Me! In a window! In a gallery! In Soho! In NYC!We decided to drive the whole way into the city last Thursday instead of taking the train. I had some paintings to deliver, Doug needed to deliver a fossil to a client on Saturday and we also planned to pick up a load of birch panels at Soho Art Materials on our way home. And since we left later than planned, we drove into Manhattan at rush hour. Yay. Although Doug is a good driver, I was filled with terror. I don't think you could pay me enough money to drive through that city.
Anyway, we stopped at Doug's showroom and then went down to Multiple Impressions to deliver a few paintings. It was nice to look at the other artist's work as well as to finally meet and chat with Betty, the owner. We settled into the loft space that Doug's company had rented for the month and then went out for a really nice dinner, where the waiter only had eyes for Doug. Literally. He never looked at me once and he practically rolled his eyes when I spoke. And despite the fact that we insisted on no desert, he brought over a piece of cheesecake, for Doug, of course. When we left he looked right past me to say a heartfelt goodbye to Doug. I would have felt offended except, well, it was funny.
On Friday we met up with Chris Rywalt in Chelsea and visited about 859 galleries. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with Chris, he is very funny, silly and smart all at the same time. Doug and I totally enjoyed seeing so much contemporary art and the highlights for me, were seeing a few of Jeff Cohen's paintings (I used to read his blog, which seems to be gone now), Ron Ehrlich's work at Stephen Haller Gallery, and David LaChapelle's photography at Tony Shafrazi Gallery. I really connected with the show at Dillon Gallery. Michael Ryan's paintings remind me of my own, but are much much better. Bigger, more colorful and more abstract. I loved them. Another show I enjoyed was at McKenzie Fine Art. The work of Marietta Ganapin should be seen in person as it is incredibly and wonderfully obsessive. In a very good way, of course.
After getting back to the loft, I dozed on the sofa (I never sleep during the day, but I was beat and what the hell - I was on vacation!) and my husband, the workaholic, went to the showroom and spent a few hours working. We ordered pizza and watched tv for the rest of the evening. Pretty exciting night in the city, eh?
Tomorrow I will write about my visit to the Whitney, which was life-altering!
16 comments:
Sounds like a great weekend vacation. Pizza in NYC sound excellent to me. Out here Pizza Hut is about as good as it gets - ack!
I only had to drive into Manhattan once when I lived in Westchester County. And that was once too many. Definitely not on my todo list again.
Ryan's work looks good. I like yours better. More complex, equal or better abstraction.
Thanks for the chef's tour of NYC.
BTW, where is NYC?
Looking good. It's great to see hard work, fun, and a bit of inspiration going round. Makes a successful recipe for a happy creative life.
Lisa, We have crappy pizza around here too and certainly no delivery. We are starting to consider Red Baron frozen pizza high quality!
Casey, well thanks for the compliment. NYC? Head east and you'll run into it sooner or later:)
Thanks Olga! Been a bit light on the hard work lately though:)
Very cool Tracy!
I keep saying this, but one of these days I want to visit Doug's showroom. Now that the weather is getting nice, it may be time for a stroll around SOHO.
wow Tracey! Big wow. I would LOVE to visit NYC one day but I must admit I'm a little scared of the thought of the size and the traffic! I'll need a tour guide I think... hint hint (wink)
I love the picture of your work in the gallery window. Congrats!
I wish NYC were a short drive from me. I'm envying your gallery hopping experience.
Thanks Jim, Doug will be there this Thursday and Friday, then take a stroll down a few doors and see my work in real life:)
Lauren, I admit to getting a bit overwhelmed before I go, but then once I am there everything is fine. But I sure don't drive. I'd love to be your tour guide, however I think we would both need one, I am not so familiar with the city either.
Shan, Thanks! It was way cool to see that painting up! I am glad we live fairly close, but it's really hard for me to get down there too often. When the kids are older it will be easier to either get away or to bring them with.
Oh my gosh Tracy -- I was just writing about the Michael Ryan show, and Google took me to your blog entry. We were there last week, and I think we went into about 859 Chelsea galleries too! I was at Dillon last Saturday to be exact. Too bad we didn't know. We could have said hello at some point!
I love those paintings too. But I don't think you should compare yours unfavorably to his. His are great, but I'm with Casey. I like yours better.
(We definitely were not driving! That's way too scary to contemplate.)
Martha, great coincidence and it is too bad that we didn't meet up. Some other time!
And thanks for the favorable comparison. I liked his more though because he is more abstract, something that I strive for but I can't seem to shake the logical part of my thinking.
No one should drive in NYC. Then we could actually enjoy the place more!
Well, now that I don't live there any more, I can say that the city is just outstanding. Matta- Clark is one of the most amazing artists and I have to see that show.
I was in Chelsea to see Emily Noelle Lambert's show at Priska Juschka. I also ran into the Marietta Ganapin show. I was in the Queen's international that she was in years ago. She is one of the nicest people and it's great to see her getting a Chelsea solo.
I was also in a 4 person show at D'Amelio Terras that opened on Friday. At least three artists with Pittsburgh connections were showing within a few blocks of each other- Philip Pearstein, Emily Noelle Lambert and Me.
Hi John, glad to hear from a fellow Matta-Clark fan. My obsession continues-I just bought 2 books about him from Amazon and am enjoying them greatly.
The art world is quite small these days, despite being so spread out. So cool that you are showing in NY! Congrats!
Um, I hope there are no chain saws near you right now.
I actually, have a pretty limited first hand knowledge of Matta Clarks work. I think PS1 did a drawing show of his and that included documentation and photos of stuff. Since then I have seen books. I am old enough to have experienced some things first hand but I led a pretty sheltered life.
John, did you see any of his cuts in real life?
And I WISH we had a chain saw! I have a barn that is just begging me for a "remodel":)
John, I meant to add that I may be going down to the city sometime in April, just for a day and will try to see your show.
My role in that show is sort of small.
If you are around on April 27th or later, you have to see the solo of my friend Julianne Swartz.
http://joseebienvenugallery.com/images_swartz.html. I will be there for the opening.
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