AUSTIN ART TALK - Gladys Poorte - Nuevo Mundo

This week's podcast guest is Gladys Poorte. Her work for many people appears to be very otherworldly and fantastical, maybe even sci-fi inspired, but in fact, it is all based on real-life objects and 3D models that she creates in her studio to draw and paint from while controlling the light and mood to ultimately create space and depth. The inspiration often comes from observing, processing, and reacting to real-life events that have happened in the world, and concerns about the future.

I’m very impressed with Gladys' willingness to keep pushing herself to learn new skills and gain knowledge to enhance and evolve her artwork over time. We talk about her life growing up in Argentina, working as an educator, transitioning to living in the US, and her many years of diverse art classes and schooling to evolve her style and craft to where it is today.

Nuevo Mundo
Gladys Poorte At The Davis Gallery
May 1st - June 12th
Davis Gallery & Framing
837 West 12th Street
Austin, TX 78701
512-477-4929

Gladys Poorte's "Nuevo Mundo" debuts at the Davis Gallery. Exploring the new settings wherein which we find ourselves during an unprecedented time, Poorte helps us transition into seemingly foreign yet familiar landscapes within her interpretation and style.

AUSTIN ART TALK - Tom Jean Webb - Being Here

Artist Tom Jean Webb grew up in England but knew from an early age he wanted to live in America. His mother and grandfather helped to inspire his creativity and if not for a chance visit to a contemporary art gallery as an adult, he would not have realized that what he wanted to say with his own art was valid and possible. After many trips and back and forth from the United States to England he finally committed to fulfill his dream and made the US his home.

The work he creates is heavily inspired by the colorful and rocky desert landscapes of the southwest and are explorations of space and his own personal reality. As he consistently strives to create his distinctive artwork he prioritizes being open and present, staying playful, having fun, and letting go of control and preconceived ideas.

“As much as art is about creating an object, it’s also about learning about yourself. My art has always been this tool for which I decipher the world, and my place in it, or who I am and how I learn and what I see. It’s the medium through which I decipher everything.”
— Tom Jean Webb

Here are some images I made when I was visiting Tom Jean’s studio to record the interview.

Cande Aguilar | It’s only barrioPOP but I like it @ grayDUCK Gallery

I’m so impressed by Cande’s work and it was fun to help capture and produce an interview with him and then photograph the exhibition for Jill the owner of grayDUCK. I love having a regular gig working with artists and capturing exhibitions!

Text by artist/writer Noe Hinojosa for Cultbytes

What is Cande Aguilar’s barrioPOP? In the United States, when you place the word "barrio" in front of anything, it acts as a filter. It filters whatever words follow through a Mexican American context down to a common denominator: the neighborhood. If I say I can play barrio tennis, it means I may not have the fancy equipment or clothes, and my strokes may not be refined, but I do know the rules, and I can play. I might have to jump a fence to get to some tennis courts, but that just reinforces the point that "barrio" anything is being of, or pertaining to, the common folk of the barrio where people are accustomed to less access of all kinds for basic socio-economic reasons. Read more…

Exhibition Dates: April 9 – May 23, 2021

AUSTIN ART TALK | Joyce Howell - Expressing The Abstract

As an adult, after working many jobs in the business world and raising her daughters' artist Joyce Howell decided to go back to school to study art and eventually achieved her master's degree. She started out painting in a very representational style but in graduate school found the encouragement and a strong desire to create abstract works that expressed more of her internal reality and how she processed everything in her world.

For the last almost 25 years Joyce has been committed to her studio practice and has participated in many solo and group exhibitions. She creates colorful and often atmospheric abstract paintings that without a doubt contribute to the joy and beauty experienced through art that we all need in our lives and our homes.

Mujer Pintada, 2021, oil on canvas, 42x42 inches

Mujer Pintada, 2021, oil on canvas, 42x42 inches

She has been represented in Austin by Wally Workman Gallery for over 10 years! Be sure to make an appointment and see her work in person.

Joyce Howell: Solo Show
March 6-27, 2021

Wally Workman Gallery

"Howell’s palette is informed by nature and its flux between calm and chaos. She describes it as an ongoing conversation. Each color and the mark by which it is applied to the canvas informs the next. Colors give the impression of physical weight. Colors become instruments, much as in a musical composition. As the work progresses, the painting becomes a collaborative, a dialogue between Howell and the canvas. This is her 8th solo show with the gallery."

Bucky Miller | Slow Season @ grayDUCK Gallery

What a joy it was to meet Bucky Miller when I went to grayDUCK Gallery this week to record an interview with him and Jill the gallery owner, and also photograph the exhibition. He is a delightfully charming and interesting person and I really like his photography. Some of the images remind me of my own work and there are also images I would never have thought to capture that are really beautiful. Have a listen to the short conversation and then make an appointment and have a look for yourself!

Exhibition Dates: February 26 – March 28, 2021

“Bucky Miller is an artist, writer, and a recipient of the Aaron Siskind Foundation Individual Photographer’s Fellowship. His work has been shown in solo exhibitions at spaces such as the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston as well as in numerous group exhibitions. His first self-published book, The Picture of the Afghan Hound, was selected as one of Photo-eye’s best photobooks of 2016. Miller’s work has also been featured in publications like n+1, Der Greif, The Believer, and Glasstire. He has an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin and a BFA from Arizona State University. He also resided in London as part of an exchange with the Royal College of Art program in sculpture. In 2018 he attended the Recycled Artist in Residency program in Philadelphia, PA. Bucky is from Phoenix, AZ but currently lives in Houston, TX.”

AUSTIN ART TALK | Valerie Chaussonnet - The Joy Of Life & Art

The podcast guest this week has had such an interesting and diverse life. Artist Valerie Chaussonnet now works full time as an artist and teacher but previously spent a big part of her life as an anthropologist, studying Russian, and raising her two sons. Now her two primary mediums are watercolor and sculptures made from raw pieces of welded steel. A lifetime of influences in the realm of art and many diverse cultures all culminates now in the stories she tells with her colorful paintings and spirited sculptures. I love the joy Valerie brings to life and I’m inspired by her adventurous, playful, and rich way of life. Please enjoy this very fun interview!

“For us, as artists, the pandemic certainly economically was hard for many people but I think we are probably better equipped because can we invent something that has not been done before. If somebody is used to having a routine and a certain structure and not used to inventing their life it’s harder when something like this hits. For us it’s like OK, it’s this, let’s see what we can do with it. Let’s learn something new and create something different.”
— Valerie Chaussonnet

Deborah Roberts At The Contemporary Austin

This post commemorates the great achievement of Austin-based artist Deborah Roberts with her first solo Texas museum exhibition. She has been on my podcast twice and we covered her early life and the progression of her career from humble beginnings until just over a year ago. I’m thinking about asking if she would come on a third time to get updated with this new phase her career. Very exciting! She inspires a lot of artists and those two interviews are definitely ones that people positively comment to me about the most. Have a listen here or anywhere you listen to the podcasts and be sure to buy a ticket to see her exhibition if you will be in Austin before August 15, 2021. It has been a long time coming and I’m so happy for her and her success. If you want to read further there are quite a few great articles about her new show that I will link to at the end of this post.

“I’ve always dedicated my life to the work, and whatever the work needed that’s what I did.”
— Deborah Roberts - Episode 19

Text from Episode 19 summary- March 2018

It has been an incredible year for Austin based artist Deborah Roberts. But after decades of hard work and scholarship, it’s not really a surprise. She was already an established artist long before deciding to go back to school to get her MFA in 2014, to study and find the language and direction for her new work. Her imagery started out in a very romantic Americana style but after a time that didn’t completely match the reality of what she was feeling and seeing in the world. The work needed to change. After finishing school she gave herself two years to succeed in art before having to give up once and for all. Then she received a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in 2016. For the first time, she could spend a whole year completely focused on her art full time and create without fear. What has followed is sold out shows all over the country and lots of press praising the work and giving her credit which was overdue.

