Must-See Art Documentaries… How Many Have You Seen?

May 15th, 2013

MutualArt.com is one of my favorite spots for all-things art. Their email newsletters are worthy of singing up for, and you can also sign up to receive auction updates and alerts. I recently spotted this Must-See list of art documentaries, which has some of my favorites. Their number one pick, Wasteland, was screened here in Park City at the Sundance Film Festival, as were several others that I have been fortunate to see. These moves can be difficult to source, and are not typically at the local cineplex, but Netflix and arthouse movie theaters are your best bet. Happy viewing!

From MutualArt.com: “[We are] a revolutionary online art information service which covers the world of art by collecting content about events, venues, artists, articles and auctions from thousands of web sites.”

“What I really want to do,” says Vik Muniz, “Is to be able to change the lives of a group of people with the same material that they deal with every day. “And indeed, from the world’s largest trash dump comes an astonishingly true story. Filmed over nearly three years, Wasteland follows renowned artist Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of “catadores”—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives. The movie offers inspiring evidence of the transformative power of art.

This feature-length documentary film takes viewers inside Marina Abramovich’s world, following her as she prepares for what may be the most important moment of her life: a major retrospective of her work, that took place at MOMA New York, where through a time period of two months she sat every day at a table in the museum’s atrium while members of the audience were invited to join her, one at a time, at the opposite end of the table. No talking, no touching and no explicit communication of any kind were allowed. Abramovich’s objective was ‘to achieve a luminous state of being and then transmit it­­’ and to engage in what she called “an energy dialogue” with the audience and a chance to explore and maybe even answer the question of “what is art?”.

Ai Weiwei is China’s most famous international artist and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, He expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. China’s leaders have been trying to figure out how to deal with Ai as he seeks to bring transparency to a traditionally opaque government. In response to his actions, authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention. This film is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. This film is a detailed portrait that provides a nuanced exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling public figures.

John Walter and Andrew Moore’s critically acclaimed film, How To Draw A Bunny, delves into the enigmatic world of Ray Johnson. The movie launches into the investigation of the puzzling circumstances surrounding Johnson’s suicide on Friday January 13, 1995 that left both his closest admirers as well as the general public baffled, wondering about the role of “performance” in his life and in relation to his death.  The movie reveals the identity of this unique artist, when after his mysterious death, Frances Beatty  began combing the archives in the Locust Valley home where Johnson horded collages, working materials, books, magazine articles, as well as thousands of letters and fragments of mail art compiled over the previous three decades. Soon after, Walter and Moore became increasingly intrigued by the artist and began conducting extensive series of interviews and compiled photographs, works of art, home movies, and video to uncover some aspects of Johnson’s life.

A fascinating portrait of the late photographer Francesca Woodman, who committed suicide in 1981 at the age of 22, is told through the young artist’s work (including experimental videos and journal entries) and remarkably candid interviews with her artist parents Betty and George, who have continued their own artistic practices while watching Francesca’s professional reputation eclipse their own. The tragic story of Francesca Woodman, a young photographer renowned for her extraordinary nude self-portraits, is also the story of her brilliantly artistic family. The movie shows how the struggle for fame in the high-stakes world of art resulted in tragedy, and then in healing and redemption. By piecing together Francesca’s photos, never-before-seen experimental videos and personal journals, and through conversations with her family and friends, the movie depicts four lives committed to art and whose art lives through them and explores what it truly means to create.

One of the world’s greatest living painters, the German artist Gerhard Richter has spent over half a century experimenting with a fantastic range of techniques and ideas. Infamously media-shy, he agreed to appear on camera for the first time in 15 years for a 2007 short film by filmmaker Corinna Belz called Gerhard Richter’s Window. Her follow-up, Gerhard Richter Painting, is a documentary of Richter’s creative process, juxtaposed with intimate conversations with his critics, collaborators, and his American gallerist Marian Goodman in addition to rare archive material. Viewers get to watch the 79-year-old create a series of large-scale abstract canvasses, using fat brushes and a massive squeegee to apply (and then scrape off) layer after layer of brightly colored paint. This footage of a highly charged process of creation and destruction turns this portrait of an artist into a work of art itself.

