Painting Miami green

Exactly one week ago I was grabbing yet another cup of coffee in Miami, wondering how I could get to all the fairs before my Sunday mid-morning flight. The answer, of course, was I couldn�t. I saw a stunning number of good paintings by unfamiliar artists from all over the country, and left feeling as though I�d missed truckloads more. Most of the galleries couldn�t have been more gracious and helpful, especially at Aqua, Aqua Wynwood, and the spunky upstart Fountain. Thanks also go to Flow organizer Matt Garson who invited the first annual Art Blogger Miami Beach cohort to convene during the Curators’ Brunch in the Flow lobby. If you didn�t make the fairs this year, plan to go in 2008 (book your room now) because most of the Miami fairs are all about painting. To see jpeg proof, check out Joanne Mattera�s art blog and Kriston Capps� Flickr page. Once I get the experience in perspective, I’ll craft a longer essay that may run in the February edition of The Brooklyn Rail, where I’ve signed on to be a regular contributor. Admittedly, all the fairs are mainly about commerce and volume rather than a refined aesthetic, and seeing a recent Ellsworth Kelly hanging in Matthew Marks’ crowded booth was mildly disturbing (I kept wondering if EK, notoriously particular about how his art is installed, knew one of his paintings was hanging in a cubicle), but overall I came away energized, with many ideas for future projects.