Dodging the Downpour

Between downpours I stepped out last night, the flooding dissipated inside the loop by 5 or 6. Space 125 had a good showing, their small gallery is tough to curate without overstuffing the turkey, but they seem to have settled down with this new one.

Mick Johnson, The Clash 2007

"Suddenly One Summer" makes up for a horrible title with a good mix of subdued work. Mick Johnson channels the Clash by cutting out (die-cut?) handwritten lyrics on the edge of a board- set at bench height. EVERYONE should know that no matter what your intentions or connotations are, if you build something flat and horizontal between you knee and your hip people will sit on it. There's nothing you can do, get over it and leave your please do not touch signs at home. Anyway, the three sided bench was a little too illegible to read the lyrics Mick had printed out on the list of works, and it was set in front of a large wall, yellow at the top, magenta below.

Mark Cervenka provides two representational paintings in an olive, sienna and black scheme that is couch friendly. When I was reading the three artist statements I watched two rich ladies walk in front of me and grab his statement alone. How rude! Maybe they have couches that match, but that doesn't mean those gloomy alienated scenes by Cervenka won't ruin your oilman husband's day as the stock market goes down the drain. Mark's paintings are Hopper-ish with more intimacy, maybe interesting despite their traditional construction.

Beth Secor has been doing these intimate portraits for a good decade or more, but it took a busted ankle and a little rest time for her to apply her sketchy arcs of layered color to a medium besides paint. Several portraits here are interesting studies of friends and children, but the one with the mattress pad fabric backing takes the cake- a thread portrait that is not exactly needlepoint nor knitting, but that takes clear strides in execution from Secor's paintings, growing more tactile and achieving an element of time through her recollection of which horrible 50s-60s horror movie she was watching while sewing each portion of the piece. We'll she where she goes with this idea soon enough!

I stopped by the CAMH to check out Nexus Texas before the opening tonight, it was nice to see El Franco Lee II's prominant placement front and center (he's gonna be big). Besides an excess of Sterling Allen in the corner, and a little more Amy Blakemore than I would have liked, the show looks more interesting that I would have expected. Screw those guys from Dallas, but this show might look good!