Local Girl Makes Good

We at L the S always love it when our artists do good stuff. So we're very very pleased to mention that Nora Herting, who previously joined us as part of 2008's Flip, will be doing something wonderful this weekend!



This Friday, November 6th, from 4pm until 7pm, Nora will be on hand as part of Stand Alone Gallery's Portable Street Studio, which you can find lurking about 547 West Street (between 10th and 11th). An accomplished photographer (take a look and see!), Nora's going to be offering a free sitting to create spontaneous portraits as part of what they're calling an Interactive Community Portrait Event. We're going to try our best to be there, and we think you should try too.

Of course, Nora's been getting some good press lately. The Forth Worth Examiner has a very nice interview that's available to read online. Want a taste?

Richie Budd:
There is something gregariously pure and honest about where you leave the audience as viewers in relationship to your work. Can you talk to what it is you look for in your own photographs that make you want to share them? Or how do you decide to choose a particular photograph to display?

Nora Herting:
The criterion varies a bit depending on what I am expressing in each series of work. In each one I am communicating something a little bit different. I would like my photographs raise the viewers awareness to the nature of photography, as well as the actual subject in the photograph itself. So, in Free Sitting, a series I did about commercial portrait studios, the viewer has to think about the somewhat absurd measures that are employed when people make portraits of themselves.

It's a really nice look at the way Nora works, thinks, and creates, and it's worth the read. We're so pleased she's getting all this attention! So keep in mind: the place to be this Saturday is 547 West Street, from 4 - 7pm!

Civil Union: The Heart of Collaboration

Dean Goelz is our current exhibition, and The Beaded Curtain has been receiving rave reviews! It's open until November 8th so you've got plenty of time to come and enjoy. But can we just take a moment to wet your appetite for the future? Because there's something good coming up next...



Our next exhibition features works by Like The Spice regulars Jenny Morgan and David Mramor. It's called Civil Union, and from what we've already seen, it promises a fantastic showing of works that get to the heart of artistic collaboration. Combining photo-realistic portraiture with hybrid abstraction is no easy feat, but Jenny and David are masters of innovation.

And, of course, the hotline's already open for Civilware, our latest installment of the monthly dinner series. Jenny Morgan and David Mramor will be on hand, November 20th, at 8:00pm, and we'll toast their new show and talk with them about their unique process. You should make your reservations right now!

Remember, you've still got time to come enjoy The Beaded Curtain, but plan ahead. November's right around the corner, and this union is one you'll want to witness.

My Deaner with Dean: A Memoir.

At 7:30pm last Friday at Like the Spice Gallery, Marisa, Spencer, Leia, and I paced around a table beautifully set for 22 guests. We were trying to be as patient as possible while waiting for our guests to arrive for our dinner event in honor of Dean Goelz. I say that we were trying to be patient because, in truth, it was difficult as we all knew what titillating conversation and delicious food awaited us. Dean's show, The Beaded Curtain, has been open for only two weeks and has already proven to be a huge success; based on this we anticipated the dinner to be spectacular as well. The guest-list included collectors, friends of the gallery, family members, and fellow artists who were coming to Like the Spice to view Dean Goelz's latest body of work and to enjoy the company of both art and artist while savoring a wonderful feast provided by Curioso.
By 8:00pm our guests started to arrive; each group rushing in to escape the bitter October winds and bask in the welcoming warmth of the gallery. Soon, our first floor was filled with people sipping on wine and pausing at each of Dean's pieces to enjoy a first, second, or third look. Dean was all smiles as we took our seats at the long table. By the time the first course had been brought out all introductions had been made and and everyone was interacting with an air of familiarity reminiscent of a nice and civilized family dinner. The art was beautiful, the food was scrumptious, and the company was (as anticipated) lively and entertaining.
While we munched on a fresh salad of arugula and mozzarella, fellow Like the Spice artist Jenny Morgan introduced herself and softly but excitedly discussed her upcoming show. The exhibit will open on November 13th and will be a collaboration between Jenny and David Mramor.
After we had all finished our entrees of spinach ravioli, chicken carchofino, and savory broccoli rabe, Marisa invited Dean to take the floor and open a postprandial discussion about his process, the symbolism in his individual works, and the differences between this current show and what he has created in the past. Dean stood before the table of peers, admirers, family, and friends and spoke about the details that symbolized deep feelings of loss and one's journey through these feelings that are incorporated into each piece. He mentioned how he attempted to "visualize the process of loss" in the floating figures that seem to disappear and reappear, withdrawing into the ethereal dots of pearly white or red paint. He spoke about the incorporation of birds as personal references to the people he has lost and how they manifest themselves face first from nothingness.
Unlike some of his previous works, such as his duck sculptures where most of the faces are portraits of family members, the faces in Beaded Curtain are those of strangers. In fact, Dean mentioned that one of the reasons why each piece is numbered and not given a detailed title is because each work is based on or evolved from the one that preceded it. Modestly Dean stated that to him the pieces are visually poetic enough, the words do not need to be.
Each dot in Dean Goelz's work is a record of time; each piece is time consuming but is also reminiscent of a strong notion of the building of a microcosm. There is each dot and then each individual grouping of dots, and then there is the edge of the dots that frames the mass as a whole. There is a definite passion and fluidity in these pieces that makes them mesmerizing, some of them are even explosive.
Unfortunately, like most good things, our dinner with Dean Goelz had to come to a close. We had eaten our fill and indulged in conversations that we would not have been able to participate in otherwise. There was a decided feeling of happiness and excitement amongst the guests as they gathered their coats ready to face the awaiting cold. At the table we were all equals, able to ask questions and voice opinions about art, specific and non-specific works, and their creation. It was a riveting event and we are sorry if you missed it! Keep in touch with us at Like The Spice and make sure you do not miss our next dinner!

