Twitter Reviews – October 2010

L&M Arts (****) Diamond-shaped addition classy counterpart to historic brick building. Immaculate. #artLA
2 Oct via TweetDeck

Paul McCarthy @ L&M (****) Conflicted too. Train mechanics dazzling. Lip movements & EXACT twin figures & pigs creepy. #artLA
2 Oct via TweetDeck

Paul McCarthy, Train, Mechanical @ L&M. Heads spinning in unison. #artLA http://twitpic.com/2u3b8b
2 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Paul McCarthy, Train, Mechanical @ L&M. #artLA http://twitpic.com/2u3bnp
2 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Paul McCarthy, Train, Mechanical @ L&M. Weird when they turn to look at you. #artLA http://twitpic.com/2u3cf1
2 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Paul McCarthy, Train, Mechanical @ L&M. Heads diverge. #artLA http://twitpic.com/2u3d1a
2 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Paul McCarthy, Ship of Fools, Ship Adrift @ L&M. #artLA http://twitpic.com/2u3dmg
2 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Paul McCarthy, Ship of Fools, Ship Adrift, detail @ L&M. #artLA http://twitpic.com/2u3dz2
2 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Paul McCarthy, Apple Tree Boy, Apple Tree Girl @ L&M. #artLA http://twitpic.com/2u3eg0
2 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Liza Ryan @ Griffin (***) Standard lens flare ho hum, but delicately drawn sun flares on collage & EKG along ocean horizon alluring. #artLA
2 Oct via TweetDeck

Lari Pittman @ Regen (*****) Fantastic installation–works on paper salon-style on wall pattern that’s like a faux French ribbon memo board.
4 Oct via TweetDeck

Lari Pittman @ Regen II (****) Delightful paintings bursting w/ odd elements of Victorian illustration, flowers & Indian-style hands & feet.
4 Oct via TweetDeck

John Millei: Woman in a Chair @ Ace BH (*) Worst ever Millei paintings. Worst ever riffs on iconic Picassos. What was he thinking? #artLA
6 Oct via TweetDeck

DeWain Valentine: Early Resin Sculptures @ Ace BH (*****) Exquisite–especially small burnt orange disc & mossy green saucer. #artLA
6 Oct via TweetDeck

DeWain Valentine @ Ace BH (*****) Really too bad they were crammed into a small back room & lined up along a wall in the office. #artLA
6 Oct via TweetDeck

BTW, looks like @justinbowerart will be showing @acegallery BH next. Saw a bunch of paintings stacked in the gallery ready for installation.
6 Oct via TweetDeck

Brad Eberhard @ Cottage Home (****) Feathery oil stick lines help to convey the feeling of torn paper without actual collage. #artLA
8 Oct via TweetDeck

Eberhard @ Cottage Home: The intimate paintings would have been better served in a more intimate setting/installation. #artLA
8 Oct via TweetDeck

Anthony Discenza @ Sabina Lee (***) The “_ meets _” pairings too random to inspire compelling narrative. Nothing struck me as clever. #artLA
8 Oct via TweetDeck

Hum, a Bay-Area Conceputalist @ Sabina Lee. Is Charlie rubbing off on her or is she just trying to keep up with the Jameses? #artLA
8 Oct via TweetDeck

Alex Israel, rented studio props on pedestals. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30vf6u
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Andy Ralph, Trash Clan, 5 32-gallon cans, 2x4s, spinning castors. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30vi92
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Luke Butler, Enterprise series, acrylic on canvas. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30vjw8
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Zlatan Vukosavljevic, DuckBunny Chamber, interior. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30vonn
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Tucker Nichols, banner, plastic objects & tape rolls on pedestal. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30vzeo
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Sherin Guirguis, mixed media on paper & CNC routed plywood kinetic sculpture. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi20… http://twitpic.com/30w3j6
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Andy Kolar, Six Deep, oil on canvas. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30wm80
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Patrick Wilson, acrylic on canvas. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30wpyj
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Gil Blank, No Title, No Date, C-print. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30wqvc
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Glenna Jennings, Ellie from Dinner.Party.Pistol series, photograph. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30wtmt
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Carlee Fernandez, Life After Death. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30wuz0
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Lisa Williamson. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30wvs6
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Etching on graphite blocks. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30x2g4
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Nate Boyce, videos. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30x2uo
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Will Rogan, Other Worlds series, photographs. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30x39e
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Rebecca Goldfarb, Traveling Through Darkness, flashlights, wax, boxes, wood. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi201… http://twitpic.com/30x4a6
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Set for participatory film, 54 from @FinishingSchool. @OCMA California Biennial #CalBi2010 http://twitpic.com/30x5ji
25 Oct via TweetPic for iPhone

