Album Art Comes to Portland

 The album cover as an art form was driven out of existence by profit driven recording companies.  The University of Southern Maine & WMPG Radio present an opportunity to view & purchase a huge assortment of album cover art  (and the music) at the WMPG RECORD SALE & BENEFIT!   

Here's the backstory: 

Recording & reproduction of sounds in the late 20th century & 21st century was a truly dynamic time in invention.  It was the phonautographic cylinders of Leon Scott in 1857 that was then improved in 1877 by the inventor Thomas Edison into the Phonograph,  this can-like cylinder with engraved wax on the outside was the cutting edge of technology and the Edison "records" as they were called had a glory period from 1888-1915.  The evolution of recording then went flat, literally with the advent of the gramaphone recording system.  This flat shelacked rubber disc would eventually triumph over the phonographic cylinders and held a predominant position as the prefered medium for recorded sound for nearly a century.  The flat records went through many of their own changes from as small as 5 inches to 7 inches, then the ever popular 10" 78 rpm eventually going to a 12 inch 33&1/3 rpm Long Playing "LP" with approximatly 15 minutes of recording per side.  For a brief period in the mid century the RCA company released a 7 inch with a larger center hole that could have multiple discs loaded into their playing machine, the explosion of this new 45 rpm disc ruled for time, only to have the LP return and dominate the blossoming music recording industry.    The recordings now called "Albums" withstood a competive run from reel to reel tape, the tape cassette & my favorite the 8-track cartridge. It wasn't until 1988 that the tables would turn.  The compact disc surpassed the gramophone record in popularity. Many believe it was the record companies themselves that pushed the industry into the compact disc.  This new formate was much more profitable than the larger vinyl records. Record companies also deleted many vinyl titles from production and distribution, further undermining the availability of the format thus accelerated the format's decline in popularity. Many view these actions as a deliberate ploy to make consumers switch to CDs.  In spite of their flaws, such as the lack of portability, records still have enthusiastic supporters and most recently have seen increases in production & sales.

    

 WMPG Record sale or vast collection of period art? 

I personally love the 12" Album covers as a unique medium for art.  The cover photographs of bands reflect the era of their production in a way no other can portray.  The psychedelic art covers from bands like King Crimson, the artwork of "Hipgnosis" (Aubrey Powell & Storm Thorgerson) think Dark Side of Moon or Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy,  or Lee Conklin's 1st album cover for Santana are a few of my favorites.  Everyone is familiar with Mouse's work for the Grateful Dead, it became the logo of a lifestyle, the Skeleton & Roses. The Cubist works of graphic designer S.Neil Fujima on the Jazz Albums Ah uM by Mingus & Dave Brubeck's Time out are unique and accent how cool jazz was at that time. These are but a few memorable covers.  The LP cover offered medium for art to promote, protest, experiment comingle the visual & the audio into on statement. For the artists it presented an opportunity for an audience of millions to see their work.  Contrast that with the CD jewel case in it's 5 inch by 5 inch format just does not possess the ability to punch like a 12 x 12 LP or better yet a 12 x 24 gate fold LP jacket. 
Pink Floyd's

Time Out Cover art by S.Neil Fujima  

On Saturday November 2nd there is perhaps the greatest forum for honoring this art form.  It is a one day event the WMPG record sale and benefit. There will be Thousands of LP Albums and their cover art on display for viewing and collecting.   Not advertised as an art event, this coming together of WMPG Radio, record collectors and dealers is as huge a collection of LP art as there is anywhere in the world. It's right here in Portland,  Saturday from 10-3pm at the USM Sullivan Gym.

Why go see the WMPG RECORD SALE & ALBUM ART EXHIBIT?

   

  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/

You don't know DODD!

Woods bi L.Dodd Tryptic 18' tall x 4' wide
For an Artist Description dial 207 233 -0300 & enter 6

Do you know Lois Dodd? 
I can share with I didn't know Dodd!

After immersion in the Catching the Light exhibition I can say I now know a little bit about Dodd.  
What I see is that Lois Dodd is that painters painter and so much more, she's a painter for the everyman-woman.  
Perhaps that is what has made her current show at the Portland Museum of Art so popular.  This show follows   the all time best attended show at the PMA Winslow Homer's Weatherbeaten exhibition.  I think it is the  perfect counterpoint to Homers display of the nature vs man conflict theme that dominates Homers canvases.  Lois makes viewing art easy,  by that I mean you don't have to work hard to understand whats going on.  Her works are bright, bold and that lead a an overall comfortable feeling when I viewed her work.  The current exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art is called "Catching the light " and features 50 of her works spanning a lifetime of painting from views out her window in New York city to the natural world viewed from the coast here in Maine.

 Before this show I understood Lois Dodd was one of a group of New York artists the so called "modernist" of the late 20th century.  Along with Alex Katz, Neil Welliver, Rackstraw Downes these New Yorkers would come north in summer to experience a different pace, they wanted to escape the hustle of civilization and capture the tranquility of Maine in paint. As a collective I have come to appreciate and enjoy the art work of this group.


 Lois Dodd paints exactly what presents itself to her, each image like a memory taken from the fold of her brain displayed on giant canvases.    I have a few favorites one is the tryptic. It is a huge, in three parts a stunning effort over 18 feet tall this work puts you there in the woods looking back at house. One of the more enjoyable aspects of this show was the addition of the curator & artists commentary on several of the pieces.  Interviewed and prerecorded these audio files are available by dialing an access phone number and then the corresponding painting access code.   It provided a verbal window and back-story for many of the works. The phone number for the audio guide is 207-228-0300, and the Lois Dodd show is currently numbers 1 through 11. The piece "The Woods" is painting code #6.

Another favorite of mine is "Ice on the Delaware water gap" an event of river block ice and over sized frozen cubes gone wild, this natural spring event in the Delaware water gap between New Jersey and Pennsylvania captured in paint.  The cubist nature of the subject even carries over to influence the format for the painting of the trees... 

"Cow Parsnip"  a jumbo format flower painted on an almost 7 foot wide canvas it made me feel like a bee coming in for sniff and potential landing.
 

The Lois Dodd "Catching the Light " exhibition is at the Portland Museum of Art through April 7th.

  
Why go see Lois Dodd  In the Portland Museum of Art?

   

  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/

LL Bean Catalog Cover Art

 Stopped upta  LL Bean's the other day.  Man the Freeport "Campus" has expanded and the LL Fiefdom is bigger than ever.   When I went into one of the Campus complex buildings I noticed a LL Catalog display rack, they have a like 10 different new catalogs; one for men, one for women, one for Fishermen, one for Hunters, one for Homesters, one for Campers.  One of the cool things is the Beaners have always had a keen connection to art by allowing artists to create and grace the covers of the catalogs since the 1930's.  

One of my favorite Maine artists and Freeport native Sara Knock is featured on one of this spring's catalog covers.  Her coastal images capture the spirit of the rocky Maine coast.  I've been a Knock fan for years, I love her ability to capture the moment in the reflections of a calm island scene.  You almost feel like your in a kayak on an early morning paddle.  For me Knock seems the perfect fit for an LL cover.  

 I contrast Knock's perfect fit that with last springs catalog by Westborough Massachusetts & Goose Rocks beach, Maine resident Margaret Gerding.  Her skill caught the eye of the clothing company, she was asked to create something for a catalog cover. "When you do a commission, it's more about what they want than what you want." said Gerding. The end result was an oil painting titled "Dories at Goose Rock Beach" it shows three boats at the shore at dusk.  It's a perfectly nice piece.  In a blog piece that that I wrote but didn't publish last spring,  I reviewed the Gerding effort.  In a retrospective look at that piece this week I remembered Gerding describing the selection of "Dories at Goose Rocks Beach" and I sensed a touch of sadness that the piece selected was not one that Gerding was really proud of.  Artistically there's a compromise that has to be made if you want to make the rent, the sad twist to that as an artist your most viewed work, on the cover of a LL catalog distributed to tens of thousands worldwide is the one piece that perhaps you really didn't like or have a passion for.  That's the business of art in a brush stroke! 

 The LL Bean Catalog cover wall of fame is located on the 2nd floor of the main LL bean Building between the fishing section and the women's shoes.  It showcases catalog cover art from the 1930's, 40's 50's 60's right through to 2012.  It contains truly fabulous images of outdoor recreation and show cases over 40 different artist from the Famous Norman Rockwell to regionally reknown Sara Knock.

  Why go see the LLBean 

Catalog wall of fame in the 

Freeport Flagship store? 
   

You could go because you need a new set of fishing waders or just 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/

David P. Becker's Passion for Prints

"The Reader" 1892 lithograph by Odilon Redon

This is Gallery Talk WMPG's window into the world of art w/host Lars

David Becker is a Bowdoin College Grad, Trustee and advocate.  His philanthropy was generous and vision profound.  While at Bowdoin he made it a personal quest to expand the Museums holdings of original print art and also helped in visioning the expansion of the Museum building to it's current layout.  David passed away in 2010, a  loss to family and community.  As to his wishes he bequeathed his personal print art collection to the university, over 1500 print art pieces.  The current exhibit at the Bowdoin Art Museum is titled Printmaking ABC in memorium to David Becker.  It honors the print as a vehicle of communication and is a thin cross section of the vast collection that Becker so dedicated his being to. 

