larsen's work since I was about three. She was a professor of art at the University of South Florida for some 35 years, where my father was teaching theater. Larsen has also taught at a handful of other universities: Yale, Montana State, and the University of Oklahoma to mention a few. It was quite something to come to her now as an adult and fellow artist. Not only was it exciting to see her second studio in Queens (her first being in Tampa, Florida), but such a thrill to hear of her travels, teaching experiences, and memories of an earlier New York City art scene as a participant of the Art Students League and beyond.

Mernet's current work is, among other things, a humorous and unadulterated look at what it has been like to be involved in academia for as long as she has. Often, her paintings use a more than confusing and extremely engrossing two point perspective. She leaves the viewer at the end of the vanishing-point by putting the larger figures in the back of the space and the smaller figures in the front.  It somehow tricks the eye into thinking this is how the space actually operates, a visual flip of what we all know to be correct perspective. The viewer becomes an almost invisible part of the equation, having no place at the end of the vanishing point. It made me feel like there was no right position to stand in while looking at the paintings. Maybe there is also no right position to stand in while attending a committee meeting? Ha!

                                                           Faculty Meeting, 2008, Acrylic, mixed media on canvas, 58" x 40"

Larson: I am still using the same book I have been using since 1985.

A lot of the perspective space she uses in her paintings have been taken from art images she has found in a handful of books she had gathered from her travels to India and Japan in the 80's. For example, one book she showed me was of japanese scroll paintings. She considers herself to be using the techniques of a Rorschach test to find spaces within the paintings that captivate her. Larsen does this by flipping the books in all sorts of directions and staring at the image until it starts to become something other than what it is. She has been using this technique for some 25 years.

Committee, 2007, acrylic, mixed media on canvas, 36" x 68"

I haven't even gotten a chance to touch on all that we explored in our conversation. Larsen had so much information to share; I just couldn't stop asking her questions about not only her life as an artist, but also as a teacher and fellow woman. Mernet told me about one of the first teaching jobs she had gotten in Oklahoma. When hiring her, they didn't know she was a woman. They told her that they wouldn't have hired her if they had known, but would keep her on as a teacher anyhow. Larsen said to me, nonchalantly, that she was so glad to have gotten the job it didn't bother her. No shit?! She is so cool. This story blew my mind.

It was such a delight to spend the afternoon there in Mernet's studio settled in the beautiful tree lined streets of Jackson Heights. Reconnecting with her and re-exploring her multiple bodies of work was a truly joyful experience. If you have the chance, please visit Vogt Gallery in Chelsea where she is currently in a show, The Fitting Room, curated by David Cohen. Also check out more of her totally fantastic paintings here http://www.mernetlarsen.com/.

Andy Cross

My next visit took place over two days at Andy Cross' studio in Bushwick. I can't say that I am unfamiliar with Andy's work or studio, it is even possible that I stop by once a week for a brief chat and update, but it was very rewarding to stay for awhile this time with my pencil and paper. It was almost meditative. Andy has a wonderfully airy space filled with vibrant color and positive energy. And boy does he have a lot of work! From week to week it often seems like whole bodies of work are produced.

Andy lets one group of paintings lead to the next as he moves in and out of different thoughts and ideas. He is constantly experimenting and pushing himself in new directions, which is so refreshing and uninhibited. He travels a lot and the influence of this can be seen quite clearly in his work. His journeys have ranged from camping trips upstate with easel and paint in the back of his van to adventures in Asia with packed canvases in his bag. Images of landscape, mystical figures, people he has met, and animals appear repeatedly in his paintings, all of which are distinctly Andy's.  He also listens to a lot of talk radio. From Democracy Now to This American Life to Krista Tippett on Being. I think this is channeled in his work in all sorts of ways. He is constantly streaming audio information. And when he talks, he intermixes this information with stories he tells of his own life.

When I was there we listened to Amy Goodman's podcast from that morning's show. It was somber news, but, as Andy put it, he is always searching for the truth and Democracy Now is where he can find it.

Andy: I used to think I had to illustrate what I was learning, but now it hits an emotional center that comes out in the mark making, like what kind of brushstroke I make. At times, an overall sadness comes out.

Knowing my secret love for drawing animals, Cross set up a still life of various creatures he had painted.

Andy: Its kind of a throne of a chair, but I don't sit there that much. It is a throne for anyone who sits with me.

Andy's peaceful outlook on life and others around him gave this visit a special kind of artistic healing power. We listened to several different segments he had come across online that spoke of the importance of looking within. We sat and worked on our own in silence as we listened. It was like being in Andy's world for an afternoon. A world that is self reflective and concentrated on creating and understanding.

At the end of the first day of my visit we watched the sunset as we barbecued with artist Erik den Breejen on the roof of their shared studio building. It was Memorial Day and a fantastic sunset. Andy worked on a painting of a Buddhist Monk meditating. What a great way to end that session.

