The Traveling Cube

New Year's Eve is Over, but the Lights are Still Up

2012-02-01T20:05:00.001-08:00

Art Forum: Recent Names that Caught my Eye

2011-10-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

While looking at a recent Art Forum, I googled up the names of artists whose work caught my eye. This post is mostly a note for myself to remember what I've seen. Please comment if any of these artists also caught, or catch, your eye.

--

Oscar Tuazon for his work, "The Trees."

His poured-concrete structures reminded me of Donald Judd's outside work at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas.

Amalia Pica for her work, "Strangers."

Her flags being held reminded me both of Julie Mehretu's drawings and of race-track flags. The action of strangers holding bunting also reminded me of volunteering for running events - a few years ago I held a mile-marker with a complete stranger for six hours while Boston Marathon runners raced by.

I'm now reading a review of her work; the author defines Pica's work as exploring nostalgia, political action, and Argentinean schooling. Pica's work with bunting does evoke nostalgia for me, though in my personal context of sporting references rather than her context of personal and national history.

NB - semaphore, bunting, flags, venn diagrams

Alina Szapocznikow for her sculptures featured at the Wiels Art Center.

Yu Hong for her work, "Golden Horizon." Her work "Spring Romance" was also featured in the Fresh Ink exhibition at the MFA Boston.

Dana Schutz for her work both at the MFA in the new Contemporary Wing, as well as for the work in Art Forum.

Sarah Crowner - though I'm not sure why yet.

Andy Denzler for his paintings.

Marius Bercea for reminding me of both Michaël Borremans and Vernon Fischer.

Nicola Tyson for her figures.

Ceal Floyer for her snarky sculptures.

Matt Johnson for his sculptures at Blum & Poe.

Andrea Zittel, for, apparently, her lifestyle.

Nick Cave for his costumes/sculptures at Mary Boone Gallery.

Jean-Luc Mylayne for his photographs - especially those of birds in the Fort Davis, TX area. Dear Karin Stack, have you seen these?

Zhang Enli for his paintings. They are a little angstily seductive.

Carston Nicolai for his installations, especially for "pioneer i."

--

And one show I'd like to go to but will not be making a trip out to:

Out of the Box: Artists Play Chess
http://www.worldchesshof.org/exhibitions/current-upcoming/out-of-the-box-artists-play-chess/

UPDATES: Group Shows

2011-07-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

RECENT
The good people at Cabinet Magazine recently published the catalog for the exhibition, "Exchange with Sol Lewitt." The catalog, printed in black and white, is also available as a pdf in full color. On page 90, third from the left, is an image of one of my 3-inch cubes!

Information about the exhibit, as well as the pdf, can be found here.

UPCOMING
This week I was invited to join an exhibit at Samson Projects as a participant of the global show, Chain Letter." My framed piece, a double "I Wish to Communicate" from my 2010 grid drawings, will be on view amongst the plentiful works at Samson by July 16th - with the opening that evening from 5-8pm. Thanks to the gallery for hosting this blitzkrieg event!

PHOTOS: Luminarium Dance

2011-07-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Merli V. Guerra and Kim A. Holman on the successful birthday party and fundraiser gala held for their dance company, Luminarium Dance. Merli kindly invited me to come document the event - the images below are a few of my favorites. Please visit the Luminarium Dance Blog for more views of the evening!

SKETCHES: Objective / Subjective, v.i.

2011-06-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

SKETCHES: Moped & Curator

2011-06-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

Coy, June 14, 2011, Pen on paper

Ganesha Meets ASL Meets Rave, April 8, 2011, Pencil on paper

PHOTOS: Cones in WH

2011-06-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

iPhone Photos: Cone in Central

2011-05-31T05:04:00.001-07:00

PHOTOS: Cone.

2011-05-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

Unvarnished .. and uncropped for now.

Night Blossom.

2011-05-16T21:58:00.001-07:00

Night Blossoms in Somerville.

Infectious.

2011-05-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

Infectious.

Art & Bicycles.

2011-05-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

Hello sports fans.

We are back in the posting saddle with two excellent Boston events. In the previous two years, these events have felt to me like the true openers for the Not Winter season in this often wet and chilly city. All temperatures and weather conditions aside, these two title pages for the summer also function as theme-setting rabbits in my pursuit of art and sport. The events are ...

