Phantasmaphile

Julie Heffernan Show!

Julie Heffernan "Self Portrait as Arms and the Men" 2005

Julie Heffernan's new show, "Heaven and Hell" is up at the PPOW Gallery through March 18th. Though these paintings are all "Self-portraits," they mark a departure from Heffernan's earlier paintings, which contained literal depictions of the artist.  These works are instead elaborate scenes, lush with organic flora forms and scenes from world history.  Replete with peacocks, astronauts, harems, warriors, octopi, and Heffernan's signature gleaming fruit and colored orbs, the paintings hum with dreamlike beauty.  Not to be missed.

Alchemy Certification

Those of you that know me know that I am obsessed with alchemy.  I love it from an aesthic standpoint for its gorgeous language of images and symbols, and from a spiritual standpoint for its emphasis on transformation and elevation.  So you can imagine my delight (and extreme surprise) when I recently came across this home-study course, wherein one can become a certified alchemist.  I must say, I am intrigued... 

Wei Dong

Wei Dong "Bait" 2005

Wow. Wei Dong creates some powerful work.  With references to Chinese history and Western painting, his scenes are majestic and unsettling.  It reminds me a bit of John Currin, in the way they both meld together various art styles from the past, while producing something entirely new. 

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Alex Gross

Alex Gross "Outer Space is a Lonely Place"

I love the work being done by Alex Gross.  An incredible combination of Japanese style and fantasical Americana. 

Sam Flores

Sam Flores "Untitled" 2003

I've been a fan of the work of Sam Flores for a while now, but realized I never posted about him.  He creates in a style that blends street strokes with a painterly mythology.  I love his grand-handed characters and vibrant palette.

Thomas Grunfeld

Thomas Grunfeld "Misfit (Girafe)" 1997

Thomas Grunfeld "Misfit (Pig/Bird)" 2001

Thomas Grunfeld's taxidermy hybrids make me smile.  Perhaps this is a sign that something is wrong with me...

Eugenio Recuenco

Eugenio Recuenco

You'd think that working for a photography company would cause me to post more photographers!  Well here's one that gives me thrills:  Eugenio Recuenco is so visionary and so very talented.  He's a master of many genres and styles, all of them lush and eye-catching.

Leopold Rabus

Leopold Rabus "Untitled - Mushroom Series" 2005

Wow.  Leopold Rabus has such a beautifully bizarre vision - haven't seen much else like it.  Scrrrumptious!

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Dion Pt 2

Hooray!  I finally came across this image of a marvelous lithograph by Mark Dion and Robert Williams.  I had been looking for a picture of these, as I mentioned here.

Mario Hugo Gonzalez

Mario Hugo Gonzalez "Purveyor of Iniquities"

Wow - just came across this incredible artist/designer, Mario Hugo Gonzalez.  What gorgeous rendering and style!  Would love to see these in person...

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Christopher Mir

Christopher Mir "Red Alert" 2003

Christopher Mir paints surprising pictures.  They look almost like collages, as the perspectives and colors are all a bit dissonant.  His scenarios seem to take place on other planets, and yet feel strangely like home.  It's rich, beautiful work.

John Currin

John Currin "The Pink Tree" 1999

Many of you are probably already familiar with John Currin.  Still, his work is so good that I wanted to mention him just in case.  His paintings are satirical and contain strange characterizations (or perhaps "caricaturizations" would be a better word?).  With pin-up girl faces and classical bodies, his women are studies in hybridization, and a comment on objectification through the ages.  I love how disarming his work is - completely lacking in pretense.  Plus, it's darn pretty. 

Pyke Koch

Pyke Koch "Rustende Slaapwandelaarster IV" 1971

One such artist I discovered at the Frisia Museum is Pyke Koch.  Dreamy and odd, with a definite Flemish sensibility.

Magical Museums Pt 1

Talking about KunstHausWien made me think about some other wonderful museums and spaces I've been fortunate enough to visit over the years.  One such place is the Frisia Museum, in the Netherlands.  To get there, one has to take a series of buses from Amsterdam to Spanbroek, which makes for a rather lenghty excursion.  But it is well worth the trip!  The Frisia Museum is an art museum which specializes in Magical Realism.  While this is a loosely interpreted theme, the works therein are just marvelous, many by artists I had never heard of before.