Josh Keyes "Sprout" closing soon

I'm seeing the current Josh Keyes exhibit at David B. Smith Gallery again today. If you haven't seen it yet - it's only up for a few more days (closing on the 3rd). It's a really exceptional show and will easily top my favorite exhibitions of the summer and probably the year. I've mentioned Keyes several times before after first encountering his work at the Limited Addiction group show in March of 2007.

In the current show, I recognized the subject matter source Keyes used on his painting called, "Entangle I" from our many trips to Moab, Utah. The graffiti on the side of the monument is clearly borrowed from these petroglyphs by the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park:

photo by Nathan Abelsdetail of "Entangle I" by Josh Keyes

detail of "Entangle I" by Josh Keyes"Entangle I" by Josh Keyes

Upcoming Exhibitions to Look Forward To

Mark your calendars - because October is an action packed art month. This week is what's left of Denver Arts Week and there are great shows opening this weekend in Fort Wayne, IN and Carrboro, NC (see below). Next weekend, everyone should be at Limited Addiction on Santa Fe Dr. in Denver for the opening of the new Josh Keyes exhibit. I've mentioned the work of Josh Keyes previously, and I'm really looking forward to that show. Also next week is the opening for the artist in residence at Platte Forum. Here's the outlook:

Kat Rohrbacher, "Chair" Oil on Paper, 11x8"

"Regional Winners"
October 12 - November 21, 2007
Three winners from last year's Regional Exhibition include Dianna Huxhold - clay, Audrey Riley - mixed media, and Kat Rohrbacher - oil painting.
Arlink Gallery, 437 East Berry Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802

"Let's Rebuild", New Works by Ryan Helsel - Opening October 12, 6-9 pm at Nested, 118b E. Main St., Carrboro, NC 27510

Ryan Helsel

Ryan Helsel

Rory Golden

Rory Golden
Exhibition opens:
October 18, 5:30 – 8pm; continues through November 2, 2007
Platte Forum, 1610 Little Raven Street, Suite 135 | Denver, Colorado 80202

Josh Keyes, and Oliver Vernon at Limited Addiction Gallery. Opening October 20
Limited Addition Gallery - 825 Santa Fe Drive • Denver, CO 80204

Josh Keyes, "The Long Afternoon #2", 2006, 12"x9", pencil and gouache on bristol

Josh Keyes, "Treadmill", 14"x17", acrylic and pencil on bristol

Ads/Art

It seems that advertising has once again taken from contemporary art:

Frozen pie
Lamb pie
Seafood pie

Above -the Ukrainian Psyho studio ads made for "Madagascar" travel agency. The slogan of the agency was "Madagascar - a piece of the world" I found this on Notcot, found it on Meignorant. I immediately thought of the work of Josh Keyes when I saw these ads...

Josh Keyes, "Lurk", 2006, 12"x12", acrylic on birch panelJosh Keyes, "Overflow #1", 36"x48", acrylic on canvas, 2007Josh Keyes, "Goliath", 18"x24", acrylic on panel, 2007

Josh Keyes (again)

Limited Addiction Gallery just posted a preview of the new Josh Keyes exhibition (opening Saturday) online which sold out in a day. Impressive. There are some great new pieces up to see, including this one called "Tic Toc"made specifically for this Denver show - with the inclusion of "Bronco Buster", a statue in Civic Center Park near the Library and Art Museum downtown.

"Bronco Buster" photo by Erik Holmberg

Josh Keyes, "Tic Toc", Acrylic on Panel, 18x24"Josh Keyes, "Treadmill #2", Acrylic on Panel, 30x40"

"Nourished by Change"

"Nourished by Change" by Scott Silvey
Dimensions:variable; Medium:steel, suitcases, soil.

His statement about the work reads, "Images of stability and transition are fused into one environment highlighting the restorative power of curiosity."

I am attracted to this installation piece of Silvey's work in particular because it appeals to my affection for the Indiana/Mid-West landscape. I ran across his work on a post about his new paintings. In a recent interview with myartspaceblog, the artist said "I am currently working on a series of paintings called 'Civic Remedies.' The pieces imagine Tokyo as a city devoid of it’s former human inhabitants. All that remains are their skeletal homes and symbols of their consumption." In some ways it is an expansion on themes proposed in "Nourished by Change" - those of contrasts between stability and transformation.Scott Silvey, "Violets" - he writes, "As a result of mass and unabated consumption the city has become ill. Giant herbs have returned to this sepctral urban environment to restore it to health."
Dimensions:53cm X 45.5cm; Medium:acrylic/carbon on panel.

