April 2018

By Donald Kolberg, Art Bookmarks Editor

Monthly highlights of online resources and websites informative and inspiring for artists or art enthusiasts. Most are free. Suggestions are welcomed.

Simple Shape, Complex Painting

John Gibson says, “I paint balls because they are the most simple and fundamentally different thing from the flat surface of a painting that I can think of.” But don’t be fooled by his twenty-five-year obsession with the image. A recent article in Fine Art Connoisseur covering his show at Gerald Peters Gallery, New York, covers why he really doesn’t care much about the ball image. It’s a well-written article about the inner thoughts of an artist on a mission. And if you want more insight into this talented artist check out his essays on his site here.

Circling Back to Creativity

So now let’s go from circles (balls) to spirals. That’s the logo for The Creative Independent, circling back to a core idea over time. It’s a resource of emotional and practical guidance for creative people. Each weekday they explore a variety of themes covering everything from creative beginnings to triumph, failure, and bouncing back. Their “goal is to educate, inspire and grow a community of people who create or dream of creating.” Their site is populated with visual artists, writers, musicians, podcasters, and more. Well worth some exploring!!

Something Special for Artists and Collectors

I know you heard it before. BUT this site, Mutualart.com, gives artists something I haven’t seen before, a database of shows by state, date, or artist. This UK-based art website offers art market analysis, listing auctions, exhibitions for artists, art appraisals and price analysis, event listings, and artist database with over three hundred thousand artists from all over the world. I do not have an account with them nor do I sell for them. There are hundreds of sites offering artist help with everything from art marketing to auctions. There are also hundreds of sites that profess to helping people become collectors. This one, with its analysis and appraisals, provides real data for the amateur and professional collector. I just think this is one that artists and collectors should research.

Artnerd Pretty Much Says It

The Artnerd Society, yes that’s their name, has again put together an amazing list for artists. It consists of four online libraries that every artist and educator should bookmark. I’ll list them here:

Guggenheim Digital Library Collection

The Metropolitan Museum Full Text Virtual Library

Getty Publications Virtual Library

Los Angeles County Museum of Art Reading Room

But don’t miss the article here. It’s not just a list. There are suggestions to get you started, places to download even more art stuff, and even free courses. It’s free to join and definitely worth some time.

Salvador Dalí Painting available

During the 1930s Salvador Dalí’s most famous imagery and most important artworks were created. Now a new work from that period is on view and available at Heather James Fine Art New York, a new private gallery on the Upper East Side. You can see an image of the work here.

According to Nicolas Descharnes: “This is the first known painting in which Dalí reveals to the public the combination of two new recurring obsessions that appear in his work in 1932: a suspended mast, and a window on a wall shown from an outside perspective displaying the darkness of an interior.” As most of his original works are held by museums, it will be exciting to see who might grab this one up. James Carona, founder of Heather James Fine Art says, “It presents a unique opportunity to own an exceptional work with a distinguished provenance that has remained in private hands for over seventy-five years.” I, for one, want to see it before it disappears behind the doors of another private owner!

Fifth Picasso museum to open with large collection of paintings

If you happen to be near the southern French town of Aix-en-Provence in say 2021, you might want to stop by the proposed new Picasso museum being open by Catherine Hutin-Blay, the daughter of Jacqueline Roque, his second wife. According to the Art Newspaper, this collection will have more paintings than the respective collections of the Picasso museums in Paris, Antibes, Barcelona, and Malaga. 

Remember that if you have a question or a site you would like posted here, contact me at dkolberg@thewoventalepress.net

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