You must go see the show he is in this month, LANY organized by Mario Diaconoi. It opens on the 8th of June at Peter Blum. Here you will be able to see all of what I am talking about. I have witnessed the growth of the four very large paintings that will be on display from the ground up. Let me tell you, they are really something to behold. Also check out more of his work here http://andycross.org/.

Joshua Abelow

Just up the street in my neighborhood of Williamsburg I did a studio visit with Joshua Abelow. I first met Joshua while drawing the installation of GOLD RECORDS, a show at ART BLOG ART BLOG, the space he is currently running in Chelsea. I have seen his work around town for awhile now, so it was with great pleasure that I dropped by his studio for a chat and a drawing session. Abelow's paintings and studio go hand in hand; both are approached systematically and with care. I just got the best vibe down there in his basement space.

His work brings to mind familiar painting traditions without feeling stuffy or contrived. Instead, it feels incredibly alive. At first glance, his medium to small sized paintings on burlap seem similar to one another, but on closer viewing they become individually captivating. I instantly became intrigued by them. Abelow went into detail on how he arrives at the color combinations that he uses in layers on his paintings. He has been keeping a journal of these combinations for years, making notes of the ones he likes the best. On the back of each painting he also writes down the particular combination he has used for it. Like a mathematical equation he can quickly go back to if he ever wants to replicate the paint's effects.

Abelow's drawings also play a major role in his practice. He has developed a comedic character loosely based on himself that he draws in different scenarios. This references the artist ego in a jokey lighthearted fashion that really hits home; it is humorous, but also true. He also looks to various images he has found, from stills of a film to things he has stumbled across on the Internet, for other characters in the drawings.

Joshua: I think an artist can be a transmitter and receiver of information.

This idea also manifests itself in his very popular blog, ART BLOG ART BLOG.

Joshua: Do you know the book, Peter Halley: Utopia's Diagrams? I read it when I was 22 and I still think a lot about the content of that book in relation to my work.

Parts of the drawings are also layered on top of some of the paintings. Or Joshua may simply refer to the artist character in the drawings by writing his phone number over a painting, a farcical way of restating himself as the artist making the art.

Here Abelow shakes a canvas to create a wind blown effect on the numbers he has painted on top of it.

And then there is Georgia, his lovely little dog that he has been making art next to for 7 years. I just couldn't resist doing a drawing of her.

Abelow's intern, Carlijn Potma, preparing some canvases for him. It was great meeting and talking to her as well. Here is her blog http://journalofthelikeminded.tumblr.com/.

At the end of the visit we parted ways until we met up again at the opening of Ctrl Alt Delete, a show put on by HKJB. It was terrific to get to know Abelow and his work in such depth. Fab visit! To check out more go to http://joshuaabelow.com/images.html. Or go to James Fuentes LLC to view the installation of the show he had there in January.

Vince Contarino

This week I went to Vince Contarino's studio in DUMBO. He is a current participant in the Marie Walsh Sharpe Studio Program. Vince has one of the big spaces in the center of the building. It's enough to make your mouth water. Contarino's work really shines in there. It was such a treat to spend the afternoon drawing it.

As I sat down to draw, Vince began to work.  His paintings are very concentrated on the presence of the hand without an overt self consciousness on the mark making itself. I was fascinated. It is almost like he takes turns expressively putting paint on the canvas and diligently cleaning it up. The tension of this push and pull tells a certain story of abstraction.

Contarino had made a kind of altar using works of his in black and white, photos and printed matter. His flat file acts as the centerpiece.

We listened to a lot of rock and roll while I was there. He talked about music's role in his studio, getting him into the zone.

Vince: I have to have music on while I am working. I can't work without it.

Throughout the afternoon Vince and I discovered all that we have in common besides our love of painting. We both grew up in the same part of Florida; fishing, hanging by the beach, and gater spotting. The Gulf Coast is a very special place.

Vince: When I visit Florida my family always flies me home with a bunch of fish that they caught; there is nothing like it.

His color is thought out, but not over-worked, just like the paintings themselves. I love the collection of colors he has mixed and keeps track of on a grid-like list on a pillar in his studio.

Vince: My steed!

We also got to talking quite a bit about his various other projects. He told me about the show he had just put together with Kris Chatterson through their joint blog Progress Report. The show was called The Working Title and was at the Bronx River Art Center. He shared with me this really cool catalogue they made for The Working Title, with Jon Lutz's questions for the artists and opening comments. You can find it at blurb.

Contarino expressed how wonderful it has been for him being in the Sharpe Studios. I would say he is totally thriving in there. I am excited to keep following his work after my close look at it. You can see his paintings at  http://www.vincecontarino.com/. Also check out KCLOG, another art related blog he works on with Chatterson and others. Go Florida!

