Lisa Pressman Art Blog

Sue Post and her art influences

2011-12-29T20:15:00.003-05:00

I've Loved You All Your Life
2010
oil on canvas
60 x 60"

I haven't done an artist influence post in a while and I forgot how much I enjoy doing them. Finding the links and images for all the artists is such a great way to revisit old and new favorites. This is Sue Post's work, an artist "friend" on Facebook. I see her paintings floating by and always stop to take a look. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

A Different Kind of Line
2011
oil on linen
20 x 20

Natural Light
2011
oil on linen
20 x 20

"I find ways for paint to “behave”, in work marked by simultaneous contrast and ambiguous space, with surfaces that are both flat and deep.

My paintings are animated by what they look like, not what they resemble. Pivotal decisions – mostly about edge, color and value - determine how the paintings come alive, and locate where on their surfaces this magic occurs. Painting interactions of color feels authentic and clarifying to me in ways that making pictures of things does not.

My latest work is based on an irregular grid or weave, a “plaid” composed of four colors and two different sizes of bounded area. Each patch or strip of color serves as part of two distinct vertical or horizontal structural elements, and every part hovers between figure and ground." Sue Post 2011

Rainbow Sherbet
2011
oil on linen
24 x 24"

A historical list of Sue's influences:

Courbet,"L'Eternite"

Vincent van Gogh,(La Crau from Mont Majour")

Edgar Degas"Cafe Singer"

Frank Stella

Howard Hodgkin,"View From Venice"

Helen Miranda Wilson (a teacher in grad),"Americauna"

Sean Scully,"Angel"

Edouard Manet

Gerhard Richter

Jonathan Lasker

Elizabeth Murray (a teacher in undergrad)

Sue will be having a show at the Painting Center, NYC

January 31, 2012- February 25, 2012

I Love You
2010
oil on canvas
60" x 54"


Serape 2011 oil on muslin over board 16 x 16"

Fuse: Art, Body, Motion

2011-12-10T22:03:00.001-05:00

I spent some time with artist Sara Mast back in June of 2009 when we were included in the New Talent Show at Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia. It was an instant lightening strike of friendship and artistic partnership.

I use the word lightening for a reason. There is a crackle, a synergy in which ideas become reality when we are together. When she came east again in January of 2010 for our shows at Rosenfeld, we were shopping for wine when we came across a wine called FUSE.

"FUSE explodes with the aromas and flavors of a much more expensive Napa Valley wine. The name derives from the inclusion of a significant portion of Syrah, adding an exotic, spicy twist to the blend...igniting the senses! It also refers to the friendship of the partners, whose fusion of passion and experience inspired this wine......"

I showed the bottle to Sara and of course, we bought two! We decided on the spot to call our workshop FUSE. The fusing of artists, mediums and the actual fusing when you use encaustic.

Turn the calender to June 2010 when she is back east to attend the 5th International Encaustic Conference in Provinceton MA. Before we left for the conference I took Sara to a Niyolates@ Class. Niyolates@, created by Rolin San Juan, is an expressive fitness and awareness movement program. It combines the dynamic poses of yoga, the explosive power of the martial arts, the grace & spontaneity of modern and ethnic dances and the stillness & concentration of Tai-Chi. When we were done she looked at me and said, “Now I understand where your paintings come from…” It was true, but not just my paintings. Movement and connectivity with the body can free up energy and stress to allow anyone’s creativity to flow in new and dynamic ways. So that is the story of how Fuse: Art, Body, Motion was born.

Both Sara and I have taught drawing and paintings for many years (see bios below). This small, team-taught workshop will be an individualized experience for each participant. We will cover all basics of encaustic as well as move beyond technique to explore the expressive potential of wax and a mixed media approach. Our goal is to guide each participant in finding his/her personal vision.

The Studio in Montana

The workshop will be held in Sara's studio just east of Bozeman, nestled in the foothills of the Bridger Mountains. This valley was named the Valley of the Flowers by the Native Americans who gathered here before the European settlers arrived. It represents a peaceful meeting place where indigenous tribes worked together to share their dreams and visions, nurtured by the natural world that surrounded them. The beauty and serenity of this special place will inspire your work and delight your senses.

An example of what a day might include:

8:30 Pick up in van for commute to Trail Creek Road studio
9-12:30 Demos/worktime
12:30-1:30 Lunch (provided)
1:30-4 Demos/work time
4-5 Niyolates@ Movement & release after an intense work day
5-6 Relax in the beautiful surroundings of the Gallatin Valley or take a hike or horseback ride...
6 pm Van to the hotel – dinner on your own in downtown Bozeman

Each day of the workshop will be guided by the interactions of the group and by the instructors' response to the needs and desires of each participant. Possible areas to be covered include: encaustic and mixed media demos; use of pigment sticks, printmaking, and experimental drawing; art career advice on how to expand your creative research, get the work out, write an artist statement, apply for grants and residencies…and more.

Here are videos of Sara and myself talking about our work at the Rosenfeld opening.

BIOS

Sara Mast is a widely exhibited artist whose paintings are included in over 30 public and private collections in the United States and abroad. Her work is included in Joanne Mattera’s book Encaustic Painting: Contemporary Expression in the Ancient Medium of Pigmented Wax. Exhibitions in 2011 include As Above, So Below, a solo exhibition at Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia, PA; Repertoire, a group exhibition at Zolla/Lieberman Gallery in Chicago, IL; and Night Visions IV, a juried exhibition at Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, AZ. Sara lives and works in Bozeman, Montana, and is a co-chair of the Drawing/Painting department at Montana State University.

