Email from Brent Burket
[ed. note: I was intrigued when I saw artist Rene Smith’s work at the “Young Art Alliance” show (see post), so when the artist sent an email about her show in Brooklyn, I forwarded it to our New York correspondent, Brent Burket. He went and got back to me with this email. –Libby]
I stopped by Rene Smith’s show in my neighborhood last night. Nice.
I have to admit that I’ve been crossing my fingers since you sent me the info, Libby. It immediately had two strikes against it. First of all, it was in a store. That sent my bad art radar buzzing. (I know. What a snob.) Secondly, it was in my neighborhood . . . very much NOT a gallery hot bed in NYC. …
I noticed the painting of the woman all bundled up in white from the street. At first I thought she was in a bunny suit, and I’m a sucker for adults dressed up like bunnies. That’s just the best. Once I got over my no-bunny-suit disappointment though I still liked the painting (image top, “Winter Gabby”).
I also dug the painting that the artist told me she had just finished on Monday. I think it’s called “Some Velvet Morning 2.” The blurry picture of the moose on the wall was a nice disorienting detail, and yet its inclusion captured a feeling that was very specific. And the racoon cap. HaHa. King of the wild frontier. This painting, like some others in the show, was sort of (and I’ve never said this about a painting before) self-lecherous (right, “Some Velvet Morning 2”).There was something not quite right about these paintings, but I mean that in a good way. What’s odd is that sometimes the scene itself was really weird but Smith somehow chooses not to hold back the feeling of weirdness in the painting, making it even weirder. Off, but again . . . in a good way.
I wanted to take the curtains home in the painting entitled “Larchwood, Iowa”–which is an odd direction to go since I think I’m in love withthe two women in the painting. That, however, is problematic because apparently they’re sisters. See. Here I am at weird again. But I’ll take that (left, “Larchwood, Iowa”).
…Doesn’t it look like these people are trying to trying to cover up something taboo in a sitcom or something?
–Brent Burket writes the Creative Time blog as well as his own art blog, Heart as Arena. We don’t know how he does it and still finds time for us.
Here’s the show info: David Allen Gallery in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn at 331 Smith St. between Carroll and President The show runs through December 4.
