Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Robot Resolution at First Night Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Project - Matthew Conboy and W. Eugene Smith
Conboy has found places that Smith had photographed, and rephotographed those places today, showing us what is there now. It is a reflection of how the city has changed and stayed the same over the past half-century. Matthew's exhibit is called Pittsburgh Project.
Shriner's Circus Parade, Sixth Street Bridge, 1965 by W. Eugene Smith
Sixth Street Bridge, 2008 by Matthew Liam Conboy
Matthew Conboy will exhibit 100 of his own photographs, as well as contact sheets of W. Eugene Smith's photographs, and three videos for Pittsburgh Project at 901 Penn Gallery (the old Watercolors Gallery space) on Dec. 31, 6-11pm.
http://matthewconboyphoto.com/index.htmlGlass blowing in Heinz Hall Garden
http://www.gallerygglass.com/
Wisp by Gary Guydosh
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Fifth Avenue Place Window Displays
Three colorful abstract paintings by local artist Scott Hunter, several beautiful photographs by father and son photographers Alexander Patho and Alexander Patho, Jr., and a delightful display of robots by Don Jones are now on display through First Night. Don's robots include an elegant seven-foot matriarch, a mechanical mechanic wearing a hard hat and carrying oil cans, a mini robot riding an eggbeater rocket, as well as ones that light up and ones that move. They are all made of salvaged equipment like kitchen utensils and old vacuum cleaners. In the window, they are surrounded by toy robots. I think First Night goers will enjoy seeing their pretty city in photographs, brilliant colors on canvas, and futuristic robots to imagine 2010 and beyond!
Below is a picture from Don Jones' Flikr site... This robot, Maintenance Matt, is one of the robots on display at Fifth Avenue Place. Also, coincidentally, Don happens to be the one who set up the trains in PPG Winter Garden for the Gingerbread house display I blogged about earlier in the month! A very creative person.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Resolutions: Moxie DaDA and Urban Tree Forge
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
James Tissot
Above is an example of the art of James Tissot that I have been familiar with -- Victorian paintings of elegant society women.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thomas Cole
Cool web site:
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Within Range by Carolyn Clayton @ FE Gallery
The show is delightful, made up of groupings of small works, no larger than 5" x 5". Each artist's grouping is distinct in style, media, and expression, with one thing in common-- You want to get close to them, really look closely to see the details, and this way, they offer an intimate experience.
While there was a lot I liked, I bought a glossy, sky blue ceramic cast of a walkie talkie made by artist Carolyn Clayton, whom I had the pleasure of being introduced to tonight. The walkie talkie is a piece of a larger artwork made up of multiple ceramic walkie talkies of many colors, titled "Within Range."
Having bought this piece, I am taking part in an anonymous communication game. This sky blue ceramic walkie talkie is one in a pair, and whoever buys the other sky blue one will receive a postcard from me, and I will receive one from them.
My "message" isn't much, simply a list of walkie talkie related events I experience every summer while running the Three Rivers Arts Festival's Artists' Market. Regardless of my silly note, it is a fun thing to take part in, and this ceramic walkie talkie is quite cute and will look spiffy on the wall above my desk I think!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
4 Lydia Model City and some spaceships by Ryder Henry
On Friday, artist Ryder Henry installed the first window display for First Night, featuring his imaginative paintings, drawings, space ships, and incredible model city. It looks terrific!
4 Lydia Model City and some spaceships by local artist, Ryder Henry is on display in the Culinary Institute Window at 526 Penn Avenue (across the street from Fifth Avenue Place, one block up). It has already attracted excitement from passers by!
See more of Ryder Henry's work on his web site, here: http://www.ryderhenry.com/Ryder_Henry/Home.html
Gingerbread Houses at PPG
PPG is most beautiful around the holidays, when a giant Christmas tree is raised in the center of a seasonal skating rink in the outdoor plaza. Above is a lovely photo of PPG during the kick-off to the holiday season on Light Up Night (from PPG's web site).
The other day on my lunch hour, I walked through the plaza and took great delight in the wonderful display of gingerbread houses made by Pittsburgh children that filled numerous display windows within the plaza. Created by students, brownie troops, and many other groups of creative children, the display is created to encourage donations for Pittsburgh Children's Hospital's Free Care Program. The display continues in PPG's beautiful Wintergardens, where the houses create a large, snowy, gingerbread village with trains zipping through, surrounding a Christmas tree. I took some photos of some of my favorites...
Gingerbread and candy carousel (above)