ARTSY ONSITE

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending my first Artsy OnSite, at Ameringer | McEnery | Yohe.  Artist Patrick Wilson, whose exhibition opens at the gallery this evening, was on hand to discuss his suite of paintings on view.  While sipping sparkling wine, a small group of us heard from the artist on topics such as his inspiration, creative process, and execution.  He also briefly discussed his use of color, which particularly piqued my interest.

Thanks to Artsy for the invitation, to Patrick for the insight, and to Mark Rosen (@markatthemuseum) for the photos!

Jacket, pants, and blouse: Diane von Furstenberg

Shoes: United Nude

SWEATER WEATHER

It's finally sweater weather, and what better inspiration for autumn layering than Jayson Musson's Coogi canvases?  

The Brooklyn based artist uses the eponymous 'Cosby' sweaters to cover canvases, which become some fusion between Abstract Expressionist painting and landscape.  

Originally marketed as 'wearable art' in the 1980s, the sweaters became a symbol of status for African Americans in the late '80s and early '90s.  Musson deconstructs the garments and reassembles them, finding a balance between their street culture significance and aesthetic relevance to fine art. 

In Art in America, Judith Stein asserted that, "In their ability to communicate a cultural narrative, Musson's Coogis are related to the faux-batik Dutch textiles favored by Yinka Shonibare, which encode the history of colonialism in Africa."

 Musson's alter-ego, Hennessy Youngman, discusses art world tropes like the ones his work purports through a series of web eposides called Art Thoughtz.  

Sweater: Coogi

Skirt: Vintage

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Heels: United Nude

Images via www.jaysonmusson.com and Artsy.net.

MARC QUINN FLORALS

Under the Volcano, Acavar Bolivia, 2010

New Mexico Water, 2010

First Cataract of the Nile, 2010

Marc Quinn (b. 1964) is part of the YBAs (Young British Artists), a group that includes Liam Gillick, Damien Hirst, and Tracey Emin, among others.  Much of his work is larger-than-life, and deals with themes of nature, the body, and our relationship to both.

One way that Quinn explores these themes is through "genetic modification and hybridism"; in other words, using flowers as a stand in for human life.  In one of his series, he created stunning horticultural displays of frozen flowers which are able to escape decay through an electrical power source.  Similarly, in "Eternal Spring", Quinn preserves flowers indefinitely by soaking them in silicone.  The paintings depicted here are eerily pristine, capturing an otherworldly perfection and simultaneously bringing to mind the constant decay that surrounds us.

See other floral posts here and here. 

Romper: Peter Pilotto for Target

Straw Hat: Purchased in St. Thomas

Marc Quinn photos from Artsy.net; photos of me by Jacque Skowvron.

GEMSTONE GEOMETRIC

This is the second time that my outfit found affinity with the work of Canadian artist Shannon Finley.  I'm drawn to the fragmented geometry of her works, both in my design sense as well as my fashion sense.  Of course, her sense of color theory adds to my fixation.

I spotted this dress in the window at J. Crew a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised to find it on Final Sale recently.  They always have the best (and most artful) prints!

Dress: J. Crew (Still available here; the colors are MUCH more vibrant in person!)

Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo Vara (patent version available here)

Necklace: H&M

Sunglasses: Suno

Finley image from Artsy.net, photos by Kathy Paciello.

KARL MAUGHAN FLORAL

It's difficult not to feel inspired when the flora and fauna outside are finally in full bloom and bursting with color.  New Zealand-based artist Karl Maughan finds inspiration in the gardens surrounding him, both real and fabricated.  Maughan started out working en plein air in New Zealand, but when he relocated to London he no longer had lush gardens at his disposal from which to work year-round.  He began cataloguing gardens via photos which he now uses as inspiration.  He pulls bits and pieces of the very best and brightest, splicing them together in his paintings which are simultaneously idyllic and empty.

I've been on the hunt for one of the pieces of Maughan's collaboration collection with the Stolen Girlfriends Club to no avail.  This vintage jumpsuit, however, is a pretty close match!

Jumpsuit: vintage, Held Over in San Francisco

Leather sandals: Belle by Sigerson Morrison Abra Block-Heel Sandal

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Leather belt: Roberta Freymann

Photos by Jayne Clark at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Maughan images from gowlangsfordgallery.co.nz, ocula.com, odt.co.nz, tulsisays.blogspot.com. 

ART TO WEAR: Primavera.

I live for garments like this Valentino Haute Couture Spring / Summer 2014 gown, which feels right at home with Sandro Botticelli's 'Primavera'. What do you think of this luxurious example of Art to Wear? Image via Artsy.net.

