Like A Trained Bear, We Dance For Your Love

Thankfully, we get a little bit from time to time. The esteemed Hrag Vartanian enjoyed our current show, Forming Lines. It's open until August 31st so you still have time! We also got a notice from Brooklynbased.net, we were selected by Artcal as a Pick, and an Artcards pick as well. Stop in and enjoy this mix of drawing and sculpture. And then get ready, because on September 12th, we welcome artist Dean Goelz and his solo show, Migrations. Hope to see you opening night!

Drawing on our experience to serve a well-sculpted meal

On August 1st at 8pm, Like the Spice fed the multitudes with Forming Bread Lines, the latest and most delicious installment of our Monthly Dinner Series. And if you didn't have those reservations, you were off to McDonalds, because we were SOLD OUT! Keep that in mind for next time.



Dinner was brought to us by Scottadito Osteria Toscana and we can't praise them enough. We also can't offer enough praise to our guests. Great company, great questions, hey, it was just great! We've enjoyed all our dinners but man, this one sure was something special.



Dinner began with our camera-shy host, Marisa Sage, discussing the concepts behind the show. She told us how it was assembled over six months of studio visits, and inspired by the way drawings and sculptures can influence and translate each other back and forth between 2d and 3d. It was great and we love her, but she wouldn't let us take any photos so let's move on.



Artist Rodger Stevens followed Marisa, sharing a little bit about the intricacies in his pieces and how most of the time, they are a bit more than meets the eye. For those not fortunate enough to have heard him talk, Rodger is very, very funny and his self-critique was more like standup comedy. This helped make it easy to understand the role of humor in his art. Rodger also pointed out how his kids had made him a stronger artist. A highlight of the night for sure!



Our pal Kathleen Vance from Frontroom Gallery was up next, telling us about her piece at the front of the gallery, which combines a drawing study of running water with the physical presence of a small semi-portable stream.



Kathleen's piece was intended to provoke discussion of how, regardless of what we might change in the environment, water always finds its way. And when you consider the way moving water shaped the planet long before we arrived, her piece becomes a much larger and exciting concept. We're always happy to have her visit.



Marc Andre Robinson closed the night, first by proposing a toast to this wonderful evening...



...and then by explaining his eye-catching piece. With Hurricane Katrina fresh in his mind, Marc's piece combines the ideas of devastation and rebirth, and the evolution of people as individuals and as masses. The connected chair sculptures are designed as a sexual being, just like they seem, and that connects well with the drawing that hangs on the wall. Marc's piece gave everyone a bit to think about and ended the night with an excellent discussion... but then, weren't they all?



Thanks to all our guests for making the whole experience the best we've had to date. So how are we gonna top it next time? We're still getting next month's dinner prepared, but save the third weekend in September. Dean Goelz will be with us and remember, the secret is to reserve your space early!

Jason Goodman, owner of 3rd Ward, showing off with Dean's work

Forming Lines runs until August 31st. If you haven't already, please stop by and take a look. And if you have, why not come again?

Lines Were Formed

We found a few more pictures from Friday's opening night of Forming Lines. We knew you'd want to see them. Look at what was happening in our basement!



The party spilled down the stairs to our secret special second floor. Down there we've got some old favorites from previous shows, and a couple brand new pieces like this one by our pal, Beka Goedde.



Upstairs, of course, the fun continued.



These sculptures by Dean Goelz proved to be popular with-



-yeah, sure, everybody's a critic. Anyway, Dean's got his own solo show coming on September 12th, and we've got a little Internet sneak preview waiting for you.



Thanks to everyone who came and had fun. Forming Lines runs until August 31st. And don't forget about our Monthly Dinner Series event, Forming Breadlines, on August 1st. Reservations are required, so make yours quickly!

Now That's How You Open Stuff!

A good time was had by all. Unless you weren't here last night, then a good time was had by all except for you. Art fans of all ages came out to see our new show Forming Lines: Translations Between Drawing and Sculpture. It's up until August 31st though so there's still time to come down and check it out. But seriously, it was an all ages (plus a really enthusiastic dog!) rockin good time. Also, August 1st we've got another one of our awesome dinners! (Reservations required but trust me it's worth it.)







P.S. - Next opening we'll try to take some back-of-people's-heads free pictures.

The Hottest Show Of The Season. Literally.

Opening night for Have You Seen the Horizon Lately? was huge! Huge! Look at how many people came out to join us at the Leo Kesting Gallery on 812 Washington Street, New York, NY 10014. It was a traditional New York summer's night, which means it felt like the heart of a volcano. But you don't really understand art until you've suffered, right? So thanks to everyone who stopped in to understand the art.



Since we just happened to bring it up, we might as well talk about the art a little. Here's the very talented Allison Edge posing by her painfully fabulous new painting "Tomorrowland". And trust us, it's even better in person. Right behind Allison is a bit of Eric LoPresti's "Rocket Flare, Pink & Tan".



Oh, what a coincidence! Here's Eric LoPresti now! He's with David Sampliner, Eric's wife Lisa, and Rachel Shuman. Rachel and David were with us for Force Fed. Eric's also coming off his solo show Force Against Force and we're always happy when he stops by. Incidentally, the happy foursome are standing in front of a work by Anna Druzcz, who'll have her latest solo show in the fall. Don't worry, we'll keep you posted.



Here's Ross Racine and Frontroom Gallery curator Daniel Aycock. If you don't already know them, Ross is the one being attacked by the UFO and Daniel is the one who seems to be on fire. Ross has previously featured his freehand digital drawings as part of There There and is a great guy (as is Daniel!) and we love working with him. That uppity alien, however, is a creation of Liz Brown.



And we can't forget about Dean Goelz and Rachel Beach. Rachel was a part of Flip! and Dean has his solo show coming up in a September, so watch this space. Rachel and Dean got along very well, and they are both fans of sculpture, so naturally they wanted to take a closer look at each other's pieces...





Despite the heat, it was a fantastic night, and we thank everyone who came out, as well as all the artists! Have You Seen The Horizon Lately? will be at Leo Kesting until August 3rd, 2008, and the trip will be worth your while. But don't forget we've still got it goin' on in Brooklyn as well! Forming Lines opens on July 25th!