So much art, so little space

Today I had a client stop by and I had to find them work on the spot. I knew nothing of their needs or likes or desires or budget or previous buying habits or last names.

They had seen the incredible works of Terry Evens at Catherine Edelman's gallery, but the prices were too steep for them. I get it though. The work that Cathy has available from Evans' incredible catalog is enough to make me delirious with money lust. If I had it, I'd spend it. Apparently they didn't have it.

We ended up settling on the quiet and meditative works of Michael Parker and Amanda Friedman. It sounds like they have the space to fill, so I've got my hopes up that they commit to both artists.

Michael, a charming southern boy of 29, specializes in fine art architectural photography, though has an eye for composition of any sort. I have no idea how long Michael spends looking at the things he shoots, but they are a miraculous mixture of reality and abstract design. Utilizing black and white photography, he is able to lay down a sense of timelessness while pushing viewers to focus. It is no small feet to intuitively inform a viewer how to look at your artwork like they have been doing so with sophistication and thoughtfulness all their lives. Most people, on good days, might glance at most work, but Michael is able to slow people down with his photos; make them follow compositional lines; contemplate shadow and light; ask themselves about place and time.

{image: Michael Parker, SF MoMA 6}

Michael will show at the David Weinberg Gallery in July and August of 2008.

Amanda Freidman is someone I found from the amazing Paul Kopeikin Gallery in LA. I have yet to show Amanda's' work to someone who didn't like it. I love Amanda's Night Landscape series, which I will show at DWGallery from February 29 - April 12, 2008. These evocative shots at night are ripe with narrative. While totally absent of people, the human presence is felt through unnatural man-made lighting. People begin to tell themselves stories as foggy as Amanda's pictures when they look at them. There is an undeniable draw to her work, even when they nearly spook you away. You end up asking yourself a lot of questions about natural beauty when confronted with her work and I can think of worse things to contemplate.

{image:Amanda Friedman, Cypress Trees}