With a focus on collage, painting, mixed media/installation, and text, Roberts is best known for creating portraits of young black girls, aged 8-10, that ask the viewer to consider how their beauty has been imagined: by art history, pop culture, American history, and black culture. And when and why do these young vulnerable girls have to put on their gloves and start fighting battles? It's important work and it resonates with a lot of people.

Deborah is a delight to be around and the interview was a lot of fun. We go all the way back to her beginnings in art and work our way to the present. She then dissects the meaning and language of the work and talks about the future and her newfound fame.

“I’m going to continue to push my work forward. The work has always come first. It has to be the work because it’s no good if it’s not. That’s my philosophy. I don’t push that on anyone else. That’s just always been my thing. That the work has to do what it needs to do.”
— Deborah Roberts - Episode 71

Text from Episode 71 summary - Oct 2019

In this highly anticipated follow-up to my first interview with Deborah from March of 2018, we sit down to talk about all of the wonderful and sometimes challenging aspects of her amazing career over the last year and a half since we last spoke. From grants to residencies to gallery representation in Los Angeles and London, it has been a wild ride. But don’t think she is an overnight success. Her work ethic and passion have carried her through over four decades of pursuing art to where she is now. As they say, luck is when opportunity meets preparation.

Deborah shares how her work has been evolving and where it is headed, her studio practice, as well as giving us a peek into some ideas for her upcoming one women show at The Contemporary Austin a year from now. I think Deborah proves that hard work, integrity, and persistence can change your life and the lives of others in a positive way. She is even planning to start a foundation to help other artists get the help that she so dearly needed to grow her career early on. If you haven’t heard our first conversation that covers the history of her life and career before last year, have a listen to Episode 19.

New DUCKblind Podcast Episode

Renee and Jill recording the interview.

Renee and Jill recording the interview.

In addition to producing a show for Austin Enneagram, I also every month or so, record an interview for Jill at grayDUCK Gallery, here in Austin, TX. The episodes are to help promote the current exhibition and give people who have already seen the show or who want to visit the gallery, some extra context, and info about the art and artists. As with the other shows I produce, I capture the interview, edit and add music, write and organize the descriptions, and make sure it is published correctly to all platforms. With both shows, I also created the cover art and take pictures during the recordings for social media promotion.

This interview is with artist Renee Lai, talking about her exhibition A Study Of Fences. Have a listen with the player above, and be sure to make an appointment to see the exhibition in person if you are in Austin!

Renee Lai | A Study of Fences

  • grayDUCK Gallery

  • Exhibition dates: January 8 - February 7, 2021

  • Gallery Hours by appointment

Dave McClinton

God Mother, 2020 Digital Collage 36 x 24 in by Dave McClinton

God Mother, 2020 Digital Collage 36 x 24 in by Dave McClinton

A little over a year ago I interviewed artist Dave McClinton on my Austin Art Talk podcast. His work aims to tell stories, start hard conversations, and help visually define current and historical black identity and inner life. I admit I was nervous about having that conversation. Thankfully it went very well and is still one of my favorites. Dave generously answered all of my questions and I feel like I am a better person for having had that talk. More conversations like it are definitely needed.

Below is a quote from the interview, a player to listen to it, and the information and statement pertaining to his exhibition at Ivester Contemporary that I just photographed.

“The things that I think people don’t understand or misunderstand about me is that sometimes when I’m hanging out with friends or hanging out with piers, I can’t help but make a joke or a comment about race. Because it is literally always there. It’s just always there. It’s an odd thing to constantly have that in your face all of the time. It’s heavy. I think it’s why black men die sooner than everyone else. That psychological weight is always there. And sometimes I wish I could explain to my friends what that’s like. I wish there was a way to convey to people, and maybe that’s what I am trying to do with the art, what that constant pressure feels like, because it is literally constant”
— Dave McClinton - Austin Art Talk interview

Ivester contemporary - MAIN EXHIBITION SPACE

Absolute Relativism

New Work by Dave McClinton
December 5 - January 9
Reception to be held from 7pm - 10pm on December 5

Ivester Contemporary is proud to present Absolute Relativism, a solo exhibition by Austin based artist Dave McClinton. This exhibition represents a continuation of the artist’s Black Life series, an ongoing project which began in 2015 and aims to illustrate the inner life-cycle of Black people in America. McClinton’s single edition digital collages focus on the bodies and portraits of Black people embellished with textures of foundational elements, symbols related to trade and status, as well as text from historical documents derived directly from America’s long and lingering history of slavery and white supremacism.

McClinton’s work boldly initiates and engages with the realities of being Black in America. The artist encourages his viewers to acknowledge and empathize with the pain inflicted upon Black people over the course of the history of America and also to admire the power, pride, and righteousness shown despite. McClinton illustrates that no matter the realities cast upon their backgrounds and bodies; the figures depicted in his work are defiant, never ashamed.

I Picked You A Flower-Orange Roses

I Picked You A Flower is a group exhibition I participated in at the beginning of 2020. Refer to my December 19th post for details. Inspired by the theme of the exhibition and my love of plants and color, I focused on the tradition of using flowers to communicate, and the specific meanings attributed to them. One of my first ideas with this flower was the classic and melodramatic image of the passionate tango dancer with a rose in their mouth. A cliche possibly started in an old Rudolph Valentino movie. My thought was why not instead use a small bunch of roses to push it to an extreme. To somehow illustrate the themes of uncontrolled animal passion, drama, pain, and on the other side of that, the peace and beauty of death.

“It is the flower of desire and forgiveness. To give away when you want to let people know that you are willing conquer everything and orange roses are just the beginning of a long and passionate courtship.”

Daphne & Cloe. Language and meaning of flowers. Edizioni R.E.I., 2017.

I Picked You A Flower-Yellow Chrysanthemums

I Picked You A Flower is a group exhibition I participated in at the beginning of 2020. Refer to my December 19th post for details. Inspired by the theme of the exhibition and my love of plants and color, I focused on the tradition of using flowers to communicate, and the specific meanings attributed to them. These images with Yellow Chrysanthemums were inspired by the three sources below. Out of the whole series, these are the hardest images to share and feel the most raw and vulnerable.

“Slighted love, . . . . . Chrysanthemum, yellow.”

Wirt, Elizabeth Washington. Flora’s Dictionary. F. Lucas, 1832.

“What seemed to be a promising courtship finished on a second date, when the young Englishman presented the Ukrainian girl with eight yellow chrysanthemums. What he didn’t know was that an even number of flowers (often chrysanthemums or lilies) is for funerals only, and that yellow is the color of farewell. The girl saw the flowers as a sign that the new relationship was over”

Shevchenko, Anna. Ukraine - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture. Kuperard, 2012.

“Flowers are often used as a symbol of femininity. John Steinbeck's short story "The Chrysanthemums" centers around the yellow florets, which are often associated with optimism and lost love. When the protagonist, Elisa, finds her beloved chrysanthemums tossed on the ground, her hobby and womanhood have been ruined; this suffices the themes of lost appreciation and femininity in Steinbeck's work.”

Wikipedia contributors. (2020, January 17). Language of flowers. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:20, Jan 28, 2020

I Picked You A Flower Exhibition

Back in February and March, I was in a group show at the gallery Vault Stone Shop. Meghan who owns the space had asked if I wanted to create new images for the exhibition and be a part of it. I took up the challenge and as I explain in the statement for the work below, it became a personal project to test my edge when it comes to self-portraiture.

