artists #5 & #6: kandinsky & o'keeffe, revisited

kandinsky's picture with a circle

thanks to my near-instant new twitter addiction (as if I needed another internet fixation) I have been pleasantly kept abreast of all the interesting things I need to take advatage of in this amazing city of mine. nyc is absolutely teeming with all kinds of fantastic concerts/events/exhibits/you-name-it that I sometimes can barely keep track of. thankfully, tho, following @guggenheim on twitter has reminded me of two fantastic exhibits going on simultaneously at their own museum and at the whitney. I will not procrastinate until they close in january to see like I did with the guggenheim's 50th anniversary exhibit on frank lloyd wright, which I inadvertantly missed (for shame.)

where wassily kandinsky is known almost entirely for his unique abstract perspective in his work, georgia o'keeffe is generally remembered quite differently, which is what makes the whitney's exhibit of her largely unknown, modernist work so intriguing. time magazine's article, the worlds within, on the two coinciding exhibits was both a great reminder and impetus to check them out, revealing some interesting insight into each artist's modernist inspirations and ventures. perhaps I'll make it to at least one this weekend?

kandinsky

blue mountain

composition 8 - perhaps the most stylistically familiar of his pieces here

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o'keeffe

(I love this photo of her. I had no idea she was also the subject of a nude photo exhibit done by her huband? perhaps that may lead to a later post.....)

early abstraction - is it me or is this not so much abstract as evocative of the neck of a stringed instrument? music was evidently a muse of hers (see title below)

Music, Pink and Blue No. 2 - definitely a precursor to her feminine florals

Black Door with Red - perhaps the least expected by o'keeffe of her pieces here

I can't wait to experience them all in person!

♥

artist #4: donald sultan

hello, dear readers! it's been a long time coming for this next installation in my {attempt at an} artist series, but I do hope it was worth the wait!

meet Donald Sultan. I discovered his work at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) in 2001 (during my brief stint at U of M) and was immdiately captivated by his unique perspective and choice of medium. born in 1951 in North Carolina, much of Sultan's work would be considered still life, although he "describes these works as first and foremost abstract." (read his full bio here and here) I, however, would never have pegged Sultan for a still life artist, much less an abstract one, based on my inital encouter with his work...

artist #3: brian hatton

this just in, folx! (i know. finally.) I know it's been longer than any of us anticipated but I have all of 13 (semi-)faithful followers right now so I figured a few small interim posts while I scoured the blogosphere for purty things and started my hunt for ways to gussy up my blog wouldn't hurt anyone. hehe

so, yes. meet brian hatton, everyone! a fantastic photog who I also met in the walls of MSM. I can't really remember when we first 'met' considering we don't know each other well at all. I do, however, vividly remember catching him mid-photoshoot at what may as well have been a zillion miles away from the school in DUMBO (<--I love Seinfeld's joke printed in the wiki description, btw.) and that was when I realized that the cellist I vaguely knew (yes, he is mutitalented, indeed. and mixed, too! whataya know d:) was also a photog! it wasn't until much later that I would see the fruits of his treks to bk and everywhere else his clients bade him to shoot, but it was certainly worth the wait! and now I am oh-so-pleasantly surprised everytime his beautiful photos (many of them of summer weddings, lately) pop up on my fb feed (: I'm gonna attempt to narrow down a few faves for you here, but don't be shy! check out his site and his blog (which is linked in my sidebar now) when you get a chance! and by all means, hit him up if you're in the ny area!

a beautiful bride

a stylin groom (not hers^^, tho!)

cutie pie

caught red-handed!

a glamourous exit

and he does more than just weddings! (like that performance photo at the start of this entry, for instance...)

♥

artist #2: peter tunney

***new discovery alert!!!***

meet Peter Tunney...

!!!!!

...I'd never heard of him 'til early yesterday evening, either-! I decided on a whim to take a different route home from work, and thank goodness I did! because in the middle of a completely corporate block off of Fifth Ave I stumbled on this incredible gallery! (@ 666 Fifth Ave., to be exact. Kinda creepy, I know.)

these words couldn't have rung truer as I ventured inside to peruse the work in this competely unexpected gem of a space. you can learn more about Tunney by clicking on his mane anywhere in this entry. according to the gallery attendant, Tunney lives in Long Island and works out of a studio in TriBeCa. he is a collector of old books and newspapers which he collages into the pieces you see here, which are only a small part of his work found on his site.

gratitude is definitely the feeling I had after discovering these meaningful pieces. I'll leave you with the message of these last two:

♥

artist #1: olatuja

good morning!

::side note: wow. I drafted this post on the 7th and have been mulling over it for these past few days in addition to having lots of activity going on this past weekend! having not even gotten into this series it's already giving me such a great respect for journalists. deciding the angle to take on a given topic and presenting the information in a way that's relevant and interesting to readers is no small feat! I mean just because I like these artists doesn't mean that you have to, or will, but the aim is to get you to at least check them out, right?! giving you just the right blend of info and mystery (; man, toss in the quick editing and deadlines and I think I'd absolutely melt under all the pressure! that being said, this series will be a great learning experience for me. so onto the first artist.....

meet Michael Olatuja and his wife, Alicia.

Alicia and I met and instantly formed a bond during orientation week at Manhattan School of Music (I was dancing by myself in a corner somewhere and she decided to call me out, ha!) not long after we met we both became involved with the school's Pan-African Student Union (PASU) where we were both introduced to Michael Olatuja and his absolutely infectious music. While Alicia and I were studying classical voice (with the same teacher, at that!), Michael was fine-tuning his already proficient skills on the bass in the jazz department. During our first PASU performance we had a chance to perform one of Michael's original tunes as an ensemble and from there I was completely hooked! (and apparently, so was his future wife (;) Now Alicia wasn't to be slept on, either, and had come to school armed with a killer classical and pop voice along with her self-produced pop demo in hand. Years later, their musical talents have now come together in an absoutely divine(ly inspired) union. And they are both such beautiful souls, to boot.

Well I certainly don't speak for the Olatujas' star-quality alone as they have recently been picked up by ObliqSound, alongside the likes of Gretchen Parlato and Somi Kakoma (who's album was co-written and co-produced by Michael, too! Thanks, Alicia!) Michael's initially self-released, self-titled album has been remastered and (re)released as Speak under Obliq and is available on the label's website above (which I have up in the background now for my listening pleasure- they represent some amazing musicians!) along with the major online music retailers (like iTunes) I know they would jump for joy if you checked it out!

(see, they already have, in eager anticipation! (;)

I have watched Alicia and Michael both grow immensely over the years and will be checking out the new additions to the album that has already long been in heavy rotation on my iPod. I'm so excited that Alicia's vocals have been added to the new version! Her vocals were absolutely a necessary update (:

So once you fall in love with the Olatujas as I have, you NYCers have a chance to check them out live at their album release concert coming up on Wed, August 26th at Joe's Pub on Lafayette. Be there!!!

(and maybe you'll catch a listen to yours truly, too, on bvs *shameless self promo*)

♥ love, love