Lisa Pressman’s paintings incorporate oils, collage, wax and other mixed media to create works that allude to a personalized time and space. The work is the physical embodiment of the slow and gradual process of realization and transformation.Recent and Upcoming exhibitions include: Kindred Spirits, Schiltkamp Gallery at Clark University, Wooster Mass and Confluence: Medium Meets Message at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, FL in 2012.Pressman’s work was exhibited in Making the Mark at Susan Eley Fine Art and at the Affordable Art Fair with Anelle Gandelman Fine Art, both in New York City. Her paintings were also featured in The Balancing Act, a solo show at Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia. She is currently an adjunct at the Art Institute of New York and teaches painting privately and around the country. You can find her teaching schedule here Lisa Pressman lives and works in West Orange, NJ.

Catching up and being grateful

2011-11-23T09:51:00.000-05:00

I can't believe the last time I posted was in September. I have been so wrapped up in preparing for my new job as an adjunct, prepping and planning workshops and getting into the studio that I just haven't had the energy to do a post. I am so grateful that it is Thanksgiving week. Here is a quick recap:

Teaching:

I have been teaching for about 5 years now. Encaustic, pigment sticks, mixed media, and most recently college 2d design and drawing. I am getting better at planning and preparing for workshops but college teaching has a huge learning curve. I like the kids very much but the prep, grading and policing is a bit overwhelming. I know it will get easier. I am having fun revisiting the basics of point, line, plane, grid, positive and negative etc....


grid with repeating elements

I have been busy planning and booking workshops for 2012. I am grateful for these opportunities to teach, travel and work with great people.

January 25, 26, 27

Pigment sticks at R & F Handmade Paints, Kingston,NY

April 18, 19, 20

Pigment sticks at R & F Handmade Paints, Kingston, NY
June 4
FULL
Pigments Sticks and Encaustic at Sixth International Encaustic Conference Provincetown, Mass

June17-22

Encaustic and Embellishment

Cullowhee Mountain ARTS at Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina

July 26-30

FUSE: Art, Body, Motion with artist Sara Mast

Bozeman, Montana

August 20 -24

Pigment Stick and Mixed Media

Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Truro, MA

October 17,18,19

Pigment sticks at R & F Handmade Paints, Kingston, NY

Exhibition News:

In October my work was in Kindred Spirits curated by Toby Sisson at the

Schiltkamp Art Gallery, Clark University, Worcester MA. It included works by Kim Bernard, David A. Clark, Miles Conrad, Sue Katz, Kathleen Lemoine, Joanne Mattera, Laura Moriarty, Lisa Pressman, Marybeth Rothman, and Donna Talman. It is up until December 12th.

Close up of Making Sense

Next year I will be included in "Confluence: Medium Meets Message" at the

Morean Arts Center, St Petersburg, Fla. This show is curated by Amanda Cooper and Leslie Neumann.
WAX: Medium Meets Message
March 23 – May 28, 2012
Opening Reception: March 23, 2012

Local artist and activist Leslie Neumann gathered a roster of stellar artists who work in diverse methods, but share the common bond of using encaustic, a wax based paint with luminous qualities.

Hailing from divergent places such as Portland, OR, Santa Fe, NM, Maine and the New York City area, each artist brings a unique and exciting perspective to this ancient medium. Viewers will be astounded by the floating installations of Lorrie Fredette, the kinetic sculptures of former dancer Kim Bernard, and the political bite of Russell Thurston. Wax gets nostalgic with the photo-based paintings of Marybeth Rothman, and brilliantly abstract in the hands of Lisa Pressman.

Leslie Neumann and Elise Wagner draw our attention upward with paintings that explore the cosmos. Artists who present a more down-to-earth perspective are the seed-studded altars of Ann Taylor Gibson, and the geological sculptures of Laura Moriarty.

This exhibition not only will feature the diversity of wax in art, but will also provide our community with a fun, educational component featuring the history of wax and all its other versatile uses.

I am thrilled to be included in the inaugural edition of Encaustic Works ‘11, a juried show in print by Joanne Mattera. My work was selected to be part of the portfolio section of the book.

Studio News:

My studio is in a state of disarray. I have many pieces working and just a few close to finished. I have been painting with oils, pigment sticks, ink and wax and having that "not knowing" feeling. All I do know, is when I am in the studio I know that is where I am supposed to be.

My office has become not only the communication, marketing and "sales" center but my 2D design studio. How many jobs do we all have as artists?......tooooo many.

My website needs attention so that is on my list for the near future. I have been working on my artist statement. The never ending tweaking and retweaking....Here it is as of today:

My work is rooted in play, a sense of discoveryand a passion for revealing the unknown. Images emerge from my translationof experiences of the outside world, and are internalized through the lens ofthe inner eye. I am interested in motion, energy and balance both formally andmetaphorically.

The paintings develop through an intuitivedialog between deliberate and random marks, allowing a relationship betweenintent and accident to unfold. Time and memory are evoked through the processof layering and scraping. The working process is inseparable from the completedimage, which stands as a witness to the history of its making.

Art Seeing News:

Part of my deal with myself with traveling into NYC for teaching is not to waste the money I spend just on the commute. Recently, I went to see DeKooning which was overwhelming and I need to see it again. What struck me this first visit was the that those last paintings seemed to be the last of his memory of his painting structure that he used throughout his life.

Last Friday I went to Chelsea and saw Joan Michell and Richard Pousette Dart. Both must sees!

Joan Mitchell

close up of a Joan Mitchell

Joan Mitchell

Richard Pousette Dart

Although I am grateful for all of the above, my family and my friends, old and new, are at the top of my list.

Happy Thanksgiving !

Using Mixed Media to Discover Your Voice, Part 3

2011-09-10T14:24:00.000-04:00

Truro

My favorite part of any workshop is the end. It is the time when everyone gets to look at what they have accomplished and also what the entire group accomplished. We talk about process, we talk about formal elements and most importantly talk about content. Are any of these works finished? The million dollar question. I would say, in most cases, no, but they are research to take back to the studio.

