Art Space Talk: Carrie Ann Baade

The art of Carrie Ann Baade has quickly gained recognition in recent years. I remember viewing her work over two years ago. Her images, with their 'eye masks', stuck in my mind. Sadly, I forgot her name at the time. What can I say...sometimes the art remains in the mind while the name of who created it slips away. One thing is for certain, the art and name of Carrie Ann Baade will become familiar to many people in the 'art world'. I doubt I will forget her name anytime soon. She has a successful track record and continues to develop as an artist.

In my opinion, Baade's art is a perfect example of what a surrealistic painter can accomplish today. Carrie's paintings have been called "Imaginative Realism" due to her strong skills in traditional painting. Her body of work captures the essence of Master works while embracing the heart of surrealism. This mix of 'old and new' comes together to create images that are both beautiful and alarming at the same time.

There is a mysterious beauty about her work. In my opinion, the world she creates is one of harlequins and jesters cloaked by a shroud of danger that can be observed just beneath the surface. When viewed as a collection, Baade's paintings become a masquerade: Anger, fear, humor, sadness, humility, and joy all wear their respected mask. They beg for the viewer to peer beyond their guise. Will you be so bold as to take a look?

Brian Sherwin: Carrie, when did you first discover that art would be an important part of your adult life?

Carrie Ann Baade: Shortly after becoming conscious at age 2 1/2. I had been quite ill and in the hospital, so my first memories were of being ill, the next memory was of returning home and drawing "The Snail in the Rain"...I figure it is peculiar or at least precocsious for toddlers to title their works. I still have the drawing.

BS: Carrie, how has creating art shaped you professionally and personally?

CAB: Recently, I have gone through several huge life changes. I quit my job and my marriage so that I could paint full time. The result is the realization that I will sacrifice nearly everything to continue to paint. My only other skill is that I am a decent professor and I am still trying to make that work to actually have a living wage.

BS: Carrie, how has society influenced your art? Are there any social implications in your art?

CAB: I don't paint because I want to keep it. I paint to communicate. It is the desire to touch and connect with others that drives my work...however, there is a tendancy to be the sadder and funnier darkerside of life that I am attempting to illustrate.

BS: What are your artistic influences? Has anyone inspired you?

CAB: Judith Schaecter! Julie Heffernan, Colette Calacsione, Catherine de Monchaux, Liz McGrath, and Vermeer.

BS: Carrie, tell me a little about your background. Are your past experiences reflected in the work you do today? If so, how?

CAB: My life is definitely embedded or encoded into my work. The more trauma the more content. There are very real things that I am not aloud to speak of in polite society, the more I translate them into elaborate images to spell out my rage, my dissatisfaction, my pain, my secrets, and my loves which may also be secrets. Usually I let myself work cathartically but only so long as there is something funny about it. Technically speaking, I studied classical realism in Italy at the Florence Academy of Art and after I left, I then did many reproductions of artists such as Vermeer, Canaletto, Watteau, Manet, Belinni, Signorelli, etc. This shaped my desire to use paint with a similar authority to these past masters.

BS: If you could pinpoint the characteristics of people who collect your art, what would they be?

CAB: All the people who collect my work (who are not friends) are lawyers. I like that somehow lawyers see the complexity and are intrigued by the subject matter.

BS: Do you have an upcoming exhibit? If so, where and when?

CAB: YES! 3 in NYC opening at the end of October! Strychnin Gallery on OCt 27th, Fuse Gallery OCt 28th, and KMFK Gallery.

BS: Carrie, where do you see your art in 10 years? What are your plans?

CAB: Provided I planted my seeds correctly, I hope to have 4 or 5 nice galleries who represent me. My work is getting larger (at one point they had shrunk to 7inches). It is really my life's goal to make a humble living through painting....this is one of the few professions that one can continue til they are a little ol lady....but that is more like my 50 year plan.

BS: Carrie, discuss one of your pieces. What were you thinking when you created it? What is your artistic process?

CAB: "The Teachings of Lilith," (image above) 18 x 12 inches, oil on copper, 2006, currently showing at PAUL BOOTH (The Dark Lord of Tatoos)'s Strychnin Gallery in NYC. This image is about the connections between women, snakes, and the moon. Specifically, I am intrigued by early Rennaisance artists depiction of the sepent in the garden of Eden having the head or torso of a woman. Since the serpent is not mentioned being female in the Bible, why have male artists chosen to show the serpent being part woman? The most famous example is in Michealangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoe. For me, this painting suggests that there may be more of these temptresses in training going out into the world to offer free will to more individual who were before locked in the bliss of ignorance.

BS: Carrie, do you have a degree or do you plan to attend school for art?

CAB: I have a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a masters from the University of Delaware.

BS: Where can we see more of your art? Are you involved with other websites? Do you have a personal website?

CAB: My website www.carrieannbaade.com and I'm involved with www.surrealartforum.com.

BS: Carrie, are you represented by a gallery?

BAG: Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia, Richard Rosenfeld is my second father. I hope to gain representation with galleries in a few other cities/countries so I may continue to paint full time. I have been working with Stychnin Gallery in Berlin, but I also work with Ann Nathan in Chicago, Roq La Rue in Seattle, and I will have work at Sandy Carson in Denver next fall. Currently, I have work at Strychnin Gallery, KFMK Gallery, and Fuse Gallery all in NYC.

BS: Carrie, how many pieces have you sold in your career?

CAB: Of the works on my site, 3/4s are sold, so perhaps 40 paintings. I have been selling because I have had low prices to get my work out there. Only recently, have I raised them a little to attempt to make a living wage.

BS: Carrie, in your own words... why do you create art?

CAB: I create to make the work that I want to see. I am largely unsatified with contemporary art and art of the past. I yearn to make work that is mystical but contains elements that speak to the human condiditon. I wouldn't want to live if I couldn't create. It is who I am. It is what I do. I create art because I was a terrible waitress.

BS: Do you have any tips for emerging artists?

CAB: Pretend that each letter of rejection means you get to go out to dinner. I have decided that I will have an exhibit of all my letters of rejection as soon as I have enough to cover a gallery. I am only 1/3 of the way there. Beyond that, my credo is: IGNORANCE AND BALLZ! I say ignorance because I don't ask questions. Never ask why you are doing this. Never question your ability. Never wonder if you would be richer or happier doing something else. Ballz is the momentum to keep doing it despite impossible odds.

BS: Carrie, has your work ever been censored? If so, how did you deal with it?

CAB: Yes, The Queen of Oblivion was not displayed in a public building because there were breasts in the image. I was gratful for the show so I complied and then my family laughed at how conservative and small minded society is.

BS: What was the toughest point in your career as an artist? Have you ever hit rock-bottom?

CAB: Currently, I am pleasantly free falling with out a parachute. I could not have jumped from safe job and a safe existance with out the skills I have acquired and the painting I have done so far. I don't want to say I have seen the worst because there is always a new level bad one may fall through, only to find what they thought was hell was heaven by comparrison. This artists' living has dignity and I would not have dignity doing something that was not me. I know who I am, I know what I want, but how to make this practicle is nearly demoralising at times.


BS: Can we find your art on myartspace.com?

CAB: Do a search for CarrieAnnBaade on myartspace.com.

BS: Carrie, what can you tell our readers about the art scene in your area?

CAB: Philly is conservative, but it is a knowable art scene with possilbities. New York is so broad and expansive it is unknowable by comparison. I prefer to be a fish in a medium sized pond for now.

You can learn more about Carrie Ann Baade by visiting her website-- www.carrieannbaade.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews. Carrie is a member of the beinArt International Surreal Art Collective.

Surreal Visionary Fantastic Art & Metamorphosis Art Book

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: John F. Champoli

I recently discovered the art of John F. Champoli and decided to interview him about his paintings. Mr. Champoli creates paintings that appear to be full of texture. Strong marks come together to give form to each of his paintings. The vibrant colors, balanced by the darker, create a visual maze for the viewer. This New York artist channels a great deal of energy into his work.

Q. When did you first discover that art would be an important part of your adult life?

A. "Definately my senior year in college after I took my first painting class and then I changed my major that next week to Art. Before that I was a guitar major."

Q. How has creating art shaped you professionally and personally?

A. "Absolutely- It's like you find out who you really are and what you are meant to do in life- before that it is just a confusing mess of existential funk."

Q. How has society influenced your art? Are there any social implications in your art?

A. "In my curerent installation I am working on society and those around me have certainly influenced my art because it deals with quoting memorable sayings that I have encountered either in the world at large or in my own inner circle of friends and people that I socialize with."

Q. What are your artistic influences? Has anyone inspired you?

A. "My artistic influences are Vincent Van Gogh -enough said. He is the real deal and for me the greatest artist to ever live."

Q. Tell me a little about your background. Are your past experiences reflected in the work you do today? If so, how?

A. "Not in my paintings of wild color but definately in my latest installation piece in which I have quotes on computers and other various technological media such as "If I have to explain my art to you, you are obviously not intelligent enough to buy it." W. Garcia and "The Art world is about Sex and Flourescent Lights" - Kelly Shiulaz"

Concerning my background I come from Queens, NY, raised by my mother and grandmother. I often saw the graffiti murals and "wild styles" in the close by neighborhoods to where I lived and was inspired and fascinated with the colors and the forms of these artists and there risk in that they could be arrested or fined for what they were doing but still did it.I got into some fights of course growing up in Queens, and never had much money but that is what makes me pour myself in my art. Like life - art takes passion and perseverance."

Q. If you could pinpoint the characteristics of people who collect your art, what would they be?

A. "Usually doctors or old hippie types...haha or really really rich people...But I do sell smaller pieces to those who can't afford the bigger ones."

Q. Discuss one of your pieces. What were you thinking when you created it?

A. "The PInultymate PicNIc is the final painting in a series of wildly, colorful abstract paintings based on the Garden of Eden before the fall of mankind and it is my own image of what life was like in a totally Utopian society."

Q. What is your artistic process?

A. "This is confidential but I can say it involves large amounts of acrylic paint and painting with toothbrushes and the pages of Art Forum magazine."

Q. Why did you choose the medium(s) that you use?

A. "Because that's all I know and love."

Q. Do you have a degree or do you plan to attend school for art? If so, how has it helped your art career?

A. "Yes, I go to school - but it has not I believe helped my career in any way."

Q. Where can we see more of your art?

A. "In the NY Gallery guide or on myspace. www.myspace.com/johhny also in shows coming up in Valencia, Spain - Bejing, China - and Broadway Gallery in New York in May."

Q. Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?
A. "Yes, Patrick's Fine Art - 21 East 62nd Bewtween Madison and Fifth Avenues The exhibition is still currently up. Please contact the gallery for further details and appointments to see the paintings. PatArt21@aol.com"

Q.What trends do you see in the 'art world'?

A. "Conceptualism with little or no Aesthetic beauty"

Q. Any tips for emerging artists?

A."Buy a Chelsea Show, get a website, buy and add in Art Forum for your show and advertise your show in the Gallery Guide"- E. Svitic"

Q. What was the toughest point in your career as an artist? Have you ever hit rock-bottom?

A. "Yes, right now I have hit it and am still sliding into finnancial ruin haha, but what can you do when you do you love."

Q. In one sentence... why do you create art?

A. "Because I have to to feel somewhat normal."

Q. Can we find your art on myartspace.com?

A. "johhny41781"

Q. What can you tell our readers about the art scene in your area?

A. "Ny is wild and money and cash is king- the galleries in NY only look at credentials not art and only care about who you know-"

Q. Is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the 'art world'?

A. "My art is something personal and what I love to do - I will always do it regardless but the art world is a different creature... one of deceit and weapon of mass destruction."

I hope you have enjoyd this interview with John F. Champoli. Feel free to critique or discuss his art.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Aaron Kraten

I recently interviewed artist Aaron Kraten about his paintings. This self-taught artist has been making waves with his expressive images. He has acquired a large online fan base and has sold many paintings in his relatively short career. Mr. Kraten continues to expand the direction of his art.

In my opinion, his art asks questions about our materialistic nature and the urge that some people have for the vices of the street. There is a great deal of social commentary within each painting.

I can 'see' people I've known through the years when I observe Mr. Kraten's art. His work captures the essence of their youthful abandonment. I pondered several issues upon viewing several paintings.

When I first observed his work I noticed his 'eye' for the details of our society. In a sense, his work reveals the underbelly of our economically charged lifestyles. I feel that his art reflects the anxieties of a youthful generation that is faced with an overabundance of options as to how to live... Pleasure is all around us and mistakes, as well as choices, will be made.

You can be observe Mr. Kraten's myartspace gallery by doing a search for Aaronkraten on the main site.

Q. Tell me a little about your background. Are your past experiences reflected in the work you do today?

A. "i would say growing up in apartments and moving around alot effects my art"

Q. When did you first discover that art would be an important part of your adult life?

A. "when I was a kid"

Q. What was the toughest point in your career as an artist?

A. "doing shows in what seems like a gallery and it turnes out to be a rave or a club."

Q. Have you ever hit rock-bottom?

A. "when i lived at home in my teens it was rock bottom."

Q. How has creating art shaped you professionally and personally?

A. "making art and selling art has given me opertunity to publish works and be involved with other creative people , via art shows."

Q. What is your artistic process?

A. "mixed media on wood"

Q. Why did you choose the medium(s) that you use?

A. "I like using all sorts of things not just stuff found in art supply stores."
Q. Do you have an academic background in art?

A. "I'm self-taught. I grew up in Huntington Beach , CA and always enjoyed drawing. I carried around these small 100 page sketchbooks which I drew in often. I have drawn over 58 - 100 page sketchbooks and over 150 paintings."

Q. How has society influenced your art? Are there any social implications in your art?

A. "defently i am influenced by graffiti and skateboarding."

Q. What are your artistic influences?

A. "machanics , how people treat eachother socially plays a big part"

Q. Has anyone inspired you?

A. "Mark Gonzales is a big one, also berry Mcgee and early skataboard art."

Q. Could you tell us more about your influences?

A. "I guess things i think influence me are Graffiti Skateboarding Technology Love Fashond Urban environments video games punk music *early 80's late 70's*"

Q. How did you start your career as an artist?

A. "In 1999 I was working at a thrift store called Stateside. There I started experimenting with painting on Found objects.I started Displaying my work in the Thrift Store and Sold Quite a bit of Art off those walls. Soon after I Began Submitting my work to Gallerys and Museums locally. I show about 4 times a year and Post new work on my website often.


Q. How exactly has street art influenced your work?

A. "it is all around us , the expressions of street artists maybe it is a small sticker , a zeen , a piece, it is the words of the people."

Q. When were you first introduced to such work?

A. "I cant remember a time when i didnt notice this subculture."

Q. Some of your images deal with drug addiction. Do you see these pieces as a warning to addicts?

A. "these paintings repersents the attiction to different things such as , people, drugs, products, love, sadness"

Q. The majority of your art seems to deal with materialism... or our materialistic culture. Can you go into detail about this aspect of your art?

A. "I think my work more or less goes into the items that fill our lives and the attachments we have to material object as far as how it effects our daily lives. sort of the one mans junk is another mans treasure sort of thing."

Q. I also notice a theme of technology in some of your images. What view are you trying to express about technology?

A. "I am very interested in technology and feel that it plays a important roll in daily life."

Q.Where can we see more of your art?

A. " http://www.aaronkratenart.com "

Q. Do you have any upcoming exhibits?

"i have a show at thinkspace in Los Angeles in December"

THINK SPACE GALLERY
September 8th - October 8th
4210 Santa Monica Blvd , Los Angeles, CA 90029
http://www.thinkspacegallery.com/

Q. In one sentence... why do you create art?

A. "to see the windows to my mind."

Q. Is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the 'art world'?

A. "I love what I do. what could be better then that."

I hope you have enjoyed this interview with Aaron Kraten. Feel free to critique his work and be sure to visit his site.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Sydney Phillips Hardin

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Sydney Phillips Hardin in person at the D.U.M.B.O. Open Studio Weekend last month, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Having traveled to the exhibition from Boston, she was displaying her work in a fabulous Open Truck which was set up to accommodate work outside the studios. I had seen her work on myartspace earlier and recognized her work with sheer delight. Thrilled with the opportunity to get to know her and her work better I asked for an interview. I will delay her answers no longer.


Q. Your work is enticing, using sexually explicit and symbolic images,
I'm very intrigued with your intent, can you explain this a bit to me?

A. It's my intent to create visual irony with my work. Every piece is inspired by images culled from mass media and advertising; at first glance, the tie that binds all of these images is their intended sex appeal. However, I only select imagery that marries eroticism with innocence in an effort to entice consumers; these are images that pitch a very specific--and dangerous--fantasy to men, women and children. Without exception, every one of the images from which I work is a visual non-sequitor; the product peddled having nothing to do with erotic innocence of the model. The mass media is, at best, reinforcing--and, at worst, creating--the pervasive cultural perception of women and young girls as vulnerable and disposable prey.
I re-present these images in an effort to elucidate the disturbing nature of these ads. By carefully constructing a world in which these girls exist divorced of their original advertising context, I hope that viewers are spurred to re-examine that which they consume without question on a daily basis.


Q. You refer to working from the context of the book: Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokous, in one of your descriptions on your myartspace gallery. Can you explain this connection a bit more?

A. I've read (and re-read) Lolita many times over the past couple of years, and I’ve always come away from it feeling inspired. Nabokov's Lolita is a fictional construction with its roots firmly planted in fact; a status not dissimilar to that of my work. That said, I recently re-read it, paying particular attention to Nabokov's method of critiquing materialism in its myriad forms. While re-reading Lolita, I also became fascinated by Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades— particularly the ready-made's status as a pedestrian object, robbed of its original intent and re-presented to the viewer. Nabokov's Humbert describes Lolita as, "she it was to whom ads were dedicated: the ideal consumer, the subject and object of every foul poster." I began to see Lolita as a sort of ready-made: a young girl robbed of her innocence—her context—by a man who wishes to re-present her as a prurient construct of his own desires. Lolita is a child re-presented as a nymphet. I am currently working to re-contextualize the nymphets that populate mass media fantasies, inserting them into my interpretations of Humbert's muddled and melancholic narrative (the series entitled "Lolita 1-4" is the beginning of this body of work).


Q. How does your work relate to the roles women have in society?

The pervasive de-valueing of women and young girls in our society is an increasingly rampant problem. Nowhere is this problem more obvious than in the mass media: in advertising, popular culture and even the evening news. Case in point: In a recent op-ed column in the New York Times, Bob Herbert critiqued the media's coverage of the recent school shootings in which young girls were the intended targets: "In the widespread coverage that followed these crimes, very little was made of the fact that only girls were targeted. Imagine if a gunman had gone into a school, separated the kids up on the basis of race or religion, and then shot only the black kids. Or only the white kids.
Or only the Jews." He's got a point: why aren't we outraged?

More and more, I see the exploitation of women beginning at ever more tender ages--we're inculcating young girls with the notion that to be infantilized is to be an object of desire and to be desired is to *be*. Quite honestly, I'm fed up with this role being shoved down my throat and I react with my art. Hackneyed or not, I do believe that silence is synonymous with surrender, and I don't speak as eloquently as I paint.


Q. When did you first discover that art would be an important part of you adult life?


A. Art has always been an integral part of my life. As a child, I had (and still have) an overactive imagination and a desire to create; it also helped to have an encouraging mother. By the time I hit puberty, I knew I wanted to pursue art seriously. In college, I got to know an artist who elucidated for me what it means to have art as an integral part of your adult life. I met this artist during a time when painting was rapidly becoming an obsession for me, taking precedent over food, sleep and--at times--sanity. One day, I ran into him with bags under my eyes and about 16 feet of canvas balanced precariously on my shoulder; this artist took one look at me and said, "Art is a virus and you've caught it. From now on, you won't have a choice, your life will always revolve around art." And, he was exactly right. Four years ago, I couldn't have imagined choosing art over sleep or food, but now it's a choice I make on a weekly basis. And I couldn't be happier.



Q. Is your work from past experiences or of true life situations close to you?

A. Oh, a little of column A, a little of column B. Past experiences have certainly made me more attuned to the exploitation of eroticized innocence as a ready-made fantasy. In the past, certain experiences left me feeling powerless over my then-nascent sexual identity. I'm certainly not alone; quite honestly, I don't know many girls who haven't become unwilling ready-mades at one point or another. I've undertaken this examination of mass media images in order to better understand--and regain control over--the situations in which I felt forced into serving as a ready-made in someone else's fantasy. At last count, it's a hell of a lot cheaper and more productive than years wasted in a therapist's office. And unlike the aforementioned scenario, I have a chance to reach others and raise questions in their minds about an issue that remains important to me.


