Irina Koukhanova: Panoptic Landscape

Irina Koukhanova | The Lookout

Irina Kouhanova's Panoptic Landscape presents as a boldly graphic exhibit at first blush. The prints are stark in black, red and grey, the cast tiles are starkly simple, and the sculptures are strong punctuations.

The imagery pays tribute to solitary, wild hybrid man-bird figures. In some, the indication of man-made structures dominates. But there is a dystopian theme that runs through the landscapes and figures that populate it.

I like this singular approach to the discipline of printing. Ms. Kouhanova produced prints that were a combination of a couple of blocks, with variations in color and sequence.

Several sculptural works are included in the exhibit, many of which are fully integrated and free-standing. These incorporated multiple materials, with painted wood supporting smal cast bronzes. The imagery was consistent with the graphic themes in the prints.

Irina Kouhanova | Pomegranate I

There is one piece in the exhibit that really resonated with me. Pomegranate I is small, at about 16" in height (with the base, it's 22"). It has delicate patinas in green and red with bronze softly shimmering through. The light play along its twined and curved surfaces is restless and liquid, catching in the seeds of the pomegranate halves. It got in behind my eyes and pulled my stomach though my throat. It brought to mind all those things that I had conquered and the rest that remain.

Panoptic Landscape is a very strong show, and I would highly recommend taking a trip to BoxHeart to see it. The exhibit is open through May 16.

2014 Artist of the Year: Irina Kouhanova
Panoptic Landscape (Exhibit images)
On exhibit from March 18th through May 16th, 2014
BoxHeart Gallery

BoxHeart Inter/National 2014

Each year, BoxHeart curates an exhibit of a far-flung group of visual artists, and it's always a good. This year is no exception. Really, a very lovely exhibit, and very tightly curated. The exhibit this year features delicate, detailed works in sculpture, drypoint and mixed media.

Elisa Mearelli (detail)

Elisa Mearelli Coleottero

 The above is a detail of Elisa Mearelli's work, pictured on the left. Which is one very good reason that I think you have to see this exhibit. The work made me curious about the process, and I found an article on Wikipedia about it. The Inter/National features three of Mearelli's works, all of them created in drypoint and each delicate and detailed.

Ms Roberts-Holland's work, while still delicate, has an exuberant quality. The below is a detail, but you really get a feel for the layers and light play in the work.

Nicole Roberts-Holland Personal Screen Blue and Gold

 Doerte Weber created a very contemplative piece using natural fibers. What really makes the piece interesting is it's subtle light interplay. I had mentioned that the works for the exhibit came from a far flung group of artists. Just a little FYI! Doerte Weber is from Germany, but the work's reference is Texas.

Doerte Weber Texas Brush Country

 I was really struck by Tamar Roded's painting. She has left the work untitled, but from her description, I found that her work is informed by the industrial town in which she lives:

Roded's attraction to urban and industrial subject matter is partly evoked by the environment she grew up in, a small town in the Judean desert. As she walked through the town's empty streets, surrounded by a wide open view of quiet beauty, it always felt like time passed very slowly.

More about Ms. Roded's vision, as well as the other artists in this exhibit, can be found on BoxHeart's website.

Tamar Roded Untitled

BoxHeart has recently changed its exhibition schedule, and the exhibits will be on display for a longer period. But don't procrastinate! March will (hopefully) be here before you know it!

The 13th Annual Art Inter/National Exhibition
January 14 - March 14, 2014
BoxHeart Gallery

Mommy, I want art for Christmas!

Do you, Virginia, do you really?

You're in luck, 'cause there's a lot of great stuff happening over the next two weekends!

Small Business Saturday is tomorrow. I'm sure that you have favorite store that you intend to patronize. One of mine is BoxHeart Gallery, located in Bloomfield.

Blooming with Holiday Spirit at BoxHeart Gallery

 Enjoy holiday goodies while shopping for unique gifts of original artwork. In addition, they'll be offering 10% OFF all purchases and providing FREE gift wrapping!

Small Business Saturday Celebration:
Saturday, November 30th: Noon - 5pm
Free and Open to the Public.

- 10% OFF All Purchases!
- Free Gift Wrapping!
- Holiday Goodies!

Holiday Book Sale at Belvedere's Ultra Dive

Hosted by Small Press Pittsburgh, the Holiday Book Sale is gonna be great for all gifts Lit. The sale takes place at Belvedere's Ultra Dive on Sunday, December 1.

Browse selections from some of Pittsburgh's Best Bookstores, for the book lovers on your holiday gift list! New books, used books, art books, photography books, graphic novels, small press books, bestsellers, books on sale, cards, and more. More info

It's an Unblurred Holiday

Taking place, as usual, on the first Friday of the month (December 6). Tons of great opportunities to find those really unique gifts, for yourself or a special person. Check out the line up.

Pittsburgh Glass Center Holiday Glass Sale

The Pittsburgh Glass Center has events going throughout the weekend, starting with Unblurred on Friday December 6. On Saturday and Sunday -

"Funky, fanciful and functional glass will be for sale for three days only! Regional artists will display handmade art and jewelry in all price ranges. Hot glass demonstrations will be ongoing on Friday evening. If you'd rather make your own glass ornament, you can on Saturday from 10am-4pm. Make a blown glass ornament for $35 or a fused glass ornament for $25." more info

Handmade Arcade

"Enjoy this earth friendly sampling of handmade goods from Handmade Arcade artists. Because nothing feels better than giving a gift that reduces, reuses, recycles and inspires others to do the same. Come out to see the rest of our amazing artists and craftspeople at this year’s Handmade Arcade, Saturday, December 7th at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center." more info

This is far from a complete list of all of the great things happening in Pittsburgh during the holiday season. The Small Business Saturday event and the weeks leading up to Christmas are going to be full! Enjoy, and stay safe.

KUZANA OGG: Urbane

Kuzana Ogg - From Left: Carnac Road, Churchgate Street, Dadar

My first thought when I walked into Box Heart to see the annual Artist of the year exhibit was that Urbane is a beautiful show. The air shimmered with color and light, and gave me a sense of peace. I though, here is someone who is pursuing intense beauty in their work. Not that sticky sweet beauty that is confused with prettiness, but real heart stopping beauty.

Kuzana Ogg has an exceptional grasp of color, and a fine hand with her media. The paintings are composed from delicate layers of translucent pigment, holding their own shimmering light. Her color choices are finely chosen and sophisticated, with an emphasis on warm and cool contrast. The works are patterned without being overwhelmingly busy, with expanses of muted tones playing an important counterpoint.

Included among the paintings are a few small textile works, which look a little like crazy quilts. I gather that textiles, along with cellular biology and urban development, are where Ms. Ogg finds her inspiration. From the show description --

The transformation of Ogg's paintings from organic imagery to patterned shapes resembling silk saris to geometric urban shapes offer a glimpse into the divine and the derivative idea that biological and botanical entities share fundamental similarities.

It seems to me that these inspirations are simply a vehicle for explorations in self and expression. There is a complexity apparent in these paintings that take them beyond beauty. I like the way Ms. Ogg successfully challenges the confines of her plane, especially in the above triptych. It seems so effortless, doesn't it? But the ground to figure relationship in this instance could have been static and dead if it wasn't done with a demonstrated understanding of composition.

Kuzana Ogg: Urbane at BoxHeart Gallery

Seriously beautiful show. Urbane is on exhibit through March 2, and Ms. Ogg's work will continue to be available at Box Heart.

February 5, - March 2nd, 2013
Urbane
Paintings by Box Heart's 2013 Artist of the Year
KUZANA OGG

Minimally Charged | Drawings and Paintings by Jackie Hoysted

Jackie Hoysted at Box Heart Gallery

I stopped in BoxHeart Gallery last week to see their recent exhibit Minimally Charged: Drawings and Paintings by Jackie Hoysted. It is a striking show of contemporary portraiture. The works are invariably of figures on fields of solid color, and the majority are works on paper.

An intense portrait, Lucretia (pictured below), is hung prominently in the front of the gallery. It is one of the larger paintings in the exhibit. The background is a rich red, with the figure and the ground interplay throughout. The work is stark, combining gestural line, brushstroke and a flat expanse of ground. Minimally charged, indeed. Although it is somewhat a misnomer since in fact there is a considerable amount of intensity within this portrait as well as the others.

Definitely not a restful exhibit, the works have a frenetic quality in the figure that is discordant. The simplicity of the grounds really showcase this in a way that a traditional drawing on white paper does not, increasing the tension in the works.

Jackie Hoysted

From Box Heart's site:

Artist Jackie Hoysted has a fascination with the form and how to best represent it. She is drawn to the restful starkness and simplicity offered by minimalism, but she finds more self-truth and identity in expressionism. Her artwork aims to marry these two styles by severely limiting the palette, by confining mark-making only to essential form, and by using a high key and garnish palette to suggest mood and contemplation. Read more

The exhibit continues through next week, including the holiday weekend. If you have a chance to stop by between your family celebrations, it is well worth the trip.


October 30 - November 24, 2012
Minimally Charged
Drawings and Paintings by Jackie Hoysted
Box Heart Gallery

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SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY: Saturday, November 24, 2012
As an aside, Box Heart Gallery is participating in Small Business Saturday, offering a $25. on custom framing projects. And there is plenty to choose from in the gallery that you can have framed for your special gifting needs.