Yin & Yang - Balance in Portland's art world!

This is Gallery Talk your Window to the art world w/Host Lars

YIN & YANG  The ancient Asian philosophy the existence of opposites is perfection and necessary to create balance in an unstable universe.

A Perfect example of the Yin & Yang at work is happen'n right here in the Portland Maine with the current art exhibition in the June Fitzpatrick Maine College of Art Gallery by Tom Hall & the Yang to Tom's Yin is Angela Ferrari's "SCAPES" exhibition in the HOT SUPA' Gallery.

Ok so Tom Hall has a fantastic brain and some mad skills,  he makes it easy for guys like me to see a feeling!  His current show is Powerfully Apocalyptic!  His work is mostly large format black oil paint on white background, bold - stark - demanding your visual attention.  A piece that really caught me was a diptych called "Greenville" First off it's huge two 6' X 6' canvases Thats 72sq feet of viewing surface , it's a black hillside with a slash & burn'esk trees scathered on a slopping horizon.  Oh and then theres the varnish.  The painting is coated with a thick mostly translucent wash that gives the image a tan almost dirty old world feel.

Click to see Angela's "SCAPES" exhibit version

Now contrast that Yin Flow with the Yang : Pop the Champagne, sunny day, give me some psychedelic's,  hold on and tighten your seat belt work of artist Angela Ferrari.  (Maybe it's the Ferrari thing that hyped me up, but no I was hyped by the work before I saw her name.)   Angela's current exhibition at the HOT SUPA Gallery is titled "Scapes" and presents her take on many of Portland's recognizable landscapes.  Angela works with brilliant acrylic day glow paints,  I call her style (at least one of her styles) Electro-Alt-Indie-Neo-Cubism .  Call it what ever you want, I love her take on Portland's famous Flat Iron Building  (see right) and her water front Images scream of Portland meets the Wizard of  Oz and gets colorized for a new generation!

The YIN  Tom Hall at MECA's June Fitspatrick Gallery is in it's final days  so see it before it's gone.

The YANG Angela Ferrari's  "Scapes" is at the HOT SUPA gallery I hope forever!

Why get out and go see these two shows ?

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/    

Yarmouth Art Festival returns!

This is Gallery Talk.
   The text version of WMPG Radios window into the world of art with your host Lars

Rick Green's Chebeague Island

It was the Wabanaki's who originally called the area of land between two of Maine's mid coast coastal rivers "Westcustogo".  These beautiful coastal marsh lands were abundant with clams and fish, this beholden land was not only attractive the native population but also to the settlers of this new (to them) world. Twice settled and abandoned it was not until 1713 that a final successful settlement was established.   Westcustogo now called Yarmouth is just a 11 trip north of  Maine's largest city Portland and it's coastal beauty remains an attraction to this day.

Why do I share this Information with you?

This week the attraction in Yarmouth is the YARMOUTH ART FESTIVAL!  This jurried art show is more akin to a limited engament group art show , from Oct 17-20th the festival features 165 works of art from 79 different artists.

Like the original native residents & new world settlers who were drawn to the beauty of coastal Maine, my favorite artist of the 79 is Cumberland Encaustic Artist Rick Green.   His work embraces the coastal lands & Maine's coastal islands.  The work is bold in color and presents the viewer with a "Jonathon Livingston Seagull" view of the trees, rocks, waves & ocean.  Rick allows us to experience the beauty of the Maine Coast not like Homer or Wyeth presented it, but with more of a heavenly perspective.  Recipient of a Good Idea Grant from the Maine Arts Commission, Rick's interpretations of the Maine Coast are now captured, the beauty embedded in a mix of bees wax & crystals for all time.

The Yarmouth Arts Festival show is in the St. Barts Church on the Gilman road in Yarmouth Maine.  The show is open Thursday & Friday from 10am - 7pm  and Saturday from 9am - 4pm.
To learn more and see a digital gallery of the Works click here YARMOUTH ART FEST  

 

Why Go see the 165 pieces of art work at the

 Yarmouth Art Fest?

                 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/

MARRAGE ANNIVERSARY IN ART

Gallery Talk takes a tour this week down the road of personal artistic interpretation.

Every July 20th I get to celebrated my wedding anniversary with my bride, this our 27th year. 

Last year I pondered and pondered on art & marriage.  I thought an interesting exercise would be to think about my wedding  & married life, more exactly what think about what art piece most closely depicts my life & marriage? 

Interesting, but scary,  the first image that popped into my mind was the famous Norwegian artist Edvard Munch's "Skirk".  The Norwegian word S-K-I-R-K is cognate with the English word Shriek but traditionally the title of this piece is translated  "The Scream"  My bride tells me I have a strange sense of humor and yes I guess I have had like many marriages moments of shear terror, but terror has not been the dominant theme. 

I would say upon reflection my marriage is more like Vincent Van Goghs "Starry Night".  The image is one of Van Goghs most popular, it features a night sky filled with swirling clouds, stars ablaze with their own luminescence, there's a bright crescent moon, everything's a bit exaggerated. The sky keeps the viewers eye moving following the swirling curves and chunky dots of stars.  Below the stars a quite town and to the left side of the painting a prominent massive dark structure, maybe it's a mountain, a tree, or bushes, anyway there it is my marriage in an art piece.   The bright moments of joy flowing in a life of unknown, the peace and tranquility of the night town, my comfort with my brides love and conviction.  The dark features of mountain or trees,  well that's the mysterious unknown.  It all kinda fits when you look further into the history.
  Starry Night was painted in 1888 when Van Gogh was interned in the Arlse sanitarium, this fact just reminds me that being a tad bit crazy can help make it feel all perfect. 

Gallery talk is made possible by the listeners and supporters of  the WMPG radio community. 

27 years of marriage made possible by a strong women who puts up with a lot of insanity

Why go see art in your local art galleries?

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/

Cigarbox Art is Smoking Hot!

The Cigar box is one of the most unique forms of packaging.   Perfect for protection, transportation and display of the fine hand rolled tobacco product, then discarded when the job is done. 

Created as an Exhibition of art & fund raiser the Smoking Hot Cigar Box Show at the Merrill Memorial Library is an examination into the minds and creativity of 30 artists.  Each one presented with a discarded cigar box and asked to create their own unique piece of art with it.  No rules,  paint it? deconstruct it? adorn them, reconstruct, reinvent, or reassemble the used box into something new and wonderful.

I was fortunate enough to to be given a box and asked to give her a rebirth!  For me it was a journey in the way back,  that time machine you hop in to transport back to a moment in your history.  I remember assembling a band when I was young, yeah me and me buddies with old cigar boxes broomstick handles and fishing string. I hadn't thought about that in many many years.  As a good Swed I have a workshop packed with many many items, in my mind all useful at some time between now & the future, so a reconstruction of my past takes place with a rebirth of a new 2012 Cigboxitar.  That's just my story there are 29 more waiting to share their experience.  

Lars' 2012 Cigboxitar

The Merrill Memorial Library is located off Route 1 in Yarmouth Maine & the show is open through the end of the Month with a closing party and auction of all the pieces.  O ya I forgot to mention each artist will sell their reinvented cigarbox to benefit the Library's Art Gallery and bolster it's collection of art related books.




Why Go See the Cigarbox show show?
 
Go because you good mind needs good art! 


SURGEON GENERAL WARNING:  Exposure to art has been show to increase brain function in humans and the communities where they reside.  

 

                        

 The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the 
WMPG Radio listening community.  This 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 watts to  4500 watts! 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! 

Bicycle Month & the art of Human powered locomotion

From the DID YA KNOW FILES?  That May is Bicycle month!

Well it is, Think about the bike events that have already happened
We've got the Maine Bike Trek
The USM Bike Swap/Sale
And on going we have the current interactive Gallery exhibit that exalts the presence and the joy of human powered locomotion on the bicycle.

The Exhibit titled : 
 Seek Alt. Routes: Recording Bicycle-Powered Experiences!,
    Leave it to the folks at Space Gallery to ask you the peoples of the greater Portcity community, to get excited and get on your bike!  As a community-driven experiment in field recording, throughout the month of May the main gallery will be used as a headquarters for abstract mapping of bicycle-powered experiences. Bike enthusiasts and folks like you and me are invited to come map your routes (with push pins & string) , record your thoughts(hand write them on wall of fame or in bike journals) , pin found specimens to the wall and share with us the joy and essence of riding the world’s best transportation device.

    
Here is how you can contribute:

1. Go for a ride and come back with “artifacts” or road kill, objects that you find while riding. Pin them to our “Ride Artifact” wall and record the time and date you found the object.
2. Go for a ride and take a photo of where you are or of your bike. E-mail (jenny@space538.org) and we will print it out in black and white and pin it to our photo bulletin board.
3. Go for a ride and stop by SPACE to map your route using either our map of downtown Portland, or our map of greater Portland. We will provide push-pins and string for you to use to show us where you rode.
4. Place a Location sticker on the huge wall map of  Fame , I mean Maine , to tell other bike lovers about specific locations you can access on your bike. Is there a great place to watch the sunset or a perfect location to pick dandelions? Take a sticker and place it on the location. Use the bike journal to number the sticker and tell us about the location.
5. Go for a ride and take some video. Send space your video files (mp4 preferred) and we will project them on the walls of the gallery.
6. Stop into space to see the bulletin board for other prompts and ideas.

  WHY Go participate in the interactive exhibit 

SEEK ALTERNATIVE ROUTES? 

Bike riding is a healthy form of exercise 
and an Earth friendly form of transportation,  
 but participate because your good mind needs good art! 

The Space Gallery at the heart of the Portland Arts district  538 Congress! 

This interactive show runs through June 1st

Wait there's more  also happening at SPACE GALLERY THIS MONTH! :

BIKEBAG WORKSHOP:
May 12th from 11AM-2PM we host Betsy Sheintaub of Bobbin Studio and Bobolink, who will teach a bike tool bag workshop. We will provide all the tools you need to design, cut, stitch and take away a custom bag that can hang on your bike and use for whatever you like. Spots for this workshop are limited so reserve your ticket early here!

MAINE BIKE HISTORY TALK
 12th, from 3:00-5:00PM we are excited to hear Sam Shupe, a Ph.D. student in the American Studies program at Boston University, talk about Maine’s bicycle history. Sam is a Portland native and daily cyclist who, for his undergraduate thesis at USM, studied turn of the century architect John Calvin Stevens and his love of bicycles. He will present visual ephemera, talk about bicycle club history and give other insights into cycling’s origins in Maine.

MOBILE BIKE PRINTING PRESS
Pilar Nadal, an M.F.A. candidate at Maine College of Art, is working on a project called The Tired Press, which will debut in early May. The Tired Press is a bicycle that is outfitted with a small relief press, pannier cabinets for supplies, a gallery for exhibition of prints made on the press, as well as a volunteer post office service. This mobile printmaking studio, along with Pilar, will be situated at the Deering Oaks Farmer’s Market on Saturday, May 19th from 9AM-12PM and will be open for visitors to come and make a postcard for free! We hope you will visit Pilar, make some postcards and bring one back to SPACE to add to our exhibition.

CRAZY ASS INNER P-CITY BIKE RACE
Keep your eyes peeled for the Alley Cat Race on May 26th from 2:00-4:00PM, which invites *skilled* riders to race through the streets in a messy, fast paced scavenger hunt across town. Complete with check points, prizes and probably some whipped cream, this race is not for the faint of heart, but will provide a welcome sight for sore eyes. If you’re not up for the race, but still want to get in on the action, come to the after party at 8:00PM, where we will be giving out awards, dancing and debuting a bike themed beer from the newest local brewery, Bunker Brewing Co.

                        

 The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the 
WMPG Radio listening community.  This 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 watts! 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! 

The Brave The Bold The MECA Thesis Show!

This is gallery talk WMPG Radio's window into the world of Art with your host Lars.

BRAVE

BOLD

FEARLESS

STRONG

RESILIENT

COURAGEOUS

Words that could describe any member of our fire, police departments or members of our armed services.
BUT NO, today they exalt those that have persevered to the Baccalaureate of Fine Arts thesis exhibition.  The culmination of four years of study at the Maine College of Art.  The "Thesis Show" is the focal point that light at the end or beginning of the tunnel for 70 of the college's artists.  The 1st Friday opening will be the largest single day exhibition in Portland taking up the 1st, 2nd & 3rd floors of the colleges Congress street Porteous Building.  Worth attending just to feel the youthful enlightening vibe, this is a great opportunity to meet the cutting edge or dare I say bleeding edge artist of today.as they stage the works of four years of under graduate effort.
It' a one evening event 5pm - 8pm 1st Friday, and like an eclipse you will be able to experience the light & the dark, the good & the bad, the Yin & the Yang  simultaneously.

 Go See THE THESIS SHOW!

Because your good mind needs good art! 

The Maine College of Art is located at the heart of the Portland Arts district  522 Congress!  
 The Show is 1st Friday May 4th from 5-8pm

                        

 The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the 
WMPG Radio listening community.  This 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! 

  

First Friday Art Walk Recommendations Off the beaten pathwalk....

Gail Wartell's "sunset" 

My friends ask me Lars, 
  What should I see? 
  Where should I go on art walk this month?

The Facts are the First Friday walk has grown to such a proportion that you can't see it all in one evening.  If people is what you really want to see and art is secondary go mainstream and hit the Maine College of art & Institute of Contemporary Art and central arts district.  Several things are guaranteed you'll see cutting edge artsy stuff with lots & lots of fellow art walkers.   A note on the ICA the current exhibit by Michael Bell Smith at least the digital part is interesting in that it may portend a future of digital video picture images.   The undergraduate student show is in the window & lobby .     

The Portland Museum of Art has 3 separate powerhouse show worth seeing but 1st Friday might not be the best night to see them,  One it will be very crowded with the just installed and just opened Degas Private Impressionist Exhibit (1st Floor) ,  The Making Faces Portrait exhibits (2nd Floor),  David Etnier's Photo Portraits of Maine Artists and their work (3rd floor)  & the Facebook Portrait Project (4th floor)  this place will be four deep on every piece. Honestly avoid this place on 1st Friday and return any other Friday from 5-8pm for the museums every Friday Free entry.  But If you go I remember I warned you.

 For this 1st Friday I recommend a move away from the main stream central art district go to Upper congress or Upper Exchange. As many know the Art is usually only the start of a fun 1st Friday night out in the Port City,  this Friday start early with a free concert of classical music in the most classic of settings.

STATE STREET CHURCH
First Friday Chamber ME Music Series
March 2nd, 5:00-6:00 p.m.  Listen to a string quartet play beautiful music in one of Portland's architecturally unique gems for free is literally a blessed event.  Musicians Jon Poupore, Ann Wallace, Eleanor Lehmann, and Barbara Graustein will play the music of: Haydn, Mozart and Ries. Hear this monthly free concert in a room that so acoustically divine that you will wish they stayed and played longer. The program lasts one hour and it is free. 

Head back up onto Congress from One Longfellow Square  before you bang a right and head downtown look across the street from on Longfellow and take note of Boda (671 Congress st), their Thai Margaritas are a true works of art and the Tapas menus not bad either, this is a great stop to come back to after art walk. Head down and cross to the Green Hand 661 congress st.

The Green Hand Bookshop A throwback to the days when print really mattered.  I wondered in this week and spent over an hour flipping through a variety of books I would have never imaged. I discovered Griffin & Sabine by Nick Bantock: tales of correspondence between two artists, it's a kind of popup book for adults, beautifully illustrated, magnificently constructed, the conception and execution of this trilogy of books is extraordinary. I'm so looking forward to immersing myself in them.  The trilogy printed 1991-1993 has eluded me I now count myself as fortunate for this chance meeting.  Featured this month in the Green Hand Gallery are works inspired by the writings of weird science-horror author H.P. Lovecraft. The celebration of the 75th Anniversary of his March 15th, 1937 death should seem normal for this imagineer of a macabre who was apparently way ahead of his time. The Gallery space is small on one wall and my suggestion is do not rush in and out, there is more here than meets the eye initially,  trust me the Green Hand will surprise you.  Keep heading down to your next stop.

Gail Wartell's  Garlic Still life

LOCAL SPROUTS (649 Congress st)   these socially conscious culinary wizards have carved a creative -cool space that fits perfect in this young artsy urban semi residential area of upper congress. Local Sprouts is off the radar for many but not for long,  Sprouts recently has been nominated for 6 Phoenix Best of Awards including Best Burger, Best Jazz Venue, Best Remote Office, Best Vegetarian Restaurant, Best Soup and Best Non-Gallery Art Space (Click here to vote) 
  .Featured this week local Artist and WMPG DJ Gail Wartell.   Gail has assembled a variety of her water color still life's.  They are bold, bright, cheerful images and they feel very at home in this humus - veggy friendly environment.  Next stop across the street...     

  Blue  (650 Congress st) is a swanky hip matchbox size joint that has great beers, wines, local music & this month the Photo work of Greta Rybuss.  Greta's intimate candids of the AmeriCore service volunteers and their work her in Maine communities. Work reminiscent of a on the beat photojournalist Greta is great at grabbing a moment and allowing the story to unfold visually no caption needed.  Later in the evening Blue embraces Greek music and belly dancers.  Could it get any better... 

There are lots more venues between Blue and the Portland Museum for a complete gallery listing go here.

 Now if you find yourself on the other side of Memorial Square 
over near Upper Exchange,  I say... go Aucocisco! 

AUCOCISCO GALLERIES  89 Exchange Street  Hosts the Thirty-four members of the Union of Maine Visual Artists for the UMVA Painting Invitational & Silent Auction.

I have not seen this show up close but be prepared for a visual bomb of color & content I've heard there's close to 100 pieces that are available for purchase or bid.  The UMVA has some serious talent and the auction is an important fundraiser for the artist assistance fund and establishment of Artist Union & Health care plan.   The works and mediums are as varied as the artists.  Here is a listing of those exhibiting.: D. Amell, L. Anderson, B. Bean, P. Bonneau, C. Chastain, P. Cobb, K. Cole, D. Dahlke, R. Eastman, H. Farrar, T. Fletcher, C. Gamache, T. Ginn, R. Herzer, L. Hubbell, J. Kigel, J. Krischik, J. Lasdin, C. Michel, M. Morkve, L. Murray, M. Naqui, D. Noble, J. O'Donnell, K. Sahr, F. Schrock, L. Smith, E. Thayer, D. Trafton, N. Tryon & C. Walworth.

(look for our review next week...) 

Why Go out this 1st Friday and see art in our wonderful city?

Go because your good mind needs good art! 

 

 The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the 
WMPG Radio listening community.  This 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! 

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