Artist’s Museum opening @MOCAlosangeles: I guess when you keep trotting out same art repeatedly & just rearrange it, people stop showing up.
30 Oct via TweetDeck

Twitter Reviews – September 2009

Karl Benjamin @ CGU (****) Paintings from 1969-71 look as fresh as if painted yesterday. Bright colorful triangles within grids of squares.
8:34 PM Sep 1st from txt

Bruce Nauman: Leave the Land Alone @ Arroyo Seco (****) Really exciting when the planes started puffing smoke and letters appeared. #artLA
5:16 PM Sep 12th from txt

Jeni Spota: Fool’s Small Victory @ Kathryn Brennan (***) Liked small stripe painting best. Show a bit sparse and out of balance. Too soon?
5:20 PM Sep 12th from txt

Roger Herman @ Jancar (***) Architectural exteriors and interiors far superior to the figurative work. Straight lines v. curves?
5:37 PM Sep 12th from txt

Uudam Nguyen: Natural Feelings @ Sabina Lee (**) Too much political mumbo jumbo trying to prop up this work. Doesn’t really mean much.
5:50 PM Sep 12th from txt

Rachel Khedoori @ The Box (****) This work actually means something and presents it in a moving way.
6:03 PM Sep 12th from txt

Libby Black: Timeless @ Charlie James (*****) Great variety of work. Perfectly installed. Love the gouaches of vintage Vogue covers. #artLA
6:06 PM Sep 12th from txt

Ruth Pastine: Limitless @ Edward Cella (****) Best viewed at an angle. Favs are “Excruciating Pleasure” & “Ethics & Desire”. #artLA
7:04 PM Sep 12th from txt

Zoe Sheehan Saldana: Ersatz @ Steve Turner. Not sure I get the “why” but I like the “how.” Will rate later.
7:06 PM Sep 12th from txt

Kevin Appel: Drawings @ ACME (***) Pretty disappointing compared to his Citibank Emerging Artist Award paintings. #artLA
7:24 PM Sep 12th from txt

Seasonal Pictures @ ACME (**) Brad Eberhard is the only bright spot in this otherwise blah painting show.
7:31 PM Sep 12th from txt

Eric Johnson @ William Turner (****) Solid show. Translucent resin wall sculptures-one in red-orange, the other in royal blue-rock. #artLA
9:28 PM Sep 12th from txt

Oliver Sutter: Intention @ 24hr Gallery (***) Mix of cryptic symbols on bright color fields w/ hard-edge stripes & black letterbox bars.
1:12 PM Sep 20th from TweetDeck

Irving Penn: Small Trades @GettyMuseum (*****) Amazingly, the subjects are both individual and typical. #artLA
6:14 PM Sep 25th from TweetDeck

Irving Penn: The plain studio backdrop forces you to see the person instead of a scene, focusing on clothing details and facial expressions.
6:15 PM Sep 25th from TweetDeck

Irving Penn: Some are impressive because of their bravado like the London chef donning a toque & apron, arms crossed, knife in hand.
6:16 PM Sep 25th from TweetDeck

Irving Penn: Others are striking for their humble honesty like the New York groom wearing worn shoes and a sweater full of holes.
6:16 PM Sep 25th from TweetDeck

Joel Kyack: Knife Shop @ Kunsthalle (***) Like set 4 performance that doesn’t happen. Hints @ some ideas, but point left unexpressed. #artLA
6:26 PM Sep 26th from TweetDeck

Twitter Reviews – August 2009

Summer Group Show @ Cottage Home (***) Bart Exposito paintings & Pae White tapestry are the standouts. #artLA
4:47 PM Aug 1st from txt

