Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Kiwi

Karen Kunc Opening

The opening for Nebraskan printmaker Karen Kunc was wonderful. I was pleased that so many of you could make it out for an odd Thursday night reception. It is such a pleasure to spend the time with Karen and to exhibit her remarkable prints. I will post more thoughts soon and some images from the opening reception. Thanks to all who attended. Don't miss this show folks, it's a real treat, but more thoughts later.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Questions for Art Collectors

Recently I posed several questions to art collectors Ellen and Bill Hamilton. Hopefully, their responses will provide you some insight into the collectors mind. Enjoy!

Questions for art collectors: Ellen & Bill Hamilton

1. Was there something specific that helped germinate your interest in fine art?

He says: We went to New York City for our first vacation as a married couple. We visited a lot of the museums and bought some prints for our home. Soon thereafter, Ellen took some classes at the University of Toledo and that prompted visits to more museums. I worked at Owens Corning that had a contemporary art collection. The Toledo Museum of Art is a tremendous community asset and we lived in the Old West End for a time and met many of the young people who worked there. We found the Toledo Modern Art Group (no longer in existence) and got involved. And on and on; one thing led to another. An experienced described below was also pivotal.

She says: Our trip to NYC got us started buying things for our walls, and then my classes at UT and subsequent trips to the National Gallery in DC kept us hooked and interested. The Modern Art Group provided trips to galleries and collections in other cities which also kept us involved in the process of “collecting”.

2. As your purchases grew, how were you able to define your areas of interest?

He says: We could (almost) afford prints. Later we added a few drawings. My job in public relations involved the production of brochures, magazines and newsletters, so I had experience with ink on paper. I loved the smell. You can find really good prints that are affordable. It is almost impossible to find really good paintings that are affordable. We looked at everything – paintings, sculpture, installations, works on paper, glass, etc. – but we bought prints.

She says:
What we couldn’t sleep over in combination with what we could afford. Works on paper met those criteria more often than other possibilities.

3. How does the opportunity to meet and get to know an artist affect your collecting?

He says: That’s a good question. I don’t know for sure but it must have some impact. We have some things by artists we have never met so, obviously, knowing the artist is not a prerequisite for purchase. And we have never knowingly bought something just because we like the artist. It is a happy situation when we love both the work and the artist. I can say we have certainly learned a lot – about art and about life – from some of the artists we have met. Carol Summers in particular was very patient and helpful to us when we were young collectors just getting started. We will never forget the night we spent in his loft when he lived in New York City, or at his place on Fire Island.

She says: The works by artists that we have met and know “feel” more special because we know the person who created it, but that doesn’t mean we like them more than the other things we own.


4. What was the first work you purchased that made you feel like a “collector”?

He says: A lithograph by Lynn Chadwick, which we no longer own. We bought it at a gallery in New York City and about a year or so later the Toledo Museum had a show by an avid collector from Ann Arbor (the late Marvin Feldheim) and we saw a very similar print by the same artist. That was when we realized that we could own things that were good enough to hang in a museum. We went to hear Marvin Feldheim speak and learned how crazy collectors can become. That’s when we learned that buying art was not about décor or how much space you have; Feldheim claimed he had unframed prints under his bed and we believe it because we did, too, later on.

She says:
When we got addicted to work by Carol Summers and thought we needed to own nearly everything new that he did. We recovered from that and sold a lot of them over the years as we got interested in other artists and were running out of wall space.

5. What qualities in a work of art attract you; motivate you to make a purchase?

He says: That’s probably impossible to answer in words but I will try. In a nutshell, we respond to the work. It has a presence that is more than the sum of its parts (marks on paper). It resonates with us. Our collection is really eclectic, which is to say it’s not focused on anything other than our own tastes. Even though we have focused mostly on prints and drawings, we have added a couple of small paintings in the past couple of years (plein air) and a lot of glass.

She says: I don’t know. I either like it or I don’t. I’m not so interested in talking about art (or writing in blogs like this). Art either is or isn’t interesting to me, but strictly on a visual level – not a verbal one; I just look at it and enjoy.

