JO BASKERVILLE Solo Exhibition @ Jennifer Balcos Gallery
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RSVP: JenniferBalcosGallery@gmail.com
FASHIONADO
Cosmic Monologues with Artist Gwen Cates
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International artist, Gwen Cates, spends her time between Virginia and California. She began painting in the 1960s and has had art exhibits in Britain and the United States. She describes herself as a contemporary colorist, creating experimental and playful abstract paintings in acrylic, often with collage elements. The images have been inspired and grew out of earlier plein air landscapes and figurative work.
Gwen calls the current series of paintings “Cosmic Monologues.” Going deeper into her subconscious and the world of dreams, Gwen reveals fantasies from her imagination. She creates archetypal images and incorporates winged figures, horses and other animals in her compositions. Swatches of fabric, lace, gold leaf and lichen from oak trees are some of the elements that are included in the paintings.
Gwen Cates invites you to her new solo exhibit on November 9th . Her artwork can be viewed on her website: www.gwencates.com / http://www.gwencates.com/biob.htm
What was it like moving from Santa Ynez Valley in California to your new home, the Whiskey Ridge Farm near Charlottesville?
It is important in life to remake yourself every decade or so. When I look at the entirely of my body of artistic work you can see my phases of evolution and personal development. I am a native Virginian and lived and worked here most of my life. I grew up on a farm in Cumberland County and loved painting landscapes and animals. When I went to Art College at Richmond Professional Institute (now called Virginia Commonwealth University) in Richmond, I began painting nudes. This was an exciting phase, and when I met my husband Bill Cates, I remember thinking that he was rather like Adonis. Over the years I became well established as a painter in Virginia, and also in Britain, where I had successful shows of a more metaphysical and mythical nature. When we made the move to California, I needed to use a new color palette. The landscape of Santa Ynez is chaparral, so I had to use warm browns and new earth tones. I was also close to the Pacific Ocean, and so I found new blue tints and hues. I was warmly welcomed into the Southern California art world, becoming active in the Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara art scenes, and I continue to exhibit there. I enjoy the freedom and expanse that the West Coast offers, which is different from the more settled and traditional landscapes of Virginia. I like being free to paint what inspires me regardless of the location. Since I have children on both coasts, I still travel between Virginia and California. This also means that I have a variety of places to exhibit my work, and I get to dance between form and freedom.
After 17 years in California, my husband Bill Cates decided to retire from winemaking, and return to Virginia full time. In the summer of 2015, we bought a lovely farm on a river near Charlottesville, VA. We built a studio in a pole barn near our house and stable. Unfortunately, my husband was in poor health and passed away in 2018. I then went through a difficult period of adjustment and could not focus on my paintings, which lasted for about a year. It was when I started looking at the images of Black Holes that my creative impulse began to return to me. Painting these images has healed me from loss, and in my art studio I have discovered a new way of seeing the world. It is very colorful!
For over 17 years you have been exhibiting your works of art. Has there ever been a painting that you’ve sold in which you wish would have perhaps kept for yourself?
My artwork is in houses and institutions all across the United States, and also Britain. I am thrilled that friends and family across the globe love my work, and collect my paintings. It gives me a sense that I am part of an ever-evolving community of people who trust in the creative universe. There are some paintings that really speak to me that are hard to let go of, because so much of me is in them. One painting in particular, Golden Kite, acrylic with gold leaf and collage elements, is very dear to me, but I did sell it. To me the painting represents our ability to soar above the issues of the world and reach for higher ideals. Fortunately, my cousin, Emmett Richardson, bought the painting and I am happy that he has it. It gives me great joy to visit the homes of people who own and display my work and see the paintings on display.
Your new series of paintings “Cosmic Monologues” is truly amazing, what was the inspiration behind the black holes that you are depicting in your art?