Simone Forti @ The Box (*) Boring performance documentation. Walked in. Walked right out. #artLA
5:00 PM Aug 1st from txt

Monique van Genderen @ Happy Lion (**) Good 2 see Monique experimenting w/ something new, but needs more time in the studio. Only 1 I like.
5:10 PM Aug 1st from txt

Mark Roeder @ sister (***) Black line paintings on white gessoed canvas or paper. I like the idea of correction. #artLA
5:15 PM Aug 1st from txt

POVevolving Anniversary Show (**) Again–only one painting I like: Amy Casey’s “Residential Web.”
5:24 PM Aug 1st from txt

Will Fowler @ China Art Objects (***) I like these paintings. Layered, hard-edge yet messy, fun, bright with white. #artLA
5:31 PM Aug 1st from txt

Diem Chau @ fifth floor (****) Embroidered silk organza over china cups or saucers. Very delicate and poignant. #artLA
5:40 PM Aug 1st from txt

Conscious Pleasure @ Sabina Lee (**) I usually like Sabina’s shows, but not this one. Sloppy & derivative. #artLA
5:50 PM Aug 1st from txt

Pompeii @LACMA (****) Unlike blockbuster predecessor, focuses on wealthy, their art & seaside villas celebrating the Golden Age of Greece.
2:33 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

Pompeii: I really liked a gorgeous small glass bowl made of fused ribbon glass in stripes of blue, green and gold. http://tr.im/wDVy
2:41 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

Pompeii: There was also this amazingly detailed floor mosaic depicting Plato’s Academy. http://tr.im/wDXB
2:47 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

Pompeii: I didn’t really get into the frescoes but did like the Floating Maenad with transparent billowing drapery. http://bit.ly/u7YTH
3:07 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

Pompeii: I was oddly attracted to the portrait-herm of Menander. It was my favorite piece in the show. http://bit.ly/nzadb
3:20 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

Menander: Despite corrosion on the right side of the face and the tip of his nose missing, deep-set eyes, square chin & full lips got to me.
3:21 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

Your Bright Future: 12 Contemporary Artists from Korea @LACMA (***) Not recent enough to feel timely; not remote enough to be historical.
6:23 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

I agree with both @KnightLAT & Chris Miles–Do Ho Suh’s Fallen Star 1/5 is the piece to see. http://tr.im/wEyV
6:24 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

Fallen Star 1/5 is an exquisite clash between Wizard of Oz & Twilight Zone with Roland Reiss & Gordon Matta-Clark.
6:34 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

Fallen Star 1/5: I was particularly wowed by the extremely detailed and structured stitching on the deflated balloon.
6:35 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

I also liked the icy coolness of the honeycomb resin used in Do Ho Suh’s eerie Home within Home. http://tr.im/wEAn
6:35 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

Bright Future: As for the rest, I just don’t have the patience for standing around reading a lot of text or watching TV in a museum.
6:35 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

Bright Future: I’ve also grown weary of the Home Depot aesthetic. Please, no more sheetrock, metal shelving, cardboard boxes or crates.
6:36 PM Aug 18th from TweetDeck

From the Spoon to the City @LACMA (****) Small but worthy. Into the chaise lounges by Gehry & Breuer & Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Line textile.
11:25 AM Aug 20th from TweetDeck

Patrick Wilson @ Susanne Vielmetter (****) Didn’t like the works on paper. Subtle harmonies of paintings like “Green Gray Yellow” work best. #artLA
2:19 PM Aug 21st from txt

Chris Vasell @ Blum & Poe (**) Why did everyone like these paintings? Yuck. #artLA
2:32 PM Aug 21st from txt

Laugh It Off @ Walter Maciel (****) Fun and funny, particularly the jabs at the Art World. #artLA
2:52 PM Aug 21st from txt

Wet Paint @ Steve Turner (***) Not bad for youngsters. Love all of Ana Rodriguez’s patterns & blobs.
8:37 PM Aug 22nd from txt

Wet Paint: Also drawn to Michael Rey’s “Limited (IME)” monochrome. I’m a sucker for chartreuse. #artLA
8:40 PM Aug 22nd from txt

