Studio and Art News

I haven’t posted much this week as I have started painting in my neighbor’s shed. It’s the first time I have used oil paints or had a studio in almost two years, so the internet just hasn’t been as important for me this week.

I forgot how much oils smell, but I also forgot how much fun they are. I like the idea of growing a painting, letting it develop over time, and not feeling pressured into finishing it at any point. So oils are perfect for me.. and I’m starting to like the smell again!

Anyway, here’s what has been happening lately..

• ArtInfo pops into the studio and mind of the scrap metal merchant and sculptor John Chamberlain. Here’s a quote by the man “I’m basically a collagist. I put one thing together with another thing. I sort of invented my own art supplies. I saw all this material just lying around against buildings and it was in color, so I felt I was ahead on two counts there.”
• Listen to the Guardian’s Jonathan Jones and the Tate Modern’s Nicholas Serota bestow praise on Cy Twombly.
• ArtDaily mentioned the Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art auction in London where artist records were the theme of the night. Artists that achieved auction records were Jeff Koons ($25,752,051), Antonio Lopez ($2,760,863), Michael Andrews ($1,967,939), Gilbert & George ($3,765,275), Nicolas de Stael ($3,430,451), Syed Haider Raza ($2,537,587), Karin Mamma Andersson ($1,030,879), and Yan Pei-Ming ($2,046,512).
• NY Times talks about the Joseph Mallord William Turner exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They call it a “beast of a show” so it must be good. Here’s some JMW Turner paintings from the exhibition.
• Times Online talks about the book “Dalí & I: The Surreal Story” where the author Stan Lauryssens claims that half of all Salvador Dali works are fake. I hope the good half is by Dali as I think half of his work is average.
• Regional Arts NSW newsletter for July was published.