Open Studios at the Distillery, Sunday May 15
http://www.distilleryboston.com/open_studios.htm

Boston Bike Week: Spotlight on Mayor Menino's Bike Festival, Friday May 20
http://bostonbikeweek.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=462345

Cheers for New Tires and Worn Sketchbooks.

PHOTOS: Snowed

2011-02-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

PHOTOS: Still Paths.

2011-02-01T19:18:00.001-08:00

.for adj.

PHOTOS: Snow Cones.

2011-02-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

PHOTOS: Winter.

2011-02-01T19:05:00.001-08:00

PHOTOS: Salted Snow

2011-01-12T14:27:00.001-08:00

PHOTO: Road cone at the end of the Line.

2011-01-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

Absent Winter Sunbathers.

2011-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

PHOTOS: First Lights of 2011.

2011-01-02T21:47:00.001-08:00

PHOTOS: Epic Recycling.

2010-12-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

Do. It. Up.

PHOTOS: Microcosmoss

2010-12-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

PHOTOS: Geese @ Boston Commons

2010-12-04T19:43:00.001-08:00

PHOTO: For all you non-newenglanders out there ...

2010-12-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

... POW!!!

PHOTOS: Light at Fort Point Channel

2010-11-18T06:42:00.000-08:00

PHOTOS: A Day of Extreme Light

2010-11-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

PHOTOS: On The Train

2010-11-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

Trash Appliance?

2010-11-01T04:25:00.000-07:00

Walking home one night, I noticed this power cord coming from the base of a trash can.
I saw no outlet. Admittedly, modern building codes provide more frequent convenient outlet situations - that patch of sidewalk must be from an earlier time.

Leaf Remnants

2010-11-01T04:06:00.001-07:00

Taken While Driving.

2010-10-26T18:31:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago, I learned how to take pictures while driving.
Here are a few of the more successful photos.

A pink barn! And probably a concerned member of traffic...

(North Adams, MA)

Such beauty! Behold, the Searsburg Wind Farm!
(Searsburg, VT)

Not sure what the photo was supposed to be of, but the road was definitely moving briskly by.

DON'T WORRY - ITS PROFESSIONAL.

Pleasantly tall looking chapel.

All Utopias Fell: Some favorite process shots.

2010-10-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

Below are some photos from the weekend of 10/15-18/10. They were taken during one of the final work sessions on Michael Oatman's project, All Utopias Fell.
This project is now on view at Mass MoCA.

(looks like a warrior clenching his cape epically)

(light graffiti!)

(another golden epic parachute shot)

(a bit of Lewitt process found its way into the procedures)

(saw a rainbow in the morning on the hill behind the museum
from underneath a solar panel installed by BPVS)

SMFA Proof of Purchase Show

2010-10-20T20:14:00.001-07:00

Below are my two entries for the SMFA Proof of Purchase
postcard/fundraising show of October 14th.
No word yet on whether they were bought or not; hope they merited at least a second glance : )

Both are acrylic ink and watercolor on paper.

EVENTS: THURSDAY & SATURDAY

2010-10-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY OCT 21

Opening from 6-8PM for three, count 'em, THREE new shows at the MIT List Center.

Click here for more event information (http://listart.mit.edu/upcoming_events).
Click here for more information on the three artists (Frances Stark, Emily Wardill, Melvin Moti).

Can't make the opening? Not a problem - this triumvirate of shows will be up until January 2.

SATURDAY OCT 23

Opening from 2-4PM for Michael Oatman's All Utopias Fell at Mass MoCA.

Can't make the opening for this either? Not a problem - the show will be up for years.

Yes and Yes.

2010-10-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

Open up two browser windows and visit these sites at the same time.

Edward Tufte: http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/posters

Ward Shelley: http://www.lawrimoreproject.com/lp/Exhibitions/Entries/2009/4/4_WARD_SHELLEY_%E2%80%A2_PAINTINGS____.html

PHOTOS: Childhood Roots.

2010-10-04T23:42:00.003-07:00

PHOTOS: Weekend's Grass.

2010-10-04T23:38:00.001-07:00

PHOTOS: Weekend's Grounds.

2010-10-04T23:31:00.000-07:00

(Now, I've always been fond of dirt roads,
but credit is due to ADJ for his use of paths in his professional photography.)