I am pointing something out to Andy.


Here is she is. Her love of light and an abstracted landscape was apparent.


Barbara used her one minute drawings as a spring board to develop these beautifully subtle pieces.

Connie apologized for her graphic one minute drawings. I said "Are you crazy? If that is what you do then go for it"

And she did with the exciting three pieces below the drawings. Freedom


I saw maps/mapping in Deborah's work the first day and that sparked the above work.

Denise came with specific imagery in mind for a book project. Here you can see the gravestone image emerging.

Julie's lyrical works reference stones and landscape.

Karen's love for textiles, organic forms and light are featured in her work here.

Lorraine worked very quietly and slowly creating these pieces. The top one in particular has such an interesting use of negative space, edge and line. It is one of those pieces that reveals more as you look at it.

I blew up Maryellen's photo because all of her pieces were small. Small, but packed with luscious paint, surface and glimmers of light. Gems.

Pam had a great time painting and painting over. I am looking forward to seeing what happens with the triptych. You can't see it in this photo but there are layers of light and beautifuly quiet markings.

Patricia brought and did a tremendous amount of work. This is only half of the pieces she was working on. She is working out lots of ideas and it will interesting to see how she synthesizes them into her work.

This was my demo piece which I started in April at the R&F workshop. I brought it out to do a demo, and ended up adding that purple square on the left. Although it got a lot of oohs and ahs

from the "crowd", I took it out. The piece is still percolating.


Here is the group!

Thanks Cheri for inviting me to teach at Castle Hill.

For upcoming workshops please visit my website teaching page.

Using Mixed Media to Discover Your Voice, Part 2

2011-09-09T09:53:00.004-04:00

After the first day (here), I introduced some materials that I like to work with including pigment sticks, cold wax, oil paint, graphite and various tools and techniques. Below are a few shots of the work in progress.

Patricia

Deborah

Denise

Connie

Maryellen

Barbara

Lorraine looking

Andy

Julie

Karen

Pam

Using Mixed Media to Discover Your Voice, Day 1

2011-08-30T17:11:00.002-04:00

I just came back from teaching a workshop at the Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Truro, Ma.
What a great place with big light filled studios, great staff and a beautiful setting.

The first day after introductions, I began the class with a 30 drawings in 30 minutes exercise with some graphite, markers, pencils and erasers. After, we did a walk around looking and talking about the "work". I made them each choose 5 of their least favorite drawings which I collected and then gave out to the other participants. They had 20 minutes to rework them. It is a great way to loosen up and get out from under the" preciousness umbrella". There was some groaning, grunting and sighing but the result was the inspiration for the rest of the week.
Next blog post!

Below are a sample from that first day:

Love my R&F apron and their pigment sticks. Those come later.

Here is smiling Pam!

Andy hard at work

Studio visit with Fran Shalom

2011-08-18T15:25:00.000-04:00

Savoire Faire
2010
Oil on Wood
12" x 12'

" I am a modernist abstract painter with a pop sensibility. My works balance the formal with the playful, paring down shapes and ideas into their most basic forms. It is a search for clarity and humor, as is evidenced by the shapes and colors in my paintings: cartoony, bright, blobby. But, like life itself, there is an undercurrent of conflict beneath the whimsy, as reflected in the tension and interaction between the shapes. Ultimately, it is important that the viewer becomes involved with the paintings, tempting them to stay long enough with the images to connect to a narrative that is at once ambiguous yet taps into the specifics and subtleties of their own lives."

I was in Chelsea a few months ago at the Nancy Margolis Gallery seeing the Abstraction show. I particularity liked the color, quirkiness and ambiguity of Fran Shalom's work. I looked her up online and found out she lives 15 minutes from my studio so I arranged a visit. What a treat to have someone who speaks my language so close!

Her studio is up in the attic with plenty of light and room for her to work.

She is a collector so notice in many of the photos the shelves of "stuff".

I love this one above her painting wall.

All of the work shown in this post is work in progress so don't get attached.

Here are her rolling tables with everything ready and close at hand. You can see her inspiraton wall to the left. Here is an upclose view:

Work in progress, oil on board

Works in progress, oil on board

This is a finished painting untitled at the moment (I love the relationship between the painting and the wire with the pink tags. )

We had some laughs

Everywhere I looked I found echoing shapes and colors. Look at those funny creatures in the windows.

Work in progress, oil on board

More cards and images

The bookshelves

She is a practicing Buddhist.

This is Jazzy's viewing chair. Notice the painting hanging up over the radiator. That is a painting by Brenda Goodman.

Troubled Waters #3 20 x 24 2009 Brenda Goodman

Untitled, 2010, Oil on Wood 12" x 12"

Fran has two shows coming up.

A two person show, April 24th at The Painting Center, NYC

and a solo show, October 2012,

at the John Davis Gallery in Hudson, NY.

The Workshop in Tuscany

2011-08-15T18:00:00.009-04:00

As I am getting ready to teach a workshop up at Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, I realize that I am behind on a post about the Tuscan workshop that I led in late June. I brought my students to a villa owned by Raffaele Nobile. He calls his program Tuscany in the Frame and offers art and cooking holidays in Tuscany and other parts of Italy. This trip took place in Cortona.

Here is Raffaele


His van.


The villa

The studio


Table set for the first night of dinner, with Krista, Lars and Geralyn taking the picture

I called the workshop Approaching Abstraction. Our goal was not to create finished pieces of art but more to observe and experience the landscape, color and light around us. Our travels brought us to Cortona, Arezzo, Pienza , Moltepuciano, and Assisi. There were 11 of us and we were there for eight days. We experimented with materials, toured, ate, drank, laughed, cried, had many expressos, took thousands of pictures between all of us and had an amazing experience. Here are some photos of "studio time" at the villa.

