narangkar and painting

2008-05-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

Hey! Check it out: The Chron's Ken Baker finally reviews not one, not two, but THREE good painting shows!

Of course, an art critic when talking about painting usually has to bring up "the fraught condition of representation in 21st century painting", or the "the cultural circumstances that make abstract painting look absurd", ore he might just lose his rep as sort of a "champion" of new genres, risking being seen as on the cusp of all cutting edge trends period. So, although it's great to see Baker review three painting shows (and to his credit he does give painting about 1/10th of his time), it's getting tiresome to see this circular debate go on and on to no conclusive end.

In the May 2008 issue of Vogue Magazine, Michael Govan (the new director of LACMA) is quoted definitively as saying "Painting is Dead", while showing off his own collection of purely sculpture, furniture, video and installation. Govan, unfortunately is about a decade behind the most current movement in contemporary art - Painting, and unfortunately the Broad Museum of Contemporary Art will be the first to experience the hurt that's going to follow his statement. Plus how many times must a curator, writer or collector declare the death of Painting? How many times have we heard it all before?

No matter how many trends come and go in contemporary art, Painting will always be relevant, and this is proven by the ubiquity of painting as a centuries-old institution, and as a building block for most mediums and new genres, and even with the recent arrival of art stars like Cecily Brown, Dana Schutz and Kristin Baker as household names. Here's the latest Vogue feature on Kristen Baker.

Regardless of Painting NOT being dead nor showing any sign of dying ever, I've observed a trend in contemporary art, especially at the grad school level, to deliberately circumvent Painting in an attempt to appeal to curators making absurd and revolving claims about Painting. This will ultimately eat itself with an over saturation of marginal installation works that display no apparent concept, no real craftsmanship and no technological innovation.

2008-04-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

A while ago, Timothy Buckwalter had me contribute to a series of essays for KQED. It's live now and you can read mine here.

Michele Ramirez at the San Leandro Museum

2008-04-12T12:19:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the grand opening of Michele Ramirez's solo show "Bypasses and Intersections: Scenes from the Other California" at the San Leandro Museum & Art Gallery. We went out to celebrate her first official museum show, then headed over to her place for some wine, carnitas w/ rice and beans. Boy oh boy were those carnitas tasty! Michele's work was brilliant - there were some really unexpected gems in the show, for example the ones of the freeway overpasses. I was, as usual, blown away. Also, she was just accepted into the Stonehouse Residency program for one month this summer. Congratulations Michele! Now I leave you with some of my personal picks from the show:

2008-04-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Finally got a chance to hang out at my friend Adam5100's studio a couple of sundays ago. Adam is working diligently on his solo show that opens at the Stussy Store in the Haight this month. Then, in late May he's going to have a solo show at Rowan Morrison Gallery. Adam works really hard on his work. I'm super impressed with not only his abilities and working style, but also his work ethic and humble approach to all art making in general. I'm starting to wonder where that SECA nomination is right about now... ya know?

Adam's studio is very small for the scale of work he's doing.

This is a view of layers upon layers of intricately cut stencils.

Adam also does some really great figure stencils that are a little more character-like rather than from life.

Lucky for him, he works in relative privacy, so his mess offends few.

GWPC Mural

2008-03-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

Just wrapped up a nice big mural over at the GWPC climbing gym in Oakland. Here's the finished work measuring 27 feet by 13 feet. Just Pete and I worked on it and it's taken every Sunday since mid-January.

...started by painting in the telephone poles in black...

...then added all the power lines...

...here's pete adding color...

he worked mostly on the cool blue shades whereas I worked mostly on the pinks, oranges and violet hues...

...our setup...

The finished painting. That window there looks out to the climbing walls, so now and then while painting, up would come some curious climber - probably more interested in their route than us though.

recent portfolio additions:

2008-02-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

just added these new paintings to my portfolio

"Millenium Park", 60" x 60", oil on canvas

"Torso #1", 24" x 24", oil on panel

"Torso #2", 24" x 24", oil on panel

Missed Again

2008-01-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

So bummed to have missed this show that was at the San Jose Museum of Art. Got word of a NYTimes review of the collection, which is now moving to NYU's Grey Art Gallery through April 5, 08.

Here are some images from the show (taken from nytimes.com.... shh...)

La Femme a la Cafeteria

2008-01-24T16:07:00.000-08:00

...one from the Master

sketchbooks ahoy

2008-01-07T11:41:00.001-08:00

I guess you could call it an obsession at this point...

