Sunday, April 25, 2004
The following is a reprint of the first column I wrote for LOUD Magazine. It was printed in...June, I think, of 2003. It may be copywritten by them, but they never paid me for it. This is a pretty decent primer in how I operate. Hope you enjoy it. And if you've read it before, sorry. By the way, the city I reference is Oklahoma City. Also, Denise Duong's art is no longer at Galileo, but I'm sure something else is.
I Don’t Know What I Like, But I Know What Art Is
Art is like shit. Sometimes people make it, and sometimes it just seems to happen. For example, take the view of our city at night. The television and radio antennas that blink red in the dark night have a kind of beauty about them that seems almost premeditated. Of course, they were erected to transmit messages through the ether, and the lights were put in place to make sure that no low-flying planes crash into them, but they still bring out a sense of awe and wonder every time I see them. Somehow, art just happened. Another example is a bit of graffiti above I-44 Westbound, just past Lincoln Boulevard. It is simply “…KNOW…” in white paint on the east side of an overpass. It has been there for as long as I can remember, and has always made me pause to consider what it is and why it is there. Someone created it, and with some deliberate effort (as the overpass is a rail line, it is not the most accessible canvas in the city). But why? And what is it I am supposed to know? I don’t know, but just like an installation by Yoko Ono or a painting by Jasper Johns, it makes me think. What does this mean? Basically, art is everywhere, not just in museums, galleries and studios. We need only be aware, and receptive to the idea that art is a real and vital part of our lives.
However, if you’ve just got to see some paintings and such, check out Denise Duong’s exhibition at Galileo Bar and Grill in the Paseo. Hell, just take a walk through the Paseo and you’ll find several studios with actual live artists who would gladly discuss their art with you. This is not only fun and enlightening, but also free. One studio that has been a longtime favorite of mine is Studio Bleu (3003A Paseo, Oklahoma City, OK), featuring the art of David Irwin. His art is a mélange of colored and grayscale pencil work that shifts between photo-realism and surreality. A good example of this is “Monkey Business,” a series of four pieces that capture an event from the recent Paseo Arts Festival. The works look almost like digitally altered photographs. Colors pop off the paper and images blur and run together, as if everything is happening too fast for our eyes to follow. The series works very well as a whole, but taken individually the pieces still evoke a sense of controlled frenzy that is, like so much good art, simply fun. And as Studio Bleu is a working studio and not a museum, the pieces are for sale, so you can take some of the fun home with you. However, if money is tight (and when is it not?), you can enjoy the art on the walls and still have enough money for some ramen noodles when you get home. Hmmm… that sounds good. I think I’ll go have some.
I Don’t Know What I Like, But I Know What Art Is
Art is like shit. Sometimes people make it, and sometimes it just seems to happen. For example, take the view of our city at night. The television and radio antennas that blink red in the dark night have a kind of beauty about them that seems almost premeditated. Of course, they were erected to transmit messages through the ether, and the lights were put in place to make sure that no low-flying planes crash into them, but they still bring out a sense of awe and wonder every time I see them. Somehow, art just happened. Another example is a bit of graffiti above I-44 Westbound, just past Lincoln Boulevard. It is simply “…KNOW…” in white paint on the east side of an overpass. It has been there for as long as I can remember, and has always made me pause to consider what it is and why it is there. Someone created it, and with some deliberate effort (as the overpass is a rail line, it is not the most accessible canvas in the city). But why? And what is it I am supposed to know? I don’t know, but just like an installation by Yoko Ono or a painting by Jasper Johns, it makes me think. What does this mean? Basically, art is everywhere, not just in museums, galleries and studios. We need only be aware, and receptive to the idea that art is a real and vital part of our lives.
However, if you’ve just got to see some paintings and such, check out Denise Duong’s exhibition at Galileo Bar and Grill in the Paseo. Hell, just take a walk through the Paseo and you’ll find several studios with actual live artists who would gladly discuss their art with you. This is not only fun and enlightening, but also free. One studio that has been a longtime favorite of mine is Studio Bleu (3003A Paseo, Oklahoma City, OK), featuring the art of David Irwin. His art is a mélange of colored and grayscale pencil work that shifts between photo-realism and surreality. A good example of this is “Monkey Business,” a series of four pieces that capture an event from the recent Paseo Arts Festival. The works look almost like digitally altered photographs. Colors pop off the paper and images blur and run together, as if everything is happening too fast for our eyes to follow. The series works very well as a whole, but taken individually the pieces still evoke a sense of controlled frenzy that is, like so much good art, simply fun. And as Studio Bleu is a working studio and not a museum, the pieces are for sale, so you can take some of the fun home with you. However, if money is tight (and when is it not?), you can enjoy the art on the walls and still have enough money for some ramen noodles when you get home. Hmmm… that sounds good. I think I’ll go have some.