Poll results IN - Dean's dinner is called....

The Facebook masses have spoken, and the formerly untitled dinner for Dean Goelz's artist dinner at Like the Spice shall henceforth be known as "My DEANNER WITH DEAN"! If you haven't had a chance to come to one of our dinners, hah hah, it's too late 'cause we're full for tonight!

We'll post pictures for ya though. :D

It's Curtains For You

What are you doing this Friday? Really? Well, you just go right ahead and cancel that, because now you're coming to Like the Spice! Because Friday, October 9th is opening night of Dean Goelz: The Beaded Curtain. Dean's been a friend of ours for a while now, so you might remember him from last year, but we've never seen anything like his current work. As always, we've got a special sneak preview for you to enjoy (and there's a few pieces we're keeping secret!) but let's give you a little taste...









Not quite delimited, more atmospheric than solid, Dean's apparitions are between two worlds, present yet translucent. And you can see them first hand on Friday night, starting at 6:30pm! We very much hope you'll be here.

(And P.S. to you hungry hungry types, now's the time to reserve your space for Dinner Goelz, our very latest delicious Monthly Dinner. Dean will be there as you enjoy a great meal surrounded by great art. Here's just a taste of previous dinners. If you've never been, come now! You can RSVP online, easy as pie.)

Bloggers Love Fade

Really, they do! Especially Siong Chin, who has combined his thoughts with Eric's pieces to make an excellent overview of what the show meant to him. Here's a little taste:

Conflict involves opposing parties. When there is a war between two countries, the two are involved in a conflict. They will perhaps lure their allies into the conflict, and all sides will suffer casualties. We cry for the casualties and decry the war. Do we ever cry for the battlefield? Have we ever? This sullen party hurts too…

For the full effect, with Siong's words scattered among Eric's images and a brief statement by the artist, head over to siongchin.com and enjoy. And then head over here and enjoy them in person! Remember, Fade runs until October 4th.

FEED : A dinner with Eric LoPresti

Last night's dinner was intimate. Guests fresh from the cool autumn evening arrived to a table set for ten, catered by our fellow Williamsburger, Nita Nita, a bar and tapas restaurant.

While interns Ross and Spenser plated and served the steamed shrimp, apricot-glazed chicken, and hearty gouda Mac & cheese, Eric LoPresti was kind enough to take guests through the gallery, explaining both the science and the inspiration behind each work of art in FADE.

The remote landscapes in his works are, in a natural sense, marred by man-made sprawling developments. However, Eric revealed that in these industrial remnants of the cold war, he finds an inherent symbolism and aesthetic that elevates them from blights on the landscape to structures of beauty bordering on the sublime. He spoke about how vague recollections from childhood of these seemingly barren landscapes shaped his fascination and ultimately his depiction of the deserts and plains in his work.



Eric and Lisa are sort of the ultimate art couple - he's a painter (obviously) and she's a sculptor. They gave us all a peek into their lives; their concerns as artists, their reactions to each other's work, and their take on the direction that they've seen contemporary art taking during their travels to London, Denmark, and (soon) India. When asked "why do you make art?" by another guest, Lisa thought before saying "It's a compulsion. I'm compelled to create." Eric agreed, saying that there was something positive about the fact that it is so difficult to be a professional artist - only those with that same compulsion and the drive to put it to use are able to persevere.



We also talked about weddings, wallpaper, Pac Man, and Otzi the Ice Mummy, but we'll leave those elements of the conversation to your imagination.