They say that when it rains, it pours. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes it rains just enough to disillusion you without going overboard and completely ruining your day. Like this Friday, when Williamsburg was hit with a rather blasé rainstorm that ended up being more of a nuisance than anything else. Good thing there were multiple art openings that night! Can you feel my enthusiasm?
I hate rain. Mostly because my rain gear consisted of a broken red umbrella and a mental list of must-get’s that I’ve never gotten around to actually getting: rain boots, a yellow rain coat and some galoshes, perhaps.
But I shouldn’t complain. No one else seemed affected. The shows were packed as always. It’s just rain, after all, I guess.
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Parker’s Box (193 Grand Street) opened its new show “From Brooklyn with Love” this past Friday. The show runs until June 29, and is a collection of works from 24 local artists. At the show I spoke with photographer Eileen Quinlan, who used mirrors and different types of fabrics to create her piece. Quinlan, a Bostonian who has been living in Williamsburg for the past ten years, says photography is all she does.
Quinlan’s work caught my eye, as did many of the other pieces there. To be honest, I really liked the show. There was one piece that really intrigued me. It was a set of three miniature horse sculptures which were each misshapen. I spent quite a bit of time looking at this piece and trying to capture the perfect photo, but I was unsuccessful at snapping a shot that represented the piece well. You’ll just have to go and see it for yourself! It’s hard to miss as it is in the middle of the gallery and stands alone.
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Ch’i (293 Grand Street) opened “Bitches Brew” on May 9, a solo show by artist Tamara Kowal. This must be one of my all time favorite exhibits to date. It was a mix of paintings and installations by Kowal, whose work was fanciful and full of colors! The delicate precision of her brush strokes reminded me of fairies and flowing garments. There were even colored balloons all over the floor which made for a festive atmosphere. The best part of the show, however, was the giant sculpture of what looked like a cave or a portal to another world. The show is up until June 6 and is definitely worth the trip.
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My last stop of the evening was at Cinders Gallery (103 Havemayer Street), where “Move 16: Don’t Paint Your Teeth” opened. Curated by Rich Jacobs, the how asked multiple artists to create a drawing using either pencil, ballpoint pen, or a sharpie.
“It’s a show to celebrate drawing,” said Jacobs. “The artists chose the medium and could draw whatever they wanted. It was an interesting concept, and it was fun to see what people drew.”
One artist, Rob Leecock, managed to recreate the likeness of a fox using a ballpoint pen and it looked so lifelike! Have you ever tried to draw hair with a ballpoint pen? I haven’t, but it sure looks hard. Leecock said he gathered his courage and inspiration to attempt the recreation by studying animal anatomy and pictures of animals.
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