There's something about the need to carry a compact little journal in my purse "just in case" that keeps the accumulation of small journals somewhat of an obsession. Some of the above books are still blank and are waiting patiently in the queue. Some are totally full, and some are cast-aways, after having been proven they are useless, either too small, or too bulky. Some stay in the studio, some come with me wherever I go. Some are bound accordion-style, and some are bound with nice, heavy duty watercolor paper (like the grey and black one I got at the Sennelier store in Paris).

Europe by far has better sketchbooks than the States. That's what prompted us at Rowan Morrison to carry our own Euro Sketchbooks, each with their own screenprinted scroll logo on the front.

Here are some of my favorite drawings that I came across this morning:
I'm always trying to draw the cutest possible picture of Roo.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, taken from a collaborative journal between myself, pete, celest and griffin, circa 2003. I like the brown paper in this one.

This butter dish is now broken.

This drawing sums up my sentiments exactly.

Toby always needed a spot to snuggle - we miss you, T.

Prague, summer 2005

Prague and its neverending causeways of cake buildings.

I drew this on the plane.

...from life... just kidding, it's really from a sex advice magazine from the 70's.

This is my first entry in my most recent acquisition, designed by both Pete and I, it's the Rowan Morrison Found Paper Journal. The drawing is a diagram for a fair-isle pattern. All you need is graph paper, eh.

I can't recall the story behind this drawing.

This is Big Boy Bert.

Accordion scroll that I started in 2004 with all anatomical drawings.

Thomas Noskowski

2007-12-30T11:41:00.000-08:00

Pete and I both have colds, so we're planning on ringing in the New Year with some hot bowls of Green Chili Stew. For Fuck's Sake - after 11 years of living here, I finally find out that this whole time I've been able to mail order the stuff! So, without hesitation, I ordered some during the fall's harvest season and, eight weeks later, my freezer is 10lbs heavier with some o' the ol' new mexico crack - Green Chilis. mmmm'... if you're from New Mexico, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Artwise, I ran into an article in W Magazine about Thomas Noskowski. What struck me (rather bluntly) about this artist is his commitment to painting small as a way of making art work available to people of all income levels and classes. In the 60's he rejected painting large because paintings of such a scale were only accessible to museums, banks, corporate collections or rich people - the very establishment they were all trying so hard to address. So I really respect his outlook, and that he's kept up with it to this day - when scale is often used deliberately as a vehicle to fool the viewer into thinking the work is far more monumental than it really is.

I leave you with some images by Noskowski:

holiday bash

2007-12-16T16:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who made it out for our big holiday bash - and a bash it was... The group show came together really well, as expected with such a diverse mob of artists, ranging from veterans to wet-behind-the-ears and a whole lot in between. Here's some shots of the whole show:
Right Side

Left Side. Mine are the nudes, titled Torso #1 and Torso #2

Jen Siska

Carl Auge

Hannah Henry

Michele Ramirez

Sean Boyles

Mitsy Ávila Ovalles

Christopher Russell standing below his two paintings

Mike Young and Seth Artmstrong

this mob

Carl

Roughnecks

Have a Merry Christmas everyone, and a very Happy New Year too! We're out.

HoHoWaaaa!

2007-12-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

Pete and Rachel Glover, Christmas 1979

Paint By Needle Reviews:

2007-11-23T12:42:00.000-08:00

Jakki Spicer says:
"Two artists use stitching as their medium in this show at the Rowan Morrison Gallery. Narangkar Glover embroiders and paints on her canvases, the most interesting of which is a color wheel in thread. The color wheel is usually a basic exercise in color theory, asking the artist to blend her paints so as to better understand the relation of one color to another. But Glover's use of thread means that there is no organic relation; by its very nature one piece of string cannot bleed into and affect another. Yet, it does demonstrate the technique of embroidery -- different stitchings produce different shades of color -- and the tricks of the eye -- different textures and juxtapositions of colors produce new colors. AkoCastuera's works are another story entirely: dolls, scarves, and tapestries portray a combination of monsters, UFOs, and severed limbs. They belie their cuddly soft texture with their gory subject matter."

- East Bay Express, November 23rd

...and Isabelle Ringer says:
"When we arrived, artists Narangkar Glover and Ako Castuera were taking off their shoes and celebrating their successful opening with cold beers. --Away from the throngs, Tick and I eased into the gallery and this most curious show of knitting (by Castuera) and crewel embroidery (by Glover). Knitted into Castuera's scarves and objet d'art are spiders and trolls and other magical critters. By contrast, Glover's embroidery was created without narrative; in fact, her works seem intended to display the power of her craft. --The handwork by both artists is superlative, and yet its effect does not land right away. After several laps around the show, Tick approached Glover's self-portrait (an acrylic painting on black jute embellished with colorful floral embroidery) and began a conversation with the artist. --I could not hear their words, and so began studying their gestures...two women in a gallery, one being an artist and the other a dear friend of mine. And that is when the answer to Tick's question came to me - not in words, but as an image. --Springing forth from Glover's self-portrait, the answer appeared as an aura. It was a life force, an image of beauty that could not prevent itself, and one that I will never forget."