One afternoon we had an impromptu art supply show, tell, then do party.

Geralyn, Debbie, Erica, Mira and Kevin (l-r)

In the studio working

I am giving a color mixing lesson before jumping in the pool. Yes! it was very hot.

Tara and Geralyn decide to take a walk past the sunflowers,

while Laurie, Debbie and I paint them.

Debbie had great success "painting" on her Ipad,

and I, underneath the hat, shocked everyone by dong my own sunflowers.


Here we are in the Tuscan light. From left to right: Geralyn, me, Erica, Krista, Lars, Lee, Debbie, Tara, Mira and Doug. Where are Kevin and Laurie? You can see many of my photos of the entire trip in my July posts.

New workshops are in the planning stages.
Possible destinations: Costa Rica, Sicily, Montana and the tri-state area.
Email me for details: lpart@earthlink.net

Letter to a Young Artist

2011-08-10T11:22:00.001-04:00

I was spent a day with a friend recently and we were discussing dreams, shamans, spirits and art. That night out of the blue I went to my book case and pulled out a book called Dreamtime and Inner Space: The World of the Shaman. I hadn't looked at it probably since college. Out dropped this letter from my former college professor and artist, Bob Watts.

I don't remember giving him my journal but I do remember the journal being full of insecurity and doubts. I also don't remember receiving this note from him but I love what he says:

" I could help you realize that all or most sensitive artists struggle with the same problems, the fears, anxieties, frustrations of creating. It often takes many years to arrive at some confidence. Its a giving up of some values which have nothing to do with making or being. Our inner self knows this for a certainty. Have you read Zen and the Art of Archery? There are clues there."

It seems so right to have this letter right now for myself as an artist and a teacher. The fact that it dropped out of this particular book is ironic. From dream time, inner space and from the after life, Bob is still communicating.

Thanks, Doctor Bob

Robert Watts (artist) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robert Watts was an American artist best known for his work as a member of the international Avant-garde art movement Fluxus. Born in Burlington, Iowa June 14th 1923[2][3], he became Professor of Art at Douglass College, Rutgers University, New Jersey in 1953, a post he kept until 1984. In the 1950s, he was in close contact with other teachers at Rutgers including Allan Kaprow, Geoffrey Hendricks and Roy Lichtenstein. This has led some critics to claim that pop art and conceptual art began at Rutgers [4][5].

He organised the proto-fluxus Yam Festival, May 1963 with George Brecht, and was one of the main protagonists, along with George Maciunas, in turning SoHo, New York, into an artist's quarter. He died Friday 2nd September 1988 of lung cancer in Martins Creek, Pennsylvania.[6]

He was also known as Bob Watts or Doctor Bob.

A Visit to Lorrie Fredette's Studio

2011-08-03T10:54:00.006-04:00

When I visited Lorrie Fredette's studio last April up in Saugerties, NY her work was done and she was getting ready to pack, deliver and install her show at the Cape Cod Museum of Art. She was gracious enough to let me poke around to see what was still "hanging" around. I plan to revisit when her next body of work is in progress.

The Great Silence (abbreviated)
Beeswax, tree resin, muslin, brass, steel, nylon line
6' 2" x 36' 9" x 5' 8" suspended above the floor 9' 6" (8' of the 36' shown here)
© 2011

This is what Lorrie says about her work:

"My sculptures and drawings are inspired by medical and environmental news stories pulled from today's headlines and historical sources. Upon choosing an area of focus, such as the swine, avian and Spanish flus, or the increased incidence of poison ivy with the growth of greenhouse gases, I set upon a rigorous course of research, gathering images which I then alter, vet and reject through an elaborate system designed to completely subvert and distort any likeness to the original source"

I think it so interesting that her work is done in this studio but once it is installed the essence of the work is revealed. The work refers to viruses yet the light, luminosity, shadows, and the odd beauty draws you in.

You can read a review about Lorrie's current show at the Cape Cod Museum of Art at

Art Scope

and also a write up at Joanne Mattera's blog to be posted August 4th.

Lorrie contributed to some of my captions so hers are in quotes.

Come on in!

"This image shows one of my work spaces. It is where I do most of my painting. To the left is my drawing table and right behind the chair is a stack of my favorite books. The piece on the wall above the empty work table is headed to the Cape Cod Museum of Art for their auction. It is titled "Bundled."

"Well, this is messy! I have some boxes for teaching in the foreground, stacks of material plus another piece in progress, "Atmospheric Causes (4)". Looks like I need to clean up some more!"

"This is standing at my door looking straight across the studio. Against the exterior wall (where the two small windows are) there are is a large element on a box from "A Pattern of Connections" and a wooden frame wrapped with plastic suspending "Atmospheric Causes (2)" The boxes behind Atmospheric Causes have many other pieces and in the upper left corner is a piece in the making".

Some of Lorrie's favorite books.......Kiki, Lee and of course Eva.

This was made by artist, Barbara Ellmann.
It is a birthday garland made from recycled candy wrappers, felt and beads. I looked at it as personalized prayer flags before Lorrie told me what it was. It is a festive string of color in her studio.

favorite inspiring objects

Her Japanese hole puncher

which is her favorite tool,


that helps to create these wonderful works on paper.

Peeking in her files we found a torn up drawing and a
waxed fabric piece.

I laughed when I saw Lorrie's heat gun. These guns are usually covered in wax that is if you use them. Lorrie recently told me that the heat gun was packed away now.

She dips her forms in wax baths and that is how the fusing is taking place.

"A box filled with elements that I am testing new materials like handmade paper, shellac."

Atmospheric Causes 2 in a case

"This is the underside of a wall piece. The long, thin black lines are entomology pins that have pierced
the unit. The piercing was done by artist Jill Parisi in our collaborative, Field Notes."

"This is a box of "samples". I keep all of my tests and attempts to remind me how I made something to show when I teach."

"One of the "Tubes" pieces"

"Up close and personal with the surface of a tube"

"Box-o-tubes. (Not a box of tuba's)."

"Packed pods for CCMA!"

Packed and ready to be delivered to the Cape Cod Museum

The installation of the The Great Silence is up from June 11 - September 25 at the Cape Cod Museum of Art

The Great Silence

Beeswax, tree resin, muslin, brass, steel, nylon line
© 2011

Some Views from Tuscany and Cinque Terre

2011-07-26T15:07:00.007-04:00

The Light

2011-07-20T12:13:00.001-04:00

Loving the Laundry and the Lines

2011-07-14T08:48:00.000-04:00

How about some texture?

2011-07-13T08:06:00.000-04:00

2011-07-12T08:33:00.000-04:00

Did someone say doors? My eye was on the windows.

Some Color

2011-07-11T13:21:00.002-04:00

I am back home now trying to process an amazing trip to Tuscany. My workshop participants had a great time making fun of my constant exclaims "Look at the color, look at the light, look at the texture"...etc. So that is how I have decided to organize my photos, starting with some color.

And while I am away......

2011-06-25T13:00:00.000-04:00

The Edge of the World 48 x38 oil Lisa Pressman

Pressman, based in West Orange, N.J., creates paintings that are simultaneously lyrical and glacial: The open spaces in her oil and encaustic works are intersected by thin swirling lines suggestive of tornadoes, but also by thick, clotted ones that bring to mind chain links and rivers. Pressman clearly loves to paint.”

Edith Newhall

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Galleries: Meticulous and abstract, there back on the scene

I don't apply to juried shows much any more but on a whim I decided to apply to this one because the juror, Elisabeth Sussman will be curating the next Whitney Biennial. Hey, you never know.... You can see this painting in the 22nd International Juried Exhibition show from June 28th- July 16th at Viridian Artists, 530 West 25TH Street between 10th & 11th Avenues in Chelsea.

A special reception will be held on Thursday, June 30th, 5:00-8:00pm.

Spirit of Motion, Following the Path both 24 x 24 encaustic LPressman

Making Their Mark, a show curated by Amber George at the Susan Eley Fine Art Gallery has been extended through June 30th. It features paintings by Amber George, David Kidd, Chase Langford, Maria O'Malley, Audrey Phillips and Lisa Pressman

Gallery Hours: Tues, Wed, Thurs, 11-5 and by appointment

917.952.7641 46 West 90th Street, NYC, Fl 2

Press on this show can be found at:

The Arts of New York City
Nyartbeat.com
Second Hanging
The Haughty Snifter
Rising Artist

Off to Tuscany

2011-06-24T10:59:00.002-04:00

I have exciting news!!

I am leaving on Saturday for Tuscany with a group of students for a week long workshop. This workshop will include a variety of breathtaking locations chosen to inspire our creative work. Using mixed media (pastels, oil pastels, oil sticks and paint) we will be informed by the landscape. Imagine working with the textures, tones, colors and the clarity of light that is so much a part of Tuscany's natural beauty. Cortona, Sienna, Montepulciano, Pienza and Assisi are on the list. I hope to be able to post some pictures while I am there.( Even as I write this I can't believe I am going.)

Ciao for now

Untitled 2 8 x6 oil on board 2011

Untitled 1 8 x6 oil on board 2011

Untitled 3 8 x6 oil on board 2011

Hotel Art Fair at the Fifth Annual International Encaustic Conference

2011-06-22T08:46:00.000-04:00

Welcome from Marybeth

Marybeth Rothman and I participated in the Hotel Art Fair that took place at the Fifth Annual International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, the first week in June.

I wish I had taken before and after photos of the room. From 11 to 1 am on Saturday night we found ourselves using garbage cans, trays, suitcases, towels and whatever else we could find to create some kind of presentation for our work the next morning. I seem to remember running to my room to grab extra props.

It was a great success for us. We both sold some work, were curated into an upcoming exhibition and enjoyed seeing and talking about our work together and to our visitors.

The only thing we were disappointed in was that we didn't get to spend time seeing all the other work.

Here are some blogs that show more pictures from the fair:

lynettehaggard.blogspot.com

www.lisamariesipe.com

artinthestudio.blogspot.com

Small Gems encaustic 1-5 6 x 6 each L Pressman

Left:The Hands of Wickaboxet Seven

encaustic and mixed media

14"x14"

2010

Right:

The Hands of Wickaboxet One

encaustic and mixed media

14"x14"

2010

Mary Beth Rothman

Marybeth and I both loved how our worked played off each other, as if the twins were thinking in an abstract language.

What are they thinking?

12 x12 each ink and wax on paper Lisa Pressman

Quick notes 7 x5 each ink and wax L Pressman

Workshop at R & F

2011-06-21T10:43:00.002-04:00

If you have a chance to see the Richard Serra show at the Met he is using paint sticks in many of the drawings in the exhibition. Process, surface, texture, gravity and physicality are explored.

In April, I was invited to be one of R&F Handmade Paints visiting artists to their workshop in Kingston, NY. The workshop “Pigment Sticks and Mixed Media” was three days of exploration with R&F's oil sticks. I use them in my own work to paint and draw and also combine them with oil paint and encaustic.

Thanks to all my students!

Below are a few pictures from the workshop.

The clean studio

I like to start with a 30 minute, 30 drawing introduction to materials and mark making. It is a great way to loosen up and let go of fear and preciousness.

