Next Time She Can Only Drink Maple Syrup

Now, we want to be clear, we absolutely adore Lovely Assistant Leia. She does good work and her blog posts are generally top notch. But obviously she had a little too much sangria during our Friday night artist's dinner. because she seemed to have forgotten all the fun stuff that happened, and just mostly talked about drinking. We admit, we had a bit too much ourselves (after all, talking in third person always makes one thirsty) but let's go over a few of the highlights anyway.



Practically the whole end of the table was full of our artists. Jenny Morgan (in black), David Mramor (at the head), Charlie Leadbetter (in blue), Allison Edge (in white), and Jason Bryant (hiding just out of frame) were on hand to talk about the joy and pain of assisting.



Can't you see that pain in Jenny's eyes? That's a thousand yard art stare! Actually, we're just joking, Jenny Morgan and David Mramor had nothing but good things to say about artist Marilyn Minter, for whom they both work. It was clear that their little family is a close one and that they enjoy their jobs very much.



Another person with nothing but happy stories was Jason Bryant. Jason simply could not give Kehinde Wiley enough respect. It was clear that Jason felt fortunate to have worked with Kehinde and thought of him very highly. Kehinde, do you need a blogger on staff? Because he literally made you sound like the best boss ever!

Around this point, however, the sangria began to kick in. Lovely Assistant Leia wasn't kidding, it was good stuff. So good, in fact, that we forgot to take a photo while Charlie Ledbetter and Allison Edge were talking. To make it up to them, we'll show you some photos of their work instead.




Charlie and Allison both assisted Jeff Koons, who has around a hundred different assistants. These stories were a little darker and not quite as loving, although they made it clear they had a great respect for Jeff as a creator. Allison also talked happily about her time with McDermott & McGough and what she felt she learned there.

Poor tipsy Lovely Assistant Leia was right about the conversation. This exciting discussion about the nature of the assistant in art really made for a fantastic night. There were plenty of disagreements and even some awkward moments we weren't expecting... but that's what art is all about, right? And everyone left happy.



If you weren't there, you missed out! Our next dinner will be Feed on September 25th. It'll feature our buddy Eric LoPresti, as part of his upcoming solo show, Fade, opening September 11th. Plan now to join us then! If you're lucky, we'll remember to charge the camera first. Please excuse these iPhone quality photos. We're so iMbarrassed.

Greatness Passed

In this busy busy world, it's easy to be a few steps behind. But better late than never! So we're very pleased about subscription blog TheGreatNude.tv taking a few moments to give a complementary review to our last show, Reuben Negron: Dirty Dirty Love. The site is for subscribers only, but we're sure they won't mind if we share a paragraph...

It is hard to decide if I preferred the intimacy of the small works or more ambitious large scale pieces. There exists more a focus on diffusion of color and multiple light sources in the larger works, with lush colors bleeding into one another in a sensual handling of the medium. I particularly like the quiet interplay in the work titled Becky and Naomi. His use of color in particular injects this work with a dynamic sense of realism.

Keep in mind that we've still got an online preview of Dirty Dirty Love that you can enjoy in the privacy of your own home. Also keep in mind that Reuben's latest piece is on display as part of Off The Clock, our current group show that celebrates the artist's assistant. Plan a visit! And thanks to TheGreatNude.tv for the belated attention.