Award-winning blogazine, primarily about painting
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
While many of the galleries and artists are down in Miami at the art fairs, Two Coats of Paint is engaged in our 2022 Year-end Fundraising Campaign. If you enjoy our art coverage, particularly our focus on painting exhibitions, the lives of painters, and the New York art community, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to help keep the conversation (and monthly gallery guides like this one) going in 2023. Then go check out some of the shows listed below.
Contributed by Sharon Butler / First things first. If we don’t all get out and vote on November 8, and Lee Zeldin beats Kathy Hochul in what is now a close governor’s race, sensible gun laws and abortion rights would be at risk. Once you’ve minimized that risk, even if you yourself have a couple of exhibitions coming up, resist the solipsistic urge to hole up in the studio. Get out and see some shows. In Bushwick, Astrid Dick and Erika Ranee are in a two-person show at M. David & Co. that looks well worth a trip on the L train. Delphine Hennelly has a solo opening at nearby Carvahlo Park on November 12. In Tribeca, at Canada, look for Xylor Jane’s exploration of prime palindromes — numbers that read the same forward…
Contributed by Sharon Butler / This month, don’t forget to look up and admire the trees, which are having the last gasp of color that I’ve always thought is impossible to paint (or photograph) without seeming hopelessly sentimental. Meanwhile, in the galleries, check out “Big Little Color,” an elegant abstraction show at Carrie Haddad featuring geometry, pattern, and sophisticated color. Ashley Garrett, Charlie Goering, and Evan Halter are in “knowing when,” a group show at Turley Gallery that celebrates knowing when to ignore the internal voices and listen, and knowing when to stop. At LABspace Susan Carr is back for another outstanding solo with new work that continues her exploration of, and search for, happiness. And finally, don’t miss “The Material, The Thing,” a big survey of talented Hudson Valley artists at the Dorsky Museum. It’s only on view through November 6.
Brooklyn has several strong shows this month, including Michael Ashkin and Patrick Killoran in “Cul-de-sac” at Cathouse Proper. Their email says the exhibition marks “the beginning of the end for the Cathouse FUNeral /Proper gallery project in its current form. ‘Cul-de-sac’ will be the first in a series of shows scheduled for the 2022-2023 season that will celebrate our ten years of art activity — and six years at 524 Projects — by meditating on cultural memory and its relationship to the art object as we bring the current gallery program to a close in June 2023.” Each week they plan to add a new artist to the show. We’re sorry to see Cathouse close, but look forward to the next iteration. In DUMBO, look for Jane Swavely at AIR and Gabrielle Evertz at Minus Space. On the Upper East Side, Claude Viallat has a series of new paintings on old military tarps at Ceysson & Benetiere. On Canal Street, you can’t miss the new expanded Magenta Plains — it’s the big, freshly-painted black building at the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge. Ken Lum, Liza Lacroix, and Chason Matthams each have solos on their own brand new, freshly spackled and painted galleries, one artist per beautiful floor.
Contributed by Sharon Butler / This month, Open Studio Hudson takes place October 8-9. The annual event, conceived and coordinated by Hudson painter Jane Ehrlich, is a great chance to meet the artists and peek behind the scenes of their workspaces, situated in homes, barns, storefronts, warehouses and other unexpected Hudson area locations. On Saturday, October 8th, at 2pm, Tom Burckhardt will be giving an artist’s talk at The Re Institute in Millerton on the occasion of his expansive solo exhibition.
Contributed by Sharon Butler / September traditionally has been the busiest time of the year for artists and galleries in NYC, and not even the Covid-precipitated flight of the past two years can change that.
Contributed by Sharon Butler / August is the laziest month in New York. Everyone takes a breath, some leave town, and others gear up for their September shows. That said, there is still plenty to see, usually in air-conditioned comfort. And, because gallerists are understandably loath to open new shows at the end of August, many existing ones get extended beyond announced closing dates.
Is summer my favorite season in the city? Emphatically, YES. A few galleries, having staked out space in the mountains or at the beach, are closed for the season. But plenty are open, and some are presenting exuberant group shows that defy the gloomy and anxious national mood. Highlights include “Painting As Is II” at Nathalie Karg, “ASKEW” at DC Moore, “Pattern and Recognition” at Sperone Westwater, “Early Summer” at Theodore, “Catechism” at Bridget Donahue, “Ink” at McKenzie Fine Art, and “Weeds and Spores” at Alexandre. I’m not sure precisely what to expect from “The Tale Their Terror Tells,” which opens at at Lyles & King on July 9, but it features a huge roster of artists and promises to be intriguing. On July 13, stop by the opening of “TANGO” at Jennifer Baahng Gallery at 790 Madison Avenue on the UES. I’ll have a couple paintings in the show. Then, the next day, on July 14, don’t miss the opening for “Psychedelic Landscape” at Eric Firestone. Should be lit.
Contributed by Sharon Butler / It’s the height of summer arts season in the Hudson Valley, and this is our most expansive Gallery Guide yet. On July 22-24, Upstate Art Weekend, featuring more than 100 exhibitions, extended gallery hours, and a slew of special events, adds a thick layer to the month’s already robust art programming. As a bonus, more than 50 artists will open their studios to the public. We are also pleased to see that SEPTEMBER Gallery will be reopening on July 23 at their new space in Kinderhook NY.
Contributed by Sharon Butler / For the past week I’ve been holed up in my apartment with Covid, so I may not make it to your opening tonight. No need to send condolences — at this point it’s just a case of the sniffles and I’ve enjoyed hanging around the house. I’ll be back out in a day or two, bike riding around town and (once an academic always an academic) spending long, lazy days in the studio. There are a lot of good exhibitions to see this month including …