Jon Lutz: GOLD RECORDS

This week I had the unique opportunity to do a drawing session during the installation of a show curated by Jon Lutz of Daily Operation at ART BLOG ART BLOG, a fantastic new space run by Joshua Abelow in Chelsea. I have been a follower of Lutz's work for some time now; he is definitely a curator to watch. Lutz's approach is truly conceptually innovative, bringing a breath of fresh air to the young contemporary art world.

Patrick Brennan, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, Patrick Brennan, Max Schumann

For the show Gold Records, Lutz has chosen a handful of artists he had featured on his former blog The Old Gold. The artists are: Ron Amstutz, Erik den Breejen, Patrick Brennan, Ned Colclough, Stacy Fisher, Jaime Gecker, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, Christopher Knowles, Max Schumann, J.D. Walsh, and Wendy White. Jon chose these artists based on their works' connection to various aspects of culture from the 60's on. He is making a record of artists that are making records of society's sights and sounds.

Wendy White

Jon: Josh tell me if you think this wall is too crowded or if the work is too high, I wanted the paintings to meet at the top.

Joshua: No, they're not too high,  I think it looks fucking great! 

There's nothing quite like watching a curator install their show. This is where Jon's art happens. Where to put what and how high to put it? Jon was moving things from one wall to another in order to get it just right. The space was filled with vivacious anticipation for the opening night. I watched Jon as he unveiled the art that was all wrapped up from delivery. I loved seeing how delighted he was as he reconnected with the pieces he had picked weeks prior in the different artists' studios. I was delighted to see them too. This is going to be one rocking show, I thought.

 J.D. Walsh

And then at the end of the week I went to the opening celebration. It was a great party, everyone was really stoked on the show. As was I. You gotta go see it.

ART BLOG ART BLOG

508 W. 26th St. 11th Fl., NYC

Opening: Friday, May 13, 6-9 PM

Closes: Saturday, May 28

Open Hours: Wed-Sat 12-6 and by appointment

Wendy White, Erik den Breejen, Jon Lutz, Patrick Brennan

Ron Amstutz

Yesterday I visited Ron Amstutz's studio in Long Island City. His work contains elements of performance, painting, photography, and video that come together in service of his truly unique vision.  It was a great pleasure to see where the magic happens. What a charged space. Not only did I get to spend time with Ron, but also his two lovely daughters, Celeste (5) and Audrey (8).

Amstutz is deep in the production of a new project. We sat down to take a look at his progress so far as he explained to me his multi-faceted process. For this work, he first recorded the light spilling through his studio windows onto a stage he built in the back of his space. He did this by taking photos at different times of day using a variety of different camera angles -- 9 to be exact. Next, Amstutz painted the reflection of the window's light onto the stage, choosing 21 different photos from the numerous ones he took to work from. This series of photos represents the passing of time through the changes of light. Ron is in the midst of painting the stage 42 different ways corresponding to the 21 photos he has chosen. 42 because he is doing one set in grey scale and one in color, using a very subdued color scheme so as not to overpower the piece. Once the stage is painted, Ron takes meticulous photos of himself in costume while striking many different difficult poses. He is also experimenting with posing in the mirror image of these gestures and taking yet another picture, which adds to the overall visual complexity.

Ron: This is a way of doubling, repeating it without actually repeating it.

 These poses will eventually be put together to make a stop-motion video, creating a wonderfully subtle and awkward choreography. Keep in mind he is repainting and reposing for each still he has chosen from the original pictures of the light spilling through the window. I can barely do this project justice by trying to explain it. It is extremely elaborate and cared for. Amstutz is making magnificent references to the light we use in painting and the feeling we have as artists when making.

Adding to the obsessively systematic nature of the project, Amstutz paints a mark on his costume after each completed phase the stage set goes through. There are two costumes, one black and one white. I love the presence of the character he has invented. It makes for a delightfully bizarre narrative.

Ron: I have one idea and then another one that complicates it, and then another one that complicates that and so on and so on.

As an added bonus I had a couple of drawing partners sitting by my side, the daughters. We had a blast working together. They had quite a bit to say about the project. They are very bright girls. Here are their renditions of the stage:

Above is Audrey's drawing of the stage.

Celeste to the left and Audrey to the right.

Above is Celeste's drawing of the stage.

What a great ride it was to spend time with Ron and his ladies. I am so looking forward to seeing this piece at the end of its production. Ron's intense thinking and layered way of working makes for a truly fantastic experience.

Amstutz is going to be in the group show Gold Records which opens this friday May 13th, (508 W 26th st 11th floor). He will be showing one of his previously made videos. You should also check more of his work out at http://www.ronamstutz.com/ and WALLSPACE.