Astronomers have created the Event Horizon Telescope, which is able to reach far into the Cosmos and show images of the colorful auras that surround and encircle Black Holes. Looking at the photographs, I realized that could be an adventure that would help to bring me out of the darkness that I had experienced since my husband of 57 years passed away. I resonated with the Black Holes, because I was experiencing grief, emptiness and was in a metaphorical black hole. I do have basic trust in the nature of life. I knew that eventually the creative force that has always been my friend would return to me. Once I felt ready for a new experience and adventure, I explored astonishing new shapes that came to me out of the potent blackness of my dreams and visions.
Even though I had to endure many days of grief after my husband passed away, I also had the unique opportunity of resting in the unknowable silence, the dark mystery, until the creative urge returned to me. And then it came! After seeing the Black Hole images, I started to enjoy exploring archetypal images with acrylic collage, gold leaf and natural materials. Then as I continued to follow the scientific images of Black Holes in the news, I also became drawn to other exciting phenomena, such as exoplanets. Many of these potent and colorful images will be included in the exhibit.
At 79, I am free to be myself. I understand that self-inquiry is ongoing, and that the creative journey never ends. The Cosmic Monologue and Black Hole series of paintings is my journey from absence to consciousness, from death to life. It is a dialogue with the mysteries of the universe, which always astonishes. I am excited about this new body of work and the upcoming exhibit with Salon @ the Granada. I invite you to come and re-make yourself also in this changing world. Ask yourself this question: what is my current cosmic monologue?
How do you come up with the color pallets when you decide to start a new series? In your new series we find deep oranges, reds and yellows, how did these colors inspire you?
Before I paint, I generally turn music on in my studio and enter a meditative state. Artists learn to dream consciously, and so I enter into a dialogue with my muses. After that, I take out a canvas and my brushes. Sometimes I am inspired by a landscape, while at other times I am painting a dream or vision from my internal world. Colors inspire me. I love playing with brilliant oranges, reds and yellows against deep blues and the almost black hue of Payne’s Gray. Long ago, while studying fine art, I was admonished by my professors for using pallets that were “too hot”. I am a bit of a rebel, so the feedback did not deter me. At the time I identified with the French impressionistic painters who used such strong colors that they were referred to as the Fauves, the wild beasts. There is also a living wildness within my psyche. I enjoy using a hot pallet and feel that this has been to my advantage when artistically envisioning the Event Horizons and Eccretion Discs of Black Holes featured in my current work. After all, the first time human beings saw a photo of a black hole was this year! I have heard from several art critics, that the vibrant colors used in my current work add to the richness and depth of “Cosmic Dialogues.” This new color pallet also invites the observer into their own creative exploration and creative inner dialogue.
You have an event in L.A. coming soon, are you excited about showcasing your work back in the West Coast Talk to us a little about what your fans can expect.
Cosmic Monologues is an ongoing exploration of archetypal images that are revealed to me as I paint. I am not done yet! At this point in my art career and my life, my goal is to express deep-seated archetypal images drawn from earlier landscapes and figurative paintings. My goal is to transform these concepts through rich and vibrant color and strong compositions to create powerful and imaginative paintings. My goal is to astonish myself and to share this sense of wonder with others.
Opening on November 9th and lasting for one-month, I will present a solo exhibit. Cosmic Monologues takes us on a journey between absence and consciousness. In the spring of this year, when astronomers captured an image of a Black Hole for the first time, I was astounded by the images from the Event Horizon Telescope. After all, Black Holes had previously been unobservable. I was so inspired that I rushed to my art studio, set up a large canvas on my easel, and began to paint the series that will be exhibited at Salon @ The Granada.
Black Holes remain a mystery, yet they invite us to glimpse the unexpected luminosities of reality. Virtual particles move in and out of existence all the time, just as we do. You see, empty space is never truly vacant, nor can our lives ever truly be blank, or meaningless. We can all choose to remake ourselves in each moment.
Bonus Question:
As I am the Fashionado, can you give us a little snippet of what you might wear at the event in Los Angeles?
