artsy forager

Tag: Stark + Kent

  • Artsy Spot: Stark + Kent Gallery

    Artsy Spot: Stark + Kent Gallery

    It was a happy accident that I found out about new Palm Springs contemporary gallery, Stark + Kent . I happened to see Samantha French mention an opening at a gallery in Palm Springs on Facebok just a week after Mr. Forager & I were scheduled to arrive in Southern California. Kismet! Even better, when I checked out S+K’s website, I discovered they were representing another pair of artists previously featured on the blog, Signe & Genna Grushovenko. I knew this would be a gallery to get to know better.

    Stark + Kent Gallery
    Painting by Michael Soltis at Stark + Kent

    Begun by two friends with a passion for art and a love for artists, Ross Rhodes and Mike Soltis, Stark + Kent seeks to be a place where both the seasoned collector and the art world novice will feel at home and find work to love. The space is filled with work that captures the eye and the imagination, a well edited and tightly curated space boasts a nicely varied collection of work.

    Stark + Kent
    Artwork by Signe & Genne Grushovenko, Samantha French, Christine Flynn, and Alison Paul
    Stark + Kent
    Artwork by Michael Soltis and John Westmark 

    Although you won’t find “typical” Palm Springs work here, the connections in the work to Southern California are a bit more subtle. Which is a joy to find in a town with streets named after movie stars and a giant Marilyn Monroe sculpture in the center of town.. *wink*

    Stark + Kent
    Gallery exterior

    I do hope if you find yourself in Palm Springs, you’ll stop in at Stark + Kent!  But even if you aren’t in SoCal, you can peruse their website, full of fabulous work and more to come, I’m sure!

    All images by Artsy Forager.

  • Narrative Patterns: John Westmark

    Narrative Patterns: John Westmark

    One memory I have of my grandmother is of she and I in her dining room, sewing patterns spread out over fabric, pinking shears in hand, as she cut out the pieces to yet another new dress for me.  The crunch of that brown tissue paper is now always associated with those times together.  Austin artist John Westmark  incorporates paper sewing patterns into his work, reinterpreting them as he explores feminist narratives, mythical figures, and the segregation of stereotypes.

    Matrimony by John Westmark
    Matrimony, paper sewing patterns and acrylic on canvas, 36×36

    Not only does the artist incorporate the patterns into his work as a means of literal and visual texture, the patterns and their associations are the catalyst behind the explorations of themes in each series.  For instance, in his Folklore series ( including Corona below ), Westmark references the traditions of story telling, incorporating the instructional verbiage of the patterns themselves.  While in his Double Bind series ( including She-Crab below ), he reinterprets these instruments of traditionally feminine work into images of female mythical heroes and warriors.  Adding an additional level of interest, he adds to the patterns custom text from contemporary feminist writings– creating work not just to be seen but to be experienced.

    Corona by John Westmark
    Corona, paper sewing patters and acrylic on canvas, 48×48
    She-Crab by John Westmark
    She-Crab, paper sewing patterns and acrylic on canvas, 36×48

    For his Flight series, Westmark continues the visual conversation between the feminine and masculine by creating a bridge between the typically female sewing patterns and the mechanical drawings of aircraft, usually a more masculine endeavor.  Each patterns upon which to build and construct, looking very similar upon first glance– it is only when we examine more closely and determine their origin that we assign a stereotype to each.

    Mercury by John Westmark
    Mercury, paper sewing patterns and acrylic on canvas, 100×72

    To see more of the phenomenal work of John Westermark, please visit his website.  His work can be seen at Stark + Kent, a contemporary art gallery in Palm Springs, where I first spotted these extraordinary works, or at Gilman Contermporary in Sun Valley, ID, where his solo exhibition, Into the Fold, is showing until January 20, 2013.

    Artist found via Stark + Kent.  All images are via the artist’s website.