Drawings & Objects by Architects @ Edward Cella (***) A bit too crowed on the walls, but represents some great architects.
8:58 PM Aug 22nd from txt

Edward Cella: Be sure to see Frank Gehry’s Wiggle chair, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Cottage Studio for Ayn Rand & Minoru Yamasaki’s Century Plaza Hotel.
8:59 PM Aug 22nd from txt

Deforestation Squad @machineproject (****) Love to see all this recycling going on. Side and coffee tables & a grass couch–cool. #artLA
9:57 PM Aug 22nd from txt

Twitter Reviews – March 2009

Mineo Mizuno: Coexistence @ Samuel Freeman (***) Like moss covered ovoids in theory, but in reality fall short. Wish they were greener.
4:27 PM Mar 3rd from web

Mizuno @ Freeman: Misting contraptions distract. Matte-glazed works weak, but love the small, shiny river rock shaped ceramics.
4:32 PM Mar 3rd from web

David Hockney: Drawing in a Printing Machine @ LA Louver (**) Is this what phoning it in for an affordable price point looks like?
1:21 PM Mar 5th from web

Elias Sime: Eye of the Needle Eye of the Heart @ SMMoA (***) Wowed by obsessive craftsmanship of the stitching, but too much of the same.
1:37 PM Mar 5th from web

Julie Blackmon: Domestic Vacations @ Fahey/Klein (*****) Wonderfully humorous fictional photos of family life.
1:03 PM Mar 6th from txt

Jeremy Kidd: Fictional Realities @ Fahey/Klein (****) Dizzying (in a good way) urban photoscapes including LACMA under construction.
1:07 PM Mar 6th from txt

Carlos & Jason Sanchez @ dnj (***) Photos of some pretty depressing topics. Kind of a mood killer.
1:15 PM Mar 6th from txt

Angel Delgado: Continuous Limit @ Couturier (***) Liked the “objects in soap” series and sheep in metal cases. Didn’t care for drawings.
1:30 PM Mar 6th from txt

Angel Delgado @ Couturier: Objects are more metaphorical. Drawings are too literal.
1:31 PM Mar 6th from txt

Jutta Koether: Sovereign Women in Painting @ Susanne Vielmetter (*) Ridiculously awful.
2:09 PM Mar 6th from txt

Arsen Roje: Body Parts @ Peres Projects (***) Jenny Savillesque paintings of fingers, thumbs and hands.
2:22 PM Mar 6th from txt

Dave Muller: iamthewalrus @ Blum & Poe (****) “Beatles Within Beatles” is my favorite piece in the show.
2:32 PM Mar 6th from txt

Melissa Manfull: Tesseracts @ Taylor de Cordoba (****) Gridded towers and arches as organic stalactites and stalagmites.
2:51 PM Mar 6th from txt

Penelope Gottlieb @ Kim Light (*****) Suburban real estate dreams with shopping carts & fake fireplace thrown in to break the reverie.
3:03 PM Mar 6th from txt

Brad Eberhard: As Different as Twins @ Cottage Home (****) Washes, paint layering, colors, all great. “Snake Stack” my fav.
3:53 PM Mar 13th from txt

Katherine Gray @ Acuna-Hansen (***) Forest glass installations remind me of the coin toss at carnivals. Clear bubbles in back room best of show.
4:02 PM Mar 13th from txt

Vorcan: Painting Live Music @ L2kontemporary. (*) High school Day-Glo paintings made worse by 3-D gimmick.
4:11 PM Mar 13th from txt

Rebekah Bogard: Flesh & Bone @ Sam Lee (****) Pink and fecund. Cute but sexy, naughty.
4:21 PM Mar 13th from txt

David Kramer: Guilty Pleasure @ Jancar (***) Drawings with text. I laughed at “Burn This.”
4:46 PM Mar 13th from txt

“Burn This” says: Nice being an artist. Even if you are lucky enough to get famous your neighbor still doesn’t know who the f*ck you are.
4:51 PM Mar 13th from txt

Catya Plate @ Jancar/McCorkle (***) Does amusing things with clothes pins. Liked the colored pencil tarot card drawings best.
4:54 PM Mar 13th from txt

