Richard Lee, Magical Painter of West Tisbury

For 24 years a visit to Martha's Vineyard was not complete without both a visit to the West Tisbury home, and a pilgrimage to the Vineyard Haven gallery of my friend, reverse glass painter Richard Lee. In a magical house tucked into Indian territory, filled with totems and feathers, Buddha's and bracelets, stuffed wolves and wall to wall art, Richard and his family resided.  He was a brilliant, thoughtful and irreverent man who was generous in spirit, adored his family, tended his gardens, and obsessivly worked on his art.

A visiting reporter, Heather Curtis wrote in the Martha's Vineyard Times:

"The studio's door opens wide to reveal his reverse paintings on glass displayed in antique frames on the room's pastel walls.  They are vividly colored neon fantasies conveying a satiric humor. Vibrant green frogs wearing neon-colored boots in 'Java Jive' dance around merrily while balancing oversized cups of coffee above their heads. In 'Fashion Runway' models with human bodies and animal heads strut around in front a crowd of neon blue spectators. Richard Lee paints the details first, then adds background.Richard said that "the mixture of animal and human forms come from his observing the animal characteristics that many people have." 

Ms. Curtis added, "He says the images he paints are zoomorphic, portraying "'the realizations of the inner connectedness of all of life.'" As for the meanings of the paintings, he says that's up to the viewer to figure out. '"People don't know how they're supposed to react, as if they're supposed to,'" Mr. Lee says, taking a long sip from his iced coffee.

"An Islander since the 1970s, he discovered the art form by chance, he explains. It was a friend's birthday, and he didn't have any paper to make a card. So he made do with what he had, painting a card on a piece of glass. The accident became an instant addiction."

Richard discovered antique mirrors with hand carved frames at tag sales and scrapped off the silver backing. He then did a sketch on translucent paper and proceeded to the final painting on the back of the glass. His works were highlighted with gold and silver leaf and once, for an entire year, he painted exclusively in 23 shades of blue. One of the paintings from this period, "Miss Owl Pulls the Cord", is in my personal collection. Richard also undertook massive tasks of painting entire case pieces along with gilding their wood, and an important case piece was recently accepted into the permanent collection of  the Baltimore Museum of Art. The formal title is Sinking and Burning, but the piece is widely referred to as The 13th Cabinet.

He was a very magical man.....a man whose spirit will remain in the hearts of all who were privileged to know him. He made us open our eyes and view the world in an entirely different way. The lesson and the man will not be lost, but they will be dearly missed.

Sculpture in the Garden Show, 2010

It's almost time! Kids are getting restless, their parents are eyeing their gardens, searching for an empty, but deserving spot. Childless collectors practice their best "I've just come to look" faces, and the fun begins! The annual Sculpture in the Garden Show featuring works of art made from recycled materials and junk yard finds, is almost upon us. Here's a sneak peek at the ad which will be published in the stunning and delightful international art magazine called Raw Vision. The issue will be out in May, the dates to hold are Saturday and Sunday, June 12th and 13th. Collectors with flashlights who show up Friday night, please try to wait your turn! You know who you are!

Clyde Angel, answers at last....

For years the art community has debated the existence of Clyde Angel, "highway wanderer". His works captured the hearts and fascination of collectors at the Outsider Art Fair in New York, when veteran dealer Sherry Pardee first showed his works. When the work was banned from the show, as questions about the veracity of the person and the sculpture were brought into question, some dealers, myself included, stood by the work. Judy Saslow and her Chicago gallery was a top advocate for Angel's work, and I personally thank her for her steadfastness.

Finally we have some of our questions answered. Clyde Angel's son, Skip Willits has written this moving account of his father's life and art. History will make the final judgments. I will just sit back and enjoy the art. The images I've included were grabbed from the net. My own personal collection will be published at a later date.

Clyde Angel, 1920 - 2006

By Skip Willits

My father was Clyde Angel, an artist who made a name for himself by producing a powerful body of work while fiercely protecting his identity and privacy from the art world until the day he died. I didn’t say this while he was alive because he asked me not to. I knew him as Vernon Clyde Willits for most of my life. He was a welder in a small factory called Climax Engines in Clinton Iowa for 40 years. He was a family man, an avid swimmer, a traveler, a very curious soul always up for an adventure. In his retirement he took up cross country skiing. He loved books. The local library used to get rid of their old books in a dumpster that sat behind his house. He couldn’t stand to see these books thrown away, so nightly he would sneak over to pull them out. His studio and house were filled with these old discarded library books.

My dad was a product of the great depression, a World War ll vet and, like many of his generation, a man of tools and reality. He lived a factory life, usually working 10 hour days, 6 days a week, paid his bills on time. Whenever he found a little time for himself he was content in making crafty, clever works which often took the form of visual jokes; nut and bolt figures that appeared to be chasing each other, a depiction of a snow skier’s trail going through a pine tree, or flowers made out of metal pipe. He also busied himself making utilitarian constructions; stainless steel house boats, spiral staircases, porch railings. Family and friends would continually request all sorts of repair jobs and welding projects, all of which he enthusiastically took on. These craft objects and welding projects continued to give him great pride through out his life, even after his success as Clyde Angel.

In the early 1990’s, several years after his retirement he began to make uniquely strange and powerful artworks out of steel found objects and other media. He was very prolific but secretive and at times ritualistic in this new form of art making. I first discovered his new direction when I found 3 pieces of his “secret artwork” hidden under a pile of scrap steel I was getting ready to discard. These objects were startling to me and the way in which he made them bizarre, compared to his normal craft. This new artwork was out of context with his usual daily life. Through drawings, writings, wall reliefs and sculpture objects he referenced his past, present and where he thought he was going in a most unusual way. The people he knew, pets he’d had, traumas experienced were all part of his subject matter. While talking to him about this work it became clear to me that it was an essential part of his life and he could no more have stopped this new type of image making than stop his breathing.

The new artwork gave him great satisfaction but at the same time made him uncomfortable. He felt that he would be ridiculed or perhaps considered an eccentric if he showed it to anyone who was used to his ‘normal’ work. Also, he was personally unsure of where this new inspiration came from; this feeling of obligation to “make these things” puzzled him. In a peculiar way I think he was almost embarrassed by what he was making. He knew the questions would come; Why such a compulsion to create, why did he go in such a strange direction at this point in his life, why such wild outlandish figures and writings. Perhaps he didn’t want to know the answers.

Though he intuited that this new work wouldn’t be accepted in his local world he still had a desire to “get it out there.” I convinced him to let me show his work to some people who could help do this, but he insisted on anonymity. And so he created his new name, Clyde Angel. Clyde because it was his middle name, but more importantly because Clyde was the name of his father whom he loved dearly and admired greatly. The Angel part I’m not so sure of.

Though I tried to convince my dad many times to let me introduce him to the people who admired his work, he refused. This stand that he took didn’t make things easy for those who admired his artwork or represented him. The art world demanded the proper credentials and a face to go with the art. When he refused the uproar it created sometimes over shadowed his artwork. Some, like gallerist Judy Saslow understood his request to let the artwork speak for itself, “If you want to know me, know me by my art.”

The idea that all artists, through their art, aspire to leave something behind that will let future generations know they were here, to make a statement about themselves, their experiences, who they loved, who they were – that’s all he wanted to do. In his stubbornness and wisdom he accomplished all of this.

In his lifetime I stayed quiet; I honored my father’s wishes. Now things have changed. When he was alive we talked with each other everyday, often times about art. I don’t have that luxury anymore. In the three years since his death I’ve done a lot of thinking about the meaning of his life and art, where things should go from here. What to do with what I know and what was left to me.

Two weeks before he died I took him to the circus. He always loved a good circus. His favorites were the acrobats on the flying trapeze. Once he created a sculpture depicting the Great Wallendas. During this part of the show I leaned over and told him I thought the acrobats looked like his artwork. He just smiled and kept watching the show.

“I remember flying down the deep inside the wind.” – Clyde Angel

Skip Willits

An Abundance of A. Huber.....new show

Germany's Alexandra Huber has not forgotten her childhood, nor has she turned her back on freely using lines and color that explode off the page, leaving boundaries behind. Her playful works, reminiscent of Dubuffet and Basquiat, deal with relationships and inner feelings, without the screening of the superego. She challenges the viewer to examine themselves as they consider her works. What is in your Suitcase of Intentions? And in this economy, what surprise does you Shopping Bag to Go contain? The highly saturated Poet's Eye nudges us to fantasize what processes flow through the mind of someone so gifted and unique, while trying not to get lost in the deeply saturated colors.

This comprehensive show of over 50 works runs from March 1st through June 1st at the gallery in Connecticut, and much of the art is on-line at Beverly Kaye Gallery

This is a private space, open at your convenience. Huber's work ranges from 6" x6" pieces to works which are 25" x 19", as are the three artworks pictured above. Don't miss this very exciting show!

These images are courtesy of Hans Seidenabel, Munich.

Laura N. James, praying out loud

With an Antiguan heritage and a love for detail and storytelling, in the year 2000, Laura N. James made a spectacular group of paintings for a Book of Gospels , for the Roman Catholic Church. There is a diverse cast of characters represented, of all shades and nationalities, and the artwork is gorgeous! But this young New Yorker also paints Jazz figures which seduce the eye with their colors and movement, and her series, "Nannies and Other Mothers" grabs at your heart. Women who leave their own families far behind to come to the United States to care for the children of others is a powerful and often neglected subject. She handles it with a grace and compassion for all involved and the paintings are luscious.

American Visionary Art Museum, 2009

I would like to thank Roger Manley for the unparalleled job he did in curating the newest show at the AVAM in Baltimore. He went out of his way to include artists not always seen, to make this show fresh and very alive. From my gallery he choose five works by Pedro Martin DeClet, former head of the Latin Kings gang in the CT prison system, whose works deal with freedom on a very primal level. He also picked a lovely painting of a Jazz Funeral by Gerald Thornton, who was able to attend the opening with four generations of his family.

Roger included many works created by Dr. Ala Bashir, who is represented by Corvus Art Gallery, (Lesley Roy). Dr. Bashir was Saddam Hussein's personal physician and a world known plastic surgeon, who also is a world class painter and sculptor. His goal in life has always been to heal both body and spirit and his works are superb. Thank you Roger, for thinking out of the box and bringing all of this important work to a new audience. The art is hung beautifully and shown to it's best advantage. I hope you all have an opportunity to see this brilliant show.
Images included are two extraordinary paintings by Dr. Ala Bashir.

Vernissage for Helga Hornung

Ottobeuren

Ausstellung im Rahmen der Ottobeurer Konzerte

im Haus des Gastes

Helga Hornung & Philipp Reisacher

“Weiter als der Horizont”

Zum Konzertwochenende 60 Jahre Basilikakonzerte

www.ottobeuren.de

Vernissage: Freitag 18. Sept. 2009 19.30 Uhr

Im Dialog mit den Künstlern, Bernd Schäfer (Bürgermeister Ottobeuren)

Musik: Reinhard Reißner (Klassische Gitarre )

19. und 20. Sept. von 10.00 bis 18.00 Uhr

Helga Hornung

Phantasie und Traumwesen die beflügeln und den Betrachter verzaubern.

Bilderbuchreihe “ Derkleine Lalu” www.helga-hornung.de

Philipp Reisacher

steht mitden Füssen auf der Erde, mit dem Herzen hängt ersich in den Himmel

Cornelia Kleybolt, M.A. www.ph-reisacher.de

Kris Lewis and Travis Louie........beinart stars.....

The International Surreal Art Collective boasts some of the very best artists in the world among it's members. Alex Grey and Ann Harper are two of my favorites. But now I learn of two more accomplished people to add to the list. Travis Louie’s new exhibition is at Roq la Rue Gallery.His " hypnotic portraiture is compelling for its blend of the hyper realistic with the blatantly unreal. Fantastical creatures gaze out from paintings so technically refined (using transparent layers of acrylic paint over a tight graphite drawing on a smooth flat surface) that they look uncannily like old photographs." This fact entices you take a second look. Kris Lewis, who is currently showing his portraits at David B Smith Gallery in Denver Colorado, has a romantic yet edgey quality to his work which makes the quirkiness quite appealing.

Algerian, Moroccan and political folk art

The stark compelling images of Algerian, Moroccan, and American artist, Fethi Meghelli, are a cross between dreamlike folk tales and political pronouncements. This talented, respected, and highly trained artist creates works which wrap themselves around your brain. In this intriguing piece called "Other Realities", two mesmerizing images are printed on the same piece of arches paper. Each powerful in their own right, together they are magic. Offered from a private collection, 17" x 12" unframed, $500

A Life of Visionary Collage, Ann Irwin

Ann Irwin, by all accounts, was a woman who chose to live, love, and create art, under the most challenging circumstances. She battled chronic lung disease and other health issues, but worked on her art constantly. Even towards the end of her battle, she managed, with a 54 foot long cord to her oxygen supply, to still work in her beloved garden, and create eloquent colleges and quilts in her basement studio. According to her husband, Roy, she utilized old books, fabric, and found objects. "Ann created a large body of art (over 400 pieces) rich in a deep personal mythology of whimsical images of birds, houses, trees, and flowers." She often incorporated the printed word in her works, "not to be read, rather for tonality". "She asked her paper, foil, and twigs to function as a silent prayer, to anchor the dreamy images, to keep them real and material." Ann's work was shown in both museum settings and regional shows. I present here, three wonderful examples of her work. The piece I call "Starry Night with Matzoh" is one of my favorites. I thank Roy Zipris, Ann's husband, for bringing her extraordinary work to my attention. I recently visited the Museum of Modern Art to see collages and constructions. Ann Irwin's work would have been a perfect fit. Click on the title of this blog and you will come to a flickr page of more images. Enjoy!

Beaded pianos, self-taught art at it's best

A friend, John Lawson, created the most extraordinary art objects colleged with Mardi Gras beads. He wandered the streets after the celebration was over and collected hundreds of pounds of these garishly bright beads. Then came hours of soaking and cleaning. Then sorting colors. And then the magic began! 

These are life sized pianos covered, in a jazz theme, with the collected beads. This one is an old New Orleans Honky Tonk piano and is totally playable, right down to the "Jelly Roll Morton" twang. The pianos have been shown in museums and are part of great private art collections. They are really beyond belief! This is the hight of recycling, don't you think?