GLIMPSES OF MAINE, CUTENESS AND FLOWERS

Cig Harvey: Elizabeth

While the world is still waiting to reopen (the signs of life and reopening are growing stronger and stronger, daring me to dream about far flung destinations again), I am still finding inspiration in the striking images of my favorite photographers. So for today, let’s explore Maine through the eyes of the British photographer Cig Harvey.

THE AIPAD SHOW: DISCOVERING THE WORLD OF CIG HARVEY

I first came across Cig’s work a few years ago when her playful home and family scenes caught my eye at the Aipad show in NYC. It was the bold color, the perfect-yet-imperfect composition and the hint of a mischief that made Cig’s work so appealing. It’s warm and it’s human and I was hooked. So I started paying attention.

Cig Harvey: Pomegranate seeds

Cig Harvey: Clementines

Cig Harvey: Bowl of cherries

GOING DEEPER: THE PLAYFUL MAINE

Cig’s story itself is interesting. How does a photographer South West England become one of the up and coming artists in Maine? Maine was the first place Cig moved to when she arrived in the US in 1999. The open spaces were exactly what was needed to inspire her creative thinking process. And although Cig got her MFA from Rockport College and spent nearly 10 years as an assistant professor at the Art Institute in Boston, she met her husband in Maine and they eventually bought an old farmhouse there that’s been her base for years now.

When we chatted at her art opening recently, she was quick to point out that with Maine’s long winters, it takes some creativity to come up with the engaging pictures that I admire so much. It may take exploring snowy scenery and working with random objects such as a disco ball to cast that magic spell on a simple wooden wall. Or, it may take putting together her photographer skills and the playful ideas of her daughter to recreate the feeling of childhood wonder. It succeeds brilliantly.

Cig Harvey: Scout and the Wagoneer

Cig Harvey: Scout in the Blizzard

Cig Harvey: Scout during Skylar

Cig Harvey : Scout and the Disco Ball

DEEPER STILL: THE RICHNESS OF COLOR, THE DEPTH OF BEAUTY

What I appreciate about Harvey’s work is also its breadth. Where one moment you can be playing along, dreaming of running into the snow or building an igloo, blink and you are suddenly wading through a dark moody lake. Blink again and you’re in a forest surrounded by all its luscious greenery. There may even be a butterfly landing next to you in this magical landscape. The rich, deeply saturated colors do their part to truly immerse you in the experience.

Cig Harvey: Emily in the river

Cig Harvey: North Haven High Tide

Cig Harvey: Boltonia Asteroides

Cig Harvey: New Ferns

Cig Harvey: Dasha Dancing

BLUE VIOLET: EAT FLOWERS

Another thing worth mentioning? Cig Harvey is not only a talented photographer, she is also a book author. Her books (yes, she has four now!) are sensorial gems full of poetry and warmth where the words and the perfect match for the images they accompany. Start with her first one, “You look at me like an emergency” that takes you on the quest for personal identity and finding your place in the world, then move on to “Gardening at Night” and its exploration of home, family, nature, and time, and then the third one, “You an Orchestra, You a Bomb” that explores her relationship with life itself paying attention to and appreciating the fragile present.

The just published fourth book, “Blue Violet” is an explosion of color and sensorial delight. Flip through and you’ll learn about Cig’s favorite color (pink), the secret to forcing blossoms in the middle of the winter (changing the water daily and loudly expressing a desperate desire for spring might play a role) and how to make delicious meals that, you guessed it, involve eating flowers. All wrapped among some of her most gorgeous imagery to-date. And I am very lucky to own one, signed by Cig herself.

Cig Harvey is represented by the Robert Mann Gallery in New York and by the Jackson Fine Art gallery in Atlanta. Her work is in permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; the International Museum of Photography and Film at the George Eastman House, Rochester, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine.