In this sense, his work relates to that of Josh Keyes who is also depicting a world without human presence and the environmental effects that proposes. In the recent works by Josh Keyes, he focuses on the remaining fauna in a environment without human inhabitants, whereas Silvey tends to emphasize the flora that might remain in empty cities.

Josh Keyes, "Reclamation", Acrylic on Panel, 18x24", recently showing at Denver's own Limited Addiction gallery

A book from last year by Alan Weisman, called "The World Without Us" also covers this topic - describing the natural processes that may take place if human kind were to vanish. It is an interesting concept that has even influenced Hollywood productions like Will Smith's recent "I am Legend"photo of the set for "I am Legend" by CorvusCrx

New Josh Keyes exhibit

I'm going to be visiting the new Josh Keyes show at David B. Smith gallery three times in two weeks -once at the opening and twice with classes. It's more of what you've come to expect from Keyes but there are some larger sclaed works. Keyes is an exceptional painter who has gained significant notoriety since his first time showing here in Denver at Limited Addiction gallery(now David B. Smith gallery) in 2007 - you can read about that opening from what feels like many moons ago here.

Josh Keyes Catalog and Print

Denver's own David B. Smith Gallery just released a editioned catalog of Josh Keye's last show -it comes with a signed print. The specs are as follows:

Exhibition catalogue for 'Sprout' at the David B. Smith Gallery | May 30th - July 3rd, 2009 | + Additional Images

12" x 9.5" Landscape | 48 pages (100 lb Velvet Cover) + Fold Out | Hardcover Edition of 1000 | Essay by George Melrod

Packaged with a Pencil Signed and Embossed 8" x 10" Archival Giclee on Hahnemuhle Velvet Paper

I've been posting about Keyes' work since 2007. If you haven't seen much of his work this catalog is a great way for people outside of the city to appreciate what was surely one of the best exhibitions of Denver's year. Get it here.

Plug

Josh Keyes - an artist I have a great deal of respect and admiration for - posted my art on his facebook page today! I've posted about Keyes numerous times on this blog - if you're not familiar with it, you can visit his site here.

Artists Studios

I think you can tell a lot about an artists by their studio - things they find attractive, their resources, and even a little about their personalities. It may be no surprise then that Remington's studio is filled with western artifacts and Vija Celmins has a spare, white studio. I recently relocated my own studio from the dining room to the kitchen nook which is a bit of a downsize but adequate. I did a post awhile ago about several of my studio manifestations here.

Frederic Remington's studio installed in the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, WY
- image via red ravine

Josh Keyes studio (via Fecal Face)

Vija Celmin's studio

Sigmar Polke's studio

Carla Klein's studio

This Evening!

Nathan Abels, "Island", Graphite and Colored Pencil on Paper

I am pleased to announce that TODAY - May 20th at 7:30 pm EDT a small editioned print of my drawing titled "Island" will be available for purchase for no more than $25 through the wonderful Tiny Showcase. I will be in good company too -Tiny Showcase has printed editions of works by notable contemporary artists like Josh Keyes, and Marci Washington, and has even been featured in Oprah magazine as well as numerous art and design blogs.

This is a great and very affordable way to start your contemporary art collection and donate to a good cause. Tiny Showcase donates a percentage of the proceeds to a charity of the artist's choice - in my case I will be donating to the Alta Vista Center for Autism here in Denver, where my wife works. Austim rates are soaring nationwide, currently affecting one in every 150 children in the US. This is a organization and cause I feel strongly about and by purchasing my print from Tiny Showcase, you will be donating to help children with autism that attend the Alta Vista Center from all over the Front Range here in Colorado.

Kristen Schiele at David B. Smith Gallery

Kristen Schiele, Industrial, Oil on Canvas, 21"x30"

Three of Swords, 2008, 48" x 46", oil on canvas

I finally got over to David B. Smith gallery to see the current group show. I really enjoyed these two pieces by Kristen Schiele and had a nice chat with Dave about gallery name change (from Limited Addiction) and all that 2009 has in store for him (books? prints? new artists! Josh Keyes show!).

If you haven't seen the show that's up right now, do. I thought it was more diverse than their previous group shows and represented a broader range of painting and sculpture - broader than the typically narrow scope of the Juxtapoz/low-brow/pop-surrealism/whateveryouwanttocallit scene that they often (perhaps unfairly) get lumped into. I'm excited to see their scope grow as their gallery grows and I'm really looking forward to their upcoming shows this year.

Bobcats claim foreclosed home

Headline today: "Bobcats claim foreclosed house" (photo via LA Times)

I'm certainly not the only one interested in the topic of nature taking back man-made constructions. When I posted about Scott Silvey's work back in April I explored the concept, referencing Josh Keyes as well. Then just yesterday I saw a great show on the history channel (future channel?) called "Life After People". If you get a chance to see this - do. I really enjoyed the show and it was especially interesting with all of the computer generated time-lapsed decaying cities.

Denver First Friday : March

In a new, monthly segment I will be covering the highlights of the "First Friday" gallery exhibitions in Denver. By far, the most memorable gallery of the night was the inaugural group show of the "Limited Addiction Gallery." I generally refer to the genre of art they exhibited as the "Juxtapoz"-type art or west-coast art - though it does not consider every work being shown, those of you familiar with the magazine might understand the reference or genre. Their own description of what they show is "otherwise labeled Pop-Surrealism, Urban Contemporary and 21st Century Figurative Art." The gallery was packed (both with art and attendees) and represented many great artists from across the country including Tim Biskup, Dalek, Audrey Kawasaki, Dan McCarthy, Tra Selhtrow, Jeff Soto, and more. *Check the links to Dan McCarthy and Tra Selhtrow especially - they have great limited edition silk-screened prints available online for very reasonable prices*

The walls at Limited Addiction were hung salon-style, often four or five pieces high but there was enough similarity of genre to keep it from feeling disorganized or cluttered. I'm looking forward to future shows there. We have now added this signed print from Audrey Kawasaki to our collection:

Mia & Mai

giclee print on archival paper
13" x 22" on a 15" x 24" sheet
signed and numbered
limited edition of 100

The work of Josh Keyes at Limited Addiction Gallery was also quite interesting. It has a science text-book diagram type of feel. I especially liked these pieces:

"Interlock #3", 12"x9", 2007, pencil and gouache on bristol board


"Envelop #1", 2007, 9"x12", pencil and gouache on bristol board

Another artist worth mentioning from last night was Armin Muhsam - whose work can be seen at the Kanon Gallery on Santa Fe Blvd. I was especially taken back by this piece:

Armin Muhsam
"Recent Earthworks"
16x48 Oil on Panel(s)

There was also a strong opening by Tracy Barnes and Eric Havelock-Bailie a the Sliding Door Gallery. Being the most recent addition to the Sliding Door co-op, I was glad to see a good turn-out and well planned show. Here are a few shots of the opening:

Big News: Nathan Abels at Tiny Showcase

Nathan Abels, "Island", Graphite and Colored Pencil on Paper

I am pleased to announce that on May 20th at 7:30 pm EDT a small editioned print of my drawing titled "Island" will be available for purchase for no more than $25 through the wonderful Tiny Showcase. I would recommend visiting their web site and signing up for their email list - they will write you a reminder the afternoon that my print goes up for sale. I am very excited about working with them. I will be in good company too -Tiny Showcase has printed editions of works by notable contemporary artists like Josh Keyes, and Marci Washington, and has even been featured in Oprah magazine as well as numerous art and design blogs.

This is a great and very affordable way to start your contemporary art collection and donate to a good cause. Tiny Showcase donates a percentage of the proceeds to a charity of the artist's choice - in my case I will be donating to the Alta Vista Center for Autism here in Denver, where my wife works. Austim rates are soaring nationwide, currently affecting one in every 150 children in the US. This is a organization and cause I feel strongly about and by purchasing my print from Tiny Showcase, you will be donating to help children with autism that attend the Alta Vista Center from all over the Front Range here in Colorado.