- Piedmont Post, November 7th

you tube clips...

2007-11-19T16:52:00.001-08:00

... and in the name of awesome painting timelapse videos, this one by Daisuke Yamamoto is rediculous:

Rainy Nights

2007-11-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I dragged my old ass out to see a friend's show. Both Never Healed and California Love were supposed to play, but it just wound up Never Healed and a bunch of other bands I don't care about. It was raining all day and night, I had no one to go with me, but I really needed to get out of my own head and environment for a while, plus I wanted to support - so I went, forked over the $2 "membership' for 924 Gilman, and another $8 smackers for the bands.

These are all the teeny-boppers crowding around some band that decided to "be different" and perform on the floor. Dumb.

guitarist of Never Healed, which is who I went to see. Turns out the girlfriend of the singer, Maya, is an old friend from about 9 or 10 years ago. I guess I wasn't the only thirty-something at Gilman that night... phew! But it is a testament once again that we do indeed live in a small, small world.

G.

Tags with phone lights make for some wack photos.

My ears rang for about 6 hours - even with earplugs. Nothing like an underage hardcore show to make one feel like a major burn out! Welp, back home to my little Roo, who kept me warm and cozy for the rest of the night.

October Paper Quilt Project

2007-11-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

I just sent off my little piece for the Paper Quilt Project, which is something like a group collage where everyone works on a tiny 3 x 5 piece of paper, and the person organizing it puts them all together - neat idea.

But, as always with these things, they always run way late, and then expect the artists to hurry their shit up. I sent mine in on time and I get an email back "well, my scanner is broken, so it won't be posted for two more weeks" - why did you give me a deadline then?

I'm pretty much over these things - lesson learned for the last time, I hope...

Back to painting...

Opening Photos - 11.02.07

2007-11-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

My Family

Ako's Family

John Casey and Derek Weisberg

Deth and Marci

Me and Moms

Nic, Debra and Miriam

Ako, the superstar of the night

Ako and Rob

Don Day

Bio

2007-11-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

Born: 1974
Education: California College of Arts and Crafts
1996-1999, BFA with Distinction

Artist Statement
I am a traditional figurative painter. My approach to figurative work is expressed through formal and academic principles that pay strict reverence to modernist ideals, yet I allow room for interdisciplinary exploration. This approach has led me to experiment with traditional crewel embroidery alongside painting. My work conveys, not only in the subject but also in the medium itself, a sense of belonging, a connection to humanity and ancestry, and a deep understanding of the profundity of making art: process, progress and narrative. It really is about putting the experience into the object itself.

Select Exhibitions

2007
Rowan Morrison Gallery, Oakland - "Paint By Needle", November 2007
Tinlark Gallery, Hollywood - Group Show, January 2007

2006
TwentyTwo Shoes, Oakland - Solo Exhibit, September 2006 - March 2007
Harvard University, Cambridge- "Paint Chips Paintings", September 2005 - September 2006
Blankspace Gallery, Oakland - "Holidayland" December 2006

2005
Arena 1 Gallery at the Santa Monica Art Studios - "Fresh stART Los Angeles" February 12th, 2005
OTSU, San Francisco - Solo Exhibit, December 2004 - April 2005
Low Gallery, San Francisco - "The Gravy Train", November 2005
The Richshaw Stop, San Francisco - "The Final Expression!", September 2005
The Attic , Santa Cruz - “Nuevo Abo”, April 2005

2004
Buzz Gallery, Oakland - “De Profundis”, October 2004
Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA - “Go West!” Juried Exhibition, July - August 2004
Modart, San Diego - “Keep A Breast”, July 2004
Subject Matter Gallery, Costa Mesa - “Nuevo Abo”, June 2004
21 Grand, Oakland - Group Show, May 2004
Spanganga Gallery, San Francisco - New Expressions “Spring Break”, April 2004

2003
Mojo’s, Oakland - Solo Exhibit, January-March 2003
Needles and Pens, San Francisco - “To Do List” group show, November 2003
21 Grand, Oakland - Group Show, May 2003

2002
Ardency Gallery, Oakland - “Priced To Sell”, September - October 2002
21 Grand, Oakland - “Symptom”, June 2002
Modart / Triple Five Soul, New York - “Keep A Breast”, October - November 2002

