So- this is what happens after art school
ends. The floor falls out and this entire fantasy land that is a community where everyone talks about art just no longer exists. If one moves to
NYC then one no longer has any sort of real studio space, and their poor roommate has to suffer a cluttered living room full of art making stuffs. There is no
critical discourse, no exhibition, no fostering of the creative from one's peers.
This is why I
LOVE going to the MFA open studios in New York. Last week Parson's, Hunter, and Columbia had their kiddies open up their studios and let me in. And anyone who wanted
free wine. And I got to tell them art kids what I thought or their work, which I'm sure they really wanted to hear all about it.
Here is a small selection from Parson's. I have so many photos and not enough time to process them all, or edit them down. But this is a start.
Charley was my accomplice. He was a way good sport about me geeking out and talking to everyone who interested me.
Here he is, after we filled out a scantron. This work was from the great Chris Mansour who went to undergrad with me.
Not that I found these particularly interesting, but they reminded me of little Eames birds, on really big poops. I hope someone brought that up during crit.
This work was done by my former boss when I was working in Chicago. It was so crazy to walk in and be all like- HEY! I know you! And you're MARRIED?
My brian
exploded a bit, and then Charley and I admired his landscape which only came to its
truest form when viewed through the binoculars.
Charley said he had this book as a child.
Weird. It's all MILF-y and Jesus-ey at the same time.
This makes Charley
important.
The Importance of Being Charley.
Most of the time BFA work impresses me less than MFA work. This was not the case in one of the BFA studios at Parson's.
Maybe it was the quality of the illustrations, the technique. Maybe its because I love using butcher paper for final work, the paper's quality I find sultry, alluring and non conformist. It whispers sweet nothings in my ear. Plus it always manipulates the medium in really interesting and textural ways.
Maybe its because the artist took something that isn't really that interesting (his/her friends) and tweaked it so I, too, care. Maybe that tweaking also made the fact that the work appears in a series not bother me.
Bad-da-da-da-da I'm lovin' it.
