The View from the Edge of the Universe

G'Bye Mose T

The great southern folk artist, Mose Tolliver, died last Monday.  Meeting artists and seeing them in their workplace has been one of the most satisfying experiences of my adult life and meeting Mose T was easily the most rewarding and memorable of all my artist experiences.
Bryan, Rory (Bryan's brother) and I made the pilgrimage to Montgomery AL nearly a decade ago and had the privilege of spending time with Mose and his entourage at his modest home.  Mose gave us a tour of his room: at the foot of the bed was a paint covered chest where he created his artworks,  and near the door stood a decades old refrigerator, secured with a padlock, where he kept his beer.  Also, among the many artworks on the wall was a photo of him with the Reagans commemorating his invitation to the White House in the 80's which was a story that he recounted for us, barely decipherable under Mose's thick southern drawl. 
I can also remember an enormous woman dressed in a bright green dress sitting in a dark back bedroom whose walls were painted a rich purple.  There was also a learning-disabled boy roaming about and a number of Mose's cronies stood (okay sat) watch on the front porch.
Despite his age, he was still a good businessman and gave us a fair price on the works we had eyed.  We all left, happy as clams, with our Mose masterpieces tucked under our arms, and headed straight to Country's Barbecue to cap off a perfect afternoon.
I'll miss Mose; it feels as if a part of my life that made me a transplanted Southerner is gone.

P.S. As usual, collectors have come out of the woodwork with Mose T's to sell.  Lots are available on ebay (a great place to buy folk art if you can't make it to meet the artist directly) here:

Well, Well, Well, I'm Back in the ATL

....And that person who writes the nasty comments thought that he was rid of me (I'm planning on being an irritant to you for many years to come by the way...it seems like you need something to do anyway).

I'm actually in Amarillo today, but I was in Atlanta a few days ago and managed to make the rounds.  It was great to see Brian Holcomb who I hadn't seen in months...he's been in Connecticut getting all Frenchified.

Of course, a few shameless plugs for my friends:
A soon-to-be-friend (and friend of QP artist Elizabeth Huey) has a show that opened yesterday at Garage Projects. Patrick Brennan's show is entitled "in the end we like it here just fine".  Here's a excerpt from his statement:

"The base of my work is to replace real life imagery with my own invented language.  This is so that landscapes, figures, and stories take on a new and original identity.  Most importantly I want to develop a relationship with the viewer.  I want them to read the work as a sort of invitation into my anxieties, desires, and fears.  I am very aware of my surroundings and want to reconstruct this awareness.  I have been focused on how I deal with where I live.  I am rarely comfortable and am always investigating why that is.  I work from a combination of found images/objects, photographs from my travels, fashion, and symbols.  Whether it’s a painting, drawing, sculpture or time based work I want to engage the viewer in questions that are not so easily answered.  There is a space between our memory and our imagination.  I want the work to be about that space."

And a few samples: 

Over at Marcia Wood, Katherine Taylor continues her ongoing themes in her new body of work.  The more-articulated drawings add a new dimension to the work in that they become a bit about memory as well.

And at Jackson Fine Art, I was really excited about Sanna Kannisto's sciency and forensic images of insects, repitles and plants.  The lighting (right out of a autopsy exam room) is what makes them work. 

Bye y'all!

Today marks my last day as an Atlantan.  It was nearly 20 years ago to the day that I arrived in the ATL.  I stayed my first night in a Days Inn on Chamblee Tucker Road.

Here are some of my parting thoughts:

Things about Atlanta I'll miss:
1. Grits
2. Fireflies
3. Kudzu
4. Howard, Jimmie Lee, Mose and Lonnie
5. BBQ
6. ya'll - the word and ya'll - my friends

My two favorite art shows:
1. Todd Murphy at Vaknin Schwartz
2. "This is the Future" Dos Pestaneos at Saltworks

Two predictions:
1. The Westside will eclipse Casteberry as the go-to arts district (second choice is the 4th Ward)
2. Julian Cox will prove to be too big a force for the High and will Ned Rifkin his way to a curatorship at a world class museum.  Not that the High is chopped liver though.  If you like photography, get there now.  Its packed I say, packed to the brim with quality pictures.

