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Oh! Now if these don’t say HAPPY 4th of JULY to all of my American friends, well, I just don’t know what does! These paintings are part of the latest series by Massachusetts based artist Jessica Brilli, which happen to be in a show titled very appropriately, “Holiday”. The show opens this Friday {July 7, 7-9pm}, at Kobalt Gallery in Provincetown. It’s only up until July 13 so go to the opening if you can! Happy holiday : )
Ah! So cool… see, it pays to stalk, I mean follow, artists that you love on social media! These paintings are from the latest, vintage inspired, series by Massachusetts based painter Jessica Brilli – and because I follow her on Facebook and Instagram I have slowly watched this car, and its driveway, go from an under-painted sketch to the final piece. I love getting a glimpse into an artist’s process… it’s like a little peek behind the magic curtain!
I wrote about the lovely, vintage-looking work of American painter Jessica Brilli a couple of years ago. It was all old-school cameras and classic typewriters in that post, today however… it’s about clocks. And radios. And clock-radios. Love, love, love! {And oh, her palettes… I cannot get over her palettes!}
{Check out her upcoming show, Jessica Brilli: “New Work” …Walker Cunningham Gallery from March 15 – April 12, in Sudbury, MA}
…snap snap snap tappity tap… yep, I want to take pretty pictures, and then write a short novel to accompany them! Luckily, American artist Jessica Brilli has me covered! Lovely, very sweet, nostalgic paintings. Sigh.
Today is about starting from square one, AFTER you’ve done all of the things you were supposed to do to get the life you wanted. It’s also about jellyfish alien creatures. Yes, Rhode Island based collage artist Jenny Brown in my guest today. She wrote a really heartfelt story on Facebook the other day, and I just had to get the inside scoop. You can listen under that flowering jellyfish, or you can subscribe on iTunes.
Let’s begin with a few of her recent pieces that I’m currently obsessing over:
I would happily swim with these elegant creatures. Look at those thin beautiful lines, those perfectly cut bits ‘n pieces. LOVE.
And now, stepping back in time. A dark time. These were the large, very black, incredibly dense (and sad) pieces that Jenny transitioned to during her MFA:
So different than her now very effervescent work. But, she pushed through and found the light again. Here are the first few pieces as Jenny began finding her way back to her “creatures”:
Ah, that’s more like it. Although those charcoal pieces were beautiful in their own right, these are just Jenny… and she knew it.
I asked about the kind of paper she uses for her lovely colorful backgrounds, which seems like a perfect excuse for me to show a few more of my favorite “Jenny Brown” collages:
Yep, love them all… So. Much. Color! I’m totally going to give pink card stock a shot. Beautiful.
Ok, so I found these WIP shots on Jenny’s gorgeous Instagram feed. Clearly, she’s a woman after my own heart:
Gasp! Seriously, I need my scissors RIGHT NOW. Look at that cut-image covered table! Call me a collage nerd if you must, but my heart is racing.
What else makes my heart race? Sugar! The only thing I regret about this episode was not asking Jenny about her deep passion for donuts. All of these sweet gems are also from her Instagram feed. I want ALL OF THEM:
Unicorn donut! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
And finally… Jenny, her cat Max, and Jenny’s perfect (apparently high maintenance) red lipstick:
Perfection. Max must’ve been too tired to put lipstick on for this shot. Thank you so much to Jenny for sharing her story of full-circles, loops, and starting over… so inspiring. Thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting another episode, and thanks to YOU for listening! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.
Other links:
ps. Oops, I forgot to mention this! The sign-up page for the course I’ll be part of in VENICE is ready! Yes, two weeks this August during the Venice Biennale!?! I’ll be teaching a few classes and workshops from August 7 – 20th via the European Cultural Center’s Academy, alongside several other instructors, curators, etc. Tours of galleries, meeting with curators, art making, passes to the biennale, AND gelato? There are only 20 spots for the weeks I’m going to be there, so if you were thinking about it, pop over there asap. Hope to see you in Italy… ciao!
Yep! It’s a mini pre-holiday episode of Art For Your Ear… the perfect way to wrap up 2015, yes? My plan for this podcast has always been to ask artists questions that the art history books just don’t cover, so, I asked twelve artists to tell me about “the best gift they ever got”… see, I bet the art history books won’t tell you about that! There are a bunch of hilarious childhood Christmas presents, incredibly thoughtful birthday gifts, and even a good report card gift in there too. Have a listen right up there under Jessica Brilli’s “Nova in the Snow”, or you can subscribe on iTunes.
And in case you don’t listen {why aren’t you listening!?}, I’m going to take a moment to get a little sappy. I want to say thank you so much to all of you for not only reading the blog, but also indulging me earlier this year when I decided to try this podcast thing. I was really nervous about it, and wasn’t sure if it would be right for me… but now I’m obsessed! Part of that obsession is thanks to all of you and your insane enthusiasm / support! I’ve received lovely messages from so many of you – stories about listening while you work in your studio, run errands, make dinner, exercise. I get heartfelt emails about episodes that hit a nerve with you, and got you fired up to get back into the studio. It makes me so happy… so happy, in fact, that I’m able to put my phone anxiety on the back burner while I make the next call.
AND, thank you so much to all of the artists who say yes! Yes to evening Skype calls {sometimes with alcohol}, yes to answering all of my crazy fan-girl questions, and yes to the speed round! I appreciate it so, so much. xo
Finally, one more thank you… thank you to Saatchi Art for being so amazing. Before I launched the podcast – before even I knew what it would be like/sound like – I called the lovely folks at Saatchi Art in LA and asked if they’d sponsor the first episode. You never know, right? They might say yes? Well, they didn’t even hesitate! And it has gone long past the first episode – they’ve been supporting me since the beginning. See? Amazing.
Ok. I’m finished typing now. Have a listen to “the best gift ever”, and I’ll be back with more episodes of Art For Your Ear in early January … Happy Holidays! xo
{The twelve artists in this episode: Kelly Puissegur / Tiffanie Turner / Jessica Brilli / Jaime Derringer / Stephanie Vovas / Bobbie Burgers / Sidney Pink / Debra Broz / Michelle Kohanzo / Jessica Bell / Martha Rich / Esther Pearl Watson }
I have loved the work of American artist Jessica Brilli for years. I’ve written about her a few times, and I’m sure there are many more posts to come. She has a love of all things vintage, as do I. The other thing we have in common… curating. Yep, we’re going to talk about a very exciting show {that kinda makes me want to cry} which will open later this month, but we’ll get to that in a minute. Ok, you can listen right up there under that lovely couple, or you can subscribe on iTunes. First up, a few pieces from her “Static” series, the work I posted about way back in 2012:
So good. But alas, she “got tired of painting typewriters”, and so she turned her attention to vintage, suburban landscapes. I follow her on Facebook, and she often posts work in progress. I find it fascinating to watch her work develop that way. Here is one of my favorite progressions:
She is also concerned with the topic of health care and care for the elderly, this is an acute issue for many families and professional medical care for elderly relatives is an important social issue.
Ah! A peek behind the painted curtain. That piece is one of the images that was inspired by the set of slides she bought at a garage sale {such a cool story!}. Here are a few more from that “Slide Show” series:
… and those are the slides! I also asked for a tiny peek at her studio, and look, a vintage radio… surprise, surprise! Of course, I had to ask her about her motel paintings. The image below is one of my favorite pieces of hers. It whisks me right back to family road trips:
Love. Speaking of love… “Jealously Curated | East Coast Edition”. What!? Yes, Jess and a bunch of other artists have put this beautiful show together, that opens November 23rd in Cambridge MA. The theme… everyone in the show has been written about on my site! How crazy amazing is that? And yes, I got a little teary-eyed when they emailed to ask me if I’d be ok with it. Ok with it? Um, YES. Here is a peek at the fantastic artists whose work will be included:
Gah! So, so good! I wish I could go to the par-tay {Jess said the opening party was in November, but it’s actually on December 3rd}. If you can go, please do… and then send me photos! Alright, that’s that. There was a quick mention of a Big Salad with the Seinfeld crew in the speed round, and then we said goodbye. Thanks so much to Jessica, for EVERYTHING, and thank you so much to you for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.
{Links to artists above: Anna Jensen / Jenny Brown / Airco Caravan / Erin Fitzpatrick / Jeremy Miranda / Leah Giberson / Taliah Lempert / Zin Helena Song / Jessica Brilli}
Yes. A podcast! After quietly writing daily art posts for years, in the spring of 2015 I thought it was time to add a little audio to the visual.
Here’s the idea behind ART FOR YOUR EAR: When I studied art history in university, my favorite part was, well, basically the gossip. I loved hearing why artists did certain things. What was going on in their personal life, stories about other artists they knew and worked with. Up until the rumors, the cat was taking Viagra. ART FOR YOUR EAR is exactly that… inside-scoop stories from amazingly talented contemporary artists. Each episode is just long enough for you to listen while drinking your morning coffee, or during a weekend run, or while working in the studio. Ultimately it’s a chance for all of us to get to know these successful artists, who also happen to be regular people with hilarious stories, before they’re in the art history books. I post episodes every Saturday so that you can start your weekend with a bit of art… for your ear.
TO SUBSCRIBE: CLICK HERE
TO SPONSOR: If you’re interested in sponsoring ART FOR YOUR EAR, we’d be happy to rate information. Please email: contact@thejealouscurator.com
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EPISODES
226. ANDY J PIZZA : kindred spirits
225. GEMMA GENE : artsy AF
224. MARY ELLEN MATTHEWS : live from new york
223. PETAH COYNE : a third, a third, a third
222. Talk Easy featuring Marina Abramović
221. PETAH COYNE : broken but beautiful
220. LEAH ROSENBERG : everywhere a color
219. GIO SWABY : love letters
218. SANDY SKOGLUND : believe you HAVE to do it
217. ASHLEY LONGSHORE : there’s no place like home
216. ANDREA LOVE : cooking with wool
215. JACQUELINE TSE : hey, sugar
214. SIRLI RAITMA : getting on with it
213. SANDEEP JOHAL : me in another form
212. CELINE GABRIELLE : fear is a theme
211. ANONG BEAM : tasting chartreuse
210. ELYSE DODGE : mountain ranges and valley girls
209. ANDY J PIZZA : breadcrumbs and allies
208. GIO SWABY : labor and learning
207. EMILY COUNTS : choose your own adventure
206. CARISSA POTTER CARLSON : people i’ve loved
205. KENESHA SNEED : many shapes of clay
204. ANTHONY SONNENBERG : don’t lose the joy
203. JUDI CUMMING : girls like farkles
202. LYDIA RICCI : using glue like a hammer ‘n nail
201. PAINT CHIPS : pennylane shen
200. PETAH COYNE : fifteen seconds
199. NNEKA JONES : the best work comes from experimenting
198. BEVERLY FISHMAN : never let the world define you
197. TREY SPEEGLE : NFT WTF
196. DANIELLE KRYSA : deep thoughts
195. PAINT CHIPS : martha rich
194. FABIOLA JEAN-LOUIS : create your own magic
193. ANN CARRINGTON : bending spoons (and medieval laws)
192. REBECCA HUTCHINSON : authenticity will never do you wrong
191. ANGELA GOBBENS : mermaid on ice
190. DEBORAH ROBERTS : i’m
189. SARAH DETWEILER : hidden mothers
188. ASHLEY LONGSHORE : re-finding joy
187. RACHEL BURKE : jealous of a spider
186. PETAH COYNE : just be wonderful
185. BISA BUTLER : children of the rainbow
184. DIANA WEYMAR : time capsule within a time capsule
183. NATALIE CICCORICCO : nesting
182. RONALD JACKSON : it’s about time
181. MIMI POND : mimi and the mitfords
180. CALIDA RAWLES : water, light, and infinite galaxies
179. DEBRA BAXTER : the fortress of solitude
178. AMBER VITTORIA : femininity. her way.
177. SARA SHAKEEL : from pearly whites to sparkly delights
176. WAYNE WHITE : fishin’ with santa claus in heaven
175. MEGAN KRZMARZICK : rituals and running away
174. ELISA VALENTI : people love tush
173. ESTHER PEARL WATSON : puff salad and the great pause
172. MARTHA RICH : microwave cooking for one
171. ASHLEY LONGSHORE : brush your fangs
170. THE KRYSA FAMILY : team quarantine
169. TARA LEWIS : trophies ‘n tiaras
168. DANIELLE KRYSA : numbers on a calendar
167. PENNYLANE SHEN : pennylane made me cry
166. ANDY J PIZZA : busting creative myths 2.0
165. PHIL HANSEN : silver linings and canned peaches
164. TERRENCE PAYNE : social media ‘n ketchup chips
163. NATALIE BAXTER : clearly confused about her role as a woman
162. ASHLEY LONGSHORE : muses ‘n more
161. ART FOR YOUR EAR : putting a bow on 2019
160. ESTHER PEARL WATSON : storytime with epw
159. MARTHA RICH : ask martha
158. PENNYLANE SHEN : too old, too young, too busy
157. ANDY J PIZZA : creative myth busters
156. KATE BINGAMAN-BURT : a little bit wonky
155. SMoCA : the universe is unfolding as it should
154. TERRENCE PAYNE : payne points
153. SAMANTHA FIELDS : sam gets schooled
152. ASHLEY LONGSHORE : optimistic as f*ck
151. HEATHER LENZ : infinite passion
150. SEONNA HONG : peeling paint
149. RICHARD HOLLAND : the tea boy sees mermaids
148. KELSIE GRAZIER : white noise
147. TREY SPEEGLE : warhol ephemera
146. OLA VOLO : there’s no time to be shy
145. ANNIE KEVANS : the recording of art history
144. CHARLES WILKIN : a mental list of dangerous things
143. CAYCE ZAVAGLIA : petrified and totally excited
142. SHANNON D TAYLOR : everything shiny
141. SARA KHAN : mythology and mounds of soil
140. CJ HENDRY : petrol. rent. snacks.
139. ESTHER PEARL WATSON AND MARK TODD : playing jenga under a fool moon
138. EKATERINA POPOVA : from pancakes to painting
137. DOUG MEYER : mowing lawns and making art
136. CLARE CELESTE BÖRSCH : dreaming of tigers
135. ASHLEY LONGSHORE : an artrepreneur’s fempire
134. KAYLEE DALTON : mixing magic
133. JANNA WATSON : finding wildness
132. TERRENCE PAYNE : stuff like that and quilts, ya know
131. SUSANNAH MONTAGUE : enjoy the now
130. STINA PERSSON : buckling can be beautiful
129. ROBERT TOWNSEND : my indiana muse
128. MICHELLE KINGDOM : where our happiness lives
127. AMY SHERALD : use it or lose it
126. AIMÉE HENNY BROWN : foxes ‘n’ hedgehogs
125. PIPPA YOUNG : free to be
124. EUGENIA LOLI : a gift
123. WENDY KAWABATA : paintings, pinholes, and pina coladas
122. LISA WRIGHT : really looking
121. SETH CLARK : on the brink
120. FAYTHE LEVINE : never say never
119. DAN LAM : ugly beautiful
118. ANDY J PIZZA : make waves instead of going with the flow
117. RACHEL DENNY : yak friends
116. VICTORIA VILLASANA : restless curiosity
115. AMBER COWAN : crashing the kiln
114. LEE BOYD : falling off the pencil
113. MONIKA FORSBERG : no one ever wants ducks
112. DAISY PATTON : nostalgia, lots of research … and a ghost
111. LINDSAY ARNOLD : what’s the why
110. SEAN WILLIAM RANDALL : balance, brushstrokes, burning cars
109. MARIKO PATERSON : the hustle is real
108. HEATHER DAY : inconvenient spots along rivers
107. CHARLOTTE KEATES : nothing in nature clashes
106. ANNE SIEMS : showers and shamanism
105. SUMMER CAMP 5 : bad art ’n good snacks
104. SUMMER CAMP 4 : captured through collage
103. SUMMER CAMP 3 : unconventional and absurd
102. SUMMER CAMP 2 : the first mark
101. SUMMER CAMP 1 : au naturel
100. MANDO MARIE : see you through it
099. ZEMER PELED : suitcase full of shards
098. NETTIE WAKEFIELD : bit of a pencil snob
097. MEGHAN HILDEBRAND : m is for mysterious
096. BRIAN DONNELLY : fire, failure, and fatty snacks
095. ANNA HOYLE : humor, how-tos, and hindsight
094. MOLLY HATCH : an opportunistic optimist
093. CAT SETO : a cat in paris
092. JENNY BROWN : starting from square one. again.
091. SAMANTHA FIELDS : if i’m in the zone, leave me alone.
090. AARON SMITH : no excuses, no regrets … lots of beards
089. LORI LARUSSO : cucumber shamu
088. NAOMI VONA : a fearless act
087. ELISE MORRIS : inevitably, it changes
086. JAY DART : greetings from yawnder
085. NATALIE BAXTER : warm guns ’n bloated flags
084. CLAIRE BREWSTER : more love, less fear
083. JANE DENTON : simply complex
082. JUDI CUMMING : hey, mama
081. SHANNON RANKIN : not enough hours in the day
080. TREY SPEEGLE : changing the rules
079. ESZTER BURGHARDT : lands of wool and cake
078. BUNNIE REISS : a disciplined free spirit
077. LISA CONGDON : imposters, egos, inner critics … LIVE in portland
076. KRISTEN MARTINCIC : a passion for process
075. TONYA CORKEY : experiments, risks … and dryer lint
074. ASHLEY GOLDBERG : patterns ’n positive passwords
073. MARTA SPENDOWSKA : starting in the background
072. MARTHA RICH : arma-dino
071. TERRENCE PAYNE : pastels, perfection, and prince
070. JIM BACHOR : ancient art … and potholes
069. RYAN HESHKA : pinups, pulp, comics, and canadiana
068. TINA BERNING : step-by-step. every day.
067. KATE ROHDE : don’t discount small opportunities
066. SANDRA ETEROVIC : i guess i better be an artist now
065. CATHERINE GRAFFAM : cheesiness aside, art gave me purpose
064. AMANDA BRAZIER : red bank red is from my yard
063. ALI CAVANAUGH : modern frescoes and micro evolutions
062. REBECCA LOUISE LAW : painting with flowers
061. EMILY BARLETTA : art. therapy.
060. KATHARINE MORLING : drawing with porcelain
059. REBECCA CHAPERON : magical portals and secret painting parties
058. ERIN M RILEY : comfortable in my skin
057. JAIME ROVENSTINE : jellyfish in a trifle
056. GUNJAN AYLAWADI : take your pleasure seriously
055. SALLY TAYLOR : a giant game of telephone … with art
054. KIRSTIN LAMB : cute and poisonous
053. RACHEL CASTLE : castle in the car
052. SCOTT LISTFIELD : astronauts and dinosaurs
051. ZOË PAWLAK : chance favors those in motion
050. LOLA DONOGHUE : lola, don’t be precious
049. ARIS MOORE : big mouths, ukuleles … but no chins
048. AMANDA HAPPÉ : defiance is my favorite motivator
047. BROOKS SALZWEDEL : who doesn’t like a dinosaur
046. SARAH GEE MILLER : organizing the fray
045. JOËL PENKMAN : it began with biscuits
044. NIKE SCHROEDER : nothing is a mistake
043. ANDREA D’AQUINO : discipline … and a bit of chance
042. CAMILLA ENGMAN : distant friends
041. STEPHANIE K CLARK : painting with thread
040. SUSANNA BAUER : i’m a bit impatient
039. XOCHI SOLIS : paper nerds unite
038. SAMANTHA FRENCH : ebb and flow
037. HAGAR VARDIMON : hunting for paper
036. CASEY ROBERTS : nature nerd
035. KIANA MOSLEY : late one night …
034. LEAH GIBERSON : hello, me?
033. AUTUMN REESER : soul of a rose, skin of a rhino
032. MARYANNE MOODIE : textiles, treasures, and a new tribe
031. HAPPY HOLIDAYS : the best gift ever …
030. WAYNE WHITE : hoozy thinky iz
029. BOBBIE BURGERS : welcome to boburg
028. ESTHER PEARL WATSON : ufos, diaries, and underdogs
027. SIDNEY PINK : what charms you
