Thomas Nozkowski: Recent Work

I went to see the Thomas Nozkowski show at Pace Gallery the day of the exhibitions closing last weekend.  I have mixed feelings about his work... overall I'm a big fan.  His work is unpredictable... the juxtaposition of colors, shapes, and forms is unconventional and exciting.  However, my only criticism is that sometimes the work can appear too precise and a bit stiff.  I much prefer the work of his that retains a fresh and direct feel... confident, and risky.

According to Pace Gallery...

Thomas Nozkowski (b. 1944, Teaneck, New Jersey) received a B.F.A. from The Cooper Union Art School, New York  in 1967. Known for his richly colored and intimately scaled abstract paintings, Nozwkoski began exhibiting in group shows in 1973 and made his solo debut in 1979. By 1982, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, had acquired a painting from an early one-person exhibition for their permanent collection. To date, Nozkowski’s paintings have been featured in more than 300 museum and gallery exhibitions worldwide, including over 70 solo shows.

Also, below is an awesome and brief video of Thomas discussing his painting process.  Its very insightful and illuminating.  Check it out.

These are some other of his paintings that interest me that I found online.  

*** The were not part of the recent exhibition at Pace.

James Prez: Studio Visit

James Prez was born in Erie, PA in the 1950's.  As an adult he took a visual arts class in Rochester, NY that solidified his interest in art making.  Now he lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  He's been there since the mid-nineties before the area was cool; he was one of those trail blazers that paved the way for young folks who made Williamsburg what it is today.  However, he preferred his neighborhood before all of the large apartment buildings were built, when it was just an outpost on the edge of Brooklyn ripe for artists and musicians to nurture their creativity.  He still lives in the same old apartment since way back then (on North 7th and Bedford).

I'll let his art do most of the talking... But first, here are a few observations:  his art is the epitome of freedom and play; there are no restraints, anything goes, anything and everything can be and is art.  He uses modest sized and free of charge materials like found objects from the curbside and scraps of garbage.  His work is imbued with humor, can be political, and is mostly abstract.  

James is very kind and free of ego.  My only regret I have after visiting his studio is that I wasn't able to stay longer and dig through the piles of art he has scattered about.  I should also add that the coolest thing about his apartment/studio is that you cannot tell what is and isn't art, and which art is his and which is a friends.

Horse by Suzanne Goldenberg

Above painting by Suzanne Goldenberg

James also had several pieces by other artists.  Here are a few that caught my attention...

Julie Torres, Brooklyn, NY

Julie Torres, Brooklyn, NY

Mickey Mantle is by Tommy
somewhere in The Bronx, NY

Amy Young, Brooklyn, NY
(See Me, Tell Me)

Django Reinhardt is by Lamar Sorrento
(Memphis, Tennesee)

Charlie Patton is by Jack
(James Popovitch, Denver, Colorado)

Mose Tolliver/deceased
(Montgomery, Alabama)

George Washington by an unidentified artist
(Salvation Army find)

Shameless Self Promotion

"Window Washer Fluid" now showing at Marina Gallery

Here is some news I would like to share with all of you concerning my art...

1.  The Marina Gallery (my favorite Gallery ever) invited me to be part of their current exhibition "Aspects".  The show is up for the month of March, so if you are in the Hudson Valley, go to Cold Spring and take a look.  Here is the Gallery's website: http://themarinagallery.com/themarinagallery.com/MarinaGallery.html

Me at a waterfall in Vancouver Island

2.  A few weeks ago I received an email from thsart.com asking to interview me for their site.  Of course I accepted and thought deeply about their questions.  You can read the interview at... http://thsart.com/artist/talking-art-with-daniel-galas.  According to their website... "thsart.com was created to provide a stage to do short artist interviews (‘Talking Art’) with the goal of giving visitors a glimpse into interesting artists and their art. We ask each artist the same 5 questions and post their response without any editing – we are nice enough to fix spelling errors."

Audrey Levinthal

3.  Aubrey Levinthal, a Philidelphia based artist and blogger, posted about my art: www.aubreylevinthal.blogspot.com.  Aubrey is a terrific painter and drawer and someone whom you will be hearing more about on my blog.  You can see her work at: http://aubreylevinthal.com/

Leif Parsons

4.  I may have mentioned this before but in September I am having a solo show at Buffalo Arts Studio in Buffalo, NY.  They have two galleries and so there is another artist with a solo show exhibiting work at the same time I will be.  His name is Leif Parsons... a Brooklyn based artist.  And by the way, I am moving back to my hometown in August... Go Bills!  So if you're in Western New York in the Fall stop by for a visit.  Here is the gallery's URL: http://buffaloartsstudio.org/

"Power Outage"... one of my new paintings

5.  I updated my website... posted more of my oil paintings under "Recent Works".  Check it... www.danielgalas.com

Armory Arts Week NYC: Fountain Art Fair

 Robert Otto Epstein

For this year's Armory Arts Week in NYC I decided not to pay the $30 to see the jam packed 2013 Centennial Armory Show for favor of visiting two for free.  The first was Fountain Art Fair at the original location for the Armory Show one hundred years ago: The 69th Regiment Armory.  

Three words: STREET, POP, KOREAN.  Of course there were many other types of art on display; I gravitated towards my usual minimal, folky, and abstract art.

According to the Fountain Art Fair website... www.fountainartfair.com

Fountain Art Fair was founded in 2006 by David Kesting, Lincoln Capla, and John Leo as an attempt to leverage support for smaller independent galleries, collectives and artists who wished to gain access to a larger audience of collectors and critics. From its roots deep within the independent Williamsburg, Brooklyn art scene, Fountain has grown to represent over 60 international avant garde galleries and projects, showcasing progressive primary-market works in New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Fountain Art Fair has received critical acclaim for its uniquely alternative art fair model and genuine dedication to the artists and galleries who share in its vision and ideology. Celebrated as the first of a new influential generation of alternative fairs, Fountain is reinterpreting the concept of the art fair experience and paving a new path for the future of contemporary art.

When Marcel Duchamp arrived in New York for the first time to exhibit his work at the original 1913 Armory Show at the 69th Regiment Armory, he left a lasting legacy that challenged people’s preconceived notions of what art can be. One hundred years later, Fountain Art Fair is challenging people’s preconceived notions of what an art fair can be. Based primarily in Miami and New York City, Fountain bridges the gap between art and contemporaries delivered to America all those years ago.

Like Duchamp, and his famous ready made Fountain, Fountain Art Fair is the foundation upon which a whole generation of working artists and galleries are able to engage the global art market on their own terms. As a family, Fountain comes together to define an accessible alternative vision for the future of contemporary art.

Here are selections of fair that would like to share with all of you... enjoy

 Robert Otto Epstein

Eric Shaw

Ayn S Choi

Scott Kahn

Matthew Rose

Clockworkbox

 Gerardo Tan

Leon Reid IV