This movie is the striking documentary on the world and work of renowned artist Edward Burtynsky. Internationally acclaimed for his large-scale photographs of “manufactured landscapes”—quarries, recycling yards, factories, mines and dams—Burtynsky creates stunningly beautiful art from civilization’s materials and debris. The film follows him through China, as he shoots the evidence and effects of that country’s massive industrial revolution. With breathtaking sequences, the filmmakers also extend the narratives of Burtynsky’s photographs, allowing viewers to meditate on human’s impact on the planet and witness both the centers of industrial endeavor and the dumping grounds of its waste and powerfully shifts viewers consciousness about the world and the way we live in it, without simplistic judgments or reductive resolutions.

How does artist Matthew Barney uses 45,000 pounds of petroleum jelly, a factory whaling vessel and traditional Japanese rituals to create his latest art project?  With his acclaimed Cremaster Cycle and 2005 feature Drawing Restraint 9, avant-garde artist Matthew Barney established himself as a bold experimentalist who wasn’t afraid to take a few risks for the sake of his art.  Set into motion in the late ’80s, Barney’s Drawing Restraint series consists of works in which the artist attempts to create works while hindered by physical weights and barriers.

With Drawing Restraint 9, the artist teamed with his wife, Björk, to tell the tale of a couple who boards a Japanese whaling ship to partake in a series of obscure rituals. Barney creates a “narrative sculpture” telling a love story of the couple while they are transforming from land mammals into whales. This documentary by filmmaker Alison Chernick mixes clips from Drawing Restraint 9 with interviews and footage of Barney playing high-school football, as well as conversations with Guggenheim curator Nancy Spector, New York Times art critic Michael Kimmelman, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art chief curator Yuko Hasegawa, and more.

This is the inside story of Street Art – a brutal and revealing account of what happens when fame, money and vandalism collide. Exit Through the Gift Shop follows an eccentric French shop-keeper turned amateur film-maker as he attempts to capture many of the world’s most infamous vandals on camera, only to have a British graffiti artist named Banksy turn the camcorder back on its owner with wildly unexpected results. Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. He fiercely guards his anonymity to avoid prosecution. This is one of the most provocative films about art ever made and a fascinating study of urban and street art.

Centered on a rare interview that director and friend Tamra Davis shot with Jean-Michel Basquiat over twenty years ago, this definitive documentary chronicles the meteoric rise and fall of the young artist. In the crime-ridden NYC of the 1970s, he covered the city with the graffiti tag SAMO. In 1981 he painted on canvas for the first time, and by 1983 he became an artist with “rock star status”. He achieved critical and commercial success, though he was constantly confronted by racism from his peers. In 1985 he and Andy Warhol became close friends and painting collaborators, but they parted ways and Warhol died suddenly in 1987. Basquiat’s heroin addiction worsened, and he died of an overdose in 1988 in the age of 27. Basquiat was 25 years old at the height of his career, and today his canvases sell for more than a million dollars. Davis explores the mysteries that surround this charismatic young man, an artist of enormous talent whose fate mirrored the rollercoaster quality of the downtown scene he seemed to embody.

Vivian Maier’s photos were seemingly destined for obscurity, lost among the clutter of the countless objects she’d collected throughout her life. Instead, these images have shaken the world of street photography and forever changed the life of the man who brought them to the public eye. This film brings to life the interesting turns and travails of the improbable saga of John Maloof’s discovery of Vivian Maier, unraveling this mysterious tale through her documentary films, photographs, odd collections and personal accounts from the people that knew her.  Maier was a mystery even to those around her. A secretive nanny in the wealthy suburbs of Chicago, she died in 2009 and would have been forgotten.  As the filmmakers track down an odd collection of parents who hired her, children she cared for, store owners, movie theater operators and curious neighbors who remember her, the story that emerges goes beyond clichés of the undiscovered artist and offers a portrait that is at times bewildering and troubling. Maier’s story pushes us to ask as many questions about ourselves as it does about her. What started as a blog showing her work, quickly became a viral sensation in the photography world. Photos destined for the trash heap now line gallery exhibitions, a forthcoming book, and this documentary film (Expected 2014).

This film tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to Minimalist and Conceptual Art, Herb and Dorothy Vogel quietly began purchasing the works of unknown artists. Devoting all of Herb’s salary to purchase art they liked, and living on Dorothy’s paycheck alone, they continued collecting artworks guided by two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. Within these limitations, they proved themselves curatorial visionaries; most of those they supported and befriended went on to become world-renowned artists including Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle, Chuck Close, Robert Mangold, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Lynda Benglis, Pat Steir, Robert Barry, Lucio Pozzi, and Lawrence Weiner.