Here are some examples of what happens when we move from smaller to bigger.

Some examples of work done in the workshop and then back in the home studio.

workshop

studio

workshop

studio

"Bad Blogger"

2011-06-19T10:08:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, it has been more than a month since I have posted. Our pet mice come out every night and run run on their wheel. That is how I have been feeling with so much going on....family illness and an amazing recovery, high school graduation, (empty nest is very close) plus teaching here and there, workshops, shows, conferences, visitors, upcoming trip. You know........life.

I am not complaining, it is all terrific stuff. This is the first week that I don't have a list a mile long so I am going to try to catch up before I am gone again.

Lorrie Fredette and Cora Jane Glasser: Art Buddy Check In

2011-05-09T10:00:00.004-04:00

Several years ago, I reconnected with an old friend and we began a month by month art date. We would make an appointment, a list/agenda and then go over it on that day. After a few years the list became a way for both of us to see what we had learned and accomplished.

Cora's studio

Inside Lorrie's studio

When I heard that artists Cora Jane Glasser and Lorrie Fredette have been doing a similar date which they call "Art Buddy Check-in" for 11 years, I decided to ask them some questions.

When and how did your weekly check-in begin?
The exchange Cora and I have shared over 11 plus years has been similar to letter writing. It has always been from the individual, the I. Yet, the responses you’ll be reading is a first. It is primarily written, by Cora in a we format….a joint perspective. We approached the response to your questions as we would with our ABCi (Art Buddy Check-in). We each wrote our responses and then emailed them to the other. We didn’t read the other’s response until after we had written and emailed our own. It didn’t surprise us that they were practically mirror images. You will find just four isolated responses from us as individuals. We felt that they were of particular importance and should be identified.

It was between 11 and 12 years ago. We had met at least a year before in a class we were both taking at the Art Students League. We gravitated towards each other.

Cora – I recall receiving a call from her - I can picture exactly where I was standing in my apartment- asking if I would be her art buddy. The idea was that we would commit to exchanging weekly goals for ourselves via email on a specific day each week and we picked Monday. I recall being very flattered and excited. I had started my art career rather late in life and saw Lorrie, though younger, as more advanced and experienced.

What was the initial purpose? And how has it changed over the years?
The purpose was to hold us accountable to ourselves and to each other for staying focused on identifiable goals that would advance our studio practices. Over the years we have incorporated longer-term goals using an annual check-in around the New Year. We have also gotten more specific on a week-to-week basis as we have both taken on projects and opportunities that require very carefully defined attention. So it has been both an enlarging and a narrowing of focus. Most importantly, we have come to be true friends, which enables us to provide support and guidance to each other. The range of support spans our practices as well as our personal lives and the constant balancing act between them. We have also expanded our outreach to one another so that if we need to run something by the other at any time we do so. One of the sweetest changes is the occasional joyous phone call to give or receive good news.

Talk a little about the structure of the call.
We don't really set agendas. Each of us is free to set forth our goals for the coming week however we choose. We have fallen into a basic email format of topics, almost always starting with "Studio". The idea there is to hold us accountable for as much studio time as possible under whatever circumstances exist at the time. The rest can be other art activities planned for the week such as attending an opening; clerical tasks like cleaning off desks, or updating mailing lists; preparing for a specific project or exhibit at whatever stage it might be. There are no limitations and our lists do not have to match each others- they just have to make sense for each of us.

Lorrie – Two of the organic happenings in our format is that we each email back responses to what the other has sent and there are mid-week check-ins. The responses are similar to having a physical conversation offering ideas, support and motivation. The mid-week checks, for me, are a way of staying on tracking by getting some additional verbal support either through problem solving or cheering.

You are welcome to give examples and talk about some of the topics.
We each start off discussing our studio time. It has ALWAYS been in our exchange and IS the most important part. The remainder is stating a goal and listing the actions.

Lorrie - For example, I've pasted a section from my check-in for the week of 4/18/11

To Wax Natural:
1. Look at the drawings I have for the show.
2. Consider making a few more for the show. How many?

A bunch of other things….
1. Schedule visit with Ani & then visit with her!
2. Read FN: VA catalog
3. WSW solo show
4. Go through desk stuff….
5. Clean and organize email boxes
6. Lisa Pressman’s blog

Cora from the same week: and here is a sample of mine from the same week:

Studio:
My goal is to go on Saturday start working on tiny paper planes. I am promising myself at least 4 solid hours. I think once I get the rhythm I can knock them off pretty fast. My initial goal will be 8 and then who knows.

AAF:

· work on Vertical Response ad for the booth
· make sure to add certain people from TEC to the mailing list for the fair
· review video for final edit
· work on group of paintings to take (plan on little or no works on paper-combo of older panels based on ruins and earlier group of construction paintings)
· work on list of things we need for installation
· work on list of things we need for booth

Other:

· schedule breakfast with Audrey this or next week
· connect with Lorrie about ABCi interview for Lisa
· Thursday I am going to Philly for the Eastern State Pen. artist orientation tour!

How has it changed each one of you? your work, promotion, confidence etc.
This is such a huge question. I believe that it has not changed us but it has contributed greatly to each of us developing as artists along our own paths. Growth would be more accurate than change. That in turn provides confidence, which in turn helps with self-promotion.

Have you ever had a break or a halt and then restructured?
Not really. Of course if one of us is going on vacation or is occupied with a project or a family emergency we might skip a week every now and again but it is very rare. We have always stuck to Monday as our day, but sometimes we will send the email on Sunday, or Tuesday. We are rarely later than 2 days and since we do this independently rather than as a meeting we do what works for each of us and we give each other whatever slack we each need.