As far as fashion is concerned, I am an artist and I like to wear clothes that I get paint on without getting upset. When inspiration comes, I am always ready to whip out a paintbrush. On the day of the opening, I do have a blue dress that matches Blue Star Implosion. If it gets a little paint on it, then it will be even more unique. I could even add it to an exhibit later. After all, it is my first art show in two years, and I’m ready to come out with a Big Bang! However, my second choice, in order to relate to the cosmic awareness of a dramatic and shining universe, would be a short V neck wraparound black dress with silver threads running through it. Both dresses are from a small fashion boutique, Altar’d State, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The staff was attentive and supportive in helping me find a style and size that suits me and my upcoming art exhibit at Salon @ the Granada in Los Angeles. The only way to discover what I will have on will be to attend the exhibit!
FASHIONADO
Giant sculptures return to Atlanta Botanical Garden on May 5
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THE GIANT TOPIARY EXHIBITION Imaginary Worlds returns May 5 to the Atlanta Botanical Garden with an all-new menagerie of living plant sculptures. The show runs through Oct. 28 and can be seen at both the Midtown and Gainesville locations.
Photos: Atlanta Botanical Garden
Imaginary Worlds first lumbered into the Garden in 2013/14, returning now by popular demand and mostly with creations that have never been seen before. The sculptures, which will be seen inside and out, are mostly custom-made and come from the nonprofit International Mosaiculture of Montreal.
The sculptures — steel forms covered in soil-and-sphagnum moss and planted with thousands of meticulously groomed plants — will be staged in 14 installations. In Midtown, look for a giant phoenix towering over the Alston Overlook, as a mermaid lounging beside Howell Fountain, a massive dragon and sleeping princess near the Great Lawn, a peacock inside the Fuqua Orchid Center, and three camels making their way through the Skyline Garden. The Gainesville landscape, meanwhile, will see such characters as a friendly ogre, panda bears and frolicking frogs.
The process began taking root about six months ago when conceptual drawings were done in Montreal, metal frames were fabricated and plant palettes were chosen. The empty frames were shipped to Atlanta in January, where the Garden’s horticulturists began covering them with a mesh fabric and stuffing them with soil. More than 200,000 plants, mostly annuals, were inserted one by one. The sculptures were built in sections and planted inside a greenhouse outside the city, then trucked to the Garden when the weather warmed for assembly.
The exhibit is free with Garden admission ($21.95; $15.95 ages 3-12; under 3 and Garden members free in Midtown). From May through October, the Garden is open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; and 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Thursday featuring illuminated sculptures and Cocktails in the Garden. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.876.5859.
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"A Viewing of Subconsciousness" by Todd Alexander
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The Art Institute of Atlanta is proud to have on display in the Janet Day Gallery, artist Todd Alexander's newest show “A Viewing of Subconsciousness.” This bold, large scale exhibition of mixed-media paintings brings forth a profound impact to the viewer.
Todd Alexander, formerly from Atlanta, is a working artist who is armed with imagery, technique, talent and emotion inspired by all walks of life. Born into a family of artists, at a young age Todd experimented with watercolor and oil mediums, as well as hand-thrown pottery. He then pursued scientific and medical illustration at the University of Georgia, working afterward to produce anatomically driven creations for the medical industry. Todd’s creativity has evolved as he re-entered the studio, again picking up once familiar paints and exploring alternative ways to express himself and his subjects.
Through charcoal, paint and collage, Todd allows no boundaries. For him, it’s not about the finished product as much as the journey of discovering emotions and sharing them. His most recent productions evoke the state of balance towards which he strives, using mixed-media of paper, canvas and other elements to align reality with interpretation of dimension. Multiple layers of epoxy, gel medium, and paint allow for a new, and at times unexpected, lens for the viewer to look through and more actively participate with the image.