Cig Harvey: Emerald Coat with Dahlia Petal

THE IMAGINATIVE LANDSCAPES OF FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHY

Corinne Mercadier: Angels

Sometimes you want to step out of your daily reality and explore a different world. For me, the answer lies in the imaginative landscapes of French photography. I have admired it ever since I brought one into my home. Let me introduce you to one of my favorites.

THE WORLD THROUGH THE EYES OF CORINNE MERCADIER

I first came across Corinne Mercadier’s work a few years back when I discovered the dreamy scenes of her 2009-2015 Solo Series. The darkened images, staged and shot on the Southwest Mediterranean beaches of Corinne’s childhood evoke memories and are full of playful props. The almost monochromatic landscapes reminiscent of lunar surfaces can feel solitary, but they still pull you in. Step in and see if you, too, can push that ball, twirl that stick, make magic. It’s only appropriate in a world where photographs carry mysterious names such as “Fata Morgana” and “Toute Pensée”. I fell in love with “Magnetik” and it still brings me joy every time I look at it in my home.

A few years later, I had a chance to revisit Corinne’s work. (Well, I never really left it, I kept returning to her website to see what she’s been up to.) She’s added more color while keeping the mystery and intrigue. The more recent (2015-2017) series aptly named “Le ciel commence ici” (“The sky begins here”) is busier, more theatrical and full of energy. Your eye can’t help but notice all the action: A sphere flying through the space, geometric objects that cast double shadows, nondescript people moving through the space. At times, it’s hard to see what’s suspended in the air and what’s moving at full speed. I like it just as much, if not more, than her previous work. I have a feeling I will be adding to my collection. The only hard choice is figuring out which piece I like the best.

In recent years, Corinne’s moved back to a more monochromatic theme with her “Espace second” work that walks you through emptied mansions, down darkened hallways and past imposing doorways that invite you to take a peek what lies behind. And, as is now to be expected from Corinne’s work, throughout it all, your companion and guide remains anonymous, leaving you to imagine what story they would tell if only they could speak.

Corinne Mercadier started her photography career with a Polaroid SX70, which she used until 2008 before moving to digital photography. Her work continues to captivate audiences and she’s won awards for her celestially inspired work, including the Prix Altadis in 2001 and a finalist position at the Prix de l’Académie des Beaux-Arts Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière. Her photographs are in the collections of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris; FNAC, Paris; the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; and the Polaroid Corporation Collection. You can also find her work at the Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire in Paris, and at the Alan Klotz gallery in New York. You can also explore it directly on her website. I love Corinne’s work and I hope that you will, too.

All photos in this post are by Corinne Mercadier.

WHAT PARTY? KAWS PARTY!

If you, like me, enjoy walking around New York City, you might have noticed them too. Sometime in the fall a set of familiar larger than life characters started appearing in the streets. The Michelin-man-like puffed up black and shiny CHUM caught my attention first. It is perfectly positioned against the stark geometry of Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram building. Whoever placed it there is a genius - the building, impressive on its own, provides a spectacular glowing backdrop at night.

Just a few blocks down on Park Avenue, the Pepto-Bismol pink BFF popped up. This one is more playfully located inside a glass and marble lobby. There, it can loom over visitors and “pose” for pictures during the day (judging from instagram feed, it is quite popular) and playfully peek out of its glass and steel “cage” after hours. It’s practically irresistible.

Turns out, there is more to their recent appearance than a simple public art placement effort. These familiar characters gave us a preview, a taste, of the show that has just opened at the Brooklyn Art Museum.

BROOKLYN ART MUSEUM: WHAT PARTY

The latest show, “What Party”, summarizes over a hundred KAWS works, from graffiti drawings and notebooks, paintings and sculptures, to smaller collectibles, furniture, and monumental installations of his popular COMPANION figures. It also features new pieces made uniquely for the exhibition along with his early-career altered advertisements. Read more about the show here.

