10/04/2016

The opening of the Pier 34 that I curated at Hunter College, Thursday, September 29 was a blast… So many of the artists were there.  I have a panel coming up with the artist Stephen Lack and Judy Glantzman, moderated by Michael Lobel on Thursday, October 6 at 5:30.  Looking forward to seeing people there!

09/29/2016

David Finn, Michael Ottersen, Steven Lack, Jane Bauman and Rick Prol at the opening of Pier 34 Exhibition at Hunter Art Galleries that I curated with the help of photographer Andreas Sterzing.

07/09/2016

49 + (For Orlando)

Nick and I are busy working on cutouts for my installation at Artspace New Haven which is dedicated to those who died and our grieving after the aftermath of the Pulse killings in Orlando.  Andrew Rubenoff is designing the lighting for the pieces.

Here is the large meditating figure that will be at the center of the installation, which we cut out of acrylic glass  a few weeks ago outside in the garden.

Here are more figures are different sizes in our living room…

The opening is on July 22, and I will be giving an artist talk on July 27 with Ellen Napser,  Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale Medical School on issues of art and personal and public trauma. Followed by a reception at 116 Crown where several of my new flower paintings will be on view.  More information about the events is at https://artspacenewhaven.org/exhibitions/49-for-orlando/

 

09/28/2014

The dahlia paintings keep coming.  Here is a new one:

09/24/2014

I have done a very bad job of keeping up this blog, but here is some news.  Over the last month I have become obsessed with painting the amazing dahlias that we have grown in our backyard.

The results of my obsession will be on view at 116 Crown in New Haven this Fall.  The opening is on Wednesday, October 1 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.  All are invited!  You can also see some of the paintings in the flower section of this website.

 

11/25/2013

On the first night of Hanukah we met Jim and Elana Ponet at Roìa in the old Taft Hotel in New Haven (of All About Eve Fame–why is it that so few people in New Haven know that All About Eve had a crucial scene in the Taft Hotel?  Of course it really wasn’t shot in the hotel but in Hollywood, but it was supposed to be the Taft Hotel and there is a shot down Church Street in the film).   It was a great meal!  It was the first time we had seen them since our big wedding.  Jim married us and to show them our appreciation we brought them one of my synagogue paintings.  It was one of the last pictures I did of this theme.  It is based on a sketch I did on a Saturday in New York City in the East Village of a lovely little tenement synagogue.  There is a funny story attached to the painting.  In the midst of painting it two Hasidic boys who must have been around 12 or so came up to me and asked what I was painting.  I was a bit surprised because although I am not the most illusionistic painter I thought it was pretty clear, but not wanting to be impolite I said the synagogue.  They watched for a few moments and then they came back with their father.  He asked the same thing.  I told him.  He struck up a conversation and he told me that although they lived in Brooklyn, they worshiped at this little synagogue because their group had split from the family Rabbi in Williamsburg.

All three watched for a few moments and then they brought back their Rabbi.  This was a time in my life  when I was trying to get in touch a bit with my Jewish roots, as they say.  I was reading a lot of Chaim Potok and Irving Howe and having many an interesting conversation with Rabbi Ponet about my reading.   A few years before I had even attended Jim’s informal evening course on the Talmud.   So I was intrigued, even though I was quite aware of how homophobic the Hasidic Jewish community has been etc.  Nick however, has always been far more ambivalent about official Jewish religion, and all organized religions in general.  Anyway, he was suspicious about why the Rabbi was being so enthusiastic about my painting and being so friendly to us given the notorious homophobia of their community.  At some point the Rabbi asked if we were both Jewish and then when we said yes he asked if we wanted to see the inside of the Synagogue.  I was really curious to see what it looked like.  Nick was even more suspicious, but I insisted we go in.  Well once they had us inside, the Rabbi turned to me and admitted that they did not have a minion.  Would we stay so they could do their prayers and worship ?  (I am such a bad Jew, I don’t even know exactly what they needed the minion for, but I always find it so odd that it doesn’t matter what we believe, just as long as we are Jews we count for a minion, but if we were females but deeply religious, we would not count).  Before I had a chance to answer, Nick was out of there, and I followed…

November 18, 2013  Rather than complain about trivial annoyances like the flavors of Lifesavers it is probably more useful to post images of paintings in progress and other art related things…  I thought people might want to see what my new studio looks like in the attic of our house in Wooster Square.  It has already inspired some exciting work (or at least exciting to me).

November 11, 2013  O.K. this is my first post. Those of you who have heard me talk about the possibility that I might actual write a blog know that the number one topic I would begin with is not the state of the art world, or issues of politics, or queer culture, but the Lifesaver scandal.  Why did the people who make Lifesavers decide to drop lemon from their classic five flavor roll?   If you look up the Wikipedia entry for Lifesavers you will discover that for 70 years the five flavor roll was orange, lemon, lime, pineapple, and cherry.  In 2003, without fanfare or warning, they dropped lemon and lime and substituted watermelon and raspberry (They briefly dropped orange too but then they brought it back when they discovered that no one could tell the difference between blackberry and raspberry). Lemon was my favorite flavor…   Now, I understand that some people don’t like lemon, but what I don’t understand is why no one seemed to notice that this happened.  I have discussed it with all my friends and even with the occasional stranger, and no one seems to have noticed…  I deeply missed lemon Lifesavers (never liked lime).  It turns out that they still make the original five flavors in Canada.  Yet another reason to relocate.  So if anyone is going to Canada bring me back a roll… (Doesn’t this first post make you glad that I have decided to take up blogging?).