Robyn,
The readings and films you are watching sound like great research for your studio practice. When attempting to open your gallery pages for both crits, I have had a very difficult time getting the pages to load. I don't know if everyone is having that issue, if your web host is bogged down, or if the image files are too large, but if you haven't downsized the dpi to 72, that might help.
On your painting page I really like where you are going with the “pixel” images. The tan and brown one with stripes texture is gorgeous, especially in the close up where you can see all the paint layers too. In the three works on paper (in cool colors), before you added the yellow patterning on them, the one in the middle and on the right almost seemed to be details from an impressionistic photograph. I would have liked to seen those pushed further without the patterns and based on a photographic “self-portrait”. I don't know that the patterns added to them or felt like they held any particular meaning. The panel with blue background covered in red tulip-looking strokes really appeals to me as does the one two images down from that with the magenta under flesh tone. As you added layers on this one I also wanted to see it kept simpler, but maybe just as an accompaniment to the one with yellow and white pixel blocks. The strange zebra bubble shapes in the white and yellow paint are intriguing and I like how you made those layers more subdued as you went on. Finally, the paintings at the bottom of that post had me going, “Ooh, Yeah!” Great work. It looks like you are having great fun in the studio and the results of your hard work are paying off! On the photographic painting studies page, I would like to see a version of the montage at the bottom of the page without the three stripes wide segments. I find them too distracting at that size, but otherwise I love the landscape that it brings to mind.
Looking forward to seeing some of them in real life, Stephanie
Hello Robyn!
How crazy only 7 weeks till we will all see one another again! I am extremely excited to see the big paintings you are working on for NYC and for your show in March. I love that they will be BIG! Your work is going to sing and a whole other tune. About the website being a self portrait. I believe that is apparent visually, with the your writings, how are you foreseeing those follow that same “template” for lack a of a better description? I love your writings. You have a gift when it comes to arranging those 26 letters into a well thought out, deep, yet sarcastic and witty.
You can tell that research is a huge part of your practice even through your casual conversation. I believe that a book is in the works of the series of writings, maybe turning into the self portrait, or at least a layer to it. I envy your stamina and self discipline in the studio and with your website. They are marvelous and well thought out. Have you sent some of your writings into a publication? I could see you writing reviews for real!
Like I stated in your other crit, this body of work I am absolutely digging and can see being pushed even further conceptually. (i.e. books! books! books!) adult illustrations of some sort I am not sure, but I can see them organized for an intimate viewing. Having them in your hand and being a part of them and in turn of you. Just another thought:)
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
best,
L
Hi Robyn,
You’ve done an impressive amount of work. It’s obvious that you are prolific, thoughtful and engaged. While I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to speak to your open letter, I feel it’s important for all of us to be actively engaged in the art world dialogue and I appreciate your participation. I think you’ve articulated your position clearly and to great effect.
You document your work meticulously and it’s aspirational. There is no doubt that your website is wonderful document of your process and it is a wonderful self-portrait.
I’m looking forward to seeing your work in NY as it has been impressive to see the stages, the close ups, the process pieces, over the course of this semester.
Thanks for sharing!
-Abbe
Hi Robyn!
Thanks for your post.
I had read Dr.Nechvatal’s Open Letter to Frank Stella in Hyperallergic when it came out, and felt the same way about it as you did. Your response certainly did take an unexpected direction and I applaud your hutzpah! By the way, I believe you’re right about the tag being changed from reviewer to reactor. Your statements regarding retrospectives are spot on! I loved the metaphor you used; “The work in a retrospective is like the taxidermy lion in a natural history museum”, and confess that it is likely that I will borrow that analogy in future discussions (I will attribute it, however!). When someone engages in a critique like this without truly contextualizing it, it does the work a great disservice, not to mention the display of arrogance toward the artist. Bravo to you!
This type of “reactor” article seems to be an unfortunate trend in which the author feels free to make unsubstantiated and facile comments about an artist’s work rather than a bona fide critique..
Jesse Eisenberg just wrote a tongue-in-cheek article for the New Yorker from the viewpoint of a film critic, “An Honest Film Review” which I think you might enjoy reading, along with the responses of film critics as summarized in Entertainment weekly:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/an-honest-film-review
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/11/18/jesse-eisenberg-new-yorker-story-film-critics
I’ve been thinking about your idea of the website as self-portrait, and would like to pose a question: have you thought of restructuring the site so that it is less directly connected to TI and more about you? You have titled different sections directly tying them to TI courses, but what if you were to remove those tags and replace them? Less pragmatic, granted, but as you’ve removed the password to your site it there’s an expectation that a general public would be looking at the site…so what if the tags were posed as autobiographical questions? I feel that the content in general is reflects the idea of self-portraiture, but that the way in which it is presented is academic…I would love to set up a Skype discussion with you about this , as I don’t feel as though I’ve been able to corral my thoughts clearly here…
Looking forward to more of this discussion!
Deborah