The Art of Art...Hansen

As promised, the prints of Art Hansen. There is a used bookshop on Clark Street in Chicago that we frequented, both to shop and to stay warm in on cold winter days. Though hardly charming, it was a treasure trove of art books- including, one day, a monograph of Hansen's. We were taken immediately with the paradox of Hansen's technique- using the finest marks to create subjects and compositions that are hyper-voluminous. There is both an elegance and a sinewy strength in these etchings of trees, landscape,vegetables and florals. Mr. Hansen became an immediate favorite that day in a Chicago as we flipped through, then purchased his book of prints. He remains one to this day.

Alder Grove, 1976, from Waterworks Gallery

Pond & Pasture, 1975

Woodcutter #2, 1985, at Davidson Gallery

A Man in the Tree, 1976, at Davidson

Two Alders, 1976, at Waterworks

Pond & Pasture, 1975, at Waterworks

To Heck with Cassatt

While looking for Art Hansen's work to blog about at Davidson Gallery in Seattle, we stumbled across the work of Ellen Heck. Heck's etchings recall Mary Cassatt's palatte, subject, composition and rendering--somehow, without being simply derivative. There is very little tenderness in art today, yet Heck manages to portray lovely moments without becoming precious. As for the wonderful Mr.Hansen's work...stay tuned.

Ellen Heck, Late-Night Casualties of the New Years Eve Party, 2009 at Davidson Gallery

Mary Cassat, The Bath via About.com

Ellen Heck, Elizabeth on Her Laptop

Mary Cassat, Gathering Fruit

Ellen Heck, Backyard; Midland, Texas; 1989

After the Melting Point

Fragile yet strong, clear or opaque, glass has the power to warm, cool, protect and inspire.

Stained glass window of the Acworth Town Hall, NH

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Louise Rice, Us Two (speak to me) at the Leitrim Sculpture Centre

Mason jars at the Orford Flea Market, NH

Kay Johns, A Snake in the Glass, 2005

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Glass, hemp & burlap wall sculpture at BECA Gallery

The Shadow Knows!

We think it's interesting that the shadow is an afterthought, or disregarded completely when one casually observes. This morning, or maybe this afternoon, notice the shadows. Sometimes the negative is just as interesting than the positive...if not more:

Canadian Goose and fence, West Side Highway

Walker Evans, Shadow Self Portraits via Jon Jost's Weblog

A West Village morning

LEO, Shadow Puppet (Goat) at Payne Shurvell

At 56th and 10th

LEO, from a series of shadow puppet's at Payne Shurvell

From outside a window on 15th Street, Chelsea

Cold River, Warm Hearts

Thoreau had his Walden and we, at H&GH, might just have our Cold River. It's that place of contemplation and profundity, or of simply taking a deep breath and dissolving into nature.

"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature." - 9. The Ponds, Walden, Henry David Thoreau

Whites After Labor Day

As Summer sneaks away and Autumn breezes in, we look forward to woodsmoke and chilly nights. While we put away our summer whites, we're reminded of the whites and creams that are appropriate for all seasons:

A newly renovated New Hampshire church in pure white (pun intended)

Amarylis and soft, white cherry blossoms

Gorgeous eggshell frame at Ochre, New York

Gatored paint, New England

Beautifully dressed in creams at Seymour Antiques, Ct.

Meeting room made for harmony at the Grange Hall in Acworth, NH

Art...Inside and Out

Whether in a gallery or just out and about, New York is a truly a mecca for great art. Here are some of our local finds, paired with more commercial works...

Figurative drawing atop scaffolding on Washington Street, NYC

Mimmo Paladino Qui, 1995

Shelf of canned tomatoes at Mario Batali's Eataly

Andy Warhol Campbell's Soup I, 1968

Wildposting on East 2nd Street, NYC

Lillian Gash Big Blossom

Soho street art

Takashi Murakami Tan Tan Bo, 2001

Eastman, Vanishing America and Us

We look forward to email blasts from The Young Gallery as we're quite taken with their curation of modern photography. The last blast revealed Vanishing America, Michael Eastman's documentation of glory in decay. But while some find beauty, we also have our eyes on how suburbia and strip malls are encroaching on the America of the past.

Michael Eastman, Vanishing America series

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Fox Theater in downtown Tucson, AZ

Michael Eastman, Vanishing America series

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The morning sun at home

Michael Eastman, Vanishing America series

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A vintage chandelier

Monday Morning Shadows

Back in New York for Labor Day, we enjoyed the peace and serenity of a summertime holiday in the city. While neighbors and friends were fighting traffic to re-enter New York society after a beautiful summer, we had a head start at a new local: Cafe Minerva.