EVENT: SMALL VICTORY

2010-10-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

TASK
Deliver two hand-drawn postcards safely (read: without them getting wet) to the
SMFA's drop box by 5PM ...
for the October 1st deadline of, "Proof of Purchase"
... from SW SOMERVILLE.

START TIME
3:30 PM with 90 minutes on the clock.

CONDITIONS
Mild wind, light rain, mid-60s, getting dark out.

METHOD
Steel touring bike with only one gear working.

RACE COURSE
Broadway to Elm to Oxford to Broadway to Inman to Mass Ave to Huntington.

RETURN ROUTE
Huntington to Harvard Avenue to Brighton to Everett to Western to North Harvard to JFK to Mt.Auburn to Ash to Garden to Bond to Linnaean to Mass Ave to Cameron to Broadway
(with a few other little turns here and there)

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED?
With time to Spare.
Returned by 5:15 PM.

The Reflecting Pool: Different Personalities.

2010-09-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Portfolio

2010-09-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

This update is all about uploads. Check out the following:

Picasa Album GRIDS: February - July
This album documents some of my first grids done in pen on paper through some more recent grids done in nib-pen on Denril.

Picasa Album GRIDS: Flags
This album contains a few images of a project-in-progress.

Sand Sculpture at the DeCordova.

2010-09-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

Team Grady created this copy of Sol Lewitt's "Tower DC" - one of my favorites from this past January (see my January 23rd posting for photos).

Here below the mini-DC appears again, this time with one of many pretty ecstatic kids present at the Family SculptureFest.

Off to the left of that photo you will see a little cluster of blocks with letters on them. That was mine! The sculpture team allowed passers-by to come and carve on blocks of formed sand. So, given a cylinder of NH sand, I began with a cube on top and let the others surface as necessary. For tools, I mostly used one, small palette knife. The two pictures below are the best shots of the surfaces, letters, and cradling hand beneath. The letters spell out FRÖBEL K (see this wiki for the significance). Looking at the photos, I wish I had asked to borrow the spray-bottle - the dry weather was great for the festival, but desiccating for the sand.

Thanks to the DeCordova for facilitating such a great Sunday.

GRIDS: August 23-24

2010-09-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

GRIDS: August 16-20

2010-09-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

GRIDS: August 09-13

2010-09-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

GRIDS: August 02-06

2010-09-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

EVENT: PARK(ing) Day

2010-09-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

TOMORROW (Friday, September 17th) !!!

In cities around the globe today, artists, activists and citizens will temporarily transform metered parking spaces into public parks and other social spaces, as part of an annual event called "PARK(ing) Day."

(The above description was excerpted from material provided by Rebar as a press-release.)
(For more information, please visit the official PARK(ing) day site: http://parkingday.org/.)

If you are in the Cambridge/Somerville area, check out the Lesley/Porter Exchange building for some lively park exposure.

EVENTS: SATURDAY & SUNDAY

2010-09-16T06:37:00.000-07:00

SEPT.18: Tornado Rider appears in Somerville, MA at the UCG. See their site for more details. I saw this group perform in Phoenix, AZ last November and they were the definition of entertaining. Exciting music, exciting performance, reserve tickets early.

SEPT.19: Family SculptureFest at the DeCordova! See their site for more details. The weather looks good, the park is gorgeous, and there will be sand-sculpting.

EVENT: TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 7th

2010-09-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

This TUESDAY (September 7, 2010) there will be an opening reception at the Cambridge Arts Council of 244 Broadway in Cambridge for the two-artist show,
"Of, By, and For: New Work by Daniel Peltz and Paul Notzold."

Over the last two weeks, I have had the good fortune to help work on Peltz's project as a wall preparer, resource researcher, and parking-excuse transcriber! More information about Peltz's half of the show can be read on the images below; more information about the entire show can be read by clicking here. I look forward to seeing some of you at the opening!

Little Gribbles.

2010-09-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

The tiny metal nibs I have been using occasionally dig up little scrolls of plastic from
the denril drafting vellum I use. Wacky.

Sometimes in MoCA Land.

2010-08-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

My First Allegory, Continued.

2010-08-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

My First Allegory.

2010-08-12T05:11:00.001-07:00

Drawings for George & Michael.

2010-08-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

Drawings from July.

2010-08-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

I Wish To Communicate, No.1

04.22.10 Breathed 04.14.10

Cones: The Rooftop Triptych

2010-07-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

Vineyard Sound aboard MBL's Gemma.

2010-07-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Ocean Grove, NJ

2010-07-17T10:48:00.001-07:00

Asbury Park, NJ

2010-07-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

Boilermaker and Beyond.

2010-07-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

Signs of Upstate New York.

2010-07-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Sol Lewitt in Syracuse and at the Storm King.

2010-07-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

Little Falls Lock Park Features.

2010-07-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Lock at Little Falls, NY.

2010-07-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

Haystacks of NY Route 5 - the Glamour Shots.

2010-07-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

Haystacks of NY Route 5.

2010-07-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Flowers from Little Falls, NY

2010-07-17T09:45:00.001-07:00

A Cone Takes In Storm King.

2010-07-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

Sunset Pines near Palatine.

2010-07-16T15:02:00.001-07:00

Sunrise Pines in Burlington.

2010-06-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

Trees as seen at sunrise from the top of the parking garage
near Pine and Church in Burlington, VT.

Cones of a Vermont Marathon.

2010-06-02T17:28:00.001-07:00

See also my posting on March 14, 2010:
http://wagnerwordsandimages.blogspot.com/2010/03/some-cones-i-have-enjoyed.html

Old Photos for New Aquaintences: III

2010-05-09T20:16:00.001-07:00

Old Photos for New Aquaintences: II

2010-05-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Old Photos for New Aquaintences: I

2010-05-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

EVENTS THIS SPRING

2010-04-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,

It's SPRING, and after finally emerging from a mind coma, lo and behold, I'm noticing that THINGS are GOING ON.

For example ...

TONIGHT, 7-9 PM: Broadway Bicycle presents the work of artist Christian Monroe at a right-sized (you'll know what I mean if you attend) season opening of the Door 3 Gallery.

(http://www.broadwaybicycleschool.com/)

MAY 1, 9:30-11:00 PM: "Come and check out the newest sketch comedy bonanza of awesome by the Good News Bears (Ethan Feuer, Josh Gondelman, Ben Kuss, and Ben Sandler) as part of Geek Week at Improv Boston."

(http://www.improvboston.com/shows/geekweek.html)

MAY 1: Today is the last day to sign up as a rider for the New England Climate Summer bike tour; if you are still in college and are looking for an environmentally educational and politically important activity, give the site a look & sign-up:

http://www.newenglandclimatesummer.org/

MAY 17-21: Boston Bike Week hosted by Mayor Menino!
Check out the site below for event & sign-up info:

http://bostonbikeweek.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=340017

Harbor Arts

2010-04-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

There is a new gallery in town ... the Boston Shipyard Sculpture Gallery!

Check it out both at the link below and on Facebook.

http://www.harborarts.net/proj_bostonshipyard.html

APPRECIATION

2010-04-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

Major thanks to all who hosted, helped with, and attended my show, "Can't Be Shy Here."

The reception last night was a very positive experience. I look forward to more of these experiences (with more and different work) in the future.

Go Team.

ACTIVITIES: APRIL

2010-04-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY, April 15th: Artist's Reception for my show at CCTV from 7:00-8:45 PM.

http://wagnerwordsandimages.blogspot.com/2010/04/portrait-show-reception.html

SUNDAY, April 25th: 5k autism benefit race hosted by BC at 9:00 AM.

http://www.bc.edu/clubs/gma/mba5kchallenge/5khome.htm

Victory: Dinner

2010-04-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight's one-bowl meal was composed, COMPOSED, of the following five ingredients:

1 block of frozen, shredded spinach.
1/2 can of black-eyed beans
1/2 can of roman beans
6 diced maple sausages
frozen, cut green beans (enough to balance out the spinach)

Defrost how you will the frozen items, add in the beans, heat till it sort of gloms together (thanks, spinach!) and till the remaining liquid has been steamed off. While this is happening, add the following seasonings:

ground black pepper (typical table will do)
jamaican jerk seasoning
a drizzle of maple syrup

Done. Healthy. Delicious. Tomorrow I will add wheat noodles for the extra carb benefit. I might also add cinnamon (a surprisingly tasty addition to beans with veggies).

Today's Positives.

2010-04-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

+ Played on the swing set with students I don't usually play with!
+ Had great conversations with parents!
+ Had a game I taught yesterday r e q u e s t e d !
+ Had breakfast with good company!
+ Rode with BOTH new panniers for the first time : )
+ Sent out some more emails regarding the reception for, "Can't Be Shy Here" !

PORTRAIT SHOW RECEPTION!

2010-04-05T06:21:00.001-07:00

Out / In

2010-03-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

January, February, and March.

[ The Picture ]

April, May, June, and the other 3/4 of 2010.

Rhythm Sticks & Organic Tuning

2010-03-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

Googly Eyes & Happy Basket.

2010-03-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Social Signals

2010-03-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Some Cones I Have Enjoyed

2010-03-14T00:59:00.001-08:00

The Morning March

The Cheese Stands Alone

Orange Green Lupey Dupey's Line Up

The Friends.

ANNOUNCEMENT: ART SHOW @ CCTV

2010-03-12T16:11:00.000-08:00

Can't Be Shy Here is located in the Drive By Gallery at Cambridge Community Television.
(675 Mass. Ave)(http://www.cctvcambridge.org/)

Pictured below are the portraits in the show.

Thanks to all the portrait-sitters featured (and not featured) for your time and company.
Stay tuned for plans of a reception!

On My Way to School ...

2010-03-11T21:22:00.001-08:00

As I was crossing an intersection between Mass Ave and Putnam on Pearl, this camouflaged leaf registered in my mind a footstep later. When I returned, I discovered this thinner-than-tissue remainder of the previous fall's shedding. This leaf presumably made it
through the winter, under snow and plow, on the gravelly road.
Amazing.

NYC MARCH 2010

2010-03-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

The Other: square side table (2005)

This elegant cube, a mirrored square side table designed by Ilse Crawford, caught my eye at the Independent Curators International. It was Moss Gallery's contribution to an exhibit on March 5th of design pieces paired with art objects. The other half of this pairing, a series of 12 prints by Sol Lewitt, was contributed by the independent art curators Thea Westreich and Ethan Wagner. The only downside I see to this piece is that it appeared to be surfaced in small squares; however, the smaller facets are actually an illusion created by brownish china-crayon looking lines applied to the mirrored surface. A little dissapointing - though probably more practical. The presence of this shiner take on a character common to Lewitt and Bochner still commands my attention. I am left wondering what Crawford's inspirations were.

No Parking: Tryptych II

2010-03-07T19:19:00.000-08:00

These three photos are an addition to the August 9, 2009 trio of
dock-sign related no parking images.

NYC MARCH 2010

2010-03-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

First set of five pictures from this weekend's trip to NYC.
Captions below each photo.

Of note: this street seller was not only offering books and furniture for sale, he was also singing bits of musicals and operas at interested customers.
(7th & 28th)

Another twin set in NYC; this surprised me for some yet un-clear reason.
(Chelsea)

Two guys utilizing teamwork and doing a great job of holding up the truck's cab.
(Chelsea)

Ironically, I saw a rat dart out from under the door this sign appeared on, and then right back a moment later. Clearly no one had informed HIM. Nor was the rodenticide effective. Perhaps plugging the rat-sized hole in the door have have helped isolate the situation ...
(West 4 Station)

Hey there Mista' Buildin', what's cookin'?

A reference to the Bobby Valentino R&B group?
(E.Houston)

Hearts Made & Found.

2010-02-16T04:41:00.001-08:00

SNOW BIRD!!!

2010-02-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

Instructions for January 31st

2010-01-31T22:15:00.000-08:00

To best view photos in the posts made on Janurary 31st:
First, make sure your browser is filling the whole screen, and
THEN proceed to click on each image.

Photos: Down by the Sea Shore

2010-01-31T22:04:00.000-08:00

Photos: Putting Away January

2010-01-31T22:01:00.000-08:00

Photos: A Winter's Tale

2010-01-31T21:58:00.000-08:00

Photos: Slush Wave

2010-01-31T21:57:00.000-08:00

Photos: Winter Triptych @ the Cape

2010-01-31T21:55:00.000-08:00

Photos: Snow Textures @ The DeCordova

2010-01-31T21:46:00.000-08:00

Photos: January 23 @ The DeCordova

2010-01-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

The softly-sounding George Rickey sculpture, "Three Lines".

The new Sol Lewitt sculpture, "Tower (DC)".

This was my contribution to the Sculpture Park.
Location: on the hillside between the museum and the pond.

The new Douglas Kornfield sculpture, "Ozymandias".