Q. Do you have an interest in other mediums besides painting?

A. While I have worked in other media, I find painting to be the most direct and clear medium through which to communicate my current themes. I do draw, though I have to practically hold a gun to my own head to make myself finish a drawing, rather than to convert it--half finished--into paint. Perhaps, as my concept evolves, I will experiment with other media. For now, my current content and style simply beg for the slick immediacy of latex enamel paint.


Q. Do you see your work in different settings or visualize it as an
Installation?


A. I definitely visualize my work in different settings. I work very hard to ensure that each piece can stand on its own (though not always successfully). I tend to work in series; developing and refining an idea over the course of 5-10 paintings and then casting them aside to begin a new iteration of my chosen theme. That said, I am very interested in working more with the notion of a body of work as an installation; my current Lolita series is an attempt at just such an idea. Time will tell if I'm successful...


Q. Do you have an upcoming exhibit? If so, where and when?

A. I have an upcoming exhibit at The Arlington Center for the Arts, in Arlington, MA. The show is entitled "Little Women" and it's a group show, curated by Kate True, exploring the enduring power of girlhood as a subject matter. It will be up at The Arlington Center for the Arts from 11.11.06 -- 12.29.06. There will also be an artist’s panel discussion on December 10th, from 1-3 at the Center.


Q. Where can we find you on myartspace.com?


A. I can be found under "sydney"--I currently have three galleries posted and I hope to add more as soon as I document the work languishing in various nooks of my studio. You can also view all of my work, my artist's statements and my c.v. at my website: www.giantvagina.com.

Art In The News: The Venice Biennale Welcomes Tracey Emin

Photo: Simon Alekna

The British Council recently announced that Tracey Emin will represent Britain at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007. Emin will produce a new body of work for the British Pavilion. She will be the second female artist to represent the United Kingdom at the Venice Biennale with a solo exhibition.

Emin is known for her narrative work. One can assume that her new body of art will reveal further aspects of her personality.

Explore the following links for more information about Tracey Emin:

http://www.whitecube.com/artists/emin/

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/tracey_emin.htm

http://www.tracey-emin.co.uk/tracey-emin-home.html

Art In The News: Is Hirst A Copycat?

[Damien Hirst’s disputed 2000 work Valium, top, and the 1984 drawing by computer graphics artist Robert Dixon]

We all know that artists are known for 'borrowing' images from time to time. However, some 'borrow' more from an image than they should. This seems to be the case with Damien Hirst from the viewpoint of Robert Dixon. Dixon charges Hirst with stealing one of his patterns.

Dixon recently went public with his accusations. He claims that Hirst copied 'True Daisy', which was published in the Penguin Dictionary of Curious And Interesting Geometry in 1991. The piece in question,'Valium' (2000) by Hirst, does look like 'True Daisy' (1984) by Dixon. What do you think? Does it matter if Hirst did 'borrow' the pattern? Mr. Dixon feels that it does matter.

Dixon claims that Hirst would have never created 'Valium' had he not observed 'True Daisy'. Both images share the same number of 'spots' and the same pattern of movement. Dixon claims that the chances of two artists creating similar images with the same amount of 'spots' is very slim. Dixon has since contacted Hirst demanding financial compensation and an acknowledgement of his artistic contribution. Hirst has yet to respond.

The conflict between Dixon and Hirst over 'True Daisy' is nothing new. Three years ago Dixon accused Hirst of copying the circular pattern for a children's coloring book. However, keep in mind that Hirst is no stranger to acts of plagiarism. In 2000 Hirst paid designer Norman Emms compensation after copying a toy that Emms had designed.

What do you think about these claims? Are they legitimate? Or do you think that Dixon is after something else? Is it possible that Hirst may have created 'Valium' with no prior knowledge of 'True Daisy'? Should Dixon be compensated? Should Hirst get a restraining order? Discuss. I want to read and respond to your opinions!

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art In The News: Painting By Modigliani Exhibited For The First Time.

The Palazzo Incontro (Rome, Italy) is currently exhibiting a collection of paintings that have been stolen and returned to Italy. Stolen Art: The Return will be on exhibit through December 19, 2006.

The exhibition features over 100 stolen art works recovered by authorities in Italy. One of the highlights of the exhibit is Amedeo Modigliani's 'Girl with the Red Stockings'. The painting, which had been stolen from a private collection in Rome, has never been exhibited before.

The 'big steal' for viewers of art is the fact that the exhibition is free!

Information about the life of Amedeo Modigliani: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amedeo_Modigliani

Art Space Talk: Lidya Tchakerian

Lidya Tchakerian is an Armenian Lebanese artist currently living in the USA. Ms. Tchakerian creates paintings that are very expressive. She captures the essence of our collective anxieties and fears by utilizing her skill of bold brush strokes and color. When I observe her paintings I think about how her use of paint reveals raw, uninhibited emotion. In my opinion, Ms. Tchakerian displays the concerns that are shared throughout our civilization. The past, present, and future is mixed together in a chaotic swirl of brush strokes and color.

Q. When did you first discover that art would be an important part of your adult life?

A. "I always painted and made three dimensional objects as long as I can remember and been lucky having parents, family and society that supported and encouraged me all the way. It was natural thing to be an artist. It was meant to be."