2001
Hey! Gallery, Oakland - “Blue”, March, 2001
Hey! Gallery, Oakland - Group Show, January 2001

1999
Isabel Percy West at CCAC, Oakland - "Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con" May, 1999

Commissions

Touchstone Climbing GWPC, Oakland, 2008: Mural
Emmanuel Canteras, 2007: Portrait

Professional Experience

Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga - "Young Artists in Residence" 2006, Painting Teacher
California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland - T.A. for Animation Art taught by Laurence Arcadias

Bibliography and Publications

East Bay Express, November 2007: Review of "Paint By Needle", Jakki Spicer
San Francisco Chronicle, November 11th, 2007 Photo Credit for "Paint By Needle"
Piedmont Post, November 2007: Review of "Paint By Needle", Isabelle Ringer
Ready made Magazine, December 2007: Paint Chip Wallet feature
Making Stuff - An Alternative Craft Book, 2006: Nara Passport Holder feature
San Francisco Chronicle, December, 2005: "Green Gift Guide" featuring Paint Chip Wallets
East Bay Express, October 2004: write-up for "De Profundis" at Buzz Gallery
Kitchen Sink Magazine, 2002: photo for "Symptom" at 21 Grand
Readymade Magazine, 2003: review of Nara Paint Chip Wallets
Push Skateboard Magazine, 2002: interview with skateboarder Jessie VanRochoudt

"De Profundis" at Buzz Gallery, 2004

Contact

2007-10-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

email: narangkar at narangkar.com

studio: 332 40th street, oakland, ca 94609

phone: 510.541.8693

Paint By Needle

2007-10-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

Friday November 2nd, 2007
Rowan Morrison Gallery
"Paint by Needle"
The Textile works of Narangkar Glover and Ako Castuera

Details from the works that will be on exhibit

As I gather the bits and pieces together and work frantically to finish up my last pieces, I'm being reminded of the work of many talented contemporary artists whose work is also in the textile-soft-sculpture-visual-art category. Here are just a few of our picks:

Laura Splan

"Underneath" (installation) 2003, cosmetic facial peel, wood, metal, thread, blood

Frances Trombly is a Miami Artist showing at Steven Wolf this month, and has a write up by Kenneth Baker at SFgate.

"Balloons" 2004, crochet

Anu Tuominen is Swedish, I think.

Maria Porges is an Oakland sculptor perhaps known more for her wax sculptures, but this I'm very familiar with, as it's as the Berkeley Art Museum:

"Bomboozle", 2003, felted wool, dimensions variable, 48” x 48”

Tonya Solley Thornton just moved from Oakland to Ashville, NC

"Merry Go Cake", mixed media, 5'9"

Lacey Jane Roberts knits with a little toy that makes I-chords. At CCA she made a giant, bright pink, chain link fence with I-chords. Here's another of hers:

And here's a preview of my work that will be showing here at Rowan Morrison Gallery and Artist's Bookstore.

"Color Wheel", 18" x 18", Crewel Embroidery on Jute

Upcoming Shows

2007-10-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

Now permanently on view, at the GWPC climbing gym, is a 27' x 13' mural painted by myself and my husband Pete:

December 15th, 2007 5pm - 10pm
Rowan Morrison Gallery

(Rowan Morrison Low Commission Group Show)

28 of our favorite artists have been asked to exhibit a few small pieces of work to hang in the 332 portion of Rowan Morrison (which is our studio). Since I've put the list of artists together, I will be adding a few new paintings to the wall. The gallery is taking only 15% commission on the sales of any works - this is hopefully an incentive for art collectors to support some of our personal favorites.

In addition to the group show, Rowan Morrison's latest book publication, "Killer Cuts and Killing Shapes" by Tokyo artist Royhei Tanaka will be unveiled.

RoMo will be offering a 10% discount on all books and paper goods.

Come on out and enjoy champagne and holiday treats on us! We want to party with you, because it's you that's helped us get this far!

Work will be available for purchase until December 22nd.

November 2nd - December 22nd, 2007
Rowan Morrison Gallery
"Paint by Needle"
The Textile works of Narangkar Glover and Ako Castuera

Details
In this split show both artists exhibit a series of new textiles that explore the concepts of using these traditional mediums to express their own currents of artistic practice and ideas. The artists combine their love for the needle arts to create elaborate, colorful, and very narrative work that is most characteristic of traditional and expressionist painting.

Narangkar's works literally combine crewel embroidery with paint to convey a cohesive personal narrative that cuts through the obvious paradox of using one medium to express another. A common thread in her work is the use of the figure and the self portrait, which is primarily expressed through very formal principles in modernist painting, yet allowing room for interdisciplinary exploration. Throughout her career, Narangkar has consistently used old fashioned art forms, from hand drawn animation shot on film and optically printed, to crewel embroidery, to an ongoing dedication to the institution of painting. Her work conveys, not only in the subject but also in the medium itself, a sense of belonging, a connection to humanity and ancestry, and a deep understanding of the profundity of making art: process, progress and narrative.

While saturated color is a running visual theme for the exhibit, Ako Castuera offers an entirely different beast. Castuera is a freelance illustrator from Los Angeles, and character artist for the animated TV program, “Metalocalypse”, which satisfies her blood-thirst for drawing monsters and unfortunate people. For Ako, knitting is a challenging and stimulating process that fuels her interest in craft and narrative. Structure and image are simultaneously created one stitch at a time using various traditional knitting techniques to create colorful woolen pictures that are largely freestyle and unplanned. They show the energy and unexpected decision making of one who is testing new waters, and reflect the artist's mythical view of everyday life, from glimpses of the suburbs (as familiar as knitting itself) to portraits of monsters you will NEVER see anywhere else.

Narangkar Glover, "Color Wheel", 18" x 18", Crewel Embroidery on Jute

Ako Castuera, "Roadkill", 8.5" x 15.5", Hand Knit Wool

For Press Kit or images email info at rowanmorrison.com

We Stole Three Bikes...

2007-09-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

...is screening in Chicago!

ArtXposium
September 21st - 23rd, 2007
103 West Washington Street in West Chicago, IL 60185

Thanks to Stephanie Dean for getting this film (that dates back to 1998) in a contemporary art show. If you are in Chicago, go check it out, and make sure you check out her work. Her work is probably some of the most interesting photography by any of my own peers that I am aware of.

Here's the synopsis of "We Stole Three Bikes", but no, I don't have any digitized stills.

We Stole Three Bikes (1998) is a 16mm short film that tells an abbreviated excerpt of Sam Shepard’s Motel Chronicles. The film combines a variety of animation techniques that are all but considered long gone. Hand drawn cells, ink on paper, hand painted and scratched film, optical printing, traveling mattes, and photocopy distortion.

The film was done as my thesis project during my senior year at the California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts) in Oakland, California. Under the guidance of Barney Haynes, David Sherman and Richard Beggs, I developed my work by exploring traditional techniques, fine art practices and technological experimentation. With the help of Stephanie Dean, and voice over narrative of Pete Glover the sound was recorded and mastered digitally using Pro Tools, then transferred to mag reel using a rigged system in the ever evolving Film/Video/Performance department.

Each scene in the film is a jump from one style to another. This was all done non-digitally using a behemoth of an Animation Stand and a JK Optical Printer. The scenes jump from elegantly drawn frames to rough, scratchy abstraction, to dark black inked cycles in order to evoke the sense of confusion and isolation the author expresses as an adult having a distant childhood memory.

The narrative of the film is a means to utilize both formal techniques and expression. The writing of this particular short nested within Motel Chronicles uses literal descriptions, memories, thoughts and feelings – a beautiful work of writing that lends itself to any form of visual art that can express and even relate to complex emotions. As with my painting, I care deeply about personal meaning and significance, all the while maintaining a focus on the formal backbone of visual art.

New Portfolio

2007-09-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

It's Labor day, and I've just redone the Portfolio section of my site, and added new work.

Click Here

Hope you like it!

Jeff Wall at Art Institute of Chicago

2007-08-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were in Chicago. We visited with my friend Stepahanie Dean who is an incredible and accomplished photographer. Naturally we all headed over to the Art Institute of Chicago to see the Impressionist and Modern Art collection (omg Toulouse-Lautrec and Manet!) and the current Jeff Wall show.

I really liked "Double Self Portrait".

"Picture for Women" is exceptional too.

These two were on a smaller scale, like 30 x 40, and had a much gentler and subtle beauty to them. They struck me as compositional and formal studies.

I'm glad I got the chance to go with a photo person because, as a painter, I am practically ignorant of relevant contemporary photography, and I was able to open up to the one medium with which I am often confounded with. Rather, I was prompted to simply enter the exhibit, and once I got the gist, I really understood what makes this work good. It's not that photography has a completely separate set of formal guidelines for judging its quality as a work of art. And that Wall's focus is so intent on using modern painting as a launching point, and I may add it is very reverential, his work is a good epitomy for crossing the boundaries between painting (an additive medium) and photo (a subtractive medium).

Tobias the Cat

2007-08-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

Tobias, 1996 - 2007
Rest in Peace kitty, we'll miss you