L.Baskin Hiroshima man

David saw art and particularly print art as perhaps the greatest form of communication, a great resource for teaching any variety of subjects.  He understood the effect of art on idea & ideals. His passion has almost obsession as he was driven to increase print resources and saw the influence of art as a vehicle to inoculate the student with ideas and to invigorate thought.  The elegant beauty of Becker's vision is these ideas spawn by art would be carried by students to peer groups and as they graduated out into the world.    If asked could the power of the print influence the future in a positive way?  Becker most certainly would resound yes!

Bowdoin college's seventh president William Dewitt Hyde penned an iconic description of Bowdoin's liberal arts education, he called it the “The Offer of the College,”  The “Offer” eloquently describes the aspirations of education as presented to the students:

The Chapel on Bowdoin's Central Quad

TO BE AT HOME in all lands and all ages;
To count Nature a familiar acquaintance,
And Art an intimate friend;
To gain a standard for the appreciation of others’ work
And the criticism of your own;
To carry the keys of the world’s library in your pocket,
And feel its resources behind you in whatever task you undertake;
To make hosts of friends...
Who are to be leaders in all walks of life;
To lose yourself in generous enthusiasms
And cooperate with others for common ends —
This is the offer of the college for the best four years of your life.

I didn't know David Becker personally, what I do know is that I count 
myself fortunate to have the opportunity to experience the treasures of his
 vision and carry away with me more than I started with. 

   Why go see Printmaking ABC In Memoriam  David P. Becker

  at Bowdoin College's Museum of Art?

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/

The Printmaking ABC exhibition is showing 
through March 24, 2013

Bowdoin College Museum of Art
9400 College St, Brunswick, Maine

Museum Hours

Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday: 10:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Closed on Mondays and national holidays.
The Bowdoin College Museum of Art is open to the public free of charge, although donations are welcome. The Museum is wheelchair accessible through the Pavilion entrance. Bowdoin College Museum of Art is a member of The Maine Art Museum Trail

 

 

Father Paul's birds of feather flock together

Can you name this bird?  a) Sparrow  b)Vulture c)Owl d)Falcon  for answer see below

This is Gallery talk today your EYE into the world of Art w/host Lars.

Currently one rare bird is showing at the Caldbeck Gallery in Rockland and also in a permanent installation at Maine Audubon in Falmouth.  Who-Who-Who is this Artist?  He's home grow in Sanford Maine, Maine College of Art graduated & pastor of the Lady of the Parish Church in Oqussoc, Maine, everyone calls him Father Paul, that's Father Paul Plante.  I choose to call him the Pastor of Pastel,  his work with oily chalk is indeed beholden.  The macro ( super up close ) views of bird and animal eyes truly reveal the power and beauty of nature.  This brings up the debate of divine intervention in the original creation of the worldly beings.  Is it possible that such beauty comes from a random chance? Or does it make more sense that it is the evolution of a few hard days work by the almighty?  What ever your religious affiliation you cannot deny the fact that the Pastor has some skills and with them shares a world of beauty that is often over looked.

Located in the Maine Audubon Center in Falmouth, Maine is the 5" x 5" collection of Father Paul's Bird Eyes. I call it the "Falmouth Forty" The close up view makes for a great game of guess the bird,  of the forty images how many can you guess (click on image to enlarge)?    You'll have to go to Falmouth to get all the answers.

The 40 image Collection of Avian eyes by Paul Plante  Answer to Top Image: c) OWL

 

                                               Why go see Father Paul's art work? 

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/

 CALBECK GALLERY is opperated by Cynthia Hyde and Jim Kinnealey.
The Caldbeck Gallery  is on Elm Street across from the entrance to the Farnsworth Art Museum. From the first opening in 1982 it has been the go-to place for the art of Midcoast Maine.
 Calbeck @ 12 Elm St., Rockland ME. 207-594-5935

Maine Audubon @ Gisland Farm in on US route 1 in Falmouth Maine.

Here's a few more Larger Images from the Falmouth Forty
              Find the Woodduck, Ruby Throated Hummingbird & Blue Jay.

 

The BASECAMP Artist Studios Alive and Kick'in!

It's no secret that Portland Maine's art scene is happening.   First Fridays once a cool swanky kinda thing to do has morphed into the GODZILLA OF ART NIGHTS,  bursting forth a cascade of humanity that descends into Portland's Art Galleries onto the sidewalks and into the streets.  It's become more of an "event" than an "art event" and that has been good for the cities stores, restaurants and ancillary  businesses as well as the galleries & artists.

Still my really favorite thing about Portland Art Scene is the surprise!   There's always a surprise around the corner,  at the next gallery or the next art walk.  For me it's this unexpected, unknown that keeps me coming back time & time again.

Two years ago the surprise was the underground 1 day art opening in the BASE CAMP.  Located just outside the mainstream this Presumscot street warehouse opening was edgy, campy and elegant in one fleeting breath.   

Fast Forward to  February 2013 and the BASE CAMP has resurfaced ,  this time not a flash in the scene but as an artist collective,  a co-op of creativity and life.  There are a few things that I look at as barometers of the health of a community: one is recruitment of new blood and the second is leadership with passion.   Last week I found them at the BASE CAMP.  Artist and spearhead Will Sears has retrofitted a section of a Presumscot Street warehouse.  In addition to Will's studio & hand lettered sign business he has organized studio space for 12 other artists.    In my brief experience at last weeks opening I met; Painters, Sculptors, Digital Artists, an Electro-Fiber artist, Wood workers, a Woodcut-Printmaker and a flow-fiber paper 3-D creator those are just the ones I met.  The buzz is big!  I felt the power of a not as yet fully operational art muthership and I liked it!  Like chocolate or Ox Bow Farmhouse ale I like what I tasted and I left that evening wanting more.  The excitement is legit and the birth of a new art environment can only fast track creativity for the BASE CAMP GANG.   I'm looking  forward to the cross pollination of art that will please our eye and blow our mind.   

These are exciting times and the artists of the basecamp are not just living it,  they have pitched a tent in the local art scene and look to be here to stay!

Why visit the studios and gallery at the BASE CAMP ?

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/

Season of Love April  2011 Series by Kyle Bryant

The BASECAMP ARTIST  STUDIOS & GALLERY are located at 193 Presumpscot st, Portland, ME. (215) 813-6852 open by chance or appointment.  Use the Facebook link or individual artist website links to arrange your tour.
BASECAMP  Facebook page

Alex Asplund - 

Kyle Bryant - www.KyleBryant.net

Harlan Crichton - http://www.harlancrichton.com/

Luke Dubois - 

Liz Hardy- www.lizhardy.posterous.com

Deborah Klotz - 

Tina McLuckie - www.TinaMcluckie.com

John Nelson - johncalvinnelson.com 

Tessa O'brien - Tessagreeneobrien.com

Will Sears - WillSearsFineArt.com , BetterLetterHandPaintedSigns.com

Griffin Sherry - GriffinSherry.wordpress.com

Ha Ha by Tessa O'Brien

Addendum: Random thoughts on the BASECAMP
  
The diversity of artists is refreshing

The potential pollination is beholden .

Opening vibe was jacked

It's an assemblage of artisans that possess crazy mad skills.

Vision

Bump @ Institute of Contemporary Art Maine

This is Gallery Talk WMPG 's window into the world of art with your host Lars

Bump by the DenDanto Brothers

The Humpback Whale Master of the deep, tireless voyager, perhaps the most fascinating mammal in creation.  Called the Canary of the Sea, Humpbacks are renown for their haunting melodic vocalizations.   Having no vocal cords they create these sounds by forcing air through their very large nasal cavities.

    It's not everyday that one gets to hear whale songs or an opportunity to walk amongst the whales.  We are grateful to the The Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA  for currently featuring "BUMP" an installation art exhibit by the DenDanto Brothers Dan & Frank.  This display features a whale skull and vertebral bones, unlike many "installation" art Pieces  this one allows you to walk, touch and bump the bones.  Suspended in mid air the vertebral bones with their transverse and spinous processes look more like space craft preparing for an attack than sections of a huge aqueous mammal. What really make this piece successful for me is that you can immerse your self in it and the resulting mental gymnastics required to imagine these bones inside a living creature makes this piece visually beautiful, thought provoking and thus powerfully effective.

Some Bumpers in the exhibit during March's 1st Friday Gallery Tour

The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine's College of Art on Congress Street in Portland is open Wednesday to Saturday 11am - 5pm on Thursdays 11am - 7pm and admission is free.

   
Why go see Dan & Frank DenDanto's "BUMP" Installation Art Exhibit?

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/

Additional Images from Bump 1st Friday: