VARNISH - MICHAEL ROSENTHAL

ADOBE BOOKS BACKROOM - ELEANOR HARWOOD

02.25.12



Common artist questions answered, part II. Click Here.

***

Varnish Fine Art: From Beginning to End - Ron Garrigues.

Comment by AB: Ron Garrigues is a great sculptor (and not too shabby at scratchboard and Chinese scroll-style ink drawings either). You gotta pony up the pesos if you wanna own one of his intense sociopolitical bronzes, the consequence of which may or may not have crimped his career, aka galleries who decided not to show him because they didn't think they could sell enough to make the relationship work. But if you're talking to Garrigues, I doubt he has any regrets. I'm thinkin' he's been able to actualize every little bit of everything he's ever wanted out of life, and every little bit of that is ultimately bequeathed to us. This 33-year retrospective is definitely worth a visit.

***

Michael Rosenthal Gallery: Amy Casey - Building Toward a Solid Ground.

Comment by AB: Amy Casey reconfigures cities in exceptionally dense ways. Now whether we can implement some livable variation on that and in so doing, end our addiction to distant bedroom suburbs and the excessive oil consumption that comes with the commute is up to us. Do we really need that expansive lawn and three car garage in the middle of a cookie-cutter housing development in the middle of nowhere? I don't think so. Stop on by.

***

Adobe Books Backroom Gallery: Rapport - Zina Al-Shukri.

Comment by AB: You might call these watercolors spontaneous portraits. Zina Al-Shukri completes her expressionistic likenesses of friends and acquaintances in single sittings. Does that make 'em more honest? Perhaps.

***

Elanor Harwood Gallery: Snow Dream.

Artists: Alice Shaw, Anne J. Regan, Caroline Contillo, Kara Joslyn, Kylea Borges.

Comment by AB: Group show, new artists, fresh art, affordable prices; let's see how the populace responds...

***