Q. How has creating art shaped you professionally and personally?

A. "You are asking me who am I. I am who I am. Professionally and personally I am the same honest person with everybody, myself and my art. I feel the pain and the joy of beings, see the forms and colors around me, and feel the texture and importance of an object in the time of its existence, regardless of its useless functional existence in the society."

Q. How has society influenced your art? Are there any social implications in your art?

A. "I work with and for the society to make the world a better place. "Dancing in Circle" is a piece of work that I created when I felt not accepted in a majority society. This work has been chosen to be one of the nine best "New Expressionist" International juried exhibition in A la Carte Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico. http://alacarte-sf.com/Dancing%20in%20Circle%20-%20Lidya%20Tchakerian.jpg

You can see at the upper right corner of the painting a grey fish, a big X and my signature, while in the middle of the work there are three fishes that made their circle with no implication of accepting new comers to their circle."

Q. What are your artistic influences? Has anyone inspired you?

A. "I always admired, Picasso’s intelligence of working in all styles, Joan Miro’s genius of titling his works in contrast meanings, Arshile Gorky’s’ biomorphic shapes, Wassily Kandinsky’s compositions, Willem De Kooning’s large composed eyes for his figures, Piet Mondrian’s horizontal and vertical structural lines, Nicolas de Stael’s large scaled spiritual art, Marc Shagall’s nostalgia to his native homeland, Salvador Dali’s obsessed love to Gala (his wife) and his art, Van Gogh’s obsession of art, Gauguin’s escape from bourgeois life to simple life of Tahiti."

Q. Tell me a little about your background. Are your past experiences reflected in the work you do today? If so, how?

A. "Being an Armenian Lebanese artist living in USA, are the main influences of my art today. As a Descendent of the Armenian genocide and inheriting the violent graphical pictures of the victims, made me feel the pain of others and the ability to express feelings of beings artistically.

Living in diver’s cultural, beautiful country like Lebanon gives me consciousness of accepting new cultures. Witnessing the damage of the war and civil war breaks my heart and in reaction to all the pains of the victims, I’ve created a work of art called Qana 200cmX300cm http://images.artistportfolio.net/artists/5429/0/picture%20386.jpg

In USA where there are different forms of cultures, makes me open to all kind of arts understanding their influential cultural background. Living in different situations and cultures made me experimental in my art.
Putting different forms and textures that sometimes attract and other times repel.

It is like casting the iron into the flames of fire to shape into beautiful functional objects for others to appreciate, or like the graveyard of millions in an unknown time and place producing treasures (oil) to future cultures.

Enjoying the best of beauty and culture with the bitter of pain and misery gives my works mysterious character where beauty and pain blend in harmony."

Q. If you could pinpoint the characteristics of people who collect your art, what would they be?

A. "They are open cultural people who appreciate beauty, art and life of beings. I have done a painting on curtains for the main altar of the Cathedral of Armenian Chatholicosate of Cilicia. "The Resurrection of the Christ" commissioned by the diseased, His Holiness Karekin I Sarkissian Catholicos of All Armenians.

Architects, doctors, lecturers and artists are the most appreciative of my art. Children are the collectors of tomorrow, yes children although my art is difficult to understand I always see curiosity in their open eyes when they gaze into my art."

Q. Do you have an upcoming exhibit? If so, where and when?

A. "I have an upcoming solo exhibition in April 2007 at Harvest Gallery Glendale www.harvestgallery.com"

Q. Where do you see your art in 10 years? What are your plans?

A. "I see my art becoming more conceptual, subjective abstract minimalist art being exhibited in major museums of the world, my plan is to work hard to achieve my goals."

Q. Discuss one of your pieces. What were you thinking when you created it?

A. ""I Was Like You, You Will Become Like Me" are sequences of painted skeletons on large scaled canvases (twins), which invite the spectators to be involved with their title and be part of their existence.
These works are in homage to the victims of the coming third, forth, fifth…….. World wars if the world exists until then. The history of humanity repeats itself; there are wars, civil wars and genocides everywhere. And!!!!! For what reason!!! POWER?

The paintings ask to the viewer when they try to read their name. You who have the power look at me and call my name "I Was Like You, You Will Become Like Me". Is there anyone who can break the chain of the history and stop all wars? They respond one more time to the viewer! Remember my name for the times to come "I Was Like You, You Will Become Like Me.

One of these pieces (http://images.artwanted.com/large/77/29249_390277.jpg ) was showcased in the 2nd Biennial International Juried Exhibition by World Council for Arts & Culture in Herbst International Exhibition Hall, San Francisco, CA, 2005. http://worldcouncilforarts.org"

Q. What is your artistic process?

A. "The conscious and subconscious feelings of humanity and large scales of canvases moves and inspires me. I work spontaneously and constantly covering and layering the canvas with oil paint, blending art, culture and the history of humanity into new forms of existing identities.

Sometimes I use the color directly from the tube exploring its pure power and energy, other times using brush, hand and other objects that scratch and mark the painting in an instant moment of time, recording its existence in the history of art and time.

In the process I constantly discover new territory of expression, dimension, texture and identity.

Every one of my paintings has the beauty, mystery, misery and history of its own – which is the background and instant history of its existence. The history of art and humanity that is cruel to its heritages; the history of culture, wars and civil wars which leave behind contradictions and wounds; sculpt the conflict of existence, which in its case forms a new concept of culture developing divers forms of art.

