In the Cosmos Paintings, mixed media works play upon visual complexities and energies of the cosmos as seen through artist’s eyes

BY NANCY MOYER

SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR                       SURFACE TREATMENT

                            

Abstract art is alive and well at IMAS.

   “Abstractions: Anne Marchand” is a collection of paintings and mixed media works that were initially inspired by the artist’s attraction to images from telescopic photographs from space. 

   

“Because we are an art and science museum,” posited Ann Fortescue, president and executive director of IMAS, “we have our eyes and ears out for exhibitions where these two come together. Some of the Hubble images are a wonderful starting point for looking at Anne’s work; clearly she is a star gazer.” 

  

 Marchand’s works were indeed inspired by Hubble images of the open, yet surprisingly cluttered cosmos, but the artist has taken them far beyond the amorphic dust clouds and luminous colors captured by the telescopic camera. That said, the impact of space remains. The scale of the paintings alludes to the reality of their inspirational source, with most of the works measuring about 72 inches by 72 inches and loom imposingly in the face of the viewer.

 

  A sense of infinite space, sometimes filled violently with the unexpected, is contained on the surface of each canvas. Marchand once commented that the cosmos made her feel the microcosmic reality of our own existence and the scale of these paintings evokes that feeling. 

 

  Technically, the body of work moves from direct action painting aesthetics into multimedia experiences with the inclusion of beads, fabric, impressions of objects, and isolated areas of bold contrasting patterns. There is the sense that the deeper her imagination got into the cosmos, the more unexpected phenomena she saw. 

 

  To me, the strongest works on display incorporate bold patterns that lend an unexpected contrast against the dominance of her self-expressive paint explorations and seem to take us deeper into complex cosmic beauty.

  

                                   

“ENERGY ECHO”                                                                                                    “JOURNEY”

 

“Birth of Venus” is a stunning work that offers a fresh take on a classic idea that moves a step beyond purely formal thinking while “Energy Echo” holds firmly to the action painting process, but “The Invisible” moves beyond the fascination with the paint itself. In this work there are shapes suggesting forgotten places that are becoming invisible through the distance of time; exuberant brushstrokes have been tamed to become areas of soft color, linking our defined reality to the indefinite miasma of the distant cosmos. “Journey” seems to be a statement of self-revelation with several different elements and techniques. As many abstract paintings do, these works often encourage the imaginations of viewers to participate in their abstract configurations, evoking thoughts about shapes, colors, or sparking a narrative response, as the viewer is absorbed more deeply into the work.

 

 “But abstraction. Is there a word more belabored in the history of art history?” pondered an art critic Simon Wu about this year’s Whitney Biennial in Art in America magazine. “Abstraction is back ...again.”

 

  While it has occurred sporadically regionally, the national scene has been enamored of figurative painting in recent years. Marchand’s efforts underline this recent Abstract movement with her attention to science innovations. About the time she finished this series, the James Webb space telescope had replaced the Hubble and was transmitting more cosmic photographs.

Marchand reflects the symbiosis of art and science and leads us into the newer cosmic visions to come.

Nancy Moyer, Professor Emerita of Art, is an art critic for The Monitor. She may be reached at nmoyer@rgv.rr.com.

‘Abstractions: Anne Marchand’

WHERE: International Museum of Art & Science,

1900 Nolana Ave., McAllen

WHEN: Through Nov. 13, 2022

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.

Thursday through Saturday

INFO: (956) 681-2800

14-Year Hirshhorn Veteran Curated Acclaimed Exhibitions by Artists Including Mark Bradford, Charline von Heyl, Jennie C. Jones and Robert Irwin

Evelyn C. Hankins, curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden since 2008, has been named the Head Curator. In her position as the first female Head Curator of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Hankins leads the department responsible for planning exhibitions and commissioning artworks which draw from and respond to the museum’s internationally distinguished collection of modern and contemporary art. With an intimate knowledge of the museum’s history and nuanced understanding of its role as the national museum of modern art, Hankins will continue to advance the Hirshhorn’s international reputation and shape the permanent collection.

“I am thrilled to support Evelyn as she assumes the role of Head Curator,” said Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu. “Throughout her Hirshhorn tenure, Evelyn has demonstrated an exceptional vision, scholarship, and creativity to establish herself as a transformative leader on the national stage. Evelyn will continue to shepherd our museum’s collection and foster collaborations as we near our 50th anniversary, the revitalization of our Sculpture Garden and continue to respond to and present the art, artists and ideas of the moment.”

