Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Whitney Art Works; loveme, hateme, its all good.

This is Gallery Talk your window into the Portland world of art with host Lars.

Ethan Hates-Chutes
What's your world like?

Is it clean?
Is it cluttered?
Are you social being ?
Are your a loner?

What's your brain like?
Is it clean ?
Is it cluttered?

Sometimes art can help you find the answers.

If you are searching then look no further than the center of Portland Arts Downtown.Conveniently located on the main drag   ( 420 Congress st) is the             Whitney Art Works Gallery http://www.whitneyartworks.com/index.shtml.
Some Galleries are known for their Maine landscape oil paintings, or perhaps they have a stable of talented photographers,  always a winner with the folks from away are the galleries that feature paintings of a classic Maine Lighthouse perfect in any room, any decor, less I digress...

Yeshe Parks
The Whitney is known for taking risks and thank goodness for that.  Art that provokes as much as evokes is the norm at Whitney,   I've attended numerous shows at the Whitney and personally I have hated more shows than I have liked, but that is what makes "The Whit" special to me. It's the surprise that keeps me going back time and time again.  The current exhibition Assembled Thoughts is "a keeper" and features the work of two Maine artists:
Yeshe Parks http://www.yesheparks.com/ &
Ethan Hayes - Chutes  http://www.ethanhc.com/
Each artist has some serious stuff going on in their collective squashes and they release it on paper and canvas in a variety of forms:  Paint, ink, graphite, collage & collection. From isolationist to pour it on the page mind freak, these two artists solve as many questions as they ask us and this is good.

Hurry down to the art works gallery the exhibit is in its final days and will be removed this Saturday the 28th.  Whitney Art Works is located right in the center of the Portcity at 420 congress street, or web'sters can surf theWhitney and the works of Yeshe Parks & Ethan Hayes - Chutes at whitneyartworks dot com.

Why go to the Whitney to see the brainmelts of Yeshe parks & Ethan Hayes-Chutes because your good mind needs good art!

The Gallery Talk blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 8:30pm on WMPG college and community radio
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/

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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

GLASS on Portland's East End

This is Gallery Talk,  WMPG Radio's window into Portland's art world with your host Lars.
A couple weeks back the Society for Eastend Arts  http://www.seaportland.org/ organized a self guided tour of artists studios up on Portland's Eastend.  The tour was not just art galleries, but the studios, the place were art grows, where art is born.  I had the opportunity to meet many artists of the ultimately diverse Monjoy hill neighborhood(s) and was provided access to some fantastic studios.  None was cooler,  I should say hotter than the Glass Studio of Portland Glass Artist Benjamin Combs.  http://www.portlandglassblowing.com/

Have you ever had that feeling when you see something crafty you go "oh I can make that, or cool idea maybe I'll try that.   Ben's blown glass art is so wicked that when I saw it I was shackled.  Firstly in it's stunning beauty, secondly awed by it's pure craftsmanship, and thirdly perplexed by how did such a piece come into being? I've always thought of blowing glass as being a mysterious old world craft, and thought of Portland as a funky retro-cool place, but never really considered it a breeding ground for on the edge glass art.   Almost hidden, tucked in the old boiler room in the back of the Nissen Bakery up on Monjoy Hill is this Studio-gallery space that is quite unique, part display gallery part spartan workshop not a more unique art space is to be found in the city by the sea.  Combs style is unique and he is continually developing his craft.  Perhaps this is as a result of his connection to both coasts,  Combs studied and worked out west at the Pilchuck Glass school http://www.pilchuck.com/ in Stanwood ,Washington State, back east at the Maine Haystack School of Crafts "up ta" Deer Island. http://www.haystack-mtn.org/ 
The Studio/gallery has many pieces on display and the diversity of work, the saturation of colored glass,  the mixing of colored glass, the precision of application and execution is all but beholden. Comb's work has themes revolving around the sea and seafaring to the fine crystalline goblets, or unique artglass lamps.
A young master is in our city waiting to be found.  The Studio/Gallery is open by chance or Appointment 207-409-4527 and is located at  24 Romasco Lane , 1 block up Cumberland ave from Washington Ave on the back side of the old brick bakery building.

Why check out Benjamin Combs Studio or tour his web site? http://www.portlandglassblowing.com/
                
     Do it because your good mind, needs good art! 

The Gallery Talk blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday 7am, 5 & 8:30pm on Portland's WMPG Radio 90.9 & 104.1FM or on web at   http://wmpg.org/  non commercial community radio from the University of Southern Maine. 

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Silas Finch @ Corduroy Boutique & Gallery

August 9th  This is Gallery Talk your window into the art world w/host Lars

Silas Finch comes to the Port-city.  Creating out of a studio in New Haven, Connecticut the people of Portland are given a great treat by the folks at the Corduroy Gallery. Corduroy is always on razors edge be it surf gear, life fashion, and the promotion of unique art. The Silas Finch exhibit (Aug 6th-28th)  bleeds best of art in this summers August First Friday Art Walk. Artist-creator Finch's work spans a range of ideas but all have a commonality in their "perfection of composition".   Part antiquarian, hoarder, shoemaker, visionary, sculptor, historian, it's a blessing to have so many passions release themselves into a sculptural piece of art.  It is seldom that I call any exhibit a "must see" but the uniqueness that Finch brings to each creation makes this a
                                                 go to before it's gone exhibit. 
For a peek at Silas Finch's work go to the web link below , The Corduroy Gallery is located at 59 market street right off middle behind the Sebago Brewery. 
Gallery Talk can be heard on Portland, Maine College & community radio  WMPG 90.9 & 104.1FM Also streaming on web http://wmpg.org/. The show airs Thursdays live 7:00am, recorded 5:00pm & 8:30pm

http://www.silasfinch.com/

http://www.corduroyboutique.com/