026. JESSICA BRILLI : big salad
025. ASHLEY MISTRIEL : fill the whole ream
024. JESSICA BELL : you can’t make art in the cracks
023. MICHELLE KOHANZO : a nod to creativity
022. KATE BINGAMAN-BURT : make piles of crap
021. DEBRA BROZ : a really slow magician
020. KELLY PUISSEGUR : almost happy
019. JAIME DERRINGER : design milk by day & sketchbooks by night
018. TIFFANIE TURNER : blossoms & burlesque
017. KATE WOODROW : a pitch on a silver platter
016. MAX WANGER : photography was not in the picture
015. HOLLIE CHASTAIN : i sandwich everything in that stuff
014. RACHEL RYLE : latte foam, goop, and gumption
013. LISA GOLIGHTLY : if it scares you, do it
012. MARK BRADLEY-SHOUP : walk the walk
011. ROBERT NOVOGRATZ : how much for the tape measure?
010. LISA CONGDON : push through the messiness
009. VINCENT SERRITELLA : painted into a corner
008. MARY KATE MCDEVITT : you’re in cider town
007. BEN SKINNER : equal or lesser value
006. AMANDA SMITH : girls are my vocabulary
005. PEREGRINE HONIG : on the other side of pop culture
004. TREY SPEEGLE : good luck with that
003. STEPHANIE VOVAS : comfort zones and lack thereof
002. ANTHONY ZINONOS : if it buckles, it buckles
001. MARTHA RICH : meat and cake and lobsters and wigs
I’m just back from Alt Summit, but instead of doing a recap post, I have to write about this! Stefan Sagmeister probably needs no introduction, but just in case… he’s an Austrian born, New York based designer. As a designer myself, I’ve admired him for years, and at Alt I got to hear him speak. He talked about the in’s and out’s of happiness – it was fascinating, and to be completely candid, life-changing for me. He, and his “filming accomplice”, David Hillman Curtis {shown with Stefan, above} worked together to make a beautiful film, called The Happy Film. We only got to see 12 minutes of it {it will be shown in film festivals later this year}, but what we saw was amazing! The idea is that “in the course of a year, Sagmeister will experiment with various practices that are widely touted as increasing one’s happiness: meditation, cognitive therapy, and pharmaceuticals.” It was so interesting, touching, inspiring, and don’t even get me started on the typography!
I think that this film is going to be a huge hit, and I truly hope that:
……………………………………… but wait, there’s more ………………………………………..
i’m jealous of stefan sagmeister … part II
So, it’s not quite enough that he’s made this beautiful film, but he has also transformed his happiness research into an interactive art/design exhibition, quite appropriately called The Happy Show. It just left Philadelphia, and is now in Toronto at The Design Exchange {until March 3, 2013}… and I believe LA and Paris are up next. Charts that show happiness when it comes to marital status, free candies {Stefan’s favorites}, gum balls that let you rate your own happiness, and a lovely white stationery bike that reveals an illuminated message as you exercise… all perfectly designed, of course. Have a look:
Brilliant! You know what else is brilliant? This:
Yep! Not even the overly harsh lighting can take away the happiness I felt meeting, talking, and getting a smooch from Stefan Sagmeister!
{The Happy Show credits: CREATIVE DIRECTION: Stefan Sagmeister // ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: Jessica Walsh // DESIGN: Verena Michelitsch, Jordan Amer, Simon Egli, Martin Gnadt}
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