6. Tell us about, “the one that go away.”

He says: Where do we begin? We always loved Jim Dine’s A Girl and Her Dog II. We had several opportunities and admired it very much but could never pull the trigger and buy it because it always seemed just out of our price range. We sold a few others to pay bills that we wish we had back (Frank Stella, Inaccessible Island Rail; Helen Frankenthaler, Untitled, Harvest with Orange Stripe and a third one I can see in my mind by not recall by name).

She says: I miss Dark Cake by Wayne Thiebaud and wish we hadn’t needed to sell it when we did.

7. Why do you continue to add to your collection?

He says: Is there an alternative? Why do addicts continue to use drugs? We have a vicious habit. We only buy things we believe we can’t live without. We are afraid they will haunt us if we don’t buy them. We just can’t stop thinking about them. And we really don’t go to galleries to buy things; it just happens.

She says: Because I can’t sleep if we find something we love and don’t buy it right away.

8. What’s it like to live with your collection?

He says: Wonderful. It feels like we are living in a really enriching environment with lots of fun things to look at as we move around in our home. We notice the difference when we come home from trips after staying in hotels or with non-collecting relatives or friends. Everyone tends to feel good about getting home and our art is one of the things that makes it extra special for us.

She says: A lot of work (but worth it), especially trying to keep the glass and the glass cabinets clean. It’s great to get home to it after a trip.

9. Has there been an artist you added to your collection that hasn’t lived up to expectations?

He says: Nothing comes to mind that has been disappointing. I believe we have learned from all of our purchases and enjoyed them a great deal, especially in the first few years after we acquired them.

She says: Not that I can think of.

They say: Looking at and learning about art, meeting artists and gallery owners, traveling to see exhibitions and museum collections have all been wonderful shared experiences for us. We both have very strong interests in art so it is not a case where one of us is dragging the other along, and we believe our relationship has grown stronger in the past 40-plus years as a result of this shared interest. We have had some unbelievable experiences along the way and look forward to more of the same.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

What I did on my Summer Vacation


Well, truth be told our summer vacation was more business than vacation but I couldn’t pass up the cozy nostalgic notion. Barbara and I ventured to the region north of us widely referred to as “Up North.” Generally speaking our trips up north are saved for the autumn months, the colors, cider and cool air. Or, I’m with a couple friends fly fishing the Yellow Dog river in the upper peninsula, in which case Barbara is no where near me, or the insanely large number of angry, hungry bugs. This year we went north in August largely to visit with several artists in their studios and also a couple of art fairs. Fortunately, for us and I suppose for you as well, we found several new artists for the gallery. But what I really wanted to talk about are the art fairs. One we thoroughly enjoyed and the other, not so much. I’ll get the ugly out of the way asap. The fair in Bay Harbor, MI was rather disappointing. I know some of you are thinking, “all art fairs are disappointing.” Well, that may be true but if you truly feel this way might I suggest you reconsider your motivation for attending in the first place. The fact is your probably not going to find the next Pollock, Picasso or Richter at these fairs but you can certainly find plenty of fresh air, summer food, and many, many artists working their tails off trying to sell their efforts. The second fair in Sutton’s Bay, MI was delightful. Both of these fairs are not at all near the scale of the colossal event in Ann Arbor or even our local Crosby Festival of the Arts at the Toledo Botanical Gardens. The fairs we visited are both small and intimate, situated in and around some of the most beautiful country you can find within a comfortable days drive. The artists were typically solid in their chosen medium with most from our region and some from right here in our area. The Sutton’s Bay fair was just put together better, offered more quality artwork to view making for a much more enjoyable fair.

I respect these artists devotion to a way of life many of us could simply not begin to handle. This business of producing art is crazy enough when you enlist the help of dealers, and gallerists to sell your work for you. The notion of packing a van full of your glass, prints, jewelry, pottery, paintings etc. and setting up camp for one to four days on a hot summer weekend is not at all for the faint of heart. These people deserve our respect, admiration and when you get right down to it some of our cash. Artists such as these have chosen to go this road in an attempt earn a living but also to communicate to us on a personal, toe to toe level what they see in this world. There is real value in that for us. We all benefit when seeing things from an artist’s eye, enriching our world in ways we alone could never accomplish.

Go to an art fair this summer or coming fall. Take it all in, the food, the smell, the art and if at all possible reach for that wallet and take something home, you’ll be rewarded every day in ways I can’t begin to explain.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

New home for "New World"






Toledo sculptor Tom Lingeman's large scale work "New World" found it's new home yesterday. It was an amazing effort, "of nearly biblical proportions", to complete this 10 hour installation. With the tireless work of studio assistants Travis Sanderson and Paul Carter the Lingeman sculpture was permanently installed amidst the beautiful garden's of a local resident. The scale, nature and materials used by the artist to complete this masterful sculpture melds so perfectly with it's new surroundings, it's as if he had this location in mind from the work's inception. Those of you who had the opportunity to witness this piece in the gallery during Tom's exhibition in October of 2007 will remember it's powerful impact.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Time to Kill

If you're anything like me you'll occasionally have 15 or 20 minutes to kill. Sometimes it's while you're online and you'll find yourself thinking, "what website should I visit"? I do this; then I think, "all the endless information on the web and I can't think of one website to help me finish my day."

Well first of all let me thank you for thinking of our blog, and here's a bit of help. A warning though, you'll spend a great deal more than 20 minutes on this site but I promise you'll enjoy it. Videos, interviews, images and so much valuable information you'll want to stop by the gallery and give me a hug; maybe. With any luck Barbara will be there.

Check out,

Monday, June 16, 2008

Neighborhood Inspiration

Our neighbor has family visiting from out of town and Leo, their 4 year old grandson, is playing with a trumpet. Single notes, but the little guy can really blow that horn. Watching him work so hard with that trumpet caused me to wonder how masters of any artform eventually learn to appear almost effortless. A perfect example is in this short clip of two American greats. Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Center Stage


New Mural at Valentine Theatre
(detail)


Love it or hate it you have to respect the effort. At 68.5 x 10 feet this is an enormous undertaking. I for one would like to congratulate Paul Geiger for such a massive accomplishment. When I first heard the figure, $100,000.00, I must admit to thinking, 'that's a-lot of money for a mural'. However, the scale of this painting is beyond most artist's comprehension, let alone attention span. To dedicate five years of studio time is a huge commitment for any project by a single artist, and thankfully, a gem for all of Toledo. Go see this painting!

Friday, May 23, 2008

Day Trip to the Zoo

Ballet Folkloric Imagenes Mexicanas

Here's one of the really cool things about art; it's everywhere. Our daughter and grandson were visiting from Seattle couple of weeks back and we all thought "what a great day for a trip to the Zoo". Low and behold it was almost Cinco de Mayo and this wonderful troup of folk dancers were performing. We stood mesmerized for more than 20 minutes and our grandson Max was positively transfixed. The men and women were beautiful in both their costumes and spirit. The traditional Mexican music was loud and empowering. Thanks to the Toledo Zoo for such a great and unexpected time. By the way if you've not visited the zoo recently I highly recommend it, we had a blast, love the polar bears!


Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Response to Susan Morosky's Art



I'm always interested by people's reactions to new art and artists at the gallery. It's easy to see why people are responding so well to the new works by Susan Morosky in the May and June exhibit. The strong brush strokes and bright colors are a welcome change from the long, gray winter. Most are initially struck by the abstrat qualities of the paintings but slowly see the loose interpretation of landscapes. We are pleased at the response Susan has received at the gallery and look forward to the next series of work she'll produce.

Artists have also responded to Susan's work. Karen Roderick Lingeman, a ceramics artist, traded her natural earth tones for bright yellows and blues in her latest work showing at the gallery. It's great to see the interaction people have with the various artists and works at the gallery.




I encourage everyone to sign up for the e-newsletter we've started at the gallery. We are planning great events for the summer and fall and want everyone to stay informed. We will also include updates on new work to the gallery and specials on framing.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Remembering Rauschenberg

Robert Rauschenberg discussing the evolution of "Erased De Kooning" in this wonderful clip. One of the true American titans of contemporary pop art passed away this week. Always one of my personal favorites, I was surprised how much his passing affected me.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Welcome to the Hudson Gallery Blog

Welcome to the Hudson Gallery blog, we hope it will become a place for fellow art lovers to engage in discussion, learn more about the art market and become avid art collectors. We hope you will feel informed by the future posts and are interested in any comments or polls that are posted on the site.

Come and visit us in our current space, a restored building dating back to the mid 1800’s. We hold regular exhibits of regional, national and international artists and have regular opening receptions. Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed.