"Walk the Walk"

"Walk the Walk" is a 27 full color pages hard bound book. It features an essay by Howard Risatti, whose criticism has been published in Art Journal, Artforum, New Art Examiner, Artscribe, Latin American Art, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Woman’s Art Journal, Art Criticism and Sculpture Magazine. For a page by page preview visit the link below. If you'd like your own copy to enjoy without the help of a back lit screeen just send a personal check or money order for $49. plus seven dollars shipping and handling for each copy ($56.) of "Walk the Walk."

For a preview please click on this link.

Book lovers who'd like to place an order can email me at
oliver dot amie at gmail dot com

A Brief Respite

If it was essential that you work over the labor day weekend, like moi you might enjoy this. If there is the time and space you might pour yourself a Scotch or a Guinness since you won't have to worry about drinking and driving... although you'll feel refreshed from the journey.

Jane Burton

Jane Burton is an Australian photographer. She is married to a French film maker and they live in Melbourne. I met her at the Cite International des Arts in Paris via our mutual friend Yvette. We wound up spending a good deal of time together looking at art and nursing hangovers with Yvette and Jane's lover Fab. It was a belle epoche which blossomed into a marriage for Jane and Fab and piles of art and inspiration for all involved. Jane introduced me to some my favorite places near Paris and vice versa. Our art is very different but we share the same muse.

Jane's latest photos reveal slices of what I think are the tips of the trees from that chilly afternoon at Pere La Chaise. I am very attracted to her photographs and hope one day I'll be able to see her work in the flesh. You can see more of her photography here.

Walking the Line on Deadline

a peek and a boo?

Three Amigos

This post is in honor of three artists or writers who have inspired me on many levels. On the left: Olivier, a lovely and generous French writer who runs a bookstore in the 14th ar. Middle: I met Goxwa in Paris in 1994. She is a force of nature. She amazes me with her talent and success as a painter and even greater, a muse. Right: The painting on the right should be a portrait of Bob. He's not one for sitting still, even at the ripe age of 84 he is a brilliant, charming survivor of the wrath, beauty and excesses of the 20th Century. As an American living in Paris during the mid century he met Hemingway, interviewed Gertrude Stein and developed a notorious reputation as turning in the most outlandish receipts for his Time-Life Expense Account.. . and I look at him and I see Harry in 40 years. When asked who he preferred, Hemingway or Fitzgerald - his brilliant answer was Faulkner. Ah, a man after my heart.

This series was created during my time in Auvillar, referenced here.

Preview of Coming Attractions

I don't know if I'll have time to update my website before this show of new work opens on September 28. A limited edition catalogue has gone to press and is available for preview above via pdf files. Anyone out there interested in ordering one please drop me a line. "Walk the Walk" features an essay by Howard Risatti and is 27 full color pages in a limited hard cover, edition of fifty. $49. plus shipping.

Up and Coming...

another countdown

"Shelf Life" mixed media on paper mounted on panel
10" x 10" 2006

It is time to pop the clutch into 5th gear. We are on the cusp of another season and from that point it's hard to find time to breath... but I must be careful with my words since my husband is on the war path to banish overused euphymisms. He's more prone to jump on sports related usage and if anyone questions him he just suggests that they google "season kick off."

another king another dollar?

Nah. There is only one King although Andy may have played it otherwise. One of my favorite scenes in Mystery Train is the argument between the young Asian couple over who the real KING of R&R should be- Elvis or Jerry Lee Lewis.

Elvis died on August 16, 1977, in an over-medicated and pathetic state of gluttony... ten years later one of his most famous admirers Andy Warhol died on February 22, 1987 following routine gall bladder surgery. It is frightful to think about Elvis living in a world even more obsessed with celebrity and reality TV than the one he lived in. Lets count the man's, excuse me, KING'S blessings for him!

A version of Warhol's Triple Elvis series hangs in the Sydney and Francis Lewis Collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. It plays a prominent role in a collection with numerous pop references. I miss seeing it now that much of the collection is under wraps due to construction and enjoyed its placement most when the collection was under Fred Brandt's direction.

This could be due to the fact that I have an acute memory of leading a pilgrimage to see this painting during that era. Ivan Karp, of OK Harris Gallery juried a show for 1708 Gallery back in the late 90's. He and his son, co-juror Ivan Karp; were scheduled to talk about the show the Saturday after it opened. Ivan didn't make it. Supposedly he was under the weather but I've seen him sitting on a stool in his cigar shop in SOHO smoking cigars on more Saturdays than I can remember. I can't tell you a single thing about the show they juried. I can tell you that Ethan's talk was memorable and that afterwards the only thing he really wanted to do was visit the VMFA collection.

Harry and I were assigned to be his tour guides and to negotiate the many demands and expectations of the community for his attention. We picked him up from the Jefferson Hotel and discussed his itinerary. He was balking at a request to visit Bill Fisher's studio. He really didn't want to. I told him that would be a mistake because Bill had sold 50 paintings the previous year. Before he would consider his options he wanted to hit the VMFA collection and to my surprise the main thing he wanted to see was the Triple Elvis depicted above. He said he remembered when his Dad sold it to the Lewis' for a song. The story goes that many of the paintings in that collection were acquired through direct barter with the artist (BEST PRODUCTS appliances for paintings) so I was surprised to know the Lewis' had purchased this one through Ivan. They must have really loved it.

We delivered Ivan Karp to an "entourage in waiting" at the now defunct but severely missed Coincidence Gallery. He quickly scanned the work on view there, found a photographer he wanted to show and eventually was delivered to Bill's studio. He recognized a good thing. Bill still shows with OK Harris in SOHO and I am sure there is are places in the world where people still report Elvis sightings. It seemed to me he would fill a hefty folder in the X-Files.

An Appreciation

Elizabeth Murray: FORMERLY FLEET

1994-95, oil on canvas on wood, 199 x 76 x 6 ft

Elizabeth Murray died of cancer on Sunday at age 66. I remember reading of her struggle and assumed she would beat it. Her work is so strong she seemed formidable. Her constructed paintings were frank, yet delicate; bold, delightful, curious and eccentric. I've always made time for her work when I'm pounding the pavement or the marble halls in search of inspiration. Her visual language contained an iconography I related to. I definitely want to rewatch her video interview on Art:21.

up and coming

Day is done, gone the sun. As the days drag on during this 100 degree heat we watch the clock waiting for relief and embrace the quiet as time to prepare for the business of September. I hope the painting above anticipates this season with the bittersweet optimism of August.

Walk the Walk opens on September 28 at Plant Zero.

1935

Keith Olberman's hosting of the Democratic debate tonite is the inspiration for this post. I have a feeling its going to take regular shots of humor to get through this election. Thank God I live with the Harryman since he knows how to make me laugh and quoted Will Rogers tonite after the debate was fini - with the first quote in this series.


Left: Will Rogers made the statements below in and around 1935. The other nuggets of wisdom are from the same period are as true today as any Jenny Holzer truism. Does anyone know if Roger's quotes ate included in her truisms? They could be.


I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat. A fool and his money are soon elected. About all I can say for the United States Senate is that it opens with a prayer and closes with an investigation. Buy land. They ain't making any more of the stuff. Even though you are on the right track - you will get run over if you just sit there. Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke. I have a scheme for stopping war. It's this - no nation is allowed to enter a war till they have paid for the last one. If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out? If you want to be successful, it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing. It's not what you pay a man, but what he costs you that counts. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back in. People's minds are changed through observation and not through argument. Things ain't what they used to be and never were. Things in our country run in spite of government, not by aid of it. Worrying is like paying on a debt that may never come due. You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is.

Henry IV, part I

I love Agecroft Hall and have been anticipating an evening of Shakespeare on its grounds all week. It's not The Globe but one can count on a ringside seat at The Richmond Shakespeare Company's productions. "Henry IV" was no exception, though it was standing room only. At The Globe, during Shakespeare's day, the groundlings stood or sat on the ground and they might boo or throw cherry pits on stage if they were displeased with a production. The Groundlings stand Globe as in Shakespeare's day and with their payoff being a more affordable ticket price. I dodged cherry pits during a production of The Tempest at The Globe during the summer of 1999 and wish we had been able to see the TRSF version which ran from mid June through the first week of July (during much kinder weather).

Agecroft Hall, one of Richmond's greatest treasures, offers theatre audiences the opportunity to picnic in its Elizabethan Gardens prior to enjoying a plein air production of Shakespeare. It is a delectable treat since the gardens surround a romantic Tudor Estate that was created in England more than 500 years ago. It was moved and painstakingly reconstructed in Windsor Farms by Thomas C. Williams during the late 20's and is currently run by non-profit foundation and is open to the public.

Scents of herbs and the ancient boxwoods from Agecroft's gardens waft over the crowd while the cicada and crickets add a sultry tone to this TRSF's version o Henry IV. Exciting moments of this Sopranos(ish) play were abundant but we particularly enjoyed the breezy wake cast by characters running from one another. How can a family feud in 100 degree heat with the sounds of summer as a soundtrack? Humor! The cast's ability to maintain their energy and enthusiasm in the heat wearing period costume was impressive but I couldn't help but wonder if it would have been more fun for them if they were dressed in the street clothes of today, weather appropriate, of course; as the thespians of Shakespeare's day. Maybe it wouldn't be as much fun? I know one thing - if they were Shakespeare's peers they'd be drinking pints of ale in the heat since potable water was much harder to come by. I hope to see Part II of "Henry IV" next summer since it was a very lively- if sticky evening.

Double Bubble

Think Pink.

Roy Proctor compares pink to Raphael's "Madonna of the Pinks," where the Virgin Mary presents pink carnations to the infant Christ and the blushing skin of Rubens' voluptuous nudes. He also makes references to Tom Wesselmann's "Great American Nudes" series in his preview of Double Bubble at Page Bond Gallery.

Thats what I love about Roy. He's such a romantic. If this show reflected the figurative references Roy made it would have a little more meat and be a lot less fashionable. Of course it's a summer show and designed to be a fun, airy showcase for Richmond talent. It succeeds in that goal featuring work such as Ruth Bolduan's latest like the painting posted above. It is part of larger series that can be seen on the Anton Gallery website. Bolduan has a thing for red anyway so this show is an excellent showcase for her successful exploitation of rouge.

Double Bubble includes forty-two works in all media by twenty-nine artists and will be on view in Bond's recently established Main Street location until September 1st. Artists ranging from the late Theresa Pollak, founder of the art program at VCU; to Eric Sall, a recent graduate of VCU's MFA painting program, are included in this show.

Other artists of note: current and former Richmond painters Joan Ranzini, Elizabeth Lamp, Betsy Morgan, Dragana Crnjak, Lynda Ray, Amy Chan, Karen Blair, Curtis Ripley, Lauren Clay, Kristi Hager and Andras Bality; photographers William Wylie and Kristi Hager; mixed media artists Corey Drieth, Mary Scurlock, Mary Palmer, Stephen Clark, Alison Hall Cooley and Robert Walz; printmakers Susan Schwalb, Chris Palmer and Mary Heilmann; and sculptor Marc Maiorana. For a complete listing of the art in the exhibition visit the gallery website linked to the title of this post.

Waiting for the Rain

left: currently untitled version of a soon to be finished drawing on panel utilizing mixed water based media with mica and charcoal.


It will be 99 degrees tomorrow. If I were in a different place I'd go to the Byrd during the afternoon since there will be a film festival. We've seen Shrek the Third. It was fun but not even close to the original Shrek in originality. I guess they've used up all their good ideas? Anyway - it was certainly worth $1.99!

I'll be holed up in my unairconditioned studio. If it were in France somehow I'd get through it with few complaints. Here, well, old habits die hard. I am working through the heat - as well as close to 40 new drawings. It should be a busy, if sticky weekend.