One thing I am obsessive about when it comes to photographing art for this site is that there be no people in the frame. This requires great patience, because you never know how long you will have to wait for other art fans, who have every right to dawdle in front of their favorite paintings or sculptures, to move before the coast is clear and you can get the shot. On the other hand, there are times when the point is to get the infamous ‘Spy Pic’ of the onlooker in front of the artwork, because he or she is a work of art themselves! Please enjoy a few of my secret snaps of the People of New York looking at art from my ever-growing collection!
In this barren musical wasteland of conveyor-belt acts that is all but completely devoid of anything even resembling Rock ‘n’ Roll, I’ve become so uninterested in what the pop charts have to offer that I never even considered the wildly nostalgic potential pull of a band that is willing to revisit the grunge rock era. And then I heard this week’s video clip, which is “Company Man” from New Jersey power-rock trio, Cyclone Static. And this was a reminder to me to never, ever underestimate the pure joy that comes from music that does not sound like it came from a can. Cyclone Static are not magical Wizards. They are not from Outer Space. They are simply three guys who love music, and it shows. Continue reading Video Clip of The Week: Cyclone Static, “Company Man”→
Hey what’s up. I’ve got some good news for all of my artist friends out there who wish they could catch a break when it comes to finding exposure for their art, or the elusive gallery representation. Our very favorite art gallery, Jonathan LeVine Projects (now located in beautiful downtown Jersey City) has issued an Open Call to Artists! It is pretty sweet.
It is no secret that LeVine has been the go-to destination for the very best in contemporary Pop and Street Art for over a decade. If you’ve ever thought that your art would be a perfect fit for the gallery, now’s your chance to get in on the action. Jonathan LeVine is looking for the world’s next great artist and wants to see if you have what it takes. The gallery’s first (of what will become an annual) art competition is now open to artists ages 18 and older, and from all backgrounds and levels of experience. Whip out your portfolios and show off your best stuff!
To submit your work, you’ll have to visit This Link. Artworks will only be considered if they are submitted via this platform.
Here are the major guidelines:
There is an Entry Fee of $45 for 3 submissions ($10 for each additional submission)
The following must be included with each submission:
CV/Bio
1 image for two dimensional works and 2 images for 3 dimensional works
Work details (title, year, medium, dimensions, price). There is a size limit of 6 x 6 feet for Paintings and 6 x 4 feet for Sculptures.
More information is available at the link above. Once the deadline has passed and all artworks are received, a selection of submissions will be chosen for exhibition in Delusional, a group show highlighting the finalists. Delusional, will open on August 9th, 2017.
Jonathan LeVine will personally choose first, second and third place winners and award the following prizes:
1st Place – Solo Exhibition at Jonathan LeVine Projects
2nd Place – Participation in a group show at Jonathan LeVine Projects
3rd Place – A week of promotion via Jonathan LeVine Projects website and social media platforms
The Submission Deadline is July 5th, 2017, so get to work! Good luck to all!
The Most Beautiful Daughters (after Balthus) By SHAG (All Photos By Gail, Click on Any Image to Enlarge for Detail)
Do you enjoy the artwork of Josh Agle — AKA SHAG? I sure do. In fact, the very high point of last week’s art crawl was the opening reception of SHAG’s latest exhibit, All My Bones at Jonathan LeVine Gallery’s 23rd Street space. Nicole and I enjoyed looking at the paintings and pretending they depicted favorite scenes from episodes of Mad Men. When you look at the photos in this post, I think you will understand why.
Artist and Former Musician Dan Witz, whom I’m just going to go ahead and label the Norman Rockwell of Hardcore, is back at Jonathan LeVine Gallery with an outstanding collection of his hyper-realist style paintings and portraits of Hardcore music fans captured in their natural habitat: The Pit. NY Hardcore is Witz’ second solo exhibit at LeVine, following Mosh Pits, Human and Otherwise in July of 2011. The current show features select paintings previously exhibited in 2011.
It’s hard to believe that these are paintings and not photographs. They look so real, I can almost smell them.
I like this one a lot.
Artist Dan Witz at the opening reception chatting with fans. He is very nice.
NY Hardcore includes both crowd scenes – captured from various vantage points – and individual portraits.
Everybody knows this dude, right? I think I used to see him at the Fleetwood (Redondo Beach, CA) back in the early ’80s.
I’m pretty sure that this guy is meant to be gallery owner Jonathan LeVine.
Dan Witz: NY Hardcore runs through May 3rd, 2014 at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery, Located at 529 West 20th Street, 9th Floor, in the Chelsea Gallery District. Gallery Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 AM to 6 PM.
