Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Big Art needs Big Space! The Coleman Burke Gallery


Fort Andross Mill home to businesse, Farmers markets & the Coleman Burke Gallery


The Coleman Burke Installation Gallery is a space for big art! Not your itty bitty hole in the wall gallery or a coastal Maine art gallery constrained by the fact they have to sell a lot of lighthouse art each week to pay the rent, The Coleman Burk is located in Brunswick Maine's Andross Mill, the space is subsidized by mill owner Coleman Burke and curated by sculptor John Bisbee and painter Mark Wethli of the Bowdoin College faculty.  It is a huge space that challenges installation artists to explore, expand and create unique art "one of a kind" or "one of a time art"



Repetition of sections create the massive 16' x 18' work by George Mason 
The current show is one entitled  MULTIPLES, this group exhibition features three Maine artists that employ multiple and similar elements in assembling the overall structure of their final creations.  The repetition created for me a feeling of familiarity and was unknowingly meditative. Mildred Johnson (found objects) , George Mason (mixed media and wall reliefs) and Elizabeth Pelissier (Metal Works)  don't seem like kin you would expect in the same space, but there works differences create that weird tension and in the end strengthen the neighboring pieces.  


WHY EXPLORE THE EXHIBIT MULTIPLES AT THE COLEMAN BURKE GALLERY IN BRUNSWICK's ANDROSS MILL 
You could go because it's a nice warm place to visit 
on a Saturday after you go to the regionally famous
Saturday Morning Brunswick Winter Farmers Market 

or 
 
GO BECAUSE YOUR GOOD MIND 
NEEDS GOOD ART! 



 The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the 
WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the 
art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on
WMPG college and community radio broadcasting
   from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

Note: WMPG 90.9 fm has increased it's FM signal strength from 1100 kilowatts to  4500 kilowatts! Thank you for making that possible. This means that you are now able to hear MPG on your car radio from Brunswick Maine to Dover, New Hampshire.
  The station management, the University of Southern Maine & DJ's are totally pumped and excited about the ability to bring you fresh diverse live radio with a clean crisp sound!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Photojournalism & art combined

Photo Art it's happening a lot lately, ya think!

Photo Credit & uploaded to Flicker by DavyRocket
Now that every Fred, Ed & Harry with a cell phone-mobile-upload is posting pictures on view for your every friend and friends of friends the world over to view.  Photo art and the art of a good photograph is becoming diluted! I didn't know how many photos were uploaded to flicker or facebook so I did the research.  I guessed maybe a couple hundred thousand photos a day, my estimate was so far off I was in shock.  How many photos a day do you think are uploaded? 
Here are the Foto Factoids:
Flickr one of the more popular photo sharing sites as of November 2011 uploads 3,000 per minute x 60 mins = 180,000/hour x 24hours = 4,320,000/day  x 30day = 103.7 million pictures a month WOW!
now buckle up for Facebook numbers according to Justin Mitchel and engineer at Facebook Photos (info from Jan 2011 a year ago)  200 million photos a day = 6 billion a month  & as of January 2011 - 90 billion images stored.  
Man thats a lot of photos...   betcha Kodak didn't see that coming ..

Robert Freson Photojournalist
I harken back to the day of the Photojournalist the Photo essay'est  you know the guy who had to capture the essence of an event in a fraction of a second.  If he got it right the photo need not a caption or story because it was all right there for the viewer to understand, the'ol picture says a thousand words. 

The Frontier Gallery in Brunswick this month has just those type of images. The exhibit is called "The Hayday of Photojournalism" and features the photo work of  Photojournalist Robert Freson.  Robert is now retired and lives in Harpswell, Maine.  His assignments over the last 60 years have taken him on an incredible worldwide journey,  he has worked for LOOK, Vogue, Esquire & National Geographic Magazine, the London Sunday Times in England  just to name a few.  

His work tells the story of the time captured, the exhibit in the Frontier has images of Coney island, New York in the 60's and they are truly priceless.  The photos of children in Ireland and Africa capture your heart and have you begging for an introduction. 
Photo by Robert Freson used without permission
Roberts work need not a caption,  for words would only provide a singular view.  Many of the images possess the power and ability to mean something quite unique to every person who views them.  

The Heyday of Photo journalism is in the Frontier Cafe's Gallery and available for viewing during all hours of operation.   If you visit I recommend you set a side some time to lavish on the images of Photojournal-artist Robert Freson. Enjoy a spot of tea, Coffee or local brew from the cafe.    The frontier's employes the tagline explore beyond and we are fortunate to have the works of world traveler Robert Freson on display right here in Maine though the end of February. 
For more information on exhibit, the Frontier Cafe, menus,  directions & Hours click on the links.  The Frontier is located in the Andross Mill on Brunswick's river front, also in the mill complex is the Coleman Burke Installation art gallery (worth checking in ).  

WHY EXPLORE THE HEYDAY OF PHOTO JOURNALISM? 
EXPLORE IT BECAUSE YOUR GOOD MIND 
NEEDS GOOD ART! 



