Structure and Imagery

Omar Chacon, 2011 Reception: July 7, 6 - 8 PM July 7 - September 17 Margaret Thatcher Projects 539 W. 23rd Street Including works by:   Jaq Belcher, William Betts, Omar Chacon, Freddy Chandra, Carlos Estrada-Vega, Kevin Finklea, Adam Fowler, Teo Gonzalez, Susan Graham, Rainer Gross, Jus Juchtmans, Aric Obrosey, Joie Rosen, Analia Saban, Fran Siegel, William Steiger, Lars Strandh, Barbara Takenaga, Bill Thompson, Heidi van Wieren, and Venske & Spänle

Philip Guston, Sanctuary , 1944 Four A.M. by Wislawa Szymborska The hour between night and day. The hour between toss and turn. The hour of thirty-year-olds. The hour swept clean for roosters' crowing. The hour when the earth takes back its warm embrace. The hour of cool drafts from extinguished stars. The hour of do-we-vanish-too-without-a-trace. Empty hour. Hollow. Vain. Rock bottom of all the other hours. No one feels fine at four a.m. If ants feel fine at four a.m., we're happy for the ants. And let five a.m. come if we've got to go on living. -from Poems: New and Collected 1957- 1997

Street view of Hamilton's studio in Greenpoint. Recently I was invited to the Brooklyn studio of Nicholas Hamilton . Hamilton was born in Omagh, Northern Ireland in 1979 and his upbringing and cultural background continue to inform much of his present work. Far from being dry and pedantic Hamilton explores the politics, social strife and rich history of his country from an intimate perspective, while never forgetting that he operates in a visual medium. In Hamilton's work the narrative power of abstraction is summoned when cold, hard facts strike against the imaginative vision of an artist who is coming to terms with a very personal history. Below are images of Hamilton's work and studio accompanied by the artist's own words. Chuckies, Croppies, Fenians, Left Footers, Mickeys, Papists, Popeheads, Shinners, Stickies, Taigs, Tims ,  India ink on paper, 32 x 48 inches. "These drawings were created by spelling out the sectarian terms of abuse in the titles usin...

Fire damaged footage of De Kooning in his East Hampton studio mid August  by Alfred Leslie more information here

Over the weekend I stopped by Henry Samelson 's studio in Greenpoint. Henry makes street smart abstractions that have their roots in a gritty formalism. The paintings are aggressive and tense but the many layers of paint never  overpower the works' intellectual underpinnings. On June 25th Samelson's work can be seen in the group exhibition Shakedown @ Dodge Gallery . Opening Reception: June 25, 6-8 PM . The show will run until July 30 at 15 Rivington Street New, York, NY. Follow the links for more information on Samelson's work and upcoming exhibits.

Above: Paintings by Kerry Law . Including an ongoing series of the Empire State Building. Above: Work by Caroline England . Above: Recent horizon paintings by Joel Adas .

"Paint. Just paint. This is my advice. And leave the clever talk to   the poor sods who can't." -Henry Breasley

Monique Ford Monique Ford Susan Ross Monique Ford (rt.) and Susan Ross Susan Ross Susan Ross Emily Berger Emily Berger Emily Berger Above: The Painting Center , Shared Space w/ Susan Ross + Monique Ford. Emily Berger: New Works Lincoln Tobier, Wayne Gonzales, Jim Lambie, Ben Schumacher, Chris Martin Clare Woods Nathaniel Robinson, Sarah Crowner, Jim Lambie Lisa Beck Jules de Balincourt Davina Semo Above:  Martos Gallery , We Regret To Inform You There Is No Space Or Place For Abstract Painting Noam Rappaport Alex Ebstein Alex Ebstein, Ted Gahl, Maria Walker Katie Bell Cordy Ryman, Michael Dotson, Kadar Brock, Conor Backman Above: Nudashank @ Art Blog Art Blog , Out Of Practice Above images: Leon Kossoff Above: Mitchell- Innes and Nash , Leon Kossoff Above images: Louise Bourgeois Above: Cheim & Read , Louise Bourgeois: The Fabric Works Robert Mapplethorpe: Portraits of Deborah Harry, de Kooning, and Patti Smith Above: Sean Kelly Gallery ...