Illegiblusion @ Sabina Lee (***) Most delicate use of line. Grids for Mary Ijichi, and loops & dots for Kimiko Miyoshi.
5:04 PM Mar 13th from txt

Walter Robinson: Transport @ Charlie James (*****) Auto name plates, fun color, metallic sparkle meets Rothko and resin.
5:21 PM Mar 13th from txt

Kit Hinrichs: The Storyteller’s Art @ ACCD (***) Impressive body of graphic design. A bit stuck in the ’80s. Some stuff hung too high.
6:20 PM Mar 13th from txt

Jalopy @ Side Street Projects (***) Baron Margo’s race car and motorcycle look like something from the Rocketeer by way of the Great Race.
6:52 PM Mar 13th from txt

Eye in the Sky: JPL’s Mars Orbiter @ PMCA (***) Second time wearing 3-D glasses today. “Opportunity Rover at Victoria Crater” is amazing.
7:38 PM Mar 13th from txt

Data + Art @ PMCA (****) Best mix of data and art is David Bowen’s “Photographic Drawing Device,” solar-powered mini-robots drawing circles.
7:49 PM Mar 13th from txt

Roger Kuntz @ LAM (***) Though best know for his Freeway and Sign series, I prefer the Crystal Cove series, especially “Sea Porch,” 1960.
7:03 PM Mar 14th from txt

Kuntz created multiple paintings of same subject, starting with realistic rendering & achieving greater abstraction in each subsequent version.
7:10 PM Mar 14th from txt

The Bathroom series was Kuntz’s undoing. Especially when he added red to his favored blue and grey palette.
7:17 PM Mar 14th from txt

Kuntz gets brighter and funner in his subsequent Ocean Interior and Blimp series, bringing in luminous teals and greens.
7:28 PM Mar 14th from txt

I think Kuntz didn’t become as well known, not because the Bathroom series was out of step, but because it wasn’t as compelling.
7:47 PM Mar 14th from txt

Christine Nguyen: Dark Matter of Fact @ Angels Gate (**) Too much sketchbook experimenting. Only photo mural finds some resolutions.
3:10 PM Mar 20th from txt

Kurt Franz: Desublimated Landscapes @ Angels Gate (***) Diebenkorn but in 3-D. Nice to see construction materials used for more than scattertrash.
3:21 PM Mar 20th from txt

Amy Thornberry: Sheaths, Veils, Sediment @ Torrance Art Museum (**) Oh no–scattertrash!
4:26 PM Mar 20th from txt

Marie Thibeault: Broken Symmetries @ Torrance Art Museum (***) Paintings are dynamic, fragmented, chaotic and yes, scattered, but definitely not trashy.
4:30 PM Mar 20th from txt

Kim Abeles: Location Studies @ TAM (****) Who knew homeless sleep where the trees aren’t? Always liked her smog work.
4:34 PM Mar 20th from txt

Iva Gueorguieva @ Angles (***) So-so. Liked large B&W with collage best (The Pageantry of Power: The General).
12:50 PM Mar 27th from txt

Dimitri Kozyrev: Lost Edge @ Mark Moore (****) Love the way he uses masked areas of different paint texture & real/abstract as collage elements.
1:21 PM Mar 27th from txt

Steven Hull @ Rosamund Felsen (***) Felt like I was in a Psychedelic/Surrealist/Modernist haunted house in Disneyland with a bad hangover.
1:32 PM Mar 27th from txt

Nobuhito Nashigawara: Identities @ Mark Moore (***) Yoshimoto Nara meets Nathan Mabry.
1:36 PM Mar 27th from txt

John Miller: The Natural Order @ Patrick Painter (**) Gold-leaf pirate booty assemblages juxtaposed with ’80s decor. Kind of a snore.
1:51 PM Mar 27th from txt

Rock Paper Scissor @ Robert Berman (**) Why do rock musicians think they can get away with anything? Scissors should win. (Save 1 Pettibon)
2:07 PM Mar 27th from txt

Michael Beck: The Object as Still Life @ Lora Schlesinger (****) Each a single antique object against a wall. Multiple light sources make for cool shadows.
2:29 PM Mar 27th from txt

Alexandra Hedison: Ithaka @ Frank Pictures (***) Not about trees? Too bad–would have been better without the pseudo-theory text on the walls.
5:58 PM Mar 27th from txt

Donald Sultan: Recent Works on Paper @ Greenfield Sacks (**) Much better in reproduction than in person.
6:03 PM Mar 27th from txt

Amy Ross & Carole Silverstein: The aim of waking is to dream @ Overtones (***) Sugar pills and hallucinogens.
6:09 PM Mar 27th from txt

Twitter Reviews – January 2009

Jessica Curtaz @ Bert Green (****) Finely-detailed graphite drawings of crumpled bags, clothes, etc. on gessoed panels. Love the patterns.
7:28 PM Jan 8th from txt

What’s the Matter with Mommy? @ Phantom Galleries LA (****) Stand-outs are Marion Lane, James Gilbert & Richard Kessler.
7:58 PM Jan 8th from txt

Change is the Only Constant @ Phantom Galleries LA (**) So-so body art and lots of real grass.
8:09 PM Jan 8th from txt

Pharmaka presents: The MAN Show (**) The only things I liked were the donkey paintings by John Scane. Cool raw space though.
8:32 PM Jan 8th from txt

Timothy Nolan: Edge @ Phantom Galleries LA (***) Crystal shapes in blue, black & silver tape. Simple, clean, cool.
8:50 PM Jan 8th from txt

New Mythologies @ Pharmaka (?) Way too crowded all night. What I can see over peoples’ heads doesn’t look like it’s worth fighting the mob.
8:58 PM Jan 8th from txt

Richard Wilson: Rises @ Carl Berg (*****) Absolutely pristine surfaces and edges with spot-on color combos on stacked canvases. Fav: Town to Town.
7:03 PM Jan 10th from txt

Julia Meltzler + David Thorne: In Possession of a Picture @ Steve Turner (****) This is the way to do social commentary.
7:09 PM Jan 10th from txt

Monique Prieto: A Boatfull of Spaniards Sing @ ACME (*) I so loved her blob paintings but so hate her word paintings. These are even worse than the last batch.
7:25 PM Jan 10th from txt

Maaike Schoorel: Nudes and garden @ Marc Foxx (*) Typical awkward conceptual painting that Marc shows.
7:30 PM Jan 10th from txt

Lisa Adams: The Future of Paradise Past @ Lawrence Asher (****) Her paintings are getting so lush. Fav: A Cause For Wandering.
7:55 PM Jan 10th from txt

Loren Sandvik: Abominable Fancy @ Acuna Hansen (***) Glass, metal, mirrors. Colored glass floor sculptures are the best.
8:39 PM Jan 10th from txt

Rolling & Ruling @ Sabina Lee (*****) Sweet. Zammitt’s sculptures were luminous and my favorites in the show.
9:03 PM Jan 10th from txt

David E. Stone: Unanticipated Despair (Despite Naive Optimism) @ Charlie James (***) Relies too much on the one-liner, but I liked the broken glass Twister.
9:08 PM Jan 10th from txt

Russell Crotty: Surfworks @ Shoshana Wayne (****) I didn’t think I was going to like these, but I did. Needs one more drawing in big room.
4:38 PM Jan 17th from txt

Kaz Oshiro: False Gestures @ Rosamund Felsen (*****) Illusion to perfection. I like the metallic blue panels with “tape.”
4:51 PM Jan 17th from txt

Winter Water Color Land & If I Do What You Tell Me Will You Love Me? @ Samuel Freeman (**) The gallery needs some better lights.
5:04 PM Jan 17th from txt

Alex Couwenberg: A Little Bit Left of All Right @ William Turner (****) Delicious. “Buzz Bomb” & “Evergleam” are the highlights.
6:15 PM Jan 17th from txt

Amy Bennett: At the Lake @ Richard Heller (***) Landscapes painted from scale model of lakefront homes with the inhabitants seemingly on holiday.
4:29 PM Jan 22nd from web

David Hilliard: Being Like @ Mark Moore (***) Poignant, melancholic narrative photographic triptychs. Especially liked “Rock Bottom”
4:29 PM Jan 22nd from web

Asgar/Gabriel: Bucolica Obscura @ Mark Moore (**) Wasted teenagers mashed with hot pink spray paint graffiti. Just rehashing the latest art world obsessions.
4:31 PM Jan 22nd from web

Seduction of a Blossom @ LBCC (***) Like a rose w/ thorns, blends the beauty of flowers w/ coded sentiments tinged w/ a lurking hint of mischief.
9:46 PM Jan 25th from web

Supersonic 2009 @ LA Art Show (**) Mind-boggling, the shear volume of underdeveloped artists flooding the Art World every single year.
6:47 PM Jan 26th from web

Top of the Whirled – January 2009

Here’s a list of the top ten shows I saw in January:

10. Beili Liu: Three Thousand Troubled Threads @ Tarryn Teresa Gallery “Lure #1” was the best piece by far.  Numerous red disks of coiled threads hover just above the floor, each hanging from a thin needle and thread. Each coil is paired with a soul-mate by a “red thread of fate.”  The disks slowly float with the air currents as you walk by.

9. What’s the Matter with Mommy? – The Hang-Over @ Phantom Galleries LA at P.E. Lofts Unconventional feminine role models explored through photography, painting, installation, sculpture, video, performance, and spoken word.  Stand-outs were Marion Lane, James Gilbert and Richard Kessler.

8. Julia Meltzler + David Thorne: In Possession of a Picture @ Steve Turner Contemporary Compelling series of photographic diptychs of sites where people have been detained or arrested for photographing them.  This is the way to do social/political commentary.

7. Lisa Adams: The Future of Paradise Past @ Lawrence Asher Gallery Her paintings have gotten so lush.  Repeated motifs of birds, flowers, clinging vines explore countering themes of freedom and needy desperation.  My favorite was “A Cause For Wandering.”

6. Alex Couwenberg: A Little Bit Left of All Right @ William Turner Gallery Delicious, retro geometric abstraction. “Buzz Bomb” & “Evergleam” were the highlights.

5. Russell Crotty: Surf Works @ Shoshana Wayne Gallery Large grid drawings, sketchbooks, fiberglass wall pieces.  I didn’t think I was going to like these, but I did.  The show could have more balance with one more drawing in the big room.

4. Jessica Curtaz @ Bert Green Fine Art Finely-detailed graphite drawings of crumpled plastic bags, clothes, and chain-link fencing on gessoed panels.  I love the patterns.

3. Rolling & Ruling @ Sabina Lee Gallery Sweet.  Featured work from Eric Zammitt, Omar Chacon and Ilhyung Cho.  Zammitt’s sculptures were luminous and my favorites in the show.

2. Richard Wilson: Rises @ Carl Berg Absolutely pristine surfaces and edges with spot-on color combos on stacked canvases.  My favorite piece was “Town to Town.”

1. Kaz Oshiro: False Gestures @ Rosamund Felsen Gallery Illusion done to perfection.  I especially liked the metallic blue panels with “tape.”

Give it a Whirl – Saturday, January 10, 2009

Rolling & Ruling @ Sabina Lee

A trio of artists, Eric Zammitt, Omar Chacon, Ilhyung Cho, make highly-controlled work featuring repetitive processes in a wide range of media including Plexiglas wall pieces and sculpture, abstract painting, and video installation.

OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, January 10, 2009, 6-9pm
Sabina Lee Gallery
971 Chung King Road
Los Angeles, CA 90012

January 10 through Febrary 7, 2009

Richard Wilson: Rises @ Carl Berg

New color-field relief paintings composed of several panels of varying sizes and depths by the northern California-based artist.

OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, January 10, 2009, 6-9pm
Carl Berg Gallery
6018 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90036

January 10 through Febrary 7, 2009

Lisa Adams: The Future of Paradise Past @ Lawrence Asher

Twelve recent oil paintings that continue Adams’ interest in birds, botanicals and meditative contemplation.

OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, January 10, 2009, 6-10pm
Lawrence Asher Gallery
5820 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036

January 10 through Febrary 14, 2009