Sketches by Sylvia

Sylvia Plath would have been 79 today; this curious French cat is one of her sketches, part of a collection of 44 pen-and-ink works on exhibit in London's Mayor Gallery through mid-December. Such tremendous talent. From "Lady Lazarus":

And I a smiling woman.

I am only thirty.

And like the cat I have nine times to die.

Sicily through a new mirror

Above, "Le cupole rosse della chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti Palermo," by Ida Saitta.

Just around the corner and down a block or two from our apartment, there's a storefront that is, more often than not, shuttered. But every so often, I walk by and see something a little bit magical in the otherwise unassuming area: an exhibition of photographs, say, or an invitation to take classes to learn Italian.

Today, a lovely little exhibition of paintings closed."Sicily Through a New Mirror," which presented a selection of Ida Saitta's work, was a breath of fresh air; the paintings were lively and colorful and made me want to learn more about Sicily, and Saitta, and the Cultural Association of the Molise Region (the organization responsible for the gallery and event space, which is at 31-16 36th Ave. in LIC).

If you missed out, fret not: there are more shows coming up. From October 22 to 29, "Colori d'Italia" will showcase photographs of Danilo Susi; in November, an exhibition on Jackson Pollack is planned and will feature the photojournalism of Tony Vaccaro; and in December, there will be something from Angela Grancagnolo.

Wild colors at Welling Court

We've been by a few times before, but it's always fun to stop and see the art at Welling Court (near 30th Avenue and 12th Street in Astoria). This was the second year that art (under the aegis of Ad Hoc Art) was splashed across buildings in the area; the new pieces were unveiled in June. Artists include Alice Mizrachi, Fumero (who did Einstein, below), Darkclouds, Lady Pink, OverUnder, Ron English, Stormie Mills, TooFly, and many, many more.

Bye, bear

The Urs Fischer teddy bear installation ("Untitled (Lamp/Bear)") on Park Avenue started coming down yesterday. Between that and the dismantling of Jaume Plensa's "Echo" in Madison Square Park, I'm a little bummed -- and can only hope some great new large-scale sculpture will debut soon!

Art on Governors Island

Things we liked! Things that confused us! Things that made us think!

Alysha Colangeli and her mossy canvases:

Allan Gorman's iPad paintings:

Nancy Flanagan's beautiful figurative pieces:

Michael Meehan's Long Island City-scapes:

Lloyd Ledbetter's tiny skulls and other paintings:

Steven Ketchum's undulating waves:

... as well as Roberta Holden's amazing The Stillness of Motion: Changing Polar Landscapes. Jessica Sharpe's weirdness. Emily Chatton's multimedia. Ugly Art Rooom. 

Island hopping

What better to do on a long weekend than explore someplace new? We had yet to visit Governors Island, and the 4heads Art Fair was a good excuse to go. (You should go, too! It's open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through September 25, and it's gloriously free. More to come soon on some of the artists we found intriguing.) The Mark di Suvero sculptures, like the one above, are massive and cool. Bring a picnic, wear some comfortable shoes, and poke around for awhile -- there's plenty to see.

Greening Van Gogh

Left, a green wall in Trafalgar Square, mimicking Van Gogh's 1889 A Wheatfield With Cypress (right). Absolutely amazing, and it'll be up through October 2011. (As seen on Treehugger.)

Scenes from Socrates

Image: portion of Leif Low-beer piece against the skyline; Flickr user Joel Speasmaker has a better image of how the sculpture plays with perspective.

Ambled on down to Socrates Sculpture Park yesterday evening and poked around the Vista exhibit (which is on until August 7):

Vista will explore the ways that methods of viewing and observation determine the assessment and evaluation of an object or scene. The works in the exhibition will employ visual alignment, perspective, and the framing of a site-line or point of view to dictate perception.

Which Side Are You On?, Howie Sneider, 2011

Closeup of one side of Jillian Conrad's Relative Distants, 2011

Between Lines, Priscila de Carvalho, 2011

One Way, Ivan Argote, 2011

Through Flushing Meadows to QMA

Today, the Queens Museum of Art hosted the opening reception for our friend Niyeti's latest piece, A Script for a Landscape, a site-specific work she installed in a gallery on the QMA's second floor. If you've never been to the museum, it's well worth the trek on the 7 train; Niyeti's piece will be up through mid-August, and you can of course check out the Panorama, the Neustadt collection of Tiffany glass, and artifacts that recall the 1939 New York World Fair. QMA is also supporting Tania Bruguera's Immigrant Movement International, an exploration of politics and art with regard to immigration in New York.

The museum is a bit off the beaten path, but if the sun is shining, nothing beats the walk between the Mets-Willets Point 7 station; a 10-minute walk through Flushing Meadows Corona Park and you're there. Glances of what I saw along the way:

Textures and lines at a yard where trains idle

Crossing the slatted overpass to enter the park

Venus mosaic in what is now called David Dinkins Circle

Pickup games aplenty

A shiny silver sculpture

And, of course, the Unisphere in all its glory (I saw a few pairs of shoes that had been flung onto its frame; I suppose people must pull that stunt all the time)

To Long Island City with you!

There's one more day to enjoy the LIC Arts Open, and you, I assure you, should go (at left is a sculpture outside PU(I)NK!, by The Space artists, at 46-46 Vernon Boulevard). There are open studios all over the rapidly gentrifying Queens neighborhood, and the art of the street competes, in my opinion, with what is being created in the studios.

We started around the intersection of Vernon Boulevard and Jackson Avenue (although the 7 train is not running this weekend, there are shuttle buses from Queensboro Plaza, or you can get off at Court Square on the E). Then we made our way toward Queens Plaza, stopping at Ten10 Studios and a few other free-standing spaces before spending a few hours at Juvenal Reis Studios.

My next post will highlight some of the artists we enjoyed; the photos here are odds and ends we saw as we walked.

White heart, 44th Avenue near 22nd Street, Long Island City

Able Steel Equipment, faded painted sign on the side of a building off Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City

Obscured comestibles, Long Island City

Industrial cityscape, Long Island City