 The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

Note: WMPG 90.9 fm has increased it's FM signal strength from 1100 kilowatts to  4500 kilowatts! Thank you for making that possible. This means that you are now able to hear MPG on your car radio from Augusta to Dover , New Hampshire .  The station management, the University of Southern Maine & DJ's are totally pumped and excited about the ability to bring you fresh diverse live radio with a clean crisp sound!
.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Portland Maine 1st Friday art walk January recommendations!

Yes it's a big deal.
Prepare for some culture!
Prepare for lots of peoples!
Remember Art Walk is about experiencing art, consider it an adventure and enjoy the journey.
This is easier said than done. A little reminder never hurt, it's so easy to get caught up in the fray you might not get a chance to smell the roses, I mean, actually view the art.  To help you I'm going to suggest a mini-tour that you can plug into your Art tour walking adventure.


There are 3 galleries on this simple tour and 1 eating & drinking establishment . It's starts right in the heart of the arts district;  one brand new gallery just opened in November ( Octopi Gallery) , the second gallery has been open only a few months it's name speaks of heat but it's body of work is so cool, like the underside of your pillow ( The Flat Iron Gallery) , the third gallery has been around a few years but it speaks to me of what art is all about for the artist (The Bridge gallery).

The Bridge has been open for several years and is the love of Painters Rhonda Pearle & Gary Pearlmutter At first glance there art is different,  a juxtaposed contrast in styles.I'll admit it,  I was confused, now I love their work and it all makes sense, it's being together that is.
Rhonda's work shares a duel passion of the texture of paint and the intense captivation of color. All with an up close person connection.   Rhonda has made me appreciate and love chickens more than I ever thought possible.  Her "Chicken portraits" were the works that pulled me off the street and inside the studio. Each one shows the unique character and personality with names like; Edna, Chester, Randell, Louise and Clara it's like I knew them. Or wanted to know them.  Her colors bold, life vibrant and present.  It's art that makes you breath.
  Now Gary's work is 180 degrees in the other direction. He is the uncrowned King of the still life,  his paint captures those moments in time and freezes them with a cell phone cameras quickness. Strong technically masterful work, I look at them and I'm immediately impressed with the level of skill that is required to depict life in paint so accurately.   By themselves interesting, together each becomes better, stronger and it starts you on the crazy mental journey of what are these two totally different styles doing in the same gallery.  That's why 1st Fridays are great you can meet Rhonda & Gary and ask them yourself.  The bridge Gallery located 568 congress, on the same side of Congress as Maine College of Art, walk up past Space Galley & before Startbucks. Look fro the big red paintings in the window , you can't miss it....  
The Flat Iron Gallery 2nd floor 594 Congress St.

Keep walking up the street toward the Portland Museum of Art and the Funky building that has Starbucks on first floor has The Flat Iron Gallery on the Second floor.  Enter through the door on the pointy end of the building go up the stairs   walk in get greeted by warm colors,  the sound of a pan steel drum ping'n,  it's boarder line dreamlike in dead winter of Portland Maine. Owner Artist Musician Matt Welch is a special cat, he's created a home for the unique and talented.  A "one flew over" for Portland's elite art hard cores and newby meca-motz-artists.  This could be my new favorite gallery in the P-city. A stop is totally recommended be prepared for great unique paintings, sculptures, furniture, jewelery & a warm vibe. 

The Third gallery is Located Across the street at 593 congress
it called the Octopi Gallery.  It's one small part of the OVE studio, offering dance, yoga and massage, a diverse blend of body happy activities and classes.  Add to the great chi flow some current art in the Octopi Gallery and you've got a recipe for mind expansion.  Speaking of mind expansion and perspective altering, the work of wood block artist Kyle Bryant is featured this month with an opening on January's 1st Friday Art walk.   I've talk about Kyles work before (June 9th 2011 The things we carry)  and his wood cuts are becoming a thing of legend here in Portland.  A throw back to the Massachusetts master artist Lenard Baskin,  Bryants work explores a world often darkened and over burdened, a theme often experience in many a 21st century lifestyle. Mind expanding concepts in art, yoga, massage & dance it's the full mind-body art enchilada. Ove Studio & Octopi Gallery.

Mort Todd's handy work
Speaking of Enchilada's quick Double back down the street to Taco Escobarr for a Margaritas Gangster or a La Poloma a Repossado, an original cocktail with grapefruit puree, lemon, lime juice and snappy soda H20 , understand no Blender on premises and food lest we forget the KILO BURRITO it is so massive be prepared to share!   Check out the Mexican Movie Poster art wall paper in bathrooms for great laughs.  Also Yarmouth high graduate and x-Cracked magazine editor-in-chief Mott Todd is responsible for the Taco Escobarr logo & wall art.  Wow that's a lot of art in 4 stops... Porland Maine whada con-tree!

Enjoy your tour don't forget free entry to the Portland Museum every Friday 5-8pm


Why go out for art in the Port City?

Experience the arts because, 
your good mind needs good art! 




The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

Note: WMPG 90.9 fm has increased it's FM signal strength from 1100 kilowatts to  4500 kilowatts! Thank you for making that possible. This means that you are now able to hear MPG on your car radio from Augusta to Dover , New Hampshire .  The station management, the University of Southern Maine & DJ's are totally pumped and excited about the ability to bring you fresh diverse live radio with a clean crisp sound!