The theme was “A visual exploration of obsession, entanglement, growth, regrowth, grand gesture, gender expectation, and coded communication.” My focus was specifically on the use of different flowers and what they could communicate, along with body gestures, and obsession.

Eryngo, Red Tulips, Yellow Chrysanthemums, and Orange Roses became my selfie partners as I moved in and out of the frame of my camera, on a tripod, and at a slow shutter speed to somewhat blur my face and body. It was an experiment and took a lot of trial and error. If my neighbors could have looked in the window mid-session, they might have thought I was some kind of self-interested weirdo with a flower fetish. Understandable.

Out of the hundreds of images I took, there were five that I chose to exhibit at Meghan’s gallery, as 20 in × 14 prints on Cold Press Fine Art Paper. The rest have never been seen until now. Over the next four days of journal posts, I will share images from each flower type and group, which did not make it into the show. As I say in the statement, I really like how the work turned out.

I Picked You A Flower Statement

It is definitely a thrill to present these brand new images to you, after not having made any new work for many years. This is a big deal for me. Thankfully the theme of the exhibition and the deadline inspired me to take action. Why was my resistance so strong for so long? Is creating something new really that scary?

After doing some research I discovered Floriography, or the language of flowers. It refers to the meanings and stories that have been attributed to flowers over many thousands of years by all the cultures of the earth. Inspired by this history of symbolism, the words of books old and new, a strong love of rich color, and with a desire to push my photographic limits into self-portraiture, I created these images.

I have always had a love for flowers and nature, and have many times been on both sides of the heartache and confusion that can accompany courtship and love. My intention in relationships is to always be as straightforward and honest as possible. So in keeping with that intention towards my work, these images were mostly realized in camera and not on a computer. I’m delighted with how this work turned out and am excited to see where this new direction takes me.

Michael Anthony García

201209_SDG423977.jpg

Most often these days the freelance photography work that I get asked to do is related to the art world. Images of artwork in galleries and other related events. As is the case when the other day I heard from my friend, Austin artist Michael Anthony García. His work is up at Ivester Contemporary until January 9th, and he asked me to capture some images at the gallery. I love art and working in a gallery is a nice place to be. Check out the details of the exhibition, statement, and photos below.

Ivester contemporary -

Project Space

OLAS DE PERTURBACÍON (WAVES OF PERTURBATION)

New Work by Michael Anthony García

December 5, 2020 - January 9, 2021

Reception & Performance: December 18, 7-10pm

“Olas de Perturbación (Waves of Perturbation), which features new work by Michael Anthony García, explores the perception and malleability of time through a lens of Latinx Futurism. It is an exploration of the artist’s personal history growing up in El Paso, Texas (unfulfilled past futures,) reminders for a future self and the potentiality in the present. Through video, sculpture, and installation, Michael Anthony García sifts through his youth growing up five blocks from the border, which was then an inconsequential line that barely registered physically or politically as a barrier to him. Now as an adult, possessing dual Mexican and US citizenship, he crosses the barrier of time--the only thing standing between him and the memories--to guide himself to/ using his current understanding.”

Here is also an interview I did with Michael almost three years ago. That might sound out of date but as with most of my interviews, I ask a lot of questions about a person’s origin story and how they became an artist. Michael is one of the most innovative, passionate, and courageous artists I know. His performances are especially moving and poignant, often addressing issues of inequality, and the inherent humanity deserving of all people. His vulnerability and integrity always play a central role.

“My practice manifests itself through performance, sculpture, installation, photography, video and the blurred areas between them, engaging via my own personal stories and experiences navigating the human condition. Much of my work explores my layers of identity, how they shape me and affect my perception of/ by the world, in a political expression of Latinx Futurism founded in emotion, and utopian projection.”
— Michael Anthony García
An portrait I made of Michael at his Continental Divide Exhibition.

An portrait I made of Michael at his Continental Divide Exhibition.