Winter 2011, Vol. 26, No. 1

Hello all,

Welcome to the posting of our first e-newsletter. We are going green. If you would like to subscribe, please complete the form on the right to become an email subscriber. Our former printed newscard, "Un Peu de Tout" will continue in this new format on a quarterly basis. As in the past, it will announce new arrivals and spotlight artists, as well as interject fun facts and quirky observations.

In this issue, we are pleased to introduce the photographic work of SHAUNA ANGEL BLUE. The following article will give you a brief view into her creative world. If you would like to get a glimpse of her STUDIO, visit us on FACEBOOK PAGE (and click on NOTES).

The journey to Paris in the autumn of 2010 was eye opening, especially with a visit to the FIAC. And lastly, included are two book recommendations about visionary women who influenced Modern Art.

Kate

Shauna Angel Blue

Shauna Angel Blue's photography affords a view into her special visual world. Depending on the particular series of ongoing and current explorations, her photography opens us to the energy between the human being and nature (Black Earth Silent Venus), to the surreal of juxtaposition (Concrete Village) and to the basic beauty of a single nature subject (Tulip Love). During travels in Europe, she found inspiration in spiritual places. The psyche of her compositions reflects those experiences. Observations from recent visits to the Southwest and Midwest have deepened further the visual soul of her work. The technical aspects offered by her camera equipment do not dictate Shauna's photography. She uses her tool to capture her own painterly and compositional viewpoints, which are filled with the extraordinary usage of light.

"Black Earth Silent Venus" (2008/2009 ongoing) is not only Shauna's most personal work to date but also the body of work in which she has devoted the most time. New Mexico's powerful landscape is the backdrop where her figures express their own personal relationship with the earth. Places sacred to the participants become part of the compositions where their secrets are revealed. The energy between these human beings and nature is expressed though their relationship, the love and the connection, to the surrounding environment. Returning periodically to explore or "…to discover the secrets of place, which are veiled and obscured by the overlay of human life." quoting Marcey Piersol (Silent Venus participant), Shauna touches our soul and opens us to the often ignored spiritual connection we have to our own Earth, a very mystical entity.

"Concrete Village" (2009 ongoing) is a expansive unnatural garden which Shauna just happened upon during her recent travels. Here we enter into a surreal world of fields packed with consecutive rows of animals, religious and mythological figures, legendary Renaissance sculpture, international icons, as well as refuse piles as ancient as any archeological trash site. There is much to be said between the bizarre juxtapositions, the humor in the scale (much of the statuary is quite small), the sensuality in the statues, the vast repetitions and the level of decay in the rubbish heaps. Shauna's vision brings meaning to the conversations taking place so that we are able to personally interpret them based on our own experiences and ideology.

"Tulip Love" (1999-2004) paints an intimate viewscape where the space is defined by an immediate observation of the flower. Tulips have had a colorful history. In Persia, they were venerated as the symbol of perfect love and perfect beauty. During the Ottoman Empire, they were regarded as the flower of God. Dutch merchants possessing a mad fever for the tulip made fortunes buying and selling them. In 1999, Shauna witnessed the spring tulip plantings in Chicago and was immediately captivated by the vibrant colors and glorious designs. Breathing in the fragrance of moist earth and the flower's subtle perfume, she photographed tulips from a personal vantage point enriched by an awareness of the history, which guided her to create compositions expressing a beauty of the tulip never seen.

Shauna Angel Blue moved to Chicago from Portland where she had been studying at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. She finished her studies at Columbia College and later completed an MFA there as well. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, specifically in London and Amsterdam.

See Shauna's Collection page...

FIAC and Art ElysÉes

October 21-25, 2010 was a big art weekend in Paris with two very different fairs, the FIAC (Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain) and Art Elysées. The FIAC exhibited the most current developments in contemporary art. Art Elysées showed mostly modern works from the 20th century along with some contemporary pieces.

The FIAC divided its 200 participants between the Grand Palais and the Cour Carré du Louvre linked by the Jardin des Tuileries. About 30 sculptural installations of international representation were scattered throughout the Jardin. The FIAC is a fair that predominately represents the European market with a few from the Far East as well as the Americas.

Providing a dramatic backdrop, the Grand Palais's soaring glass roof provided a diffused, bright light that illuminated the works of art superstars represented by the likes of Gagosian Gallery, Denise René and others. Those galleries in the temporary building at the Louvre showcased up and coming artists. The café in the central core of the stands was conducive to conversation stimulated by its surroundings.

Art Elysées situated in temporary buildings not far from the Grand Palais, lined the Champs Elysées to the Place de la Concorde. The 70 exhibitors representing mostly the French market highlighted established European artists of the mid 20th century as well as those rediscovered who practiced during the same time. Abstract Expressionist, Surrealist, French Pop and Op Art were viewed in abundance at palatable prices from 250 to 25,000 Euros. The contemporary work shown here had a greater relevance to the modern works than to the contemporary work shown at the Fiac.

Each fair was distinct in the nature of its visitors and energy. The shoulder-to-shoulder multitude at the FIAC spent most of their time clicking pictures of the art with their smart phones. Not many actually stopped to look at the thought provoking work. Camera viewing reigned supreme. One spectator had more interest in photographing the ironwork details of the Grand Palais than the art. At the Louvre, the atmosphere was no less frenetic. With no apparent business at the stratospheric pricing, one would assume it took place behind the scenes. The entrance fee was 28 Euros or $40. On the other hand, Art Elysées's space did not have the beautiful attributes as the Grand Palais, but this did not deter the steady stream of viewers who appeared to take a moment before the works that caught their eye. The more intimate setting allowed a clear focus on special works. Obviously by all the posted little reds dots, business was brisk. The cost of entrance was 15 Euros or $21.

KATE'S BOOK NOOK: Visionary Women Who Influenced Modern Art

My Love Affaire with Modern Art by Katherine Kuh.

Katherine Kuh was Chicago's avant-garde dealer. She had the courage and vision to open a gallery during a time when there was little interest in modern art. Showing Léger, Klee, Miró, Chagall, Calder, Albers and many others was gutsy. She also developed lasting friendships with Duchamp and Rothko to mention a couple. As a pioneering curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, her tenure there elevated the museum to an international reputation that it continues to cultivate today. And, she became a well-respected and admired art writer. This book will give the reader an insight to the early years of Chicago's art scene and an understanding of Katherine' s part in America becoming a major force in modern painting and sculpture.

Mistress of Modernism, The Life of Peggy Guggenheim by Mary V. Dearborn.

Peggy Guggenheim's personal life was a soap opera tragedy but despite this she developed a passion for the art of her generation. When she was living in France at the onset of WWII, she was able to salvage her collection from destruction. Once settled back in New York, she opened the Art of the Century Gallery, which introduced European surrealists and American abstract expressionists through innovative displays. Her intimate life with some of the artists like Ernst, Ducamp and Samuel Beckett with whom she worked further complicated her life. During her final years she settled in Venice where her home now a museum is visited by thousands. Nonetheless, the reader will get a sense of the culture during this epoch and see her vision. What she paid for the works will shock... so little for such great masterpieces.