After thirty years of meticulous collecting and buying, the Vogels managed to accumulate over 2,000 pieces, filling every corner of their tiny apartment. In 1992, they decided to move their entire collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The vast majority of their collection was given as a gift to the institution. Many of the works they acquired appreciated so significantly over the years that their collection today is worth millions of dollars. Still, the Vogels never sold a single piece. Today Herb and Dorothy still live in the same apartment in New York with 19 turtles, lots of fish, and one cat. They’ve refilled it with piles of new art they’ve acquired.
MutualArt.com is a revolutionary online art information service which covers the world of art by collecting content about events, venues, artists, articles and auctions from thousands of web sites.

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Friends of Animals Utah at Gallery MAR

May 9th, 2013

Last night we were fortunate to host an event for the no-kill shelter local to Park City, Friends of Animals.

Their shelter is where owner Maren Mullin was fortunate enough to find her own dog, Molly. They have a wonderful program, both in town and at a ranch out in Brown’s Canyon, and a supportive group of volunteers and fans. They care for and adopt cats, dogs, and even horses.

Gallery MAR donated a beautiful painting by Cristall Harper, and local comedienne and supporter Kim Page won a photography book (above) as well. Guests enjoyed mocktails and delicious canapes from Savoury Kitchen.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in supporting the care and adoption or our local animals!

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Buy the Art that You Love, courtesy of Houzz.com

May 2nd, 2013

This week’s blog is from Houzz.com and features the Pangea design firm out of Portland, Oregon.

Pangaea Interior Design is an award winning design firm specializing in residential projects including new construction, remodeling, kitchen and bath design. Pangaea’s style is characterized by clean lines and uncluttered interiors that are warm, comfortable, inviting and reflect the personal taste and interests of her clients.

Pangea's new design office in Portland, Oregon


Artists get into a real tizzy about the subject of people looking for art-to-match-the-sofa. Coming from a background as an artist, I always encourage my interior design clients to select art first if they don’t have any so they feel free to buy what they love and not worry about what it goes with. And then we can plan the decor around the art.

I’m sure I’ll get an irate artist or two commenting here. I’ve spoken with some artists who feel the art completely stands on its own and should have nothing to do with the decor. Here’s the simple fact. No matter how irritated artists get by the subject of art-matching-the-sofa, your art will always look better and have greater impact in the space when the decor supports the art. Here are techniques you can use in your decor to support your art and make it even better.

1. Use repetition of color and line. This art is so well supported by this room. The strong black-and-white graphic image is echoed in the black-and-white upholstery with lines that are similar to the curves in the woman’s face. Even with the bright yellow accents in the room, the art is still the standout.
3. Use multiple works of art. Combining multiple works of art by the same artist or that have a very similar style creates greater impact. Here the art above the fireplace and the red painting on the wall work together to contrast their strong horizontal and vertical lines, balancing each other and drawing your eye first to one, then the other, and back again. Together they create a stronger look than each would have by itself.
4. Use furniture placement. Placement of your art is important, but so is the placement of your other furnishings around the art. This painting would have looked great on the wall all by itself. But the wavy bench underlines the painting and gives it emphasis, the same as underlining a word in a sentence.
5. Use reflection. Through the placement of mirrors on the wall and ceiling, walking down the hall you get this painting repeated in reverse and upside down. It’s a pretty dramatic way to get you noticing the reflections then studying the painting to see how it looks when it isn’t turned upside down and backwards.
6. Use restraint: Sometimes you can support art by just exercising some restraint and letting it be the star of the room. The quilt behind this sofa is extremely detailed and really invites inspection. By keeping the sofa, chair, wall color, lampshade and rug in a monochromatic scheme, the designer gives your eye someplace to rest. In this case, because of the level of detail in the art, picking up colors and shapes in accessories would actually distract.
7. Use the color palette. Going beyond just picking up a single color from a painting, this room has used all of the colors in the art for the room’s entire color palette. This artwork is by the homeowner, so she was able to surround herself with colors that she loves. The rug seems to pick up all of the colors of the painting on the left. I wonder if it is custom or just a very lucky find?
8. Use style. The art above the stairs is contemporary, with clear and bright colors. The yellow open stair treads feel just as fresh as the artwork and complements it beautifully.
9. Use humor. I have to confess that I’ve bought plenty of art because the subject made me laugh out loud. In my own entryway I have a large portrait of my husband making a funny face. It stops first time visitors in their tracks when they see it, then gets a belly laugh, and the conversation gets off to a great start.

This large painting of a boy picking his nose is pretty outrageous. The chair below it is pretty outrageous too, with the wild contemporary print on a traditional chair style. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun with your art and decor. It doesn’t need to be serious all the time.
Combine techniques. Using a combination of the above techniques creates a very strong design. This room is so expertly done and supports the art so uniquely. The large black rectangle of the art is found in the shape of the pillows and again in the pattern in the rug. Notice how the art is not centered behind the sofa. That staggering of rectangles is picked up in the pattern of the rug — in the placement of the pillows to one end of the sofa — and again in the off-center placement of the coffee table. It combines repetition of color, repetition of shape, and furniture placement to add emphasis.

This room also employs a few techniques. The sculpture in the corner and the painting share several colors so they work beautifully together. A very subtle touch is the shape of the black chandelier repeating the curves of the women’s bustiers in the painting. Subtle, but very effective.

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OWD Design Window Display Collaboration

April 12th, 2013

The eyes are the window to the soul, so are our windows the eyes of our soulful gallery? Absolutely.

At our Park City gallery, we have enjoyed putting together a few memorable window displays, as have our artists. But I recently decided it was time to leave the work to a true professional– an artist! Which is why we have hired Lynsey Jones Schlegel of OWD Design Studio as our new window display artist. Ms. Schlegel is an artist and designer based in Salt Lake City. OWD Design Studio specializes in event styling, store display, and visual installation.

Born in Denver and raised in Fountain Hills, AZ, Ms. Schlegel has had creativity in her blood for as long as she can remember. In 2010, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design and a Minor in Business from Arizona State University. She has since worked as a product and graphic designer, a visual display and merchandiser at Patagonia, a visual stylist at Nordstrom, and now as Designer and Owner of OWD Design Studio. Plus, she’s super cute (see photo below)!

You can expect a variety of styles and looks for the next 12 months. This month, in honor of the upcoming Main Street improvements and construction, OWD installed a series of bright orange poppies, created from construction site materials. And we would love your feedback! Let us know which displays are your favorite. We’ll be posting updates on our Facebook page as well as on this art blog.

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Women’s Giving Fund Launch at Gallery MAR

April 1st, 2013

Be One In A Thousand

Please join Park City Community Foundation
and help us Launch the
Women’s Giving Fund!
Meet and mingle with like-minded ladies and learn about how your $1,000 one-time gift can contribute to a $1 million endowment for local women and children.

Gallery Mar

Thursday, April 11 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Please RSVP no later than Friday, April 5 to Katie Wright: katie@theparkcityfoundation.org
Wine and light appetizers will be served.
STAY CONNECTED

Like us on Facebook
PCCF logo

www.parkcityfoundation.org *  Contact us at 435-214-7476
This year, Gallery MAR celebrates 5 years of business on Main Street,
> Park City.
>
>
>
> It’s an exciting time for us and we are looking forward to
> celebrating! It has been a very successful winter as well, and I want
> to thank you for being a part of it. It is a pleasure to work with
> such talented and thoughtful artists.
>
>
>
> With our celebration in mind, I am inviting you to take part in a
> group show, which will open on July 26th. The show is called “FIVE”
> and the idea is to paint with the number in line: in some way, your
> painting must reflect the number, or idea, of five. Be as literal or
> as subjective as you wish-I am looking forward to seeing what
> direction you take! Please paint up to three pieces for the show, but know that just one would be just right.
>
>
>
> If you wish to participate, I will need your confirmation (by phone or
> email) by April 15th and the work here by July 20th at the very
> latest. I will also need a show image by June 1st for inclusion in our
> mailer and advertisement. As well, please remember that July and
> August are wonderfully busy months for us, and we would always
> appreciate a fresh group of work for our season.
>

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“Unbroken Equivalents” at Gallery MAR – Michael Kessler

March 17th, 2013

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MS Benefit at Gallery MAR for Live UT Give UT Day

March 15th, 2013

Gallery MAR & the National MS Society

Team Up for Love Utah Give Utah – March 22

Park City, Utah –Park City’s Gallery MAR, together with the National MS Society’s Utah office, will host a reception Friday, March 22 from 6-8 p.m. to celebrate Love Utah Give Utah, a special day of giving supporting the important work nonprofits do to make Utah a wonderful place to live.

Come enjoy the great ambiance of the popular contemporary art gallery while also learning more about multiple sclerosis and how the Society helps people affected by the disease including funding important research and providing for local programs and services that help people with MS and their families move their lives forward.

MS is a chronic often disabling disease of the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, optic nerves). It interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and the brain with the rest of the body. MS stops people from moving. It is not known what causes MS and there is no cure …yet! Join the movement and help do something about multiple sclerosis.

