Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2023 i American Art Collector

Welcome to the June issue of American Art Collector! Here we are once again bringing inspiration and good vibrations to you. This issue is a yearly favorite. Why? It’s the June issue and our kick-off to the summer season of collecting. Be forewarned: it is going to be hard not to buy something from the pages of this issue! To start, we have more than 13 gallery previews of shows happening from coast to coast starting on Page 90. Our cover, which features The Party Crashers by Rachel Moseley, is an amazing piece from RJD Gallery and I don’t expect it to be on the market long once collectors receive the magazine. Get actively involved in collecting and the community around it. If you see a painting you like in…

Through July 7 Marela Zacarías San Luis Obispo Museum of Art » San Luis Obispo, CA www.sloma.org Through July 23 American Women Artists: Pushing Forward Reaching Back Brookgreen Gardens » Murrells Inlet, SC www.americanwomenartists.org Through August 20 Found in Translation: Explorations by 8 Contemporary Artists Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art » Kansas City, MO www.nelson-atkins.org Through August 20 Barbara Earl Thomas: The Illuminated Body The Chrysler Museum of Art » Norfolk, VA www.chrysler.org Through September 10 The Bennett Prize Pittsburgh Foundation: Rising Voices 3 Muskegon Museum of Art » Muskegon, MI www.thebennettprize.org Through September 10 Ayana Ross Muskegon Museum of Art » Muskegon, MI www.muskegonartmuseum.org Through October 15 Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence de Young Museum » San Francisco, CA www.famsf.org…

New York City-based visual artist Nancy Lorenz presents a site-specific installation at the historic Basilica di Santa Maria in Montesanto, Rome. The Basilica known as Chiesa degli Artisti (Church of the Artists) was designed by Carlo Rainaldi and completed under the supervision of Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Carlo Fontana in 1679. It is one of the twin churches in Piazza del Popolo, along with Santa Maria dei Miracoli. The exhibition features four large works in Lorenz’s signature abstract style, and will be on view through June 11.…

In the early 1930s, Laguna Beach was a remote, secluded artist community home to many plein air painters drawn by its spectacular coastline, desert landscapes and picturesque hills. It was also the era of the Great Depression and money wasn’t easy for anyone to come by, including, and perhaps especially, area artists. In 1932, they banded together to throw a street fair in a downtown alley with the intent to lure patrons from Los Angeles, which was hosting the Summer Olympics that year. The first festival garnered $200. The following year, the nation’s financial distress reached its peak and, fearful that people would be disinclined to pay the 10-cent fair admission, they added a parade they hoped onlookers would follow down the hill into the center of town and entice…

DAVID KIZZIAR Laguna Beach, CA, (949) 424-1527 www.davidkizziarfineart.com KENNEDY CONTEMPORARY 2043 Westcliff Drive, Ste. 102 Newport Beach, CA 92660 (714) 519-6297 www.kennedycontemporary.com RAY CRANE Rockport, MA, (978) 546-1137 ray@raycranestudio.com www.raycranestudio.com REHS CONTEMPORARY 20 West 55th Street, 5th Floor New York, NY 10019, (212) 355-5710 info@rehscgi.com, www.rehs.com REILLY reilly@kmgraphics.org www.reillyfineart.com TEHACHAPI ARTS COMMISSION (626) 945-3753 info@artstehachapi.org www.artstehachapi.org THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART 1000 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10028, (212) 535-7710 www.metmuseum.org TREE’S PLACE ART GALLERY 60 Route 6A, Orleans, MA 02653 (508) 255-1330, trees@tressplace.com www.treesplace.com…

The Midwest is a large swath of the central portion of the country spanning Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Although these states might not be the first to come to mind when people think of art hubs, the Midwest is thriving with art communities across urban, rural and suburban areas. Art lovers can find booming creative scenes and world-class museums in cities like Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis and hidden gems with stellar art scenes like Muskegon, Michigan; Lucas, Kansas; and Mineral Point, Wisconsin. In this special guide to collecting fine art in the Midwest, we zoom in on galleries in picturesque towns along the historic Art Coast of Michigan, in the vibrant art-centric city of Traverse City, Michigan,…

