It's a Different Country Out There!

Hello followers of Like the Spice!

The opening reception for Eric LoPresti's show Different Country is this Friday, the 8th of April, from 6:30pm - 9pm. We'd love for you to stop by!

Here is a video of the artist at work; check out his technique of overlaying dark, diagonal vectors in India ink over the gradient of color as he puts the finishing touches on a piece. Don't you want to see the final product?



If you missed the last video of Eric at work, laying down the first hints of color, check it out here.

We'd love to see you at the opening, and at our monthly dinner series on Friday, April 22nd. This installment will be Different Cuisine, and Eric LoPresti will be there in the flesh to speak about his work and process. RSVP now and reserve your seat to meet and discuss the pieces with the artist himself (and enjoy some delicious food and drink)!

Brunch for dinner is my new favorite thing...

Last night we were lucky enough to be a part of "Breakfast at Like the Spice," the March installation of our monthly dinner series. We were joined for dinner by a few friends of the gallery and, of course, our current exhibiting artist Jason Bryant. Surrounded by the products of his current show "Love's Labor Lost," the 14 of us dined to our hearts' content under the obscured gazes of Jason's Hollywood stars. Neilie Meyer, chef and owner of the local catering kitchen, The Starving Artist Bakery, produced a smorgusbord of delicious sage-infused biscuits with homemade apple butter, savory spinach, leek and goat cheese quiche with fresh thyme, a hearty pancetta, roasted red pepper, and fresh basil quiche with a light baby green salad topped with a roasted garlic vinaigrette and served with golden hash browns and sirracia creme fraiche.


After the main dishes (and ample mimosas), our guests were given insight to Jason's work by the artist himself. He described his painterly process, artistic influences and inspirations for this series of work. His paintings deal with social memory and consciousness and the results of the overwhelming city culture in which one lives. Originally from North Carolina, Jason discussed how New York City itself is an inspiration to him, how a walk down the block can be so over-stimulating that it is impossible to take in everything one sees. I was very impressed to learn (and I can safely say that everyone else was, as well) that the source images for Jason's paintings are all postcard size prints taken from magazines, old movies and photos. He does not use a projector to create these large-scale works but instead works from a small print and embraces the abstractions that emerge as a result. As an artist with a passion for drawing, this technique allows him to utilize more of that talent.


The intimate evening was closed with more wine and delicious chocolate-espresso-truffle brownies with fresh fruit. Everyone left full of great food and thoughts about Jason's work.
"Love's Labor Lost" will be up at Like the Spice for another week until Sunday, April 3rd, so come and check it out!!



And don't forget, Different Country, the upcoming exhibition of Eric LoPresti's work, opens on Friday, April 8th. There will be an opening reception from 6:30-9:00pm and we'd love to see you there!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!!!!!

Oy, this chilly weather makes my knee caps hurt, does this mean that we are getting older???

YES IT DOES!!! LIKE THE SPICE IS TURNING 5!!!!

to commemorate this momentous occasion, Like the Spice is going to have a small works show... Never gonna let you down, will highlight one piece by every artist who has shown here at our gallery in the past five years. This is our way of thanking YOU our collectors and fans, as well as our wonderful artists, for five fantastic years. Never gonna let you down will be a one week show opening with a grand birthday bash Friday, August 5th and running through Sunday, August 14th 2011.
Opening day festivities Friday, August 5th will include live music, special guests, and of course BIRTHDAY CAKE from Starving Artist Bakery, owned by artist Neilie Meyer.
On the last day of the show Sunday, August 14th 2011 we will hold an anniversary raffle and auction, so dig out your favorite party hats and be sure to come and celebrate with us!

Don't Miss the Upcoming Events at Like the Spice!

There are so many great things coming up here at Like the Spice Gallery, and you are NOT going to want to miss them!

Coming up April 8th through May 8th we have Eric LoPresti's solo show: "Different Country." In his newest body of work, Eric creates beautiful American landscapes in his oil paintings and graphite drawings with; they feature soft hues and color gradients that outline test sites, wastelands, and wide open spaces. "Maintaining his established focus on the physical and psychological aftermath of the Cold War, LoPresti renders landscapes bearing the scars of nuclear testing and subsequent environmental clean-up campaigns, especially those near where he grew up, in the desert steppe of eastern Washington state, near the Hanford plutonium production site." His third solo show here at Like the Spice, in "Different Country," Eric pairs spectral color gradients with dark linear elements suggesting a division of territory within each work.


Following Eric's show and (hopefully very few) April showers, May 13 through June 19th 2011 we are proud to present... wait for it... Jenny Morgan's second solo show here at Like the Spice: "One and the Many".

Jenny's figurative painting always has a way of reducing her figures and their viewers down to their spiritual core; by manipulating the oil paint Jenny strips her figures of their outer layers to reveal the inner depths of their person. This engages the viewer in a different way, giving them a closeup of the process as well as the subject. In these new works, Jenny's intense realism merges with surreal imagination, and "despite the traditional beauty of her oil paintings, Morgan actively contradicts simplistically pretty hyperrealism with gritty psychedelia."


And looking even further into the future.... we have sculptor Matt Stone's opening on June 24th, more about that to come so stay tuned!

Edition's: Get 'em While They're Hot!

