To Grow, painting by Joshua Hogan

To Grow, oil on canvas by Joshua Hogan

I am so excitedly happy to have this beautiful abstract painting by renowned artist Joshua Hogan now hanging in my home!

You can see more of his work on his web site, here:

http://www.joshuahogan.com/

What is real?

Springtime in Pittsburgh! Be sure to see Tony Tasset’s sculpture installation Magnolias for Pittsburgh now while the surrounding trees are in full bloom!

Here are ten photos for out-of-towners to enjoy. Click the images to enlarge.

Here is a link to a photo I took of the magnolia tree sculptures in winter, in case you’re wondering what is real and what is art! Link

Spring Salon @ Modern Formations

(Photo of a section of the Spring Salon from Modern Formations' web site)

Friday night we went to Unblurred, a coordinated open-house for art galleries in a Pittsburgh neighborhood called Friendship that takes place on the first Friday of every month. It was a nice evening to be outside, walking from art spot to art spot.

At Modern Formations Gallery, they were having their annual Spring Salon. It's a fun show that lets the visitor be the juror. They display all the entries and let the audience vote on their favorite to win a future solo exhibition at the gallery. It is a wonderful opportunity to see a lot of different artists' work and discover new talent.

Abandoned VI by Seth Clark

Here is a link to the web site of an artist from the show that I was quite impressed with whom I've never met and whose work I had never seen before... Seth Clark. His use of collage just adds texture and points of interest, and is very well integrated with his drawings... http://sethsclark.com/index.php

Abandoned III and Abandoned VI, mixed media images of abandoned homes, are the two pieces he has in the Spring Salon. I really like them.

James D. Adams @ Mendelson Gallery

At Mendelson Gallery in Shadyside, there is a solo show by James Douglas Adams. When I was a college student, I was his intern for a semester. I assisted him in his Squirrel Hill home-studio while he was working as a portraitist. I was surprised to discover that his style has changed significantly since then. Now he is creating stylized paintings and drawings in black-and-white, blending cinema with personal reflection.

Here is a link to a thoughtful review of the exhibit written by Kurt Shaw, art critic. It includes pictures from the exhibit:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/museums/s_672383.html

Afghan Girl

"Afghan Girl", portrait of Sharbat Gula, on the cover of National Geographic, June 1985

Last weekend, we finally saw the Steve McCurry show at the Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography in Canton, OH. We saw his memorable portrait, “Afghan Girl”, which has been widely published and has been determined to be National Geographic’s most recognizable cover.

The image is familiar, those intense, haunting, multi-colored eyes. What deepened the impact of seeing this portrait, however, was it’s partner image of the same girl 17 years later, a woman aged beyond her years by an extremely difficult life, never knowing she was the subject of one of the most famous photographic portraits.

Here is a link to the whole story, and her newer portrait, the second time she had ever been photographed in her life:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2002/04/afghan-girl/index-text

Cluster @ PCA

This Sunday is the last day of Cluster, an exhibit curated by Adam Welch at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.

I finally checked out the exhibit last weekend. I worked at the PCA for a number of years, and it feels great to go back and see the Center looking so good. This is truly an elegantly curated show with thought-provoking works of art.

David Pohl’s Ganesh created directly on the wall using a Spirograph reminded me of using a Spirograph as a kid with my sister. We used to love those things, but if you try and go too fast with them and press too hard, your pen jumps the grooves and messes it up... I did that a lot. David Pohl’s swirls are perfect though, and the image of the Hindu deity that the swirls come together to form is quite awesome.

Also loved Will Giannotti’s wood canon-like sculpture in the main gallery.

Jason Lee’s synthetic landscape installation is super slick, and Kyle Houser’s stoneware forms with decals of poppies on thickly dripping, milk white glaze, offer contemporary takes on the traditional landscape.

I didn’t mention everything, but it’s all good. If you haven’t seen it yet, go.

The Unguarded Moment @ Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography

Book cover for Steve McCurry: The Unguarded Moment, published by Phaidon

A few years ago, a photographer friend of mine, Danelle Doty, showed me a beautiful little book called Portraits, a collection of faces from around the world taken by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry. Since then, I acquired my own copy of the book.

Now, at the Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography in Canton, Ohio, there is an exhibit of McCurry's work called The Unguarded Moment. (These images are also collected into a book.) I look forward to seeing the exhibit in person at the end of this month!