Since opening Robert Lange Studios in 2005, husband and wife owners Robert and Megan Lange have represented hundreds of artists. The through-line across all those years has been their own work. Both Robert and Megan—painting as Megan Aline—are successful artists themselves. In the same way that as artists their search for new inspirations never ceases, as gallery owners, their search for new artists doesn't either. Robert Lange Studios’ upcoming exhibition, New Blood, which runs June 2 through June 30, showcases six of the newest artists to join the gallery’s impressive roster of talent. “We are always seeking out unicorns,” says Megan. “There’s nothing greater than when someone walks in and instantly identifies one of our artists based on the uniqueness of their painted language. The six artists in this upcoming…

The pandemic unlocked new feelings for many people. For Texas-based painter Kukula, she remembers experiencing grief, anguish and pain in a very acute way. “We all went through a change during Covid, but my 5-year-old wouldn’t let me dwell in pain,” the artist says. “At one point my cat died and I cried for a month. I was told, ‘Mom, you can’t cry all the time.’” It was a simple but profound message. Kukula took those experiences and painted them into her new works, which will appear in a show opening June 16 at Haven Gallery in Northport, New York. One of the threads that connect the new paintings is the concept of Zohar, a Jewish mystical theory within the Kabbalah. “The inspiration took me to a non-religious path in…

 Ropes, strings, cords and ribbons turn up in many pieces by California painter Soey Milk, who uses these objects as symbols for relationships. At times the ropes dangle freely near her figures—friends or casual acquaintances. In other paintings, the ropes and cords bind limbs and hug tightly against nude skin—complicated expressions of love, affection and romance. In her newest work, Slow Magic, Soey Milk paints her figure holding a knotted length of rope in red, pink and white, while other ropes and ribbons in a variety of colors and materials are neglected. “Ropes are symbols that represent people and lives and relationships. Sometimes they are colorful strands that are other people passing by you. They can also be tied and knotted, which is a convenient way to feel about what…

The comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell wrote, “At first you might find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred space and use it, eventually something will happen. Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again.” Frank Gonzales returns to the sacred space of his studio to let scientific and factual images of nature filter through his imagination. The result is colorful ornithological/botanical paintings blending scientific detail with the abstract qualities of paint. He comments, “I like the spontaneity of starting with a background color or single image as a jump off point for the rest of the painting. One image will spark another, and the process takes shape from there. I find this way of working to be both exciting and uncertain. My various marks…

Wichelen, Belgium • jdecorte58@gmail.com • www.jefdecorte.art “One of my oldest memories is from when I was a 6-year-old in first grade,” says artist Jef De Corte, who recently won Grand Prize in International Artist magazine’s Abstract/Experimental Art Challenge. “The teacher drew a rabbit on the black-board for all the kids to copy. Apparently, the teacher loved mine and admitted my drawing was better than his. I was already into drawing from a very young age.” De Corte often works in realism, painting a variety of subjects, from landscapes and seascapes to figures and portraiture to everyday items that intrigue him. On the other hand, he also experiments with abstract art, blending elements like acrylic pouring with metal gold foil to create wholly unique paintings. While attending art school was not…

Figurative and landscape painter Barbara Fracchia enjoys exploring the unusual in her subject matter. “My ideas are a bit above the norm but incorporate the classical elements of painting,” says Fracchia, who describes her work as a combination of impressionistic plein air style for landscapes and illustrative for figures. “Born in the ‘other state’ of New Jersey, I knew I always wanted to be an artist,” she says. Her father was a recognized fine artist and her aunt an award-winning pastelist. When Fracchia moved to California she worked as a graphic artist for many years, and eventually started drawing pen and ink illustrations for real estate companies. “Drawing was always a favorite form of art for me, and I decided to try painting as an added skill and this opened…

Artist Gang Xu usually tells graduate students in oil painting that art needs Classics. “I remember the master impressionist Camille Pissarro said, ‘To choose the expression theme that is most suitable for your temperament in nature. Pay more attention to the shape and color when observing, and don’t pay too much attention to the depiction of the sketch. The sketch that is too accurate is insipid, and can’t give people an overall impression, it will destroy the feeling in all aspects.’” Xu continues, “If an excellent landscape oil painter wants to impress others, the primary point is that the author is moved by a certain theme of nature; the author should grasp the overall atmosphere of the picture, stand in one place, look at the overall situation, and distinguish the…

