Tuesday, November 9, 2010

GOOD SALES AND GOOD BOOKS

Detail of Niche Door by Robyn Gordon. Wood Carving 63cm x 70cm x 6.5cm (24" x 27")

It's been a lucky week! Three good sales and a parcel of new books arriving on my doorstep.....



A little breathing space to page through my new books before starting my next carving.


Lee Bontecou: A Retrospective, is the most beautiful book! Lee's work is strikingly different to anything I've seen before. At first glance these pieces look like metal sheets patched together but they actually consist of canvas and scavenged fabrics stretched over welded steel frameworks, stitched with wire. They are extremely powerful and one wonders where these ideas came from. What inspires an artist to create something like this?
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An article by Diane Calder gives a little insight .....
"As Bontecou worked in her studio, her short wave radio broadcasted threats of attack by (cold war) terrorists or news of horrific events in Africa. Fear and anger that she had felt as a child, about the Holocaust, began to surface. “I’d get so depressed that I’d have to stop and turn to more open work. Work that I felt was more optimistic--where for example, there might be just one single opening, and the space beyond it was like opening up into the heavens, going up into space, feeling space. The other kind of work was like war equipment. With teeth. Not many people realize that. But the funny thing is that those canvases ended in German museums or Israeli ones. Just where they belonged, without my saying a thing. One of those pieces went to the Jewish Museum in New York. It was a sort of memorial of my feelings. I never titled any of these. Once I started to and it seemed to limit people to a certain response, so I didn’t continue.”


Read Nancy Natale's excellent post about Lee Bontecou, here.

Amazon link, here.
"The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable." - Robert Henri


32 comments:

  1. Great post, great images. My heart began to been faster as I was looking and reading. Awesome!

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  2. The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.

    The flow, that wonderful state by another name. Congratulations on the sales - well deserved Robyn. Your work is fabulous as always. Thanks for the book recommendations!

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  3. Sales are so nice- good for you! I also love Bontecou's works. I just scrolled down your last post and of course loved all the artists and images- and I went to your tumblr link and I have to tell you that you are killin' me here-- more wonderful images and art works to look at- how you find time to carve your wonderful works and blog and now tumble is beyond me but I love you for it all.

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  4. No wonder your carvings are selling. The ones you have shown are stunning and so many wonderful bits and pieces in them.
    Have to have my knee reamed out on the 25th so aim to be really busy until then!

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  5. thanks a lot for sharing!!didn't see anything like the work of lee bontecou before..amazing and impressive.love your blog: full of stimulating visions.

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  6. So glad your work is selling well, although it's totally understandable, it's beautiful and so unique.
    The work of Lee Bontecou is amazing too, there are so many artists out there who most of us never hear of, it's lovely the way you introduce them to us and share your searching. Thank you Robyn.

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  7. Congrats on the sales. Love your piece pictured in this post. Shall enlarge it to wander around and inspect all the niches and their contents. Those books look very inspirational.

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  8. Congratulations on the sales, Robyn - always good to get a bit of external validation, your work is so beautiful, and thanks for posting such interesting piccies of other artists' works.

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  9. Well someone could ask you the same question. Your work is stunning and I have often thought... where do you even begin?

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  10. Congrats on the sale...

    ..and that book looks interesting!

    ENJOY :-))

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  11. Congratulations Robyn - what a fabulous and successful week! And then, what a joy to receive such beautiful books as well. I love hearing when artists sell. Enjoy!

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  12. Well done with your latest sales - your work is fantastic.

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  13. Congratulations Robyn.. Beautiful piece.. I am always delighted to see your work... the symmetry, the asymmetry.. the balance, the totems.. it has all that is needed to stimulate and soothe the eye at the same time.. Beautiful

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  14. Congratulations on the sales of your work, it was that way with my scarves last month.

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  15. Your carvings are marvelous. I can just sit and look at all the little compartments full of "stuff". It is a treat to see what you have collected. Those canvases sewn together with wire are something else too. I too thought it was a metal piece until you explained it. Peace.

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  16. oh sales are wonderful, it is so nice to be recognized in that way, isn't it! congrats! I am in awe of this work, just breathtaking! thanks Robyn!!

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  17. Congratulations on those sales! I gasp every time I see one of your pieces -- they are all so stunning, earthy and tactile. I could go on and on.

    I have recently seen two of Lee Bontecou's pieces -- one in Richmond, Virginia and one this past weekend in New York City. Fascinating and frightening at the same time.

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  18. Congratulations on your sales. For me, that usually means I buy more books. Lee Bontecou has always been one of my favourite artists along with Magdelena Abakanowitcz. My day always begins with a good feeling when I read one of your posts. Thank you.

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  19. congratulations on the sales!!!!! the book looks awesome. well deserved :)

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  20. Wonderful news....your beautiful work will live on in new places...congratulations! And those are great books you've gotten! Keep up all the wonderful work!

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  21. Yay, sales! And cool work. Reminds me of both Martin Pureyer (spelling?) and a sculptural cubism or some such thing. Also a bit like a 3-D Kurt Schwitters collage. I love getting new books, enjoy.

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  22. Why Robin, why?

    Your blog(s) gets my heart beating so fast, I hardly know what to do with myself.

    EVERYTHING, every piece of art you present is simply amazing. This fantastic gallery of a blog you have is too inspirational, if there is such a thing.

    Please send help :-)

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  23. Congrats on your sales! Lee Bontecou is an artist I was unfamiliar with...her work is so compelling!

    PS...now I am stuck with tumblr. too!

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  24. Congratulations, Robyn, great about the sales, and a wonderful post as usual. So much to take in on your site, I just love it. And I'm going to look at tumblr...

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  25. Wow - that's fabric? Amazing. And I love your carving at the beginning of the post, and as always, am thrilled your work is selling!

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  26. Good sales, good books...I firmly believe that good things come to good people!

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  27. Been catching up again & am blown away as usual! Well done you, love your 'door' Really inspired by , well, most of the artists you've recently featured, particularly Brigid Collins (not just coz of the name!) & Wen - I'm off to find her article in QA Apr/May '07, THEN i'll look at this tumbling then then I need a sit down!

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  28. Reading the explanation by Diane Calder makes Lee Bontecou's work seem all the more powerful. And chilling.

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  29. Congratulations on the sales Robyn, so well deserved. The work of Lee Bontecou is quite something, thanks for the inspiration.

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  30. we have that lee bontecou book, got it at that show. Love it!

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  31. Congratulations on your sales, it's no surprise your artwork is awesome!

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  32. Thank you so much for this introduction to an amazing artist: I am now off to do my own research. Her work resonates deeply with me.

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