Sunday, September 25, 2016

Exhibit: Conklin, Oh, and Paulsen




Andrew Conklin, Square Still Life Green (Ikea Pitcher), 2009

Helen and Andrew, one of the Academy's most remarkable couples ever, are mostly about the joy of seeing the real world - an enthusiasm not very fashionable since 17th Century Holland.

Andrew is also about a peculiar sense of color.  I would call it ultra-Yin - right there at the edge of  becoming too sweet and annoying.




 
Square Still Life Red (With Dogtown Skateboard), 2013

Way too much RED in this painting.  I love it.








Helen Oh

Helen brought  several of her small still-lifes -- all of which  featured a strong color in the background.

In the age-old battle between delicious,  significant detail and overall design, both Helen and Andrew are a little too fond of detail.

But not by much.



A rather spectacular figurative drawing.  Does it portray the same person - as both a performer and as a woman?


 




(detail)



Helen's large acrylic still-lifes were quite interesting - though not satisfying except close up.









Larry Paulsen
 

When I first saw this image reduced down to fit on the exhibition postcard, I was sure it was a painting by Andy Conklin.  I had never seen Larry paint like this.  And he doesn't. This is a photograph he has printed.




I don't go to exhibits of photography.

Like the Palette and Chisel Academy, my interests center around how the figure can be drawn, painted, or sculpted.

But, to my naïve eye, these are remarkably good photographs - that do indeed feel like good paintings until you move up close.





If the Palette and Chisel had 10,000 extra square feet of gallery space, I'd love to have it dedicated to beautiful portraits like this -- documentary photographs of all the hard working people who have modeled for us over the centuries.

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