Can you feel it? The excitement building as glorious summertime draws near and the boats return to the sparkling seas, and the desert heat drives the snowbirds north to their permanent homes in cooler climes? I know I can—I get downright giddy this time of year. If you’re not quite there yet (summer does come earlier here in Arizona), the June issue of American Art Collector is sure to get you in the mood. Our special section on pastels sets the tone with its soft, subdued, sunset hues. You can learn more about the medium—and a fascinating artist who has seen and survived it all—in our feature on Jimmy Wright, who has been president of the Pastel Society of America for 10 years. Wriggle your toes in the sand and…

A new group show titled California Dreamin’ at Laguna Beach-based JoAnne Artman Gallery features artwork by Mary Finlayson, Michael Callas and Thai Mainhard. The show is an opportunity for collectors to explore works by these three California artists during the bright, carefree months of summer. Growing up in Southern California in Orange County, the combination of the area’s natural beauty with its planned communities and highly curated environments were a heavy influence on Callas’ artistic process, whose bold work is rooted in Pop Art, street art, graphic design and drafting. The show will be on view through July 15.…

A traveling retrospective for preeminent portrait photographer Judith Joy Ross is currently on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the only venue for the show located in the United States. Highlighting Ross’ photographs from the 1970s through the 2010s, this is the largest exhibition of her work to date. Ross’ subjects include children at municipal parks or in the public schools of Hazleton, Pennsylvania; members of Congress in Washington, DC; and African immigrants in Paris. “The overarching themes in Ross’ oeuvre form a catalog of the human experience: innocence and loss; courage and fear; bitterness and beauty; hubris; the resilience of and disenchantment of individuals and a people,” says guest curator Joshua Chuang. Judith Joy Ross will be on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through August 6.…

Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo drew with natural chalks in the late 15th century, usually in red, white and black. In the early 16th century powdered color pigments were mixed with a binder such as gum Arabic, fish or animal glue and formed into sticks to provide a wide variety of colors. John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) was the first American painter to work in pastels. He created 55 pastel portraits before leaving for England in 1774. Several of them are in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art which notes they are “a rare achievement for a colonial painter in such a costly, rare, and painstaking medium.” Pastels have gone in and out of favor over the years but today are considered a worthy medium, no longer costly and…

Whether or not you believe in the soul or the psyche, everyone has an inner truth that guides their perception of the world around them. Springing from deep within, this inner knowing is also the home of self-discovery. For The Truth Within, an upcoming show at RJD Gallery, six artists explored that deeply personal place and share their findings through paint. Jhina Alvarado’s painting, Ella, depicts a girl in the Garden of Eden. She is embraced by the loveliness of the natural world but much like in the biblical garden, something sinister pervades the scene. “Beauty, to me, does not exist without danger,” says Alvarado. “While the girl in this painting is beautiful and surrounded by beauty, there is the snake to remind her that you can’t ignore the truth…

In the first chapter of Donald Jurney’s career, his focus was rooted in the tradition of landscape painting and painting in plein air. In the artist’s upcoming show at George Billis Gallery in Fairfield, Connecticut, Jurney will showcase 11 paintings in an entirely new genre involving interiors and figures. “I painted the world as it is for a long time. Now I’m enjoying making my own world,” Jurney shares of his new approach. During his time as a landscape painter, the artist explains that he “took many trips to France to draw the landscape. One learns, over the course of years of painting and drawing, a certain vocabulary of forms. Because I could not always find what I wished to paint, I began making ‘my own France’ in paintings. I…

A new body of work by Junyi Liu is being highlighted during an online solo exhibition on Artsy this summer, hosted by 33 Contemporary and PoetsArtists. Paintings within the show, titled Scarlet Reckoning, present whimsical and theatrical scenes featuring traditionally beautiful young women in dresses reminiscent of Victorian dolls. Accompanying these women are the archetypal handsome princes and counts. While the pieces feel vaguely like illustrations out of the fairytales of old, they’re actually quite different the moment you ponder them more closely. “The men, who thought they had everything under control, did not realize the seeds of their downfall were already planted before they even stepped on stage,” says Liu. In Victory of the Hunted, an almost cherubic girl in a crimson dress, brandishing a knife, stands over two…