Why make statements when the heartbeat, the conscious, the subconscious and existence of the artist create artwork, which is the existing reality of its creator, where they blend into one identity. Art itself is a manifesto of its existence."

Q. Why did you choose the medium(s) that you use?

"I work with oil painting because of its richness in texture and its sensibility of showing spontaneous brush strokes and objects that I use for texture.

I work with mixed media because of its unlimited choices of different Medias to explore and experiment for new textures and expressions."

Q. Do you have a degree or do you plan to attend school for art?

A. "I have Masters Degree in Fine Arts from ALBA (Academie Libanaise des Beaux-Art) Beirut, Lebanon and have been professor, lecturer in three different University, Academy, and College and I’ve been giving private lessons for more then a decade."

Q. Where can we see more of your art?

A."You can see some of my works at, http://www.naregatsi.org/lidya http://lidya.artistportfolio.net http://alacarte-sf.com/lidya_tchakerian.htm
A la Carte Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

http://www.santaclaritaartists.org/Webpage_Tchakerian.htm

http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/l/lidya/

http://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?artid=29249

http://www.bradcoopergallery.com/Exhibitions/2004/Juried_Exhibition/Artist/Tchakerian/21.html

Brad Cooper Gallery, Tampa, FL Gallery Z, Providence, Rhode Island Harvest Gallery, Glendale, CA"

Q. Are you represented by a gallery? If not, do you want to be?

A."Currently I am not represented by a Gallery, but I would like to be."

Q.Why do you create art?

A."It is the choice of life or death either you live or die. I chose to live. Life is too short. Learn to love and live in peace"

Q.Where can we find you on myartspace.com?

A."In myartspace.com gallery, under the name Lidya."

I hope that you have enjoyed this interview with Lidya Tchakerian. Feel free to critique her work. Be sure to check out her myartspace.com gallery by doing a search for Lidya on the site.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Vassilen Vasevski

Vassilen Vasevski is an artist from Bulgaria who presently instructs art at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago. I noted the soft quality of Mr. Vasevski's paintings when I discovered his art. The delicate blend of color and line combine to create a feeling of 'calm'. It is refreshing to observe paintings that offer this form of tranquillity.

Q. When did you first discover that art would be an important part of your adult life?

A. "Since age of seven or eight I went through all kinds of art schools until at 23 I ended up in the Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. At first art was just something I enjoyed doing, but later it began to make me feel different than my friends. Needles to say, my parents were supportive of my endeavors and even sometimes, in the early stages of my career, pushed me when it was necessary. I spent the years between 14 and 19 at the High School of Art in my hometown and as I recall that was the first time when I felt differently, maybe more serious towards art. I began also to consider myself as part of a new group of people-those whose lives were engaged solely into the process of making art. This understanding culminated to a higher level in my time in the Academy of Fine Arts."

Q. You are an instructor at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago. How has your profession changed your artistic direction?

A. "It’s been always difficult to joggle between art and everyday work. I mean, there isn’t probably an artist out there who hasn’t experienced such problems. But being a teacher, being an art teacher is something different. I enjoy working with students; they often give me inspiration and help me to get better orientation in the world today. Doing art is a solitary experience, the artist sometimes sinks so deep in himself that reaching out to young and genuine energy definitely is a break and revitalization. On the other side being an art teacher at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago made my discipline grow stronger. Also I began to pay more attention to details and to the overall composition having to teach a class of design fundamentals on a regular basis."

Q. Can you tell us a little about the art department you work for? I’ve often heard that it can be hard for an art instructor to create his or her work due to having tight work schedules. How do you find balance?

A. "The art department I work for is a cluster of professionals. I was very lucky to start among them. As far as the balance goes I couldn’t tell it is easy to find the crossing point, but my self-discipline helps. It’s also about the degree of devotion you have to your art."

Q. What can you tell me about the Chicago art scene?

A. "The Chicago art scene is a vibrant and diverse one. There are a few art districts where galleries are heavily concentrated, among them the River North Art District being at the top and the Buck town /Wicker Park Art District being my favorite one. In the last several years the month of October has been established as an official artists month. There were openings, art talks and tours everyday, and almost everywhere throughout the city. Let me add something else too. The popular understanding that the art scene here is second or third in the country is not a fact that you should count on anymore."

Q. How creating art has shaped you professionally and personally?

A. "Trough the art process I think that I know more about myself now. It was very surprising when I first discovered that art could explain the world and my own personality (feelings, desires, dreams) to me. After all these years of doing it I think I found the purpose of life, the answer to the question why am I here and what I suppose to do while I’m here. I also feel much more content now compared to let say, ten years ago. At the end art gives me sense of harmony and inner balance."

Q. How has society influenced your art? Are there any implications in your art?

A. "When I came to U.S. seven years ago I was introduced to some kind of "bigger picture of the world". Life has a much faster pace over here, you work more and achieve more. It is true that possibilities are limitless. To be honest, I felt lost in the beginning as I was thrown into an ocean. Later something "clicked" and synchronized me with the world here. Then slowly a different view with fewer details emerged, a view that somehow made me to concentrated on the real, meaningful things and themes. So, I think society influenced my art in a way that it became more unified and harmonious."

Q. What are your artistic influences? Has anyone inspired you?

A. "Art movements such as Impressionism, Surrealism, Expressionism has been inspiring for me through the years and the different periods of my life. I have loved many different artists too, but Modigliani is the one that stays in my personal scale of art still on the top."

Q. Tell me a little about your background. Are your past experiences reflected in the work you do today? If so, how?

A. "I was born and raised in the traditions rich Bulgaria, East Europe. That’s a place of special energy and uniqueness. Over there the air literally is filled with history and culture. That’s why my first paintings derived from such themes that are somehow strange and unfamiliar to the American public. A crossroad of diverse religions, my country has given me the most important-the so-called "metaphysical"(or philosophical) approach toward life and world. Without it doing art would’ve been dry and not uplifting experience for me. Now I call my style "metaphysical romanticism" and account my country for providing me with the first part of it."

Q. If you pinpoint the characteristics of people who collect your art, what would they be?

A. "Mostly women are willing to buy a piece of my art. I guess this has to deal with the more emphasized feminine and sensible part of some paintings. There are collectors who buy art from me once in every few months. I love to sell art to people, who can connect with the painted subject on a deep inner level, people who will keep appreciating it long after the piece is hang on the wall of their home."

Q. Do you have an upcoming exhibit? If so, where and when?

A. "In January 2007 I’ll participate in a show in Gallery 350 in Chicago. I also have plans that are not confirmed yet for New Orleans and Toronto, Canada. Chicago is of course, my primary destination, so I’ll keep pushing for a show in the River North Art District here."

Q. Discuss your work. What are you thinking when you create? What is your artistic process?

A. "I try to improvise on the canvas in terms of color choice. Often I get the idea from a small preliminary sketch, which is later developed and improved. Vangelis, my favorite composer, says that we are channels of cosmic energy when engaged in art, so we need to keep ourselves able to transfer these high fluids from one world to another. It may sound a little pretentious, but helps me to keep the focus on what I’m doing. Music plays an important role in the process of painting to me. It helps me to enter a territory or state of mind where I can found the best colors for my paintings."

Q. Why did you choose the mediums you use?

A. "Colors can express my ideas in the best possible way. They could scream or be gentle, subtle or bright, simply a magical tool to talk to people. Painting is a universal way of communication. In the last few years I’ve rediscovered the power of the drawing too. I use brush and black ink, that’s quite simple as technique, although so emotional as a message. But let me tell you, the good drawing, a drawing that really speaks, comes after years and years of dealing with composition and details."

Q. Where can we see more of your art?

A. "Mostly on the web (follow the links on my website www.vassi-art.com). I’ve just started a blog (http://dreamofart-vassi.blogspot.com) where new pieces of my art will be displayed on a regular basis. At the moment I don’t have a gallery representation."

Q. You have had over a dozen exhibitions during your career. Can you offer any advise to aspiring artists seeking gallery representation?

A. "Never stop to believe in yourself and your art. Try to accept the burdens of being an artist from the very beginning. Work and dream hard, and remember art will reward you sooner or later."

Q. Tell me about your educational background. How has it influenced your art?

A. "I’ve got trained in the classical art way of education. I mean, that was mostly drawing and painting realistically, but I was lucky to live in a time of changes. The 80-es in Bulgaria were turbulent time with lots of flying ideas, opening eyes and minds. There was some sense in the air that now we make our own history. The most important-the barriers for the artistic freedom and expression at this time started to break and fall."

Q. Why do you create art?

A. "It is some kind of ritual to me, a ritual of everyday magic. And I’m doing it to keep up with myself, to live my dreams and desires, to communicate."

Q. Care to tell our readers anything else about your art or career?

A. "Thank you for the opportunity of this interview and good luck to myartspace.com! In the Digital Age we live today the Beauty of Art and its transforming power are things we still need. This is how it has been trough the entire human history and it is my hope it will be in the future too."

I hope you enjoyed this interview with Vassilen Vasevski.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art In The News: Berlin Captures Top Art Spot in Germany

The annual Art Cologne, a six day long art fair which has been held in autumn for the last forty years, is having a hard time keeping up with art venues in Berlin. The annual Art Cologne opened today. However, starting next year it will take place in April. A move that will hopefully bring visitors back to Cologne galleries. Galleries, dealers, and artists are moving to Berlin in record numbers.

Cologne has had a history of being the German contemporary art capital and center of the German art market. However, since the 1990s there has been a decline in artistic life in Cologne. Berlin has since moved up to become the hub for the 'art world' in Germany.

This growth has to do with the cost of rent and the 'freshness' of art coming out of Berlin.The art community in Berlin has grown steadily through the years. Land that was once considered 'no-man's-land' has turned into a thriving enclave of artists and galleries.

It is estimated that there are over 400 art galleries in the city, twice as many as a decade ago. Meanwhile, Cologne art scene has dwindled down to 100 galleries. The numbers dwindle as more galleries move their operations to Berlin.

The low cost of rent (about $255 per square meter per month.) in Berlin is one reason why this growth has been solid. It has been estimated that there are over 6,000 artists in Berlin. The cheap studio rent has cultivated a thriving creative art scene. Researchers from Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. have been keeping an eye on these numbers as the art community in Berlin grows.

Cologne is an expensive place for emerging artist to live and work. Berlin simply offers younger artists a better chance at marketing their work. Established artists may stay in Cologne, but it seems that the 'new blood' will dominate the German 'art world' from Berlin.

http://www.artcologne.com/

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin