Yep, here we are… back with the second half of my conversation with my amazing friend, New York artist Petah Coyne. In case you missed Part I, Petah was kind enough to take over as ‘podcast host’ so she could interview me. We’re talking about the opening of my show, what worked, what I’d change, what’s next, and all of the many feelings that come crashing in after you’ve worked really hard on a body of work for a really long time. Listen right up there under that lovely vinyl lettering (I love it when that goes up on the wall!), or download ART FOR YOUR EAR wherever you get your podcasts.

Alright, here’s look at a bunch of the ‘specimens’, most of which were shot by my talented friend Stephanie Seaton:

Yep. Gum and cigarettes and birds and flowers and mushrooms and crocodiles! Stephanie and I are gonna go back and shoot the collages once the sun goes down because, boy oh boy, that resin reflects allllll the light. I’ve posted a few videos of the collages though, so if you’d like to take a peek you can find those right here: one, and two.

And finally, a selfie taken on one of my many quiet, on-my-own, visits to the show…

… to ponder what might be next. Thanks so much to Petah for doing this with me, and thanks to you for listening. ~ Danielle xo

Other links:

1. Petah on Instagram
2. Petah’s “Black Sand” (complete with motor oil!)
3. Full video walk through of the show! (via Instagram)
4. Penticton Art Gallery
5. Alexandra Goodall, Artist
6. Sandy Skoglund, Artist
7. White Lotus, TV Series
8. Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize 2022

Soooo, when Malcom Gladwell’s podcast network reaches out to you and says, “Hey Danielle, would you like to share part of an interview we did with Marina Abramović with your listeners”, you say, “ummm, OKAY!”  I’ve put a little mini episode together, featuring a 20 minute excerpt from their show, “Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso”. Every Sunday, Sam invites an artist, activist, or politician to come to the table and speak from the heart… and today that person is Marina! Look’n listen right up there, or download ART FOR YOUR EAR wherever you get your podcasts.

First, I want to show you the “Crystal Wall of Crying (2021)”,  located at the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center in in Kyiv, Ukraine:

“The Crystal Wall of Crying is Marina Abramovic’s reflection on the tragedy of Babyn Yar and the Holocaust. It symbolizes the terrible impact of mass murder on collective memory and the healing potential of focused reflection for future generations. The wall creates a special space where everyone can think, remember, reflect on the tragic events of the past and draw personal conclusions. Interaction with natural quartz crystals seeks to heal the wounds of the past by reconnecting with individual body experiences. (The Crystal Wall of Crying is forty meters long and three meters high and consists of anthracite and 75 quartz crystals. Visitors are invited to interact with the crystals and meditate.)

Hopefully this crystal-filled wall will bring the healing to the people of Ukraine again, one day very soon.

Of course, we can’t mention Marina without mentioning “The Artist Is Present” at MoMA in 2010:

Did you go to this? I didn’t, but I’m so curious what it was like to be there in person? Amazing? Weird? Both?

And finally, since we were flies on the wall of Marina’s New York apartment, how about a little look:

Wait… she’s a regular person with a couch and cozy socks? Yep, we’re all just people. Thanks so much to Sam Fragoso and Pushkin Podcast Network for inviting me share this with all of you, and speaking of YOU… thanks for listening! I’ll be back with the second part of my conversation with Petah Coyne next weekend.

Other links:

1. “Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso”
2. Sam’s full interview with Marina…
3. Marina Abramović
4. “Crystal Wall of Crying”, Ukraine
5. “The Artist Is Present”, MoMA
6. Marco Anelli Studio (Photographer)

At her request, I’ve handed the host microphone over to my dear friend, New York based artist Petah Coyne. As you might know, I’ve been working away, alone in my studio, for just over a year on a totally new body of work. Well, I wasn’t totally alone in there… Petah and I would meet via Zoom so we could talk through all of the ups, downs, and sideways. Well, after all this time, my first solo show in a public gallery opens TONIGHT! We recorded this episode about a week ago, the day before I installed everything because Petah wanted to document the “before”, and we’ll do an “after” episode next! Listen right up there under me dipping yet another flower in white paint, or download ART FOR YOUR EAR wherever you get your podcasts.

First up, the very first “3D collage” (which I do like, it just wasn’t do the job I wanted it to do) that I showed to Petah over Zoom, followed by a bunch of work in progress bits ‘n pieces:

Cigarettes, gum, and matching the gallery wall paint to one of my ashtrays, and a lovely little blush butt.

And here’s that wall, plus “Self-Preservation” starting to be put into place:

Eep! It is so exciting that all of this work is out of my head, out of my studio, and in a lovely, sunlit space! More to come in two weeks with the full reveal, OR keep an eye on my Instagram feed where I’ll be posting at the show TONIGHT. Thank you so much to my amazing friend Petah for suggesting this interview, and for – well – EVERYTHING. And of course, thanks to you for listening… the “after” episode will be up in two weeks. ps. “Self-Preservation” runs until May 15th.

Other links:

1. Petah on Instagram
2. Danielle’s art on Instagram
3. Penticton Art Gallery
4. Alexandra Goodall, Artist
5. MoMA

First up, a whole bunch of Jacqueline’s work you’ll most likely recognize because I can’t stop featuring her jaw-dropping, white, unglazed, porcelain confections. These are all from her ongoing series, “Death by Sugar”:

Gasp! Seriously, I cannot get enough of these beauties! The detail is bonkers.

Next, a little peek at her solo show, titled “My Candy Nightmares”, at Talon Gallery in Portland:

YUM! I know she said the “monsters” have less detail than the white pieces, but they still look pretty perfect to me!

Okay, and here’s what you find if you scroll right to the bottom of Jacqueline’s Instagram feed. She wasn’t kidding when she said things started with baby skull candles:

Of course I had to include some of her jewelry, given her career history! ps. You can still buy some of these pieces in her shop. Just sayin’.

And finally, we can’t finish the post without showing you this sweet little lady:

Awwwwww! And she has a donut toy… of course she has a donut toy. Thank you so much to Jacqueline and Skylar for being on the podcast today, thanks to Storyblocks for supporting the episode, and as always, THANK YOU for listening. There will be a brand new episode of ART FOR YOUR EAR in two weeks.

Other links:

1. Jacqueline’s Shop/Site
2. Jacqueline on IG … aka @mad_brooklyn
3. Skylar on IG!
4. Talon Gallery, Portland
5. “My Candy Nightmares” at Talon Gallery till Nov 14
6. Ceramic World Destinations Database
7. Pierre Herme, Paris (Jacqueline’s fave macarons)
8. Storyblocks

Works on paper, the wall, and … um … filling the entire room! This fabulous collection of textures and color is the work of American artist Liz Miller. Here’s a snippet from her artist statement:

“I create elaborate site-specific installations that are equal parts absurd, menacing, and poetic. Pattern and tactility confuse and complicate identification, camouflaging recognizable forms and evoking recognition when applied to non-objective forms. The tensions between fact/fiction and dimensionality/flatness are endlessly fascinating to me, playing out in my work as a dialogue between reality and illusion.”

Absurd, menacing, and poetic… love, love, love! ps. Not only is she a working artist, Liz is also a Professor of Installation and Drawing at Minnesota State University-Mankato.

Whoa. These insanely fabulous sculptures/shoes are the work of Toronto based artists Marina Dempster. In the spring of 2021 they were under glass at the Art Gallery of Burlington as part of a two-person show, titled ‘In Visible’, with Meera Sethi {curated by Hitoko Okada}. Each of Marina’s shoes have an in-depth title/description. This is the writing paired with the shoe at the top of the post… with the tongue!

