August 2007 SeeSawS – Wks 3 & 4

Women Printmakers of Austin – University of Phoenix at Austin
Got out of work very late for the opening. Never made it out.

Road Trip – Gallery Shoal Creek
Never saw it.

Shannon Soule Photographs – Austin Figurative Gallery
Didn’t see.

Facing East: 48 Hours In The Life Of East Austin – New East Arts Gallery
Wow. Where was I. Slackin’ of course.

Nohegan 2007
Yes. Another year of artists out in the Texas wilds making mischief. This time the art was exhibited on the final day. Didn’t produce mind blowing pieces, but that wasn’t the point. Again it looked like fun as artist created community. First among themselves, then opened it the rest of us. As an event it’s GOOD

Pattern Repetition Obsession – Else Madsen
There’s a question raised as to when something becomes gimmicky. Writing names on rag paper using charcoal over and over until the paper gives way is an effective technique in trying to describe the destructive power that was Hurricane Katrina (even though it was the failing levees that gave us most of the grief in Naw’lehns). And it works okay when you write the names of victims from the World Trade Center in two parallel large sheets of paper. But then names of soldiers that have died thus far in Iraq begin creating the same effect. PAUSE! What’s the gimmick here? Is it using the emotional (political) potency of these events? Or is it the repeated technique of mark-making as a destructive force? I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt this time, but if I see it again… NOT BAD

Jesse Butcher – Bolm Studios
Mostly photographs. Went through the show backwards and was confounded. Went back through in the proper order (for the images) and it made a little bit more sense. Still, there was too much going on in the head. I needed more physicality, because the hanging camping tent wasn’t enough. I left scratching my head. BAD

Karen Maness Paintings – Austin Figurative Gallery
Didn’t see it.

Broken Dolls – Pump Project
Stayed home.

Commodity Fetishism – Lora Reynolds
I don’t know what’s up with Bakker. I read ’bout him and I’m like, “Yeah.” Seeing him (his work) in person, not so much. The wooden replicas are not as well-crafted as expected. I’m sure I should give it more consideration, but since I don’t time-travel… BAD

EXTRA-ORDINARY: The Everyday Object in American Art – AMOA
Its a museum. There are some textbook art historical works that need to be shown. That’s mostly for the layperson. I say mostly because artists should be familiar with them, but it would be nice if it was a little more challenging. NOT BAD

I’ll tell you ’bout what I sees.