The Biennial 2010

All John Murray classes week of March 1, 2010.
This week the only suggested assignment is to follow this link: www.nytimes.com/design/thebiennial and read the fabulous (?) account that today's NY Times has printed to lead its art section.
i would consider traveling to New york and seeing the show as a class/group if anyone is willing to help set up such a trip.
see you Mon/Wed. john.

John Murray classes week of Feb 22, 2010.

Supercharged Painting (Wed. am)and Oil &Acrylic Workshop (Mon.) am:

The assignment this week is to develop a painted object/painting/sculptural/piece using sculpture armature wire. It can be wall hanging and closer to painting or fully sculptural (in the round).

Supercharged Painting Wed.pm:

Due to weather cancellation last week, this section is still working on color glazing for previous weeks gel drawings. Please bring oil/and or acrylic

paint and whatever mediums you have for this class.

Postmodern Graphic Assemblage:

This is the week we will cast our blocks, please bring a small bag of plaster of paris and a sketch/plan of where you would like to go with the final assemblage.

Thank you, john.

Postmodern Graphic Assemblage:

Saw this show last night at Howard Yezerski Gallery.
i've known John Goodman, one of the artists shown, for many years. John's work looked immature and a little too easy, sort of a cool kid having fun with a camera.
In fairness to John, the work is from his 20's and is some of his earliest attempts at street documentation.
Jerry Berndt's pictures seemed to record the area with a journalist's eye and while occasionally strong, seemed more suited for a newspaper piece than a gallery show.
Roswell Angier is the artist here.
i was amazed at the clarity and empathy he brought to his subjects.
Each picture was an exquisite document of the life and moment captured. One of the beauties of great photography is its ability to both enshrine and sacrifice its subject to the viewer. i left this show with Mr. Angier's pictures glowing in my mind like fine tough jewels.

John Murray classes at NewArt

Center

Mon. Feb. 7 and Wed. Feb 9.

Mon. Acrylic&Oil Workshop and both SuperCharged Painting sessions on Wed.

This week we are going to paint and glaze the acrylic gel marks you developed last session. Please bring acrylic/oil paint and any mediums that you have and want to try.

Postmodern Graphic Assemblage

Mon. pm Feb. 7

This week we should complete and proof the lino block you started last mon. see you then. -john

Artist unknown...

is often the credit given on the art i most enjoy.

After visiting the Hirshhorn in Washington, Site Santa Fe in New Mexico and any number of smaller venues for the display of art, i realized that i'm generally most affected by the work of anonymous artists. Whether ancient or contempory, i find the power of the object out of context of a body of work and ego to be more eccentric and powerful. Is this my anti-social stance on most things acceptable to the art and political world, or is this the real power of the things that live outside of that dialogue? Perhaps it has something to do with my youthful LSD experiments and admiration for the 1950's iconic "Born to Lose" tattoos.

Mary and Sandy at Joshua Tree
what a trip! The art in Sante Fe, the road and the desert combined to open new neuro-pathways for dog and us.

Late afternoon the air at Joshua Tree feels like tiny particles of cool energy.

All the museum art i've seen driving from Boston, in D.C. and Sante Fe, pales by comparison to this amazing visceral and conceptual moment.