BRIAN DONNELLY, AKA KAWS

Kaws has come a long way since his beginnings as a street artist in New Jersey and NYC. Always straddling the art and commercial line, his characters with X-ed out eyes and exaggerated skull and bone structure have become iconic. His art comes big and small - from collectible toys barely a few inches high to some of the largest sculptures to stand (or float, as was the case of the Companion in the Hong Kong Harbor) on the Earth. And he continues to evolve. More recently, he’s jumped into the digital space, teaming up with Acute Art, an augmented reality digital art platform that allows you to virtually explore his sculptures and create personalized experiences through an app on your smart phone.

His commercial success is pretty impressive, too. The toys based on his characters continue to sell out and command pretty hefty premiums on the secondary market and serious art buyers are now scooping up his work in droves. KAWS continuously breaks auction house records and in 2019 his works sold for $112 million. Earlier in the year, the Art Angle podcast predicted that i this year’s auctions, KAWS will outsell every old master other than Sandro Botticelli.

If you still want to learn more about KAWS, here and here are a couple of articles you might like.

A FIERCE GIRL FOR THE GRITTY STREETS OF NEW YORK CITY

New York City has never been for the faint of heart. Almost a year into the pandemic, the city has slowly returned to its grittier past as restaurants shutter and store windows go dark. With Broadway on a hiatus for a few more months, it would be easy to write the city off as an uninhabitable urban jungle. Many have left, escaping for warmer climates or more peaceful rural settings. Those of us who stay are finding joy in the little gems that are still here, ready to be discovered if only you try just a little bit harder. Enter @phoebenewyork, a smart, fierce, funny and kind girl that will capture your heart. Let her be your witty guide around this city of ours.

CAN YOU FIND HER? WHO IS SHE?

“Something good is worth finding.” I didn’t write that. Phoebe did. It was one the first stickers I noticed walking around in Soho a few years ago. Subtly but decisively claiming her spot on a busy street corner, Phoebe was a cute collage character with piercing eyes that pull you in and a clear voice that speaks her mind. As I always do when I find something intriguing, I snapped a picture and made a mental note to find out more about this instantly recognizable little figure.

I didn’t get around to it, but a couple weeks later I noticed the feisty character on a lamp post, this time in Chelsea. And another, different one a few blocks away. Just as witty, just as cute. Now I was hooked. A veritable treasure hunt in New York City! Can I find another? How many are there? Who creates them? What will the next one say? Phoebe and I made an acquaintance and now it was up to me to stay connected.

And so I did. Whenever my meetings or walks took me downtown, I kept my eyes peeled: Is this a promising street corner? That bus stop looks like a perfect location! She who searches shall find. I started meeting more Phoebes everywhere and discovered that my new friend stays on top of what’s happening around us and has a clear point of view, one that she’s not shy to voice. She knows she’s worth it and will do her best to encourage you to feel that way, too. She’s real, too. There are days when she’s “too much” and she owns it.

PHOEBE’S ‘MOM’

The more I saw Phoebe, the more curious I became about the artist behind the character. Clearly, this is someone very creative who has a great sense of humor and humanity. I’ve connected with “Phoebe” on instagram and quickly realized that there is a nice person behind her.

Having now met in person, I can confirm it is absolutely true. Libby, Phoebe’s creator, is a warm, nice, gentle and fun human. Originally from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Libby now lives and creates her collages in a West Village studio using found objects, including vintage photographs, magazine pages, old books, record covers - objects that have lived an “imperfect life.”

A committed New Yorker, she came up with the idea of Phoebe while honing her photography skills in Paris. Yes, you read that right. This quintessential New York character was born in Paris! As Libby told me she first started experimenting with layered collage character then. At first, Phoebe was a much more simplified figure, usually shown in profile. But that wasn’t enough for our girl and so Libby evolved her and now Phoebe engages you with a direct glance, an active pose, dark and witty observations and, at times, raw emotions. Just like her “Mom.” And New York City is richer for it.

Check them out on Phoebe’s instagram or Libby’s own art site. You will be glad you did. We all need a little Phoebe in our lives.