REFLEXIVE
1. directed or turned back on itself / 2. marked by or capable of reflection. / 3. characterized by habitual and unthinking behavior.

This piece speaks to the archetypal challenges of motherhood and an invitation to exercise self-compassionate awareness while inevitability having ones buttons pushed. An invitation to embody, like mother of pearl, ones strength, resilience, and iridescence over time.

Ah, yes, motherhood and the pushing of buttons!

More art you can eat!? Nope. This gummie-ish chandelier is actually resin, but ooooh, I can almost taste those fruity butterflies! This is the latest work of New York based artist Braxton Congrove – an installation, titled “Celestial Cherry”, shown in March at Peep in Philadelphia. Here’s a lovely description by the show’s curator:

“The exhibition’s focal piece, an intricate multicolored, multilayered chandelier radiates within Peep’s space. Made of cast resin, gradating colors, and occasionally flecks of glitter, the glass-like material casts a translucent glow from its singular light source. Emulating ornate Renaissance interiors, the chandelier’s chains drip with a series of cherry, butterfly, strawberry, banana, and star-shaped charms. A celebration of the beauty in the cheap consumerism of acrylic nail charms, jelly shoes, and Haribo gummies, Celestial Cherry pulls from nostalgia and the heavens, swaddling its viewer in a blanket of escapism.” ~ Julia Greenway, Curator

Yum! Follow Braxton on Instagram at @braxtoncongrove

Oooooh, these sculptures by American artist Christine Aaron take my breath away. Broken glass and chunks of wood coming together in a beautiful, and pretty dangerous, way. For example, the first piece above it titled “No Safety Ne(s)t”. Gorgeous, yes… safe, nope! Here’s a snippet from Christine’s artist statement:

“My work investigates memory, time and the fragility of human connection. Found wood, shattered mirror and hand dyed paper become vehicles for content. The history of these materials, and the traces of process that remain in the completed work speak to the way in which humans hold the physical, mental and emotional marks of personal experience.”

Beautiful… and suddenly those shattered mirrors feel like so much more. Follow her on Instagram at @christineaaronart

“Bubble Bath in the Tunnel of Love”. Well, that title could not be more perfect for yet another absolutely breathtaking glass piece by Philadelphia based artist Amber Cowan. This emerald-hued beauty was featured in the show “Objects: USA 2020” at R & Co Gallery in NYC, curated by Glenn Adamson. Here are Amber’s words about this specific piece:

“My piece is an homage to the innocence of falling in love represented in part by the imagery of the old fashioned tunnel of love carnival ride. The swan cars emerge from the tunnel full of hope bubbles and will quickly and blindly fall over the edge of the jadeite waterfall.  A female figure rests at the base of the mountain bathing in the bubbles and luxuriating in the lushness of the meadow.

This piece is created out of flame-worked and pressed jadeite glass.”

“Objects: USA 2020” included 308 artists ‘inventing new approaches to art-making by way of craft media’, and has toured 22 museums across the US, and 11 cities in Europe!

Follow Amber on Instagram @amber.cowan {Photos of images above by Constance Mensh}

Oh. My. Word. This is just the tip of the absolutely breathtaking iceberg that is the work of New York based artist and educator Beverly Semmes. She’s a sculptor who incorporates painting, film, photography and performance so, yes, her portfolio is immense. That said, I clearly have a thing for her series of large-scale dresses that flow across the floor, filling entire rooms! She became known for these works in the 1990’s, but if you keep an eye out you can still find recent additions to the series {ie., the piece at the top, titled “Bow (Blue Curtain)”, is from 2016.} This is how Beverly describes these installations:

Imposing and majestic, the dresses cascade down walls, conjuring wearers of power and size.

So powerful. Just imagine seeing that pink piece {complete with wearer!}, titled “Petunia, 2002”, in person? Majestic, indeed.

*Images found via Susan Inglett Gallery & Shoshana Wayne Gallery.