How do you separate (or do you?) the close friendship that you have and the weekly check in.
It is impossible to separate the two and that fact has enhanced both. We will often add a personal note as an introductory paragraph. However, we are pretty rigorous in keeping it as an Art Buddy Check-in and try to talk to each other and see each periodically about more personal matters.

Thanks to Lorrie and Cora for sharing the details of their ABCI and here is their work:

Lorrie Fredette
My sculptures and drawings are inspired by medical and environmental news stories pulled from today's headlines and historical sources. Upon choosing an area of focus, such as the swine, avian and Spanish flus, or the increased incidence of poison ivy with the growth of greenhouse gases, I set upon a rigorous course of research, gathering images which I then alter, vet and reject through an elaborate system designed to completely subvert and distort any likeness to the original source.

Recent and Current Exhibitions:
An Exchange with Sol LeWitt, Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA .
Article for An Exchange with Sol LeWitt.

CONVERSATIONS at The Gallery at R& F, Kingston, NY .

TO WAX NATURAL at the Albany Center Gallery, Albany, NY .

Upcoming:
ENCAUSTIC WITH A TEXTILE SENSIBILITY at the Kimball Art Center, Park City, UT.

THE GREAT SILENCE at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, MA.

PROPER LIMITS at Women's Studio Workshop, Rosendale, NY.

CONFLUENCE at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, FL.

More about Cora Jane Glasser

There are 3 images attached, from most recent (Query) to a construction site painting (Nothing Sacred) to an older archeological site painting (Casa Grande). Details of each below.

I turned out a new body of work between 2009 and 2011 called "Query" which was recently the subject of a solo show in a Philadelphia gallery. The work grew out of an interest in urban construction sites, that in turn grew out of an interest in archeological ruins. This trajectory has taken me on a ride between complex layering and minimalized form. I am looking for ways to unite these aspects. A solo exhibit at the end of May in an architect's office seems to be offering me that opportunity. I have recently shown work spanning archeological and construction based work at the Affordable Art Fair in NYC and will continue to show in venues compatible with my work as it develops further.

When not in the studio I spend much of my time these days running a decades old family business in New York City. It involves glass and mirror installation and is considered a construction trade - not inconsistent with my studio practice.

Query (in black, #2), 2009
Beeswax & oil on Homasote on wood
36 inches 18 inches (2 parts)

Nothing Sacred, 2007
Beeswax, oil & ink on Homasote
38 inches x 35 inches (16 parts)

Casa Grande, 2005

Beeswax & oil on wood

14 inches x 33 inches (triptych)

May Exhibitions

2011-04-26T12:32:00.001-04:00

I am off to teach an oil stick workshop at R&F and thought I would post upcoming exhibitions in May. It is very exciting to have my work exhibited in these venues with such good artists. I will be sure to take some photos and post after the openings.

Making their Mark features work by Amber George, David Kidd, Chase Langford, Maria O'Malley, Audrey Phillips and Lisa Pressman. Like fingerprints, artist’s lines and marks have unique characteristics that differentiate one artist's work from another. This show explores the variety and beauty of mark making, ranging from straightforward linear graphite marks to intuitive gestural gouges. The over riding theme that runs through all of the artist’s work is the intention to let the mark speak for itself. Artists Amber George, Maria O'Malley, Audrey Phillips, and Lisa Pressman will be at the opening reception.

Curated by Amber George, the show is the first exhibition in the gallery's Artist Curates series. Tuesday, May 3

Opening Reception :6:00pm - 8:00pm

closes on June 17th
Susan Eley Fine Art
46 West 90th Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY

Walking the Line 36 x 36 oil on board L Pressman

Affordable Art Fair
May 4,5,6,7,8
Anelle Gandelman Fine Art Booth G3
PO BOX 504
Larchmont, NY 10538

Including Artists
Thea Schrack
Lisa Pressman
Jackie Battenfield
Geoffrey Baris
Betsy Weis
Deborah T Colter

1/5/10 ink, wax on paper, 12 x 12 L Pressman

1/21/10 ink, wax on paper, 12 x 12 L Pressman

1/8/1 ink, wax on paper, 12 x 12 L Pressman

1/3/10 ink, wax on paper, 12 x 12 L Pressman

The Book Shelf of John Seed

2011-04-15T11:13:00.001-04:00

JOHN SEED

The first image is my "all Picasso" shelf, the other is a bit more eclectic.

My Huffington Post Blog
An archive of my writings on art:
http://www.johnseed.com

Bookshelves of Marie Vickerilla, Tamar Zinn, Cheryl McClure, Krista Svalbonas

2011-04-12T11:08:00.001-04:00

Marie Vickerilla

Tamar Zinn

Cheryl McClure

Krista Svalbonas

I have a studio book case that houses all the artists and works that inspire my practice.Then I have two bookshelves dedicated to my photography, teaching and other media in arts. PS Krista's blog features an interview with me this week. Thanks, K

April on the Calender

2011-04-09T09:59:00.004-04:00

April on the Calender 24 x 24 encaustic

Last Friday, I went to the opening of Conversations at R&F Handmade Paints in Kingston, NY. You can see complete blog posts on the show at Joanne Mattera's blog and a visit to R&F at Nancy Natale's blog.

I was poking around the factory and found a color I haven't seen from them although I am very familiar with it. The paint makers make some wonderful mistakes. This one doesn't have a name yet but I am voting for LP green.

A pleasant surprise on the R&F shelves

Delicious !

Please make some more

I also found a note I sent to Darin propped up on the shelf. It was a patch of one lone pigment stick that I probably found in the special rack. I am looking for it again. I can recreate the color but it just doesn't have the same feel as the pigment stick.

I did find a reference for them while I was taking pictures-the gloves!!

