Sunday Pick: Anne Seidman

Untitled, 2012, Color Pencil and Tape on Rag, 27.5 x 38.25 inches

Untitled, 2012, Color Pencil and Tape on Rag, 22.5 x 30 inches

Untitled, 2012, Water Based Paint on Wood, 15 x 18 inches

Untitled, 2012-13, Color Pencil on Rag, 35.75 x 45 inches

Untitled, 2012, Color Pencil on Rag, 22.5 x 30.5 inches

 I have admired the work of Philadelphia based artist Anne Seidman for a while now.  Her work is beautifully constructed, especially exquisite in person.  

Looking at her work in various shows has taught me a lot about my own work actually.  And you may not see why at first, because our works seem different (mine figurative/still life, hers abstract) but really those lines feel very arbitrary.  She is able to use shape and form and composition so successfully to create very specific feelings and narratives.

I was happy when putting together this post I found this in her artist statement:

"Through abstraction I reveal a world, not unlike my everyday life: rigorous and controlled but with room for spontaneity, irony and consciousness. Without the constraints of subject matter, abstraction has allowed me to explore pure painting. I suggest friction, awkwardness, a sense of self, energy and place within forms and between their edges by allowing an unwilled execution to coexist with restrained judgment. "

The unfortunate thing is, this week I saw she has an upcoming opening at George Billis, and got excited as I am planning a trip to New York.  But, it is the LA Billis Gallery, so if you are on the West Coast be sure to go!  It runs from February 23rd to March 30th.  And I will keep an eye out for a show in this neck of the woods.