Remembering John Metzler

John Metzler was both an inspiring artist and an inspiring person. He was the founder of Urban Tree Forge, President of the Pittsburgh Society of Sculptors, and an incredibly gifted sculptor. He was a friend to many artists and a leader in Pittsburgh's creative community. He found inspiration in trees, and loved sharing his passion with others.

John used salvaged wood from downed trees from Pittsburgh's urban forest to create stunning artworks and beautiful, functional furniture. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Post-Gazette wrote a lovely feature article about John's work.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10122/1054556-437.stm

The Pittsburgh Art Blog features a very touching tribute to John with images contributed by his friends and loved ones.
http://pittsburghgalleries.blogspot.com/2010/05/in-memory-of-pittsburgh-artist-john.html

John was an inspiring force in Pittsburgh's artistic community, and I am grateful to have worked with him on several different projects over the past five months. I enjoyed working with him very much because of his kindness, humor, and gentle spirit. He was a truly wonderful individual -enthusiastic, humble, hard-working, creative, and always positive and friendly. I feel so sad for his friends, family and those who loved him, but I know his memory will live on. He leaves a legacy through his example and through his beautiful work.

some discoveries of beautiful books:

Lost Crafts by Una McGovern

Print & Pattern: Bowie Style - collected from this awesome blog: http://printpattern.blogspot.com/

Swoon: Artist Cadelonia Curry

100 Contemporary Artists A-Z (Taschen 25 Anniversary)

Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa by Hans Silvester

Moscow and St. Petersburg 1900-1920: Art, Life, & Culture of the Russian Silver Age by John E. Bowlt

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Photographs by Abelardo Morell

Abelardo Morell, The loveliest garden you ever saw, 1998, printed later (above)


Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Photographs by Abelardo Morell, a premiere exhibit for the Three Rivers Arts Festival organized by the Silver Eye Center for Photography, opens this Friday at 709 Penn Gallery. A reception is scheduled for June 4, for the kick-off of the Three Rivers Arts Festival.

From Betty Boop to James Joyce, Salvador Dali and Tim Burton, Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland novels have inspired more than a century of literature, music, film, fashion, art, photography and much more. Renowned photographer Abelardo Morell has reimagined Alice in Wonderland by combining cutouts of Sir John Tenniel's classic illustrations for the book’s original edition in 1865, with his own ingenious photographs that comment cleverly on the text. Morell’s work brims with a wit, delight and imagination that Carroll himself, a pioneer photographer, would have relished.

Organized by the Silver Eye Center for Photography; Presented by the Three Rivers Arts Festival and The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Department of Education and Community Engagement

May 7 – June 25
Reception/ Three Rivers Arts Festival Opening Party in the Cultural District: June 4 (4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.)

Georgia O'Keefe

Blue and Green Music, 1921, painting by Georgia O'Keeffe

It is always a wonderful thing to find that the written words of an artist you admire offer a similar depth and understanding as their art. Vincent van Gogh and Georgia O'Keeffe are my top 2 such artists. Here are some inspiring quotes from Georgia O'Keefe:

"I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life - and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do."

"Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven't time, and to see takes time - like to have a friend takes time."

"To create one's world in any of the arts takes courage."

Women Painting Women

My sister sent me a link to a fascinating art blog by Sadie Valeri, Diane Feissel and Alia El-Bermani called Women Painting Women. The site features figurative paintings of women by women artists, with links to each artist's own web site.

Link: http://womenpaintingwomen.blogspot.com/

Off the Page: The Comic Book and Game Art of Christopher Moeller

Following up on my earlier post about Christopher Moeller's show at 709 Penn Gallery, the show received a great review from Chuck Lanigan in this week's City Paper! He talks about the power of fantasy and imagination in a personal way.

Link: http://www.inpgh.com/

Escape Pgh - Miller Gallery

Yesterday morning we went to see the Carnegie Mellon 2010 MFA Thesis Exhibition, Escape Pgh, at the Regina Miller Gallery in the Purnell Center for the Arts at Carnegie Mellon University. It is an impressive exhibit of six MFA graduates - Brian Brown, Amanda Long, Leslie McAhren, Gian Carlos Silva de Jesus, Jonathan Trueblood, and Derk Wolmuth.

I liked it all, but what resonated with me most were Brian Brown's large-scale painted collages of narrative imagery.

In the printed program, Brown says, "When I start a painting, I start with a scene in mind that I don't want to forget. I start the telling, and the painting - like a good lie - ceases to make sense really, but maybe I'm holding your attention with charismatic confidence and bright colors."

He's got our attention. Here is a link to his flikr site: Link