It's nearly 11 pm and in 12 hours I've lived three days - or so it seems. Today was a story from beginning to end and even I'm sure I didn't quite catch everything. As I told you in my last entry - today was mostly about the Affordable Art Fair (AAF). I had carefully arranged my few days here so that I would have an entire day to peruse what is likely the most manageable price points in all of Manhattan's fine art world. Now, I am about as picky in art as I am in men - I know what I like and while I appreciate the workmanship that goes into various styles, I am not drawn to it. Also, as I said today earlier, my tolerance for the ridiculous is waning. Today I wanted to see something so fresh that it would take me by surprise - guess what.... SUCCESS!
The image you just saw is by an artist named Jordan Eagles and his work is perhaps the most exciting thing I saw all day. The piece above is 20 x 20 x 3 and get this - it's blood preserved on Plexiglas and coated in resin. This particular piece is also layered with copper. Excuse me, did you say blood? Yep, I did. But what's great about this piece is that it organically draws you in before you even know it's blood. The color, the texture, the size, the technique - it's only until after you've looked at the small little label to the right that you know what the medium is - and right there next to that information is a little red dot. This piece was sold by day two of the art fair and I cannot say I was at all surprised. A piece of art that is captivating and provocative? Let's just say that I would love to show Jordan's work in our space.
While there were various other artists that I noted I simply cannot wait any longer - I must tell you about what I found on 14th St later in the day. You see, after I finished up at 7 W 34th (the AAF) - I was wondering what else I was going to do with my day. Soon I had a quick drink date with Oriano scheduled for 6 pm and it was already 4. I had two hours to kill so I began the walk. Anything in New York is within walking distance - the question is how much time and inclination do you have - once you decide you have both, you can just start out in the general direction you're aiming for and eventually you'll get where you're going. As I was fairly close to the southside of mid-town, walking 10 blocks to Chelsea wasn't a big deal - so another 11 blocks to the Meat Packing District was even more okay. The only drawback - humidity. I had the time but today was especially rough for someone like me who looks as though I ran a marathon after 10 blocks - so I HAD to pace myself and enjoy the scenery. An hour later I was at 14th and 9th Ave - the corner where Oriano and I were set to meet up... except I still had one more hour to kill. And so the window shopping began....
You name it and they have a store in that area - and we're talking the types of stores that don't put price tags on the merchandise. "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." - Those stores. But absolutely gorgeous things - some a little out there but all in all - gorgeous. And there, smack dab in the middle of all this fabulousness... Heller Gallery - the diamond of my entire trip.
This gallery is full of amazing glass art - a medium I'm not particularly drawn to on a regular basis. Our gallery in Indiana has a few exceptional glass artists but in general, it's a medium that tends to be a little outside my radar. Not so at Heller. Every single piece of art in there was breathtaking - clean lines, striking shapes and colors, evocative and thought provoking - it had everything. The crème de la crème was work by Josepha Gasch-Muche. Pictured to the left and measuring just over 30 x 30 - this work is likely the most stunning thing I've seen all week. Composed of thin broken panes of glass arranged by the hundreds of thousands in this circular pattern, the work somehow looks soft enough to touch but threatening enough to remind you how delicate it is. I have never seen anything like this and I have to wonder - is this something that we might be able to get for our space? To introduce the Carmel area to this work would be a pleasure for me personally.
It has since gotten late and it is time for me to retire - I shall continue the story of Thursday with you all tomorrow .... but for now.... goodnight.
No comments:
Post a Comment