Like the Spice Spring Collectors' Edition Set was created to give our enthusiasts and collectors the chance to own a piece by each one of the artists featured in solo exhibitions this spring at the gallery. Some of the artists are new to Like the Spice, such as Jason Bard Yarmosky, whose first exhibitions opened in February and did fantastically! Other artists, like Eric LoPresti, have been showing at Like the Spice Gallery since we opened in 2006. Each edition will also be able to be purchased separately during the course of each solo exhibition and will range in price from $280-$800. We promise to keep you updated on upcoming editions for Eric LoPresti's show "Different Country," opening on April 8th, and Jenny Morgan's show, "One and the Many," opening on May 13th...For now, take a look at our two available editions!

Love Jason Bryant's work so much that you need a piece of it? Perfect! Check out his limited edition giclee print of "A Labor of Love". This 16" x 20" beautiful color print can be purchased professionally framed ($480) or unframed($280). Come to the Gallery to see Jason Bryant's current show "Love's Labor Lost" through April 3rd and take a look at the edition in person.

Also available are limited editions from our last show: Jason Bard Yarmosky's Elder Kinder. Also a 16" x 20" print, "Len with Swimmies" is seen above and is available for purchase through the gallery.


Each print is signed and numbered by the artist and comes with a signed certificate of authenticity from Like the Spice Gallery.

If you have any further questions about our editions please email Marisa@likethespice.com.

A Labor of Love Is Never Lost!

March 11th was a beautiful Friday night for the opening reception of "Love's Labor Lost," here at Like the Spice. The gallery was filled with artists, artists' friends, passer by-ers, and art aficionados who were out and about enjoying a mild second Friday. Jason Bryant's "Love's Labor Lost" adorns the gallery with black-and-white oils that recontextualize film stills and contemporary magazine photos, creating glamor while using pixels to skewer the idea of an individual self. Against the backdrop of night, being amid the bright lights of the gallery Jason's subjects felt so real and recognizable that one could not help but feel like they were at a red carpet event amongst Hollywood royalty!


The glamorous subjects seen above have faces that are obscured by a pixelated rendering of each pair of eyes; this left the viewers asking themselves, "that must be (so and so), right? It just has to be? Or is it?" In these pieces, Jason has managed to maintain everything about each character accept their definite identities. The images at first seem familiar but upon closer inspection they leave the viewer questioning their own memories and recognition reflexes. And, despite all of the inquiries, no amount of guessing out loud would convince Jason to confirm the suspicions as he rather fiercely guarded the subjects' anonymity.

I myself had some interesting ponderings during the opening as I wandered around, catching snippets of some of the 'who's who?' games; the guessing brought me to think about famous movie quotes and how I often can recite a quote but not necessarily be able to identify who first said it. Not being able to credit a quote does not always take away its impact. There doesn't seem to be anything like an iconic movie quote, taken from the reels of classics and appropriated during all times by all people. Some quotes are more memorable than others, their impact is great despite from whom they originated. Identity becomes lost during the changing of the times but the sayings still manage to keep their meanings and messages. The quote,"we're alike, me and cat. A couple of poor nameless slobs..." taken from "Breakfast At Tiffany's," is one of my favorites. It makes me think about the question 'what's in a name?' In the film, Audrey Hepburn's character might be nameless to some, but her actions and mannerisms give her quite a reputation. Even in a film still from an unknown movie with her back turned to the camera one would most likely be able to identify Audrey Hepburn. Our memories fill in the blanks of her face, and our imagination fills in the context of the scene.

Cary Grant once said, "it takes 500 small details to add up to one favorable impression," but notice how he does not specify whether or not it should be the same 500 details every time. Must they include physical details, lips, eyes, nose, mouth? Well, it's a strong possibility that Mr. Grant would include these as necessities for making a good and memorable impression, but are they truly necessary for identifying or remembering a moment? Based on the content of "Love's Labor Lost," I would like to argue that they are not.


Sorry that you missed the opening? We are too, but no worries! "Love's Labor Lost" will be up in the gallery until Sunday, April 3rd. And as the weather keeps getting better and better we will be accepting less and less excuses when it comes to missing out! Also don't forget about our monthly artist dinner series the next installment of which will be this coming Friday, March 25th at 8pm: come have "Breakfast at Like the Spice" (because Tiffany's is soooo overrated)! If you are interested in joining us please RSVP here.

Come have a play-date with Like the Spice!

Today! Like the Spice is at Scope Art Fair at 320 West st (west side highway). It's goin amazingly and we're getting great feedback from visitors. It's a beautiful day out so come join us in booth C32 from March 2nd - 6th, 2011 during Armory week. We have curated a very special emerging figurative booth entitled FIGURE IN: featuring new works by Jenny Morgan, Reuben Negron, and Jason Bard Yarmosky. Come visit us before we sell out!

Tonight! 6 pm - 10 pm The Williamsburg Gallery Association will present “Border Crossing” Buses provided by the Brooklyn Board of Tourism will shuttle visitors from Armory and Pulse Art Fairs to 4 locations in Williamsburg from 5 pm - 8 pm. From 8 pm - 9 pm, the buses will only make stops in Williamsburg.

Download full press here:

http://www.likethespice.com/WGA Armory Press Release v2-1.pdf