With a curatorial expertise in American and European modernism, Hankins has organized more than 15 exhibitions at the Hirshhorn during her 14-year tenure. Recent highlights include “Marcel Duchamp: The Barbara and Aaron Levine Collection” (2019), a transformational promised gift to the Museum; “Pat Steir: Color Wheel” (2019), a site-specific project; “Charline von Heyl: Snake Eyes” (2018–2019), a major monographic survey; and “Mark Bradford: Pickett’s Charge” (2017–2021), the internationally renowned artist’s largest work to date. Hankins’ next exhibition, “Sam Gilliam: Full Circle” opens May 25.

Hankins has captained lauded exhibitions, notably “Robert Irwin: All the Rules Will Change” (2016), a two-part project comprising a historical show focusing on Irwin’s groundbreaking artworks from the 1960s and a major new scrim installation in response to the museum’s distinctive architecture was cited by The New York Times as “a magical show” and in The Washington Post as “art so good it needs spoiler alerts.”  She has also organized an array of projects, including “Markus Lüpertz: Threads of History” (2017); “Susan Philipsz: Part File Score” (2016); “At the Hub of Things: New Views of the Collection” (2014) (co-curated); “Jennie C. Jones: Higher Resonance” (2013); “Over, Under Next: Experiments in Mixed Media, 1913-Present” (2013); “ColorForms” (2010); “Walead Beshty: Legibility on Color Backgrounds” (2009); and “The Panza Collection” (2008).

In addition to her curatorial team management and exhibition responsibilities, Hankins has provided curatorial oversight for the Hirshhorn’s paintings and works on paper collections. She oversaw the exhibition of artworks by Marcel Duchamp, a promised gift by Barbara and Aaron Levine, which included an online display and 220-page accompanying catalogue. She has brought artworks in an array of media into the collection, including works by Deborah Roberts, Fred Sandback, Charles Gaines, Jacqueline Humphries, Mary Weatherford and Hilla and Bernd Becher, among others. Hankins contributed to the Hirshhorn’s forthcoming collection catalogue. She has served on several Smithsonian pan-institutional committees, including the Collections Advisory Committee, the Congress of Scholars, the American Women’s History Initiative and the Network Review Committee.

Previously, Hankins was the Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Robert Hull Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont in Burlington and an Assistant Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in art history from Stanford University. Hankins succeeds Stéphane Aquin.

About the Hirshhorn
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the national museum of modern and contemporary art and a leading voice for 21st-century art and culture. Part of the Smithsonian, the Hirshhorn is located prominently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Its holdings encompass one of the most important collections of postwar American and European art in the world. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs on the art of our time—free to all. The Hirshhorn Museum is open Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. The outdoor Sculpture Garden is open daily 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. For more information, visit hirshhorn.si.edu.

(Source: The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Press Release)

Matt Muirhead - Spring Cleaning at Blue Door Gallery

 

April 9th, 2022 - May 14th, 2022

Matt Muirhead, Roland Park Watertower
24"x36" 2022

Matt Muirhead emigrated to the United States in 1984 when he was eleven years old. He lived in the Detroit area, followed by Fort Lauderdale Florida, Buffalo New York, Toledo Ohio, Chicago Illinois, and eventually Japan. He lived in Tokyo for three years, traveling through Asia and teaching English. He moved to Baltimore in 2007. He lived in Hampden for 10 years and currently lives and makes art in Parkville.

Since living in the Baltimore region he’s gained notoriety as an artist creating fun, fantasy paintings which feature images of Baltimore and its surroundings. He likes to paint cats, row houses, flowers, aliens, UFOs, monsters, tentacles and whatever else he can imagine. Sometimes he buys art in the thrift store and adds things that occur to him. He loves to do commissions! If you see something that you like but would like it a bit different get in touch!  He’s spent the last few years weathering the pandemic by taking care of his newborn (now 2 year old) son and making art. He’s has an active instagram account where you can see most of what he’s doing currently.

​Website - https://www.mattmuirhead.co/
Instagram - www.instagram.com/mattmuirheadartist/
Facebook - ​​https://www.facebook.com/muirheadmatt

GalleryBlueDoor.com

We primarily highlight emerging and established artists, and regularly exhibit work from regional and East Coast artists, but are expanding our reach. From 2018 to the end of 2021 the gallery hosted six exhibits a year, with one of them being a two person exhibition. Moving forward, the gallery is divided to have 3 rotating solo exhibits at once with a fourth space for a permanent exhibit from the gallery owner and director Scott Philip Goergens. This new format allows more artists to exhibit throughout the year with exciting crossover potential. The gallery is in the first floor of an unassuming home built in 1842 and meanders the length of the building providing a unique experience for the patron. Wall colors were selected by historic paint expert Matthew J. Mosca, and designer Henry Johnson. The gallery is owned and operated by artist Scott Philip Goergens and his husband Scott Howard. It is our goal to keep art and culture strong in the neighborhood and Baltimore in general.

Renee Balfour: Nature Unbound Through April 3rd at Amy Kaslow Gallery

In the Galleries

Sculptures as statements of architecture’s past and present

Review by Mark Jenkins

 

                                                    Detail of Her Dream, Cherry, 51” x 12”

 

A painter turned woodworker, Renee Balfour makes sculptures that emulate natural forms, not architectural ones. That doesn’t mean that the 11 pieces in “Nature Unbound,” her Amy Kaslow Gallery show, are rough and craggy. The sinuous shapes are artfully shaped and smoothly polished, and fitted together in ways that emphasize the artist’s control over her material. 

 

 

Read the review in the Washington Post

Earlier this month at Amy Kaslow Gallery, Renee Balfour spoke to a full house about her process. She detailed how she selects the wood, her sculpting technique, and shared insights into her work. Watch the recording to learn more about the artist and Nature Unbound. 

See Renee Balfour’s Works

Amy Kaslow Gallery, 4300 Fordham Rd, NW, Washington D.C. 20016 
(Behind Crate & Barrel)

HOURS:

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 12pm - 6pm
Wednesday: By appointment
Thursday: 12pm-6pm
Friday: 12pm-6pm
Saturday: 12pm-6pm
Sunday: 12pm-6pm

Abstractions by Anne Marchand on view thru May 15

At Sacred Heart University’s Discovery Science Center

Abstractions: Anne Marchand, is opened to the public in the STEAM gallery of the SHU’s Discovery Science Center in Bridgeport, CT. The exhibition, which features bold, colorful, large-scale abstract paintings by renowned artist Anne Marchand, remains on display through May 15, 2022.

Inspired by the Hubble Space Telescope photographs, Anne Marchand’s work is an exploration of the surprisingly colorful and frequently fluid-like state of the universe. Her mixed media pieces combine texture, color, and negative space to convey the dichotomy between the chaos of entropy and cohesion of nature.

“Space, color and mystery are calling cards to begin the work of layering materials on canvas,” said Marchand. “Moving with both conscious and spontaneous actions, I combine themes of spirit and matter. My choice of materials conveys transparent layers and depth of meaning reflecting the mysteries of creation and destruction. The painting process is metaphor for patterns emerging in nature and from invisible forces. I am drawn to images that open the viewer to questions about personal experience, consciousness and transformation.”

The Sacred Heart University’s Discovery Science Center & Planetarium is an interactive science center in Bridgeport, Connecticut, that serves as both a tourist destination and an educational resource for area families, schools, and other groups. 

Discovery Science Center & Planetarium is open to the public 7 days a week. The hours are Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

For more information about Discovery visit https://www.shudiscovery.org or call (203) 416-3521.

4450 Park Avenue ● Bridgeport, CT 06604 ● 203.372.3521 ● www.discoverymuseum.org

Last day to see Out of Season | Pat Goslee

MARCH 19, NOON - 3PM and 6 -8PM

Portico Gallery

3807 Rhode Island Avenue

Gateway Arts District

Brentwood, MD 20722

301-265-2957

 
 

Join Andrew Christenberry, Freya Grand, and Terzo Piano | March 25 Reception

Please join Andrew Christenberry, Freya Grand, and Terzo Piano staff for a closing reception on Friday, March 25th, from 5 to 8 pm. Terzo Piano is excited to be hosting a first public gathering since November, 2021. The event will feature a mask-optional outdoor reception, but for the added safety and comfort of guests, mask wearing will be required when indoors. Although this is a "closing" reception, the exhibitions will be on view until Sunday, April 10th. To learn more about the two artists and their work, and to order the exhibition catalogs online, please visit www.terzopianodc.com. Terzo Piano Gallery and Bookshop 1515 14th Street NW, Suite 300 Washington DC, 20005 Website: TerzoPianoDC.com Instagram: @TerzoPianoDC Email: Gallery @ TerzoPianoDC.com Phone: (202) 847-0142