SHE LIKES TO PARTY

Yolanda Sanchez, She Likes to Party, 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My New Year's Eve attire was inspired by this expressionist oil on canvas work by Yolanda Sanchez, aptly titled She Likes to Party.  I hope you enjoyed time with family and friends over the holiday, and wish you all the best for 2014.

Dress: Cynthia Steffe, thrifted

Tights: Uniqlo

See my Abstract Expressionist NYE outfit from 2011 here.

Photos by Lauren Ricciardi, Sanchez image via Artsy.

ART TO WEAR: Rhombus.

Shannon Finley, Rhombus (White Light), 2013

I finally captured the Miista Siri pumps, which have been on my wish list for quite a while.  They are, essentially, a classic black pump, but with an unexpected twist -- a clear lucite geometric heel.  I couldn't help but note the affinity the shoes held with this acrylic work by Shannon Finley, a Canadian artist based in Berlin.  Finley is represented by the Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco.

Finley image via Artsy, my shoes photographed by Lauren Ricciardi.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Andrea Kowch, The Feast

From Artfully Awear to you, Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for art as inspiration and a means of expression.

Image via Artsy.net.  Prints available through Richard J Demato Fine Arts Gallery.

NOW WEARING: Clive Van Den Berg.

CLive Van Den Berg, The Land Throws Up A Ghost II, 2013

I'm finally embracing the season, inspired by the work of Clive Van Den Berg.  An "artist, curator, designer, writer, teacher, and activist", Van Den Berg produces work across media that deal with various themes from desire, to the human body, to landscape, and more.  Imbued with a sense of his identity as a South African, Van Den Berg's works are colorful representations of memory.

Jacket: Desigual

Jeans: Gap

Boots: L.L.Bean

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Photo by Hannah Kauffman, Van Den Berg image and info via Artsy.net.

NOW WEARING: On the Fringe.

Inspired by the acrylic paintings of Tomie Ohtake, I put together this look for a masquerade at the New York City Ballet.  Born in 1913, Ohtake's work has spanned many artistic movements, but she is most known for her informal abstractionism, such as this Untitled work, from 2012.

Dress: Save the Queen

Clutch: Thrifted

Mask: via amazon

Photo by Meri Feir; Ohtake image via Artsy.net

WEARING: Evie Falci at MoMA PS1.

My outfit for the last Warm Up of the season at MoMA PS1 was inspired by Evie Falci's mesmerizing canvases.

The Brooklyn-based artist covers stretched denim with colorful rhinestones, studs, and beads, resulting in these bedazzled works, which she has said are influenced by optical dot paintings of Yayoi Kusama. See my Kusama-inspired outfit post here.

Falci has described her process as spider-like, slowly and meticulously working to create a web of color and texture.  These works the bedazzled interiors and portraits of Mickalene Thomas.

The works exist on multiple levels as craft, sculpture, and painting, and are nonrepresentational, the patterns flowing freely as Falci works, without underpainting or sketches.

Dress: Mara Hoffman

Sandals: Juicy Couture

Cuff: Gift Shop at the Met

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs (similar here)

Photos by Kathy Paciello; Falci images from artsy.net.

ARTFULLY AWEAR + PANTONE: Grenadine.

For the second installment of my Artfully Awear + Pantone series, I'm featuring Grenadine.

I originally intended to use this dress in relation to the flower paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe (see my previous post here), but when I came across Jason Martin's paintings on Artsy, the resemblance to both color and form was undeniable.

Martin's (b. 1970) paintings are almost sculptures, utilizing thick impasto, resembling brushstrokes.  They are actually made using modeling paste on canvas.

The "brushstroke" is the subject of these monochrome works, and his paintings have been described as paying homage to Abstract Expressionism because of their focus on the process of painting itself.

They hearken back even to Suprematism, reminiscent of works such as Kazimir Malevich's Visual Realism of a Peasant Woman in Two Dimensions (Red Square), 1915, and even Piero Manzoni's Achrome series, which I discussed here.

I appreciate the paintings because of the way they collapse the realms of two-dimensional and three-dimensional artwork, existing simultaneously as both.  

Dress: BCBGMAXAZRIA Ginger Strapless Ruffled Silk Dress (the color in my photos is closer to the actual hue)

Necklace: Emporio Armani (some options here)

Shoes: Lisa for Donald J. Pliner (75% off here!)

Leather clutch: Lauren Merkin (similar here in straw)

Photos by @kay_elle_pea, images from artsy.net