The works found herein distill universal emotions. Subjects take the viewer to different planes in a view of the subconsciousness - inviting curiosity and contemplation. Collectively they deliver new levels of validation and self-awareness.
The exhibition runs January 22nd- March 2nd. The opening is Thursday, Feb. 8th from 7:00- 10PM - RSVP to aiatlgallery@gmail.com. There will be an artist’s lecture in the gallery on March 1st 12-2:00pm. The Art Institute/ Janet Day Gallery is located at 6600 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd 100 Embassy Row, Atlanta, GA 30328.
fashionado
BATTLE ZONE
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FOR THIS VISIT, ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER LEADER ROBERT BATTLE LOOKS TO THE PAST — 1960, THE 1980S, 2004 — TO ENTERTAIN, PROVOKE AND INFORM THE FUTURE.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs Feb. 14-18 at the Fox Theatre. Tickets HERE or at 855.285.8499.
“ALMOST SPIRITUAL.” That’s how Robert Battle describes Atlanta’s passion for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
“The black experience,” says Ailey artistic director Robert Battle, “is not a one-note samba.” Photo: Andrew Eccles
“The love and electricity we feel every time we’re there is the kind of excitement and commitment that’s usually reserved for pop culture — like for rock stars,” says Battle, artistic director of the nation’s pre-eminent modern dance company.
This visit the 32-member company — in which no one is a star but everyone dances like one — brings 13 pieces for six performances. You’d need to attend four of the six to see them all. What you can count on is plenty of powerful, athletic dance and Revelations as the finale. The spirit-rousing, visually stunning piece created by founder Alvin Ailey dates to 1960.
“Revelations is a light in a dark place,” Battle says from New York. “As we look at this world and our country, Revelations gives us a sense that tomorrow the sun will shine.”
Battle, on the job since 2011, is the third artistic director in Ailey’s 60-year history. He was chosen by his predecessor, Judith Jamison, just as she was chosen by Ailey himself. Battle’s Mass, created in 2004 for the Juilliard School, is new this year to Ailey dancers.
He was inspired to create it after seeing a choral performance of Verdi’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall. “I found myself inspired by the sort of pageantry of a chorus of a hundred people, even how they entered in a somber way and the precise way they organized themselves on the risers, the juxtaposition of it all.
“When they sang,” he says, “the juxtaposition was their voice, like a passport to the world that could travel freely.” The choir leader “was almost like the preacher figure or chosen one born out of the mass. I found myself thinking about it all — the individual, the group or huddled mass, the chosen one freeing himself from the group.”
You never know where you’ll find inspiration, he says.
A scene from the Robert Battle-choreographed “Mass.” Top of page: “Twyla Tharp’s Golden Section.” Photos: Paul Kolnik
Battle’s choreography often features sharp, ritualistic movements and intricate patterns. He’s comfortable endorsing one phrase used to describe his style: rapid-fire movement. “My last name is Battle, and I think that says it all.”
As always, Ailey audiences can expect some social consciousness in the program. A highlight is likely to be Shelter, created in 1988 by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, founder and artistic director of Urban Bush Women, the Brooklyn- dance troupe whose works often illuminate the disenfranchised.
Ailey dancers first performed the 22-minute Shelter, described as a hard-hitting interpretation on homelessness, 25 years ago. This is its first revival in 15 years.
Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s “Shelter.” Photo: Paul Kolnik
One day in New York, Zollar says, she found herself stepping over a homeless person. “When it became normal and didn’t have any impact —when I stopped seeing it — that is when I thought we were losing portions of our humanity.”
Since the piece premiered, New York’s homeless population has tripled to 63,000, according to a recent NBC News estimate. Georgia has about 14,000 homeless people.
Battle sees Shelter’s relevance expanding. “I think we’re having to think about shelter and protection in larger ways. There’s a real fear out there of needing shelter from the very laws that are supposed to protect you.”