WHAT: Gallery MAR & the National MS Society Celebrate Love Utah Give Utah

Reception – appetizers and beverages
WHEN: Friday, March 22

6-8 p.m.
WHERE: Gallery MAR

436 Main Street in Park City
CONTACTS: Maren Bargreen Mullin (435-649-3001 or info@galleryMAR.com)

Juliann Fritz (435-640-8379 or Juliann.Fritz@nmss.org)

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The Making of “Space in Between”– Guest Blog

March 8th, 2013

By Bridgette Meinhold, re-posted from Ette Studios

I have a small studio – it’s only 150 sq ft. This last week I completed the biggest painting I’ve ever done – a 60 x 40 inch megalith called Space In Between. The painting was completed in advance for my upcoming show at Gallery MAR, “Atmospheric Intentions” in conjunction with my mentor’s work, Shawna Moore. The painting itself is 16 sq ft, meaning while I was working on it, it took up 10% of my studio. I am thrilled with how it came out, but am also happy to see it hanging on the wall in the gallery ready for the show and out of my studio.

cutting the top board requires a special set of skills

Building the frame was a two person job which required lots of space, ladders and being careful. I had to clear all my working spaces in order to make room. Once we started on this painting, there was no more space for anything else.

the reclaimed wood frame waiting for the top board

Working on the painting in the studio was it’s own special experience. As an encaustic painter, I work with my paintings flat on a table. This is so my wax doesn’t drip when I heat it and so my painting layers dry flat. So when an encaustic painter works big, it’s a really BIG deal. Moving, scraping, and painting become more complicated and often involve acrobatic maneuvers, feats of strength and delicate balance.

mixing colors to create the sky
half way done

Getting it out of the studio and into the gallery is an entirely different affair. As our home is snowed in during the winter, paintings are often taken out in the back of a toboggan that is pulled behind our snowmobile. This painting was a bit too big to fit in the toboggan though, so I enlisted the help of my husband and pro frame builder to help me carry it out to the car. It’s not a super long walk – but it’s long enough to feel the burn from carrying it.

carrying the painting out through the snow

Once to the car, we loaded it flat into the bed of our truck and drove very carefully down the mountain and into Old Town Park City. After unwrapping, it took 2 people to hang on the wall. It was a relief to see it in the gallery and be able to stand back and enjoy it from a distance.

hanging Space in Between at Gallery MAR

Space in Between will be hanging throughout March (or until it sells) as part of my shared show “Atmospheric Intentions” at Gallery MAR. The show opens on March 29th in a public reception from 7-9 pm. If you’re around, please stop by and say hi. Shawna Moore will also be there to show off her new work.

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She Paints! She Writes! She Signs Books!

March 2nd, 2013

This March, we have two exciting events to celebrate our local artist Bridgette Meinhold. Join Gallery MAR as we host our artist Bridgette Meinhold for a book signing, for her new book Urgent Architecture, on March 12th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.  Light refreshments will be served and books will be available through Dolly’s Book Store, also on Main Street. You can pre-order the book from Amazon as well.

And two weeks later, on March 29th, we will open a new show for the accomplished artist. “Atmospheric Intentions” will showcase new works by this encaustic artist, as well as our other encaustic artist Shawna Moore.

The encaustic paintings of Bridgette Meinhold and Shawna Moore are a product of place. Both artists live, love, and work at high altitude, amongst the trees, on mountain tops. The ability of encaustic (wax) paint to reveal and obscure creates mysterious surfaces and depth-filled fields of line and color. A well-collected and established artist, Shawna Moore is inspired by the landscape of Montana. Layering her wax-based paintings on panel, the result is warm and inviting, as if one may reach into the painting to discover their own personal meaning. Bridgette Meinhold is an emerging encaustic painter working out of reclaimed shipping container art studio here in Park City, Utah. She creates atmospheric, mysterious landscapes inspired by her surroundings. Both artists will be in attendance at their opening reception, with coincides with the Park City Gallery Stroll.

Who: Shawna Moore and Bridgette Meinhold with Gallery MAR

What: “Atmospheric Intentions” exhibition

When: Friday, March 29th, from 6 to 9 pm

Where: 436 Main Street, Park City, Utah

More information Urgent Architecture by Bridgette Meinhold:

Disaster-proof, environmentally friendly housing solutions for a changing climate.