North Carolina artists Cassie Butcher and Shannon Woodford are coming together for a joint show at Art and Light Gallery that celebrates the language of flowers through a pairing of their unique ceramics and paintings. Floriography, as it is also known, was a form of coded communication that saw a resurgence during the repressed Victorian era to express emotion. Butcher will present 45 new clay works inspired by this idea and expressed through her signature “Soul” sculptures. Butcher says she likes “to use the word ‘soul’ to describe [her] figures to give folks a nudge past the superficial and give them a chance to think quietly about others, about themselves and the part of us that is not easily explained.” Butcher had read a novel in which the characters relied…

 A massive 75 works by 75 artists will be showcased during Modern Eden Gallery’s 11th annual portraiture exhibition. Within the show, titled Beyond Original, artists have drawn inspiration from well-known portraits in art history, adding their own interpretations or completely recreating them with contemporary narratives in mind. More than 35 artists in the show will be exhibiting with Modern Eden Gallery for the first time. “We have identified some of the most (arguably) famous portrait paintings in art history and participating artists will be painting reinterpretations…that reflect the original work with their own unique style and artistic context,” says gallery director and exhibition curator Bradley Platz. “The piece I am creating for Modern Eden’s portrait show Beyond Original will be a reimagined oil painting of Napoleon Crossing the Alps by…

Alison Leigh Menke is an expressive impressionist who loves painting directly from life and creating work in plein air. Her approach emphasizes the importance of impressing a true sense of light and place, while expressing the rich qualities of oil paint, palette knife and brushwork. Menke’s current focus is exploring a balance between a loose and controlled sense of mark-making in her plein air paintings, and translating that energy into larger works. Each stroke has an energy behind it—be it a delicate twist of the wrist or a large mark that is pulled across the panel using core abdominal strength. Menke is a very physical painter and likes to think of her pieces as “dancing paintings.” She works on brushed anodized aluminum, a ridged surface sandwiched with a polyethylene core.…

Jessica Gordon started painting as a creative outlet years ago and, although it’s since evolved into her career, she reminds herself to keep that same attitude. “Because of this, my inspiration comes from many sources including memories of my past, feelings during different seasons of life, lyrics from songs I love, movies, my family, heirlooms, beautiful clothing or fabrics, traveling and nature,” Gordon shares. “Whether it’s intentional or not, many of my paintings seem to come out with a sense of mystery or foreboding. That undercurrent itself is inspiring too, and sometimes those feelings influence my works. I suppose it’s because life has been full of amazing, incredible experiences “At and people, yet I’ve had my fair share of pain and difficulties.” A lot of time and effort goes into…

May 20-August 5 Frank Gonzalez: Sacred Spaces Chandler Center for the Arts Gallery Chandler, AZ » (480) 782-2695 www.visiongallery.org May 25-July 2 Donald Jurney George Billis Gallery Fairfield, CT » (203) 557-9130 www.georgebillis.com May 26-June 24 Soey Milk: Slow Magic Evoke Contemporary Santa Fe, NM » (505) 995-9902 www.evokecontemporary.com May 30-June 24 Cassie Butcher and Shannon Woodford: Blooming Narrative Art and Light Gallery Greenville, SC » (864) 252-5858 www.artandlightgallery.com June 1-July 2 The Truth Within RJD Gallery Romeo, MI » (586) 281-3613 www.rjdgallery.com June 1-July 31 Junyi Liu: Scarlet Reckoning 33 Contemporary Chicago, IL » (708) 837-4534 www.33contemporary.com June 2-30 New Blood Robert Lange Studios Charleston, SC » (843) 805-8052 www.robertlangestudios.com June 2-July 2 Double Takes: Parings and Portraits Alofft Gallery Litchfield, CT » (860) 361-6389 www.alofft.com June 3-June 3 Dead End Trail Copro Gallery Santa…

Hanging through June 18, the Millicent Rogers Museum is hosting the Pastel Society of New Mexico’s Enchanted Colors, the society’s prestigious juried exhibition open to national and international artists. Enchanted Colors, currently in its 31st year, features more than 70 paintings displayed at the Millicent Rogers Museum, with highlights including Sarah Blumenschein’s Lemons with Glass Bottles, Katherine Irish’s As This Day Fades, Gary Ozias’ Cliffs of Santa Elena and Ann Lewis’ Keeper of Roses.…

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ANNA LISA LEAL artist@annalisaleal.com www.annalisaleal.com Represented by Art Gallery Prudencia 2516 N. Main Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78212, (210) 422-8681, www.prudenciagallery.com CHRISTINE OBERS PO Box 2408, Mariposa, CA 95338 www.christineobers.com JIM HALLENBECK Artspace, 201 E. Davie Street, Studio 205, Raleigh, NC 27601 (919) 917-3394 www.jimhallenbeckfineart.com LAURA POLLAK laurapollak.artist@gmail.com www.laurapollak.com Represented by VEFA, The Art Shop and Studio Gallery South SMOKEY THOMAS PO Box 623, Casa Blanca, NM 87007, (505) 373-4886 smokeytivuak@gmail.com www.smokeythomas.com SUSAN DUNKER suedunker@gmail.com VALLEY HOUSE GALLERY 6616 Spring Valley Road Dallas, TX 75254, (972) 239-2441 www.valleyhouse.com VOSE GALLERIES 238 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116, (617) 536-6176 www.vosegalleries.com…

Scottish painter Colin Fraser is a master of egg tempera, an ancient and demanding medium that he finds freeing. Dry pigment mixed with egg yolk is fast drying. Once a linear brush stroke is laid down, it can’t be changed. He says, “Tempera is so rigid you can’t improvise with it. There’s a set method and you have to accept it. But this rigidity frees you up to accept the marks you make without trying to alter them.” The individual, translucent brush strokes lay side by side and atop one another, melding into images of soft flowers and fabrics as well as the textured surfaces of tables and glistening reflections. The luminescent qualities of the medium and Fraser’s skill fill the paintings with light that appears to emanate from within.…

For artist Brian McClear, painting still life and portraiture—often working on both concurrently—is a fascinating pleasure. His portraits explore the relationship a person has with their tattoos, while his still life subject matter pairs found objects to create playful stories, social commentary and stunning visual effects. Opening in early June, McClear’s show Double Takes: Parings and Portraits features at least 16 new, large-scale paintings hosted at Alofft Gallery in Litchfield, Connecticut. “Brian’s work is as beautiful as it is thought-provoking,” says Craig Connolly, Alofft Gallery director. “His use of humor, irony and nostalgia facilitates a novel and terribly poignant commentary on the human experience.” In works like Hand of the Father and Riki, McClear demonstrates his talents in painting the human figure and their elaborate tattoo art. “I love the…

Create a library of fine art in your home by purchasing past issues of American Art Collector. Enjoy timeless works of art, follow artists’ careers, and explore gallery and museum exhibitions and coast-to-coast art destinations that continue to define the nation’s art market. Collectors of Contemporary art rely upon American Art Collector to stay informed on the latest works from the country’s top contemporary artists as well as artwork from historic Western masters. Our magazine allows collectors to get a real sense of art that is coming available for sale—and opportunity to buy it right off our pages. Stay informed on the latest exhibits across the country, subscribe today online at WW.AMERICANARTCOLLECTOR.COM…

Artist Elizabeth Butler’s deepest inspiration is to experience love through seeing beauty. “It’s sort of an untouchable experience, when you see a beautiful sunset and gasp,” she says. “It is just beauty with no need for justification or ulterior motive and so it is love. I have always been obsessed with beauty, and more specifically, the beauty found in nature.” Butler’s favorite visual memories are lying down in the grass, looking up at a tree and watching the light dance through the openings in between the branches and leaves. “I could stare for hours letting the canopy envelop my senses as perfectly random, and infinitely pleasing patterns of color and shape repeat in the most magnificent way—never bored because in nature not a single thing is actually repeated exactly,” she…

Rebecca Arguello was born in Santa Barbara, California, in 1977, and later attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as Hirudaya Holistic School in San Luis Obispo, California. After owning a business in holistic care and working as an environmental monitor, Arguello made painting her primary focus in 2014. Since then she has developed a style of painting she describes as “expressive and abstractive but grounded in realism.” “The awe and connectedness I feel standing on location is what I seek to convey in my work,” says the artist. “I thrive from feeling overwhelmed and small in the presence of nature. I enjoy painting and studying the soft subtle value shifts within shadow as much as the hard terminator line within a high contrast scene. I adore the…