Galapagos...the Enchanted Islands #1

Sharks, Boobies and fratricide! 

 

Two Birds and a Baby Moose

Taken in 2014, here are a few of my personal favorite animal portraits. From Denali, Alaska to Grahamsville, New York--ain't life grand? 

 

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

 Roughly translated, "What goes around comes around." Sifting through my archives in search of something else, I discovered these two photographs, one by Andy Warhol from 1958 and one by myself from 2014.

I know it's NPC these days, nonetheless I wish it were a case of great minds, but I think it is only a case of vague visual memory somewhere in the ether.

Is it Tiffany or Robin's Egg blue?

When you say  Hermes orange, or Tiffany blue,  does Kapoor black come to mind? British artist Anish Kapoor has secured the exclusive right to use the high-tech color "Vantablack", a color developed for military purposes. The pigment is so dark that it absorbs 99.96 percent of light making anything coated with it nearly invisible. I heard that the former Soviet Union went to great lengths during the Cold War to discover the formula.


Kapoor is not the first artist to secure rights to a color.  Think Yves Klein. Did you know you are supposed to pay a licensing fee to the estate if you use that color (International Klein Blue)? And how would you ever know if you strayed into Yves Klein territory when for instance doing a painting of a swimming pool with a myriad of blues?

What do you think of an artist monopolizing a color? Should brand identity stand in the way of artistic expression? Will Kapoor aggressively pursue his rights and sue fellow artists?  Will you be arrested by painting with Kapoor Black?

And what if you are using it as a commentary on Kapoor, or a reference to the military, or the nature and presence of a painting with the absence of color? Shouldn't that all be covered under freedom of expression and merit legal protection?

Tom Sachs comes to mind with his use of safety orange. It informs our understanding of his work. I love that he's thought about orange.

I think we are at the beginning of a large conversation. What do you think pink?

COLOR. By Tom Sachs from Tom Sachs on Vimeo.

New Tropes taking on a life of their own.

As you know I have been working on a series of Tropes at Dieu Donné Papermill...large works in handmade paper.  All painting done with pigmented pulp—cotton, linen and trash pulp.

Susan Shaw 2016  60" x 40" Trope 005 (green deer) cotton, linen and trash pulp







©susanshaw2016

Je Suis Charlie

The comic world is a small one and Kurt knew some of those killed. It is so very sad. As a tribute, I have made a poster in the style of those I saw during the 1968 student protests in Paris. With hope for a better world, la lutte continue!

Dieu Donné Benefit and Ann Hamilton too!

Dieu Donné is the world's leading cultural institution dedicated to serving established and emerging artists through the collaborative creation of cutting-edge contemporary art using the process of hand papermaking. As you know I work there frequently, and have met some of the wonderful artists who collaborate with them.Last night was their annual benefit. It was great, in addition to a silent auction, they honored Ann Hamilton and  performed her piece, Page Sounding. 

Below are some snapshots from the event,  a short clip of the performance and a video of the process at Dieu Donné  to make that paper.

 

The Rapture

It's not like we thought it would be....

Veni, Vidi, Selfie

I am still amazed by the connectivity of all our new devices. Here I am on a super fast train (250 mph +) from Rome (heyday 200 b.c.e.) to Florence (heyday 1400 to 1700 a.d.) and I'm using a smaller than a deck of cards 64 gig wireless hard drive loaded with a SD card from my camera to send images directly to my phone where I am blogging via the internet (so now.)

Selfie, Selfie, Selfie

The current wild wave of selfies has given rise to a host of controversy. And has spawned a new industry.  Guys now walk around Rome selling sticks that will hold your cell phone far enough away to get yourself, your loved ones and a monument. Monumental vanity?

Jet Lag

I think I am going to be too jet lagged to post this Tuesday so I will just share some of my snaps from the last time I was in Rome plus the foot that I'm sure inspired Philip Guston and my two favorite paintings I did in Rome. And Rome is worth how many words?  Oh, just one. Bellissima!