Last night was a tremendous success, as Brandi Milne's "So Nice For Little Bunnies" book exhibit had a really nice flow of people all night (and furious paparazzi?), and we only have about 4 or 5 pieces still available. Lots of books were pre-ordered and buyers were excited to pick out their hand-drawn bookmarks. We'll still be taking book pre-orders for the rest of the month (at least), and you'll still be able to get the drawing. Also, if you haven't seen the work from this show yet, you are missing out. And in addition to missing out, you should be
CLICKING HERE, as that will show you everything! And the show will be up all day today in the gallery (11-6) and most of the day tomorrow (12-4).
And then we hit this next Thursday....
The Dangler will reveal his treehouse, after non-stop paint preparations in his home state of New Jersey (only broken up by fishing excursions), hoping to nail each little hair detail for his incredible creatures. The interest in this show keeps mounting, thanks to a Flavorpill endorsement and the word spreading. I think we're in for more red dots than a pair of old jeans after paintball (was that a reach?)
So, for Matt Dangler's upcoming show, we're posting our second "5 Paintings That I Dig, That I Didn't Do" feature. This time we asked the oil genius, and 24 year-old, to pick 5 paintings he's digging right now, no matter what era or style, just to get a small glimpse into his interests and favorites, hoping it lets us in on his process or where he's going on Thursday, June 19th. Last month, Ken Garduno kicked the feature off, and Matt follows suit with a seriously interesting selection...
1. "Autumn Woodland" by Albert Bierstadt
I am a huge fan of Hudson River School paintings - in a nutshell, they were attempting to show the beauty and power of God in nature. Bierstadt is my favorite of the Hudson River School artists. His painting technique, colors, compositions, ability to capture the power and size of nature is mind blowing. When I see this kind of detail I know the artist had immense passion to express what he was feeling inside. Bierstadt captured spiritual serenity through the beautiful light that barely touches that pristine piece of the world - and I think a lot of us can relate to that little fawn in one way or another...
2. (Garden of Earthly Delights) -*Detail of the Devil - by Hieronymus Bosch
... Think about the impact this has on you right now, considering what we are all exposed to every day. Then think about the fact that he painted this around 1475 - Yeah... I was once told by my Art History Professor that if he didn't paint these creatures under a religious theme - the church or whoever had the power would of had him executed. When I consider the risks this man took to express himself and to share something he felt had the upmost importance to the world, I look a little deeper into the painting... it is a shame that ever since the beginning of mankind the majority of people still don't get what we artists are trying to say, but hey... at least we make cool things to look at right?
3. The Typhoonigator! From the book "One Monster After Another" by Mercer Mayer
Whenever I see this piece it lifts a curtain in my mind, and I am sitting down in my elementary school library being shown this miraculous imaginative creature for the first time again! It is impossible to describe feelings... but I hope you all experience that kind of nostalgia with children's books or anything in general. I am that little kid again whenever I see this image or any other piece from this book... and that is a place where I like to be.
4. "Mrs. Henry White" - 1883 - John Singer Sargent
Brilliant... if you are a painter you have to respect John Singer Sargent. Breaking it down... it's his colors, it's how bold he is with brush marks, compositions, knowledge of anatomy, elongation of the figure to emphasize it's elegance, his edges work in a systematic flow throughout the entire composition to make everything work as a whole - etc. and etc. Easily one of the most skilled painters that ever lived... and I doubt anybody that studies art would disagree. Put it this way, do you know how difficult it is to learn anatomy - and then to paint it!? Yeah... well... (in slight exaggeration) he paints a face in about 12 brush strokes and leaves it... and it comes out to near perfection... amen.
5. "Delphic Okapi- Extinct ca.1825" - by Scott Musgrove
This is one of the pieces from Scott's most recent INCREDIBLE solo show. Scott is a huge art inspiration of mine - as a fellow oil painter, and the facts that every piece he does whether small or large is done with the same amount of attention- he has developed into his own personal "voice" or style, and he remains very prolific. This piece in particular is a great example of how he can take a fictitious character out of his imagination and place into a world that has the same color scheme and atmosphere. Even the trees and ground are painted in the same style as the characters... to give the illusion that this place really does exist with these characters residing in it. His compositions, ability to capture form in an imaginative environment... and to have that control of light... pretty genius my friends. I am looking forward to his next show, that is for sure.
Word, Matt, Word. Come see what just might make your top 5 this coming Thursday, June 19th, from 7-10 PM!
Jensen
G1988: LA