How can we adequately provide housing when disaster strikes, whether that disaster is weather related, like hurricanes, floods, and droughts, happens in a matter of minutes from an earthquake or tsunami, through a slow process like rising sea levels, or is the result of civil disorder or poverty? There is an urgent need for safe, sustainable housing designs that are cheap to build, environmentally friendly, and hardy enough to withstand severe environmental conditions. Not only is there climate change to contend with, but there are millions of people, right now, who do not have safe or adequate housing.

In Urgent Architecture Bridgette Meinhold showcases 40 successful emergency and long-term housing projects—from repurposed shipping containers to sandbag homes. She surveys successful structures as well as highlighting promising projects that are still being developed. Every one is quickly deployable, affordable, and sustainable. This book is an essential resource for those who are interested in green building, sustainable design, eco-friendly materials, affordable housing, material reuse, and humanitarian relief.

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Up Close and Personal with Matt Flint

February 14th, 2013

We are getting excited here at Gallery MAR for our upcoming show with painter Matt Flint, In This Moment. And just in time, an online magazine called Visual Language is publishing a feature on the Lander, Wyoming-based artist. Check out the interview below – we even got a mention at the end!

For those of you that are unfamiliar with Matt Flint’s work, the artist describes his oil paintings of nature and wildlife scenes as moments of shifting focus: “I paint the way I explore the rugged mountains by my house, always pushing to see what is over the next hill, searching for the unexpected.”

When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be an artist? When I was young I always felt like I had to make things. I spent my free time drawing, building tree houses, forts, “inventions”, and wandering around in the woods. I never really thought about art as a career until my junior year of high school when I realized that I had no aptitude for math like the rest of my family and that I really loved making art.

Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date? My greatest influence to date has been a professor at Wichita State (where I attended grad school), Professor Ron Chris Ron practices what he preaches and I admire his professionalism and drive. He taught me how to analyze and construct a good painting.

Who is another living artist you admire and why? I have always liked the work of Jim Dine. He is able to work in such diverse media while maintaining a consistent approach that I really relate to.

What is your favorite surface to paint on? I paint on 2” thick basswood stretched birch panels wrapped in canvas. To ensure the best quality, I have my stretchers made to museum standards. I like the rigidity of the panels, but I also like the texture of the canvas, so it is the perfect solution for me.

What is your favorite brand of paint to use? I use Windsor Newton most of the time. If I had an unlimited budget, I would use Old Holland.


Do you have a favorite color or palette? Not really. I tend to stay towards earth tones and blues.

What is your favorite color in your closet? Brown

You seem to paint a lot of water lilies. What prompted this? I don’t paint water lilies per se, but I do use an elliptical shape sometimes in my work. It is more ambiguous and could refer to a number of natural things.

How often do you paint? How many times a week? I have two full-time jobs: teaching and painting. My studio time is blocked out like a job. I spend anywhere from 20-40 hours a week painting.

What is the one thing you’d like to be remembered for? Being kind.

There are many culprits that can crush creativity, such as distractions, self-doubt and fear of failure. What tends to stand in the way of your creativity? I think self-doubt is always near, but that is why I keep making work. Doubt in my abilities, vision, etc. is a motivator for me; I certainly do not let it crush my creativity.

How do you overcome these obstacles? I accept obstacles as part of the artistic process/ I try not to let a day go by that I do not work, the continuum is important for me.

What are your inspirations for work? Present and past experiences in the outdoors. The rural setting I grew up in and the rural mountain setting I live in now.

What is your favorite way to get your creative juices flowing? I make work. Again, the making the process is where I like to be. As I work, ideas snowball, and suddenly I am working on 10 or more paintings all headed in a direction that is exciting, undefined, and optimistic.

Which work of yours is your favorite? The work I am making right now for my show at Gallery MAR in Park City in February. Ask me the same question in a few months and it will be whatever work I am creating then.


Up Close and Personal

What book are you reading this week? I listen to books on CD in the studio. Right now I am listening to “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck.

Do you have a favorite television show? Not really.

What is your favorite food? Coffee!

What are you most proud of in your life? My family.

Who would you like to interview? J. M. W. Turner.

Do you have a passion or hobby other than painting? What is it? I love to mountain bike and cross-country ski. I also really enjoy working out at Lander Cross Fit.

Who would you love to paint? Maybe Giacometti, but that would be a lot of pressure.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why? A wolf. I love to paint them. They are shrouded in myth and controversy and yet so close to our domesticated family pets.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take three things, what would they be? Unlimited food, water and shelter.

Share something that few people know about you. I once designed kid’s clothes for a company called Chocolate Soup.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Right where I live now.


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