Big Pink

Other Photos

What's on your book shelf? Brenda Goodman and Lorraine Glessner

2011-04-08T09:22:00.001-04:00

Since my book shelf blog post I have received a few books from friends, a Brice Marden catalog, Letters to a Young Poet, Art and War and a Joan Mitchell book. Thanks to all of them!! I am thinking a book trade party among artist friends might be fun.

Check out Brenda and Lorraine's book collection.

Brenda Goodman

 Lorraine Glessner
I LOVE my books and i love that you're doing this post!! it's great to see the books that other artist's have, especially relative to the art they make. these are books in my living room on the stairs to my studio and in my studio. i have many more beside my bed, around the studio and at school for my students, but this gives you a good sampling. last summer i organized my books according to subject to make it easier to find them and so that i didn't purchase books i already had-which, i sheepishly admit, i did a few years ago. yes, i'm also a bookaholic and proud of it!! thanks, Lisa, for this fun and interesting post!

What's on your book shelf?

2011-04-06T07:26:00.000-04:00

What is on your bookshelf?

Look at the books and then check at their websites.

Joanne Mattera

These are some of the books in my library. I also put art on the shelves. You can identify a Nancy Natale. There's also a Rose Olson (she's a Boston-based painter who does extraordinary things with veils of color) and a drawing on canvas by my niece Toria when she was about nine years old depicting a palette and easel, which she titled on the painting, "The Artist's Touch." She's an adult now but I love that little painting. There's also a small oil-on-panel view, postcard size, of I Faraglioni, the rocks of off Capri., which I bought on my first trip to the island some 35 years ago. There's also a table in my living room groaning with more recent books, including: Women Gallerists in the 20th and 21st Centuries; Bridget Riley; Line, the catalog of the MoMA show last year; and My Name is Charles Saatchi and I am an Artoholic. That latter I understand very well, as I am a bookoholic.

Paul Behnke

Sue Katz
So in my computer room/library are lots of books - a shot of more recently acquired books and some "oldies but goodies" from Japan (we went there in 2004) - the best book about process: Zen In the Art of Archery" by Eugene Herrigel, 1960s, and a book about proportion in the Japanese house and book once borrowed by Richard Serra,"Forms in Japan," about language for forms.

Binnie Birstein

attached are some book shots from around the very neat, on the market house

What's on your book shelf?

2011-04-04T11:53:00.000-04:00

Whenever I am visiting a house or studio I usually find myself at some point in front of the guest's bookshelf having book envy. This week one of my friends, who has been an avid book collector for the past 30 years, just realized how much some of her art books are worth!! Another friend and I shared some of our favorite books with each other.
I have books all over my house and studio and some on loan but here are a few shots of my neat piles in my office.

I did this early on in my blog as a list but this time how about a photo or two of your book shelves?
email 2 jpegs low res with your name and url to art @lisapressman.net
Thanks

Nancy Natale

2011-03-16T12:04:00.002-04:00

Nancy Natale, artist and blogger, sent this post to me almost ready to go so I want to send her a huge thanks. What a treat to be able to see her wonderful new work and get a glimpse some of her influences.

Natale - Bandito, 2010, 24”x24”, encaustic with mixed media on panel

I feel that I have finally come into my own with my work. It’s been a long time getting there, but I’ve stuck with it by working, looking, reading and experimenting. I think I have only touched the tip of the iceberg and there is lots more still under water. My website is here at Nancy Natale and my blog "Art in the Studio"

Natale - Three Reds, 2010, each 10”x8”, encaustic with mixed media on panel

Here are some of my influences and the influence has been from the integrity of the vision in addition to the work itself.

First of all, Joanne Mattera For providing the information and inspiration about encaustic with her book and her beautiful lush work, and also for being a model for me with her wisdom, experience and energy as an artist and a woman.Here is her blog and her book.

Joanne Mattera, Gemmo, 2011, 32”x32”, encaustic on panel

Joanne Mattera, Silk Road 146, 2010, 12”x12”, encaustic on panel

Other inspirations – not necessarily in order, but what they all have in common is an emphasis on the physical construction of their work and a dark sensibility.

Leonardo Drew for his use of accretion, for finding beauty in the old, beat-up and cast off and for his devotion to materiality

Lee Bontecou for her dark sensibility, inventive use of materials and for being true to her own vision

El Anatsui for his use of accretion to make something so beautiful from nothing

Philip Guston
for daring to change his work so drastically and for painting so honestly. Also for the physicality of his paint.

Brenda Goodman
ditto(Guston) and with extra credit for having to struggle as an artist who is a woman and a woman who is a lesbian

Richard Diebenkorn for his line, color, space and love of paint

Joan Mitchell for her color, marks and dark spirit

Ted Larsen for his complex simplicity of design and love of old painted surfaces

Lance Letscher for showing me the way

Quick pics from a day in NYC, Part 2

2011-03-07T11:22:00.021-05:00

A few more from NYC

AT ADAA

Judy Pfaff at Pavel Zoubok Gallery

Untitled (St. Sebastian), 1978

Mixed media construction

23 x 20 x 11 inches Courtesy Pavel Zoubok Gallery, NY

Kathy Butterly at Tibor De Nagy

The shadows and bowls caught my eye but I didn't get the information. (if you know please email me)

David Reed at Pe ter Blum

WorkingDrawing for Painting 576, 2007
mixedmedia on paper
twosheets, each 17 x 22 in. (43.2 x 55.9 cm)

AT PULSE

Beka Goedde at Cristina Ray

Weight of Color III
2010

mixed media on paper

11.75 x 8.7

In Chelsea

Fran Shalom at the Abstraction show, Nancy Margolis Gallery

Joan Mitchell at Lennon Weinberg Gallery

Untitled (La Fontaine), 1957,
78 1/2 x 64 1/2",
oil on canvas
Still Dancing, 2010, oil on panel, 12"x12"