Joe Coleman, Visionary Artist

Hank Williams, copyright Joe Coleman

Go read the excellent new review by Marshall Sponder of the Joe Coleman exhibit at

Art NYC

Joe Coleman is having a retrospective at the Jack Tilton Gallery in NYC. It opened last night.

Sounds like an exciting event. One for the art history books.

I love my copy of "Original Sin, The Visionary Art of Joe Coleman" by Heck Editions, 1997.

Joe Coleman is a wild man on canvas. It takes enormous perseverance to paint like that, with the tiniest detail. I can relate to it's narrative quality and craftsmanship and, also, to Joe's tremendous imagination. The subjects he picks are interesting and historic, like Henry Darger, Hank Williams, John Brown, etc. I wish I could have been at this opening. Joe was one of the original "Blab!" artists.

art
Amy_Crehore

Diary Page

DeChirico
Brooks

I just noticed that I haven't posted anything since last Friday. While everyone else was having their Labor Day cookouts, I was working away on a painting for the M Modern Gallery Show called "Women with Issues"- images inspired by the movie "Valley of the Dolls". It opens the same day as the Blab Show, Sept. 23, 2006.

I finished the painting today (3 female figures) and took slides. It's a "metaphysical" scene with a modern slant. (See Pittura Metaphysica ) They like the modern look out in Palm Springs where the gallery is located... from the late 40's on.

It's been really hot here in Oregon. I wish the heat would let up, since I don't have air conditioning in the studio.

I'm looking forward to going down to Santa Monica, CA again in two weeks for the Blab Show. It will be a nice change of scene. I am going to take a break from painting for the next couple of weeks. There is plenty more to do to get ready for the two shows. At least the artwork is done!

The Blab Show is supposed to be online this week! I keep on checking: www.blabshow.com

Josephine Baker, Muse

Okay, a friend of mine asked me to post more pictures of Ms. Baker and I am happy to comply.

She was the model for many posters and ads of the period. Her black helmet hair and her rubber limbs inspired zillions of wonderful art deco images. For more history and images go here:

Josephine Baker

They are currently having a show of rare photographs of Ms. Baker at the

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

Here's another good site for photos of Ziegfeld Follies. There you will find Josephine Baker and Louise Brooks, two of my favorite muses. (Thanks to www.meathaus.com)

art
Amy_Crehore

Magic of the Trees

Stairs in the woods
Path in Hendricks Park

Whew! I finally finished my number 8 painting for the Blab Show. Now it's on to other things like cleaning up the studio, taking my own slides of the paintings and also having them photographed by a professional, framing them, packing them, doing paperwork and shipping them. Plus, I'm supposed to paint for another show that opens the same day, so I'm debating about that and gathering strength.

It's a nice overcast day here in Oregon. It feels like fall which is a great change from the heatwave we had over the weekend. I hope to take my daily hike up the butte near my house. It's a wonderful 20 minute hike- with woods full of douglas fir trees and a secret stairway climbing straight up through the trees. There is a park called Hendricks Park at the top and there are many rhodedendron trees up there.

My 2 newest paintings for the Blab art show have a little bit of this magic of the trees. I hear that the Blab show website is just about ready and soon you all will be able to view the paintings online at blab show .

The Black Venus

American entertainer Josephine Baker was the toast of Paris in the 1920's. She was so comfy on stage with her clothes off, wearing only a few bananas to shake and shimmy in. I found inspiration in the hundreds of half-naked photos and illustrations of her from that period. Here's a bio on her interesting life.

Josephine Baker

The Loves of Zero

A still from the Robert Florey 1928 short film, "The Loves of Zero".

This looks like hokum to me. Avant-guard, poetic and full of humor.

Ah...the 1920's...what a great period of art, music and theater.

Juxtapoz Blabbing

I just got my copy of the new September issue of Juxtapoz magazine yesterday. There it was- on the first page- the beautiful ad (featuring an image by Lou Brooks) for the Blab Show with my name on it. Other artists in the show: Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Lou Brooks, Greg Clarke, Shag, Brian Cronin, Drew Friedman. Ryan Heshka, Walter Minus, John Pound, Jonathon Rosen, Fred Stonehouse, Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson, plus more.

This is a show that should not be missed! Presented by Monte Beauchamp at CoproNason Gallery in Santa Monica, CA -opening Sept. 23, 2006. Look for the paintings to go up on the Blab Show website very soon:

The Blab Show

I will have 8 paintings in the show and I can hardly wait to show everyone. This should be such a fun event. Marshall Sponder at artNYC told me that he was looking forward to reviewing the show.

The Art of Amy Crehore

art
Amy_Crehore