Crystal Wagner

Art on Paper

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Those of you who have visited my home (for Shabat dinner? for a holiday party?) or just read my blog routinely know that I LOVE art.  My home is replete with paintings, drawings, sculptures, and crafts.  Dali, Max, Erte, Agam, Egbi, Imber are among the many different artist’s compositions hanging on my walls, in cabinets, or on the floor.

So, when I was invited to the opening of a new art exhibit in New York, I rearranged my schedule to afford me the opportunity to attend.  Sure, it was during the heart of tax season- and a few projects that needed completion for clients- but I knew I could stuff the trip into my schedule.  I even managed to glom a dinner with my son and his girlfriend into the visit.

Art on Paper was in New York City, in the Two Bridges section of Manhattan.  (That is the section on the East River between the Manhattan Bridge and my most favorite bridge in the world, the Brooklyn Bridge.)

What you don’t know is that when I visit a museum or an art gallery, I do so in a methodical fashion.  I walk down each aisle and examine both sides as I go.  Which is how I will describe the art – or the concepts- that made my trip worthwhile.

The first booth certainly got my attention.  Art at Viacom.  Viacom is the holding company that owns CMT, MTV, Comedy Central, and VH-1, among other networks. Viacom invites artists to come and adorn their headquarters; they shared their current artist-in-residence’s wares at the Pier.  Oh, and Art at Viacom was one of the sponsors of this exhibition.

Crystal Wagner

While their booth had a few artists (and movies about them), it was Crystal Wagner that got my attention.   She produces  her art in 2 and 3 dimensions.   Having earned an MFA from Tennessee and taught for a few years, she now spends her time making these glorious projects.

Susan Grossman

From the splash of color, the next pieces I loved were Susan Grossman’s work (who also has an MFA).  Black and white, with a splash of color.  Scenes of the city.

TimothyPaulMyers

I did enjoy the stylized fireplace by Timothy Paul Myers and the Scribe’s House by Pablo Lehmann.

PabloLehmann

Barbara Macfarlane offered a wonderful stylized view of Manhattan.

Barbara Macfarlane

I was surprised to see art by Warhol. Jean Miro, Sam Francis, and Picasso- pieces I’ve never seen.  (I didn’t take pictures of them.  The studio didn’t seem that friendly to me.)

TodayIsTheDay-Foundation.co uses art to help kids affected by the nuclear problems in Japan.  While it is based in Hiroshima and Singapore, it has its hands full helping the victims of the tsunami and the aftermath of Fukushima nuclear meltdown.    (The artwork was ok; the concept of using art to help kids with problems is what intrigued me.)

The Hal Katzen gallery (it operates in the Tribeca section of the city) had a hodgepodge of artworks.  Unfortunately, none of my pictures did the art any justice.   And, opposite its booth was the Concinnitas Project collection.  It’s not really art in the conventional sense.  10 physicists and mathematicians share their most elegant formulae.  Being the techie that I am, I loved them.  (Kind of like the Settimi piece I own and described on my 24 June 2014 blog.)

Concinnitas

One whole wall piece by TM Gratkowski got my attention as I walked by.  Entitled Polyphony, its colors and reflections brought a smile to my face.

Polyphony

The next piece that drew my attention was by Nikki Rosato, who happens to be a DC area artist.  (She earned her MFA at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.)  Her work involves cutting pieces of maps (highways and byways) and then creating human forms.  Her “connections” (the piece is called “Merged”) seem to be demonstrating our nerves, blood vessels, and the like- but they are really highways.  (The piece pictured here had I81- the north/south highway of Western Virginia, I64, the central Virginia crossroads, among others.)  Until you get close, you don’t realize that these are highways- they look just like our nervous and circulatory system networks.

Nikki Rosato

And, then, the other engineering type work.  “Infrastructure #3”  by Nichola Lopez.  A professor at Columbia (she earned her MFA from that institution, but is originally from New Mexico), she specializes with art depciting the urban landscape.

Infrastructure #3

My kids are thrilled that I didn’t buy another piece of artwork to adorn my walls.  Mostly because there’s no free space.  But, I did buy a series of protest pins for which, after I house them in a shadow box, I will find a place in the living room.

Protest Pins

All in all,a great trip.   I didn’t even mind the snow squalls through which I drove home.Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

Getting ready to do your taxes yourself? Today is the due date for pass-through entities (LLC, partnerships, S corps). There’s slightly more than 30 days for C corps and individuals to file. My book will inform you of what has changed for this year’s filing season.  (Of course, you can contact us-  we’ll ensure that you pay the lowest amount of taxes required by law. 🙂 )

File 2016 Taxes

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3 thoughts on “Art on Paper”

    1. Alana, I always budget my time accordingly. (I also pride myself by finishing my tasks on time and on budget!) Plus, I know if I deprive myself of “me-time”, I am no good to anyone.

      Thanks for the visit and the comment.

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