I'll be here in PDX to welcome ATL with open arms when ya'll swing by my new neck of the woods for Jupiter '06.  TaKe care now y' hear?

Sidewalk Sale at Galerie MC 7/18-19

Galerie MC, which will cease operations in its current format sometime in the future is having a "sidewalk sale" July 18 and 19.  I'm intrigued enough to take a stroll down there tomorrow morning.  I would guess that there will be a gem or two or twelve.  The gallery is located at the corner of 6th and West Peachtree in midtown.

'New Photography' at the High

All I can say is that Julian Cox must be a force to be reckoned within the circle of decision makers at the High.  His latest coup: New Photography a massive exhibition that takes up the entire second floor of the new wing.  The show features two Atlanta phtographers: Angela West and Ruth Dusselaut as well as international stars Taryn Simon and Sze Tsung Leong.  Each artist is really given a complete solo exhibition and Cox has done a fine job of not only selecting photographers whose works  compliment one another but also in the individual selections of the works themselves whose context within the entire exhibiton I found particularly interesting.  Last Thursday at the opening reception, Atlanta collectors' jaws hit the floor over Simon's stunningly rich color photos.  The intensity and depth of the color and lighting made these portriats of wrongly-convicted murderers photographed at the scene-of-the-crime-they-didn't-commit seem highly theatrical...its probaly the look that Gregory Crewdson is going for but can never really get. 
Simon's images are real show stoppers but I am a bit critical of their overall theme...it seems more clever than complex...the irony of the situation is impossible to capture.  Nonetheless they are riveting portraits.  For the money though..I prefer Katy Grannan.
I also like Angela West's work which consists of landscapes mixed with images of her father.  When one sees West's separate bodies of work shown together (as it was at Emory earlier this year), you start to get an overall clearer sense of what she is exploring.  It's one of West's better talents:  her bodies of work stand together well on their own but also add to the understanding and complexity of other bodies of her work.  For instance, her recent corsage pieces add another layer of interest to her Sweet Sixteen series...at least in my mind. 

Also on view at the High is Nan Goldin's Cookie Mueller portfolio which was donated to the museum earlier this year.  I had the pleasure of a private viewing of the porfolio earlier this year.  It's worth a visit to the museum alone.

Embrace Fine Art Fair part of Atl's NBAF

ATL's National Black Art's Festival (July 14-23) includes a a fair-within-a-festival: Embrace.  The inaugural event includes about 20 participating galleries from Atlanta, New York, Chicago and other locales.  The Atlanta exhibitors are some of ATL's best galleries including Solomon Projects and Sandler Hudson.  The fair runs through Sunday the 16th. 
I'm very interested to see if the fair is successful because it could become a great venue to bring attention to Atlanta and its varied fine art scene.  Its a somewhat bold attempt to unite the two distinct arts scenes in Atlanta which is noteworthy.  Thus its success or failure may have broader implications for the city.

Free Art Storage Rack

Does anyone have a need for this small art storage rack?  My friend built it for me and it works great...but I don't need it in Portland.

 Email me if you are interested.

You will need a truck to move it.  I will have it disassembled.  Its located in Midtown Atlanta. 

I hate to see it go to waste!

Niki in the Garden

Wow. Niki in the Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens is pure delight.  The installation is the world's largest exhibition of internationally renowned artist Niki de Saint Phalle's outdoor sculptures ever presented.  I took my nieces last Thursday (the Gardens are open late on Thursdays) and they loved it as much as I did. Chihuly was great, but this is and feels like an important retrospective in a perfect setting.
Its a great family night out....whoever your family may be.
The exhibition runs through October 31.
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A Fork in the Road

Literally.  Don't think I'm going to get all philosophical on y'all.

Things I'll Miss in ATL: New GA Tech Architecture

I don't profess to be an architecture critic, but these GA Tech buildings that I've zoomed by on many a bike ride will certainly be missed.

 A few years ago, GA tech covered the top of the former 1996 Olympic swimming and diving pavilion and as a result made a better looking building:
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If only Charles Sheeler were here to photograph this beauty:
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This building hugs a curved road.  The curve of the building continues on the far side of the road at the corner of the other building: