art studios

Art Show in Tribeca Overflowing with Promise

Filed under: Art

The action in Tribeca on Saturday night gave me a bit more proof that the art market is looking for a bounce. I attended an art show held by local artist Ben Krell and Lindsey Nobel, who came in from Los Angeles, and the action was palpable. At last count, six pieces sold at the event, and there were many serious buyers with an eye to add emerging artists to their collections again.

Krell and Nobel have vastly different styles, but the pieces complemented each other in the loft where the event, billed as an "open studio," was held. Krell's work through several periods was on display, from the tight geometric styles he favored several years ago to the organic approach he uses today. Nobel offered pieces using several media – including photography and plastic. Works by both artists captivated the guests who crowded the venue as the evening unfolded.

Nobel's work features intricate designs connecting larger abstract shapes that are based on photographs she has taken of sculptures. The intentional result is an interconnectedness reminiscent of neural networks, linking stations of consciousness into a greater, unified presence.

Unlike his partner at the event, Krell prefer broader, sweeping themes on his canvases (which he shapes himself). His latest movement evokes feelings of creation – in the cosmic sense – with concentrations of energy yielding to calming effects.

The Tribeca art exhibition was a trip home for Krell, who painted in that particular loft back in the 1990s. He also held a show there in September 2008, shortly after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The mood couldn't have been more different this time around. Attendees were considerably more upbeat ... and in greater number. The sheer level of participation was enough to suggest that the art market is getting ready to turn, and the fact that several collectors made purchases reinforces the notion.

[Photo courtesy of Ben Krell]

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Orlando Artist Blows Glass, Minds

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Charlie Keila laughed at me. I had just commented on how hot his studio gets, and he couldn't contain the amusement of a man who deals with it every day. Artists who work in glass spend a lot of time around 1,900 degree ovens – it's just part of the job. When you look at the work produced, though, you can see why it's worth becoming acclimated to the sweltering conditions. Keila can only be described as a master.

Keila's studio sits at the corner of Orange and Pine in Orlando, FL – just across the street from Corona Cigar Co. – in the City Arts Factory. In fact, the artist was in large part responsible for the location. After having learned the glass art trade elsewhere, he returned to the town of his teenage years, bringing with him a commitment to arts and culture for which Orlando had been desperate.

This is the Orlando that's obscured by "The Mouse" ... but it exists. If you look past the theme parks and set your sights on downtown Orlando, you can find a vibrant culture that deserves far more recognition than it receives.

For years, Keila says, Orlando has effectively exported its talent. Artists and business professionals alike grow up in Orlando and take their talent elsewhere. The community is deprived of the talent it creates, resulting in a cultural and professional vacuum. This is exactly the problem that the glass-blower sought to solve when he decided to return.

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Amsterdam's Red Light Rooms Become Art Studios

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Amsterdam's red light district has always been as much of a tourist attraction as a place of infamous business but now some of the brothel rooms are being turned into art studios. Reuters reports on Redlight Art Amsterdam, a project that is part of plans to revitalize the city by limiting the number of brothels and coffee shops selling marijuana. Prostitution is still legal in the Netherlands and some women are still in business next to the artists.

Some of the purchased buildings will eventually be given a permanent function for the city but for one year they offer national and international artists a chance to display their creations. There are eight artists participating in the project and a final exhibition is planned for the second half of the year.

Amsterdam has been wrestling with its most notorious industry for a long time. The move to legalize prostitution in 2000 took place to help curb gangster activity in the sex trade. The Dutch government is trying to clean up organized crime but some feel that it is going to far and that tourism will suffer as the city loses its edge. A large portion of the tourists who visit the city are attracted by the cannabis coffee shops and the liberal attitude toward prostitution. The city is hoping that by limiting the spread of the coffee shops and prostitution to a few key areas it will be able to attract a new crop of tourists more interested in Amsterdam's museums and scenic charms.

Gallery: Scenes from Amsterdam