At least two other pieces in the lineup date to the 1980s, as well:
TWYLA THARP’S THE GOLDEN SECTION (1983). This 16-minute piece, set to a New Wave score by David Byrne, was the finale to Tharp’s The Catherine Wheel, an acclaimed 1981 project. Two years later, it became a stand-alone piece “celebrated for its expression of blissful joy.” In 2006, The New Yorker described Ailey’s re-staging as “daring, driving choreography with breathtaking leaps.”
STACK-UP by Talley Beatty (1982). Beatty’s piece examines “an urban landscape and all the things that can happen within that context,” says Battle. More plot-driven than most Ailey pieces, it’s a colorful, energetic number of physical pyrotechnics done to a disco vibe from the Fearless Four, Grover Washington Jr. and Earth, Wind & Fire.
An Ailey performance promises a wide range of themes, moods and emotions. “The black experience,” Battle says, “is not a one-note samba.”
fashionado
Erik Madigan Heck: "Old Future" Opening at Jackson Fine Art
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Jackson Fine Art is thrilled to officially announce their first Atlanta exhibition of work by acclaimed fashion photographer Erik Madigan Heck, one of the most innovative and exciting young artists in contemporary photography. Heck's painterly large scale photographs are at once classic and futuristic, with influences ranging from Gustav Klimt and Edgar Degas to the high contrast color and visionary design of Pop Art or Michel Gondry.
This intersection of past and present lends both Heck's first monograph and our exhibition their title – Old Future. As Susan Bright writes in her contribution to the book, published by Abrams in 2017, "Heck flies into the future with his back turned – he faces history, allowing it to turn back on itself, reassigning and regrouping it with each new project." Vulture named Old Future one of the top 10 photography books of 2017.
Heck's otherworldy imagery is mostly created in-camera, with only minor modifications done in post-production, and all of his photographs are naturally lit.
In the past 12 months, Erik Madigan Heck has been exhibited in London, New York, and Minneapolis, with exhibitions forthcoming in Switzerland, Toronto, and Dubai. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, TIME, The New Yorker, and Harper's Bazaar UK. In 2013 he became one of the youngest photographers to receive the prestigious ICP Infinity Award, and in 2015 was awarded with the Art Directors Club’s Gold Medal and the AI-IP American Photography award for his Old Masters Portfolio, published by The New York Times Magazine. He lives and works in Connecticut and New York City.
Join Jackson Fine Art on Friday, January 26 for an opening reception to Future Old from 6-8PM. Jackson Fine Art is located at 3115 East Shadowlawn Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30305. For more information about Jackson Fine Art and their artists, visit jacksonfineart.com.
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ATLANTA FOUNDATION FOR PUBLIC SPACES CELEBRATES THE 5th ANNUAL CALLANWOLDE ARTS FESTIVAL
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Join the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces (AFFPS) on Saturday, January 20 and Sunday, January 21, 2018, as they celebrate the fifth annual Callanwolde Arts Festival. The award-winning, two-day indoor festival is located in one of Atlanta’s most distinctive historic properties, the 27,000-square foot Callanwolde Mansion in Druid Hills, and features approximately 86 painters, photographers, sculptors, metalwork, glass artists, jewelers and more. The festival, which is open to all ages, will also offer artist demonstrations, live acoustic music, food trucks with healthy alternatives, and live music and dance performances. Admission is $5 at the door.
Art lovers are also invited to take advantage of the ticketed V.I.P. Preview Sales Party on Friday, January 19th from 6 to 9 p.m. Upon arrival, guests will be greeted with a glass of wine to sip on as they stroll throughout the historic home and will be the first to view and shop the artwork showcased at this year’s festival. Guests are also invited to enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres while they mix and mingle with the artists and enjoy live acoustic music. Admission to the V.I.P. Preview Sales Party is $20 and is open to all ages. Tickets can be purchased at the door. For more information visit http://callanwoldeartsfestival.com.
