Kehinde Wiley is a New York artist known for his fine art portraits paintings of African Americans in heroic poses.
A New York artist, known for his fine portraits of black Americans in heroic poses, painting on canvas and oil, Exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach 2016 by the Stephen Friedman Gallery
Gallery One, London, United Kingdom.
One of the best art from the show at Art Basel Miami Beach 2016
Photo By Ana Bikic Art Basel Miami Beach 2016 Reviews
Editor: Alexander Coulthard
Do not forget we are all immigrants in this life! Art by Ana Bikic acrylic on canvas.
From the Immigration series, global crisis, Painting by Ana Bikic
Art Reviews Miami International
Sometimes being delayed to write an article gives time for the spam art to sediment and the clear solutions created crystallize. Art shows are full of it but some less than others.
Miami’s Art Basel Miami Beach week has an entourage of side shows that proving to be an ideal part of Gallery circuits, giving local national and regional artists a wider reach.
The ‘dot’ Art Miami, grouped with the other mid town/design district fairs and shows attracted some great talent in December 2012 , collectively equaling the Art Basel Miami Beach in attendance and artistic value$.
This Charles Birchfield, last one left from the DC Moore Gallery NY. They had had a booth at Art Basel two years ago and sold six Birchfields.
Simon Raab. br 1952, spider grenades and puma made of bullet casings.with the GeorgeZimmerman Gallery.
Raab lives and works in Germany. His work incorporates contemporary debate topics constantly, which has led to his work being banned in China and people being arrested trying to import art work.
This exhibit was very popular. South Florida has a strong hunting
tradition and his life size Puma made out of bullet casings was idolized.
The Douglas Dawson Gallery has been in Chicago since 1982. Member of the Antique Tribal Art Assoc. The use of old metal tables and heavy industrial materials as plinths for the Tribal art makes the Antiques display look like a Modern Art Gallery. Primitiveness is not without design finesse.
The exhibit was fascinating and was displayed with great taste.The Buddha sat surrounded by characters of the globe with the stone mill wheel inviting to view him through. Mr. Dawson not only has a great collection to choose from but he arranges the exhibits as we would want at home, in company and inviting intimate gaze. This Buddha wood carving sits nearly five feet high from the table.
The Jane Sauer Gallery, Sante Fe, New Mexico, The Jane Sauer Miami dot Art exhibit brought a surprising and talented group of contemporary American figurative Sculptors whose pose and content was immediately cognizant of the genre’s tradition and experimentation of material and content irony.
Bryan Drury
Portyrait painting. The pinnacle of perfect painting. The apex art form for visual artists Bryan Drury, 9 x 11 portrait titled Jake Garn 2012. This gem was hung on a side pillar wall unnoticed by most but obviously not all, it was red dotted,sold. Drury,born 1980, is from Utah,moved to New York, he has a MA in Fine Arts and has been working with the Dean project since his first solo exhibit in 2010. The detail of his hyper realistic style is flawless,
The detail of his hyper realistic style is flawless, making one realize how bad our eyes are when we see the detail on the subjects face down to pore and folecule. Many artists who attempt to flash with Hyper- realism loose the personality in all the details whether because they pay little attention to overall composition or forget that the living eye
is controlled by the brain and therefore has prejudice and favor of study. That’s why it is risky giving a portrait commission to a hyper realist painter, not that their work is unflattering for the subject but the image lacks life.The Drury we found at the Dot Art Miami show of Jake Garn was an exact likeness of our retired and beloved family dentist . The same kind, caring and calm expression smiled back to us. Here we realized was a great portrait painter and so young. We predict that Bryan Drury will become this county’s foremost portrait painter, he will paint Presidents and State portraits. Drury is an exceptional talent and anyone brave enough to commission their likeness must be ready for the microscope.
Ken Orton
Ken Orton, Born 1951 , UK. USA/ Esp. influenced by Ed Hooper, like so many British realism painters in the UK art schools as modern expressionism overshadowed even the Art school curricula . The Manchester school in particular,where he taught may have made Orton’s persistence with the new realism difficult with Calderists like Dave Sprakes insisting on being “painting professors” .
Saye Gbatu
Surrealism at Art Miami . Vladimir Kush. reproductions, also Saye Gbatu NY and Madeline Von Foerster are the painted version of photo shop still making the audience wow with
wonder through thoughtful wit and all with a wicked brush talent that convinces the eye.
Vladimir Kush Madeline Von Foerster
Francisco Faria, charcoal on paper. Atopia 2011, 42”x 62”, Art Miami 2012Bolsa de Arte San Paulo Brazil. Faria’s renderings are freshly composed in monchrome but the tonality and arrangement still evoke the hues he has excused, making his work out weigh a photo.
The Gallery has an International Art circuit from London, NY, Dubai and Miami. Faria’s charcoal landscapes were their most interesting exhibit at their Miami show.
Chinese Traditional Painting Academy. This was an enlightening section filled with the Zen of old and new that needs it’s own blog space to do just. Whilst it is now easy to buy 200 year old Chinese paintings on E-Bay for a song, the Academy continues to teach and demonstrate their unique and popular discipline to brushed expression.
This section gave the whole afternoon’s viewing the perspective and tradition that many contemporary artists are pushing for.
The debate for quality. the argument against flippant gestures and easy bucks. That, Art’s value must be linked to it’s finesse and originality. That the name branding venturists of Wall Street whose contracted opinions of aesthetics need to allow the show system and real market debates as a measure of true talent and art value. Here,as you can see, very good art was not difficult to find at the Art Basel Miami Beach side shows across Biscayne Bay in Miami,Florida
edited Miami Art Reviews 12/12 to 01/13
Interview with Monty Trainer, The President of the Coconut Grove Art Festival
At his Festival office in the Mayfair, Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida.
There is less than one week to go until the 3 day art festival that lines Coconut Grove’s Biscayne Bay parks. Feb 19 to 21. The No.1 Art Show of the Decade 2000-2010 USA and No.1 Art show 3 yrs running according to the Sunshine Artists Rating. The Coconut Grove Art Festival has coincided with the Miami Beach Boat Show on the same weekend for decades, both events have complimented each other in providing a whole weekend of entertainment for art collectors and boat owners escaping from the winter chills of the north.
A -“This year’s 2011 festival poster by Artist Guy Harvey is very iconic and beautiful, have you printed enough of them? ”
M – “Well we have made 3,000 copies and they are available now through the Festival’s website. We started selling them four weeks ago, a day after the unveiling party and sales are going steady.”
A- “How is the Festival Art Gallery related to the Festival Art show, is it an independent project?”
M- ” Oh no, it’s very much part of the Coconut Grove Art Festival, it’s an extension of what we do, it puts us in an all year round program for the young local talent we have.”
A- ” Many people have been so impressed with the drawing and subject matter the Gallery has shown this year.”
M- “Yes, we’ve been working with the New World School of Arts and the Florida International University Art School. We also have been working with the Miami Dade County Magnet School Programs for highschool artists too. This is an ongoing project that the Festival is involved with.”
A- “It certainly is helping to promote high quality artists emerging locally. The Festival is one of the longest running shows in the country, this is the 48th year, how did it get started? “
M- ” It started in 1960 when Charlie Cinnamon was asked to help out the Coconut Grove Playhouse advertise a french play called I’m in a duce. The play had a scene with French art on a clothes line, Charlie and a few friends did a display on the side walk to help the playhouse. It was a side walk art show of only a few artists to start. Now the Playhouse is closed and we’re still open.”
A- “How old were you when you became involved with the CG AF? ” some ers and errs…
M-”I had just finished college when the CGAF started in 1963, I opened the Monty’s Restaurant in 1969 and by the 70’s I was a sponsor. I’ve been involved for nearly 33 years since.”
Monty Trainer is a great example of community involvement. He has gone from event sponsor to board member, 2 years chairing and the past 5 years as the Coconut Grove Art Festival President. In addition to this Monty also sits as the Chair for the New World School of Arts Executive Committee where he can be found at least once a week at the School. He says it’s quite an endeavour.
M- “The NWSA is supported by three entities; the MDC, the MD school system and the University of Florida who issue the Bachelor of Arts degrees to the one thousand student body. I represent the U F and we all provide the funding for the entire NWSA together.”
Monty is extremely proud of the success of this local young artist alumni who are going onto the Bill Battle NY dance school, Martha Graham etc with over a 98% scholarship support. It is their ability to succeed in the auditions besides having good SATs that he accredits the schools success in educating so many of our artistically talented. I comment that the success in the visual arts is due to the dedication to traditional learning/teaching. Monty explains about a recent experience.
M-“The National Foundation for the Arts had over 200 school kids work at the Marty Marguilles Gallery for a week recently, you ought to have seen it, unreal, they really open up their minds, I don’t know where they get it from, we might not like it for our homes but this is the next century art.”
A-“What would you define as the difference between Art and Fine Art? “
M-“That’s a tough question, you know, there’s art but there’s two sides to it. Fine Art has at least a 200yr old history behind it and the eyes of the beholder . How has it stood time? is it a time factor only and who’s to judge the quality? Michelangelo, Picasso, who can judge that? You tell me.”
A-“Yes, the eyes of the beholder, over time, or Art verses artistic or icon verses entertaining? The crisis of the economy has been terrible, we’ve seen many galleries close.”
M-” And yet the big auction houses like Sotheby’s have done very well. It’s a hedge on your investment, if you feel that a piece of Fine Art will not decrease in value it probably won’t, it’s not like the stock market after all, generally fine art only increases in value.”
A-” Why is the Festival slightly smaller than several years ago?”
M-“The Artists asked for a more focused and art conscious audience. The Gating of the event has reduced the number of visitors but increased the artists sales. Folks were coming for food and refreshments and to listen to music, like a beer bust. The $10 gate charge helps keep the focus on art.”
A-“As a No.1 Arts show in the Nation, how do you see the CGAF reacting to Globalization and art relevance ?”
M-”One of the important factors we have is a very strict jury system, it’s a blind jury, they do not know who the artist is, the work is juried solely on its own merit. Of course we are lucky to have Lilia Garcia run the system, she was the Miami Dade Schools Art director for years and is extremely well-respected. The jurors are chosen from the Museums, Art Schools and Galleries from the region. We have a different jury each year and yet we still get a 30% new artists for each annual event. So our relevance is most accredited to our strict jury system, I think that this has helped protect the show and give it artistic value. Of course you need good jurors too. I don’t get to know who’s in the show until the computer adds up all the scores each artist has been rated on.”
A-“In recent years we have seen a prolific number of art shows crop up locally and internationally, how does the Coconut Grove Art Festival compare?”
M-” Locally we are still the most important, we are an art show, others are more arts and crafts orientated. We are subject to National art organization’s ratings like the Sunshine Artist Mag. { 40 yrs old}. The Art Basel is a Gallery show, although it represents over a 1000 artists.”
A ”it’s not juried. Are the Festival’s Gallery artists given an opportunity to be in the Coconut Grove Art Festival GAF 2011?”
M ” They most certainly are encouraged to submit an application but they are subject to the exact same process of jury as everyone else.”
We are interrupted by the Grove’s Police lady on a bike, Suzi, just checking in to say Hi. although Coconut Grove was the first settlement of Miami the City over 100 years ago, the Grove is essentially still a village community, with local friendly police, by their first names.
I comment to Monty about this family feeling the Grove has.
M ” Actually I really want to promote this situation we have, on the shore of the Bay, The Coconut Grove Village is a bay side community, I want the Art Festival to help celebrate what a great artist community we have here. Along with the fact the Art Festival has been voted the best of the decade Nationally and at No.1 for the last 3 yrs. Coconut Grove lost many of its artists to Miami Beach for lower rents years ago, then they moved to the Wynwood and now that’s expensive too, it’s difficult for artists to sell and eat, let alone have a $5000.00 studio bill.”
A ”What are the plans for the C. G. Art Festival for the near future and programs that you hope to encourage? “
M ” The Festival has 110 artists who visit local schools all year long,we would like to have a studio space we can use for this. We have always been looking for an opportunity to expand and buy our own building, this would help towards our scholarship fund to. ”
A ” I see this like a type of nursery of the arts, nurturing a new trend of cutting edge visual fine art. “
M ” This is why we opened the NWSA show at the Festival Gallery at the beginning of Art Basel week ahead of everything, we had 1,500 people visit the Galleries’ opening night.”
A ”What more can you say about this year’s Coconut Grove Art Festival? ”
M ” Well we have four chiefs giving demonstrations of their art each day in recognition of the culinary arts and we have a nice children’s area for the kids to play too. ”
Another interruption; enter Tom Falcon from the Grove’s Grapevine, more photos and I suggest we do another conversation together after the Art show about the New World School of Arts and Monty’s roll with that exciting endeavour.
The 48th Coconut Grove Art Festival begins on the 19th-21st, Presidents Day weekend. It is the biggest and best Art show around. Run by a dedicated group of Art educators and an army of volunteers, they generate a $100,000.00 scholarship fund every year for young students in the South Florida Area.
I hope this recorded conversation with the President of the Festival, Monty Trainer, highlights some of the questions around the renowned Coconut Grove Art Festival.
by Ana Bikic. miamiartreviews@yahoo.com
Miami Art Reviews©2011. All Rights Reserved
Coral Reef And Marine Life Paintings by Artist Ana Bikic
Acrylic On Canvas Ecosymbolism Art At the AC Fine Art Gallery at the Village of Coconut Grove, The Mayfair Center. The Mayfair 2911 Grand Ave 33133, Village Coconut Grove.acposter@acposter.com Phone: 305 -742-7071 www.acfineartsite.com
Architect and furniture designer Bannavis Andrew Sribyatta founded PIE in 2005
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