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Palm Springs Fine Art Fair. Three years ago I wrote about this show.  I wanted to go back and I finally did.  I promised myself that I would take spur-of-the-moment photos with my phone and make sense of the show later.  Well, here is my best shot. 

My Best Shot

One of the first paintings I saw was of an enormous escalator by Christian Gill.  I immediately felt my managed fear of escalators resurface.  On one side of the escalator is an effervescent image.  I looked at the title…Love Collision.  A further look revealed an ephemeral, ghostly shape. A futuristic nude ascending a staircase?  I found this painting imposing, beautiful, and disturbing.

Another large painting that captured my attention was Union Jack Horses by Michael Gorman. I first was attracted to the abstract with its grand white space, drips, and colors. Moments later I was treated to subtle representational forms and words. 

I think my favorite paintings were by Morten Lassen. These two abstracts were relatively small…one was about four by four feet, the other about half the size. I loved the colors, rectangles, texture, and lines on these two paintings. Upon returning home, I looked up the artist. In his statement he said, “ My work is abstract and expressive, which means that I don't use sketches or other kinds of preparatory work before starting on a painting. My paintings develop as I am painting, and I work very spontaneously and intuitively.” 

As a portrait painter, I always seek out portraits in contemporary art venues.  One portrait exhibit was by Malcolm Liepke, one of the few contemporary artists that I recognized in the show.  I enjoy his style and and expressive poses.  Another series of portraits was by Cassandra Complex. Each portrait is of a stern man…some defaced with a cross.  The gallerist told me that the painter, Cassandra, replaced her Irish surname with Complex as her nom de brush. Wikipedia tells me that the Cassandra complex “is a psychological phenomenon in which an individual's accurate prediction of a crisis is ignored or dismissed.”  Ominous stuff.

On the lighter side, was a painting by Terry Thompson depicting packages of mid-century TV dinners.  Ray Gross’ giant paint tubes and brushes also made me smile.

PS…disturbing, beautiful, expressive, ominous, fun.  I think that’s Fair.

Titles. My father made up song titles. Not songs, just the titles.  I have been known to make up menus with funny course names.  Although most have not been produced, my Academy Awards menu was actually served: Nods and Dips (black olives and white bean dip), Dress-up (spinach salad with smoked tomato dressing), Bow Ties (asparagus lemon farfelle), The Envelope (hamentashen). But, I have yet to present a menu of cannellini, cannelloni, and cannoli or char, chard and chardonnay. So, it is not surprising that my genetic affliction of making up unfulfilled titles has entered the realm of art series and exhibits. 

I have created the titles for all my own shows, such as Poses and Postures. However, my titles, as clever as they may have been, reflected an existing body of work. That’s like sitting down to supper, looking at your meal, and naming it Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes.  It’s descriptive and after the fact. The title did not generate the product. Likewise, group shows usually attract existing work. Although they draw artists in with themes or titles they rarely inspire creativity or new work. 

I would like to see exhibit titles that kindle a genuine spark. So, if I were a gallerist or a curator, I imagine challenging artists to produce new work. I would create powerful, idiosyncratic titles and seek artists who I think would respond creatively. I might search for a photographer to do a show entitled Paranoid in Polaroid or select textile artists to produce works for a show called Heartfelt.   And, a show that strictly adheres to the theme of Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes could turn heads.

If you are an artist, I challenge you to start with an engaging soundbite to ignite a new body of work. Sit down and play with words rather than with images. Only then, consider the art. The title Out of Context initiated my series of focused and consistent paintings. This approach may motivate you to use those stored canvases or lumps of clay in a new way.  It may also motivate you to actually use those stored silly puns, double entendres, alliterations, and even cliches.

Just imagine all the menus that were never cooked and the songs that were never sung.