Another Big Weekend In Duluth -- Tall Ships, Art in the Park and More

This day in music history... Ringo Starr made his debut with the Beatles in 1962. Two years later on this day The Beatles arrived in San Francisco to be mobbed by a crowd of 9,000 fans at the start of their American tour. On this day in 1969 the "Woodstock Nation" was born... a place where hippie dreams and realities collided.  Meantime, life went on.

A small Tall Ship at Karpeles... and more.

This weekend in Duluth will be memorable for many. I've read estimates of 200,000 to 300,000 people coming into town for the Tall Ships festival. If you think the waterfront is impressive when the ore boats come and go, the Tall Ships is a spectacle not to be missed. Unless you have a distaste for large crowds and parking hassles.

For a smaller crowd, but still crowded, try the Hoghead Festival in Proctor, August 15-21. Last night more than 100 classic cars were gathered in the center of town, and an outdoor beer garden helped create a festive air.

Art in Bayfront Park kicks off today and will run through Sunday, August 21. I missed the Park Point Art Fair this year for the first time in a decade because I did not see any ads or promotional notices. At the other end of the spectrum is Art in Bayfront Park in which I seem to be getting notifications by the hour. In addition to the free art fair (except for the parking) they are hosting an awards dinner at Marshall High School called the ARTcademy Awards Dinner/Comedy Night For $25 the evening will include a comic entertainer and lots of awards tomorrow evening from 6:30 till 8:30. Oh, there will be lots of fabulous food.

Recommended art shows tomorrow evening include The Things They Carried @ Prøve Collective and Monica Ares solo show In Their Midst @ Washington Studios Gallery. The Prøve event is featured in today's Best Bets section of the Trib.
 
It's my understanding that Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum will have a Tall Ships tie in on display.

And AJ Atwater's 400 Paintings can be viewed any time day or night, with a glass of wine or

Don't be shy. There will be plenty to see this weekend. Then again, you may just want to get away from it all on one of our many hiking or biking trails and other escapes.

Meantime, life goes on all around you. 

Virtual Reality Meets Virtual Gallery: AJ Atwater's 400 Paintings

"Behind the name is that which has no name..." ~ Borges

It's Almost Wordless Wednesday. To learn the backstory on AJ Atwater's virtual gallery, read the interview we did here. The event 400 Paintings ends Sunday evening at Midnight. May your imaginations be stirred to action.

Visit www.ajatwater.com to see the entire virtual exhibition.  

The gallery's virtual rooms are segregated by price.

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Get into it.

AJ Atwater Talks About Her Upcoming Event: 400 Paintings

Discovering AJ Atwater initially felt like re-discovering an aspect of myself. Atwater is an abstract painter who has derived inspiration from the New York School. Perhaps it's a little like musical tastes in which one can still appreciate Motown or folk while being swept away by Dave Brubeck, or Beethoven.

I first saw her work at Duluth's Washington Galleries. Later in 2013 she conceived what she called Project 30/30 in which she publicly produced 30 paintings in 30 days at Perry Framing on the 200 block of Superior Street. The following year she produced a show called New York Paintings.And last year she collaborated with Elizabeth Kuth in a show called Affordable Fine Art, another fine show. Her latest endeavor is called 400 Paintings.

Atwater lives in two worlds that could not be more different, Manhattan and Duluth. The Big Apple is continuously abuzz with its big city energy. In contrast, Duluth is something akin to a seaside resort with beautiful vistas and plenty of open spaces to indulge the senses in a different way.

Though ambitious, 400 Paintings is the kind of thing I've come to expect from this energized, almost frenetic artist.

When I asked, "What's new with AJ Atwater?" She enthusiastically replied, "Life is incredible, amazing. I just got back from Manhattan again where I painted at the Art Students League of New York with Pat Lipske, a successful geometric hard-edged artist. It's always inspirational being in Manhattan, and influential... Manhattan is my Lake Superior."

As Atwater moves between these two worlds – Lake Superior and Manhattan – she's influenced by both.

"I'm now moving into large scale pieces," she explained. Her current project for 2016 is five panels that will end up 7 x 28 feet. "Working in scale, small and large, is pretty fascinating."

My own largest project in my college fine arts painting class was 8' x 12' and I found it exhilarating. When I shared my experience, he replied, "You're almost in it because it's bigger than you."

But every piece, no matter what scale, involves a push and pull, whether four by six inches or massive, she's observed. "It's interesting to move between sizes, just like different locations."

"There's really no difference," she explained. "There isn't a shift in mind. You have more real estate, but your thought process, composition, shapes, aesthetics... draw upon the same elements. Both call upon the same things whether big or small."

Atwater's upcoming show has an unusual twist to it. There will be a week of viewing where the work will be displayed online beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, August 12. And then the show goes live for purchasing, again online, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, August 19, closing at midnight on Sunday evening, August 21.

"The largest pieces in 400 Paintings are three foot by four foot," she said. "A good size for a painting on a wall. I think about my clients/customers." The price includes free shipping to the lower 48 states in the U.S.

Atwater noted that the title of the show is literal and not figurative. There are 400 paintings in this show. "The idea came from a place where all good ideas come from. Having an online show where people could see a huge range of my work from 2009 to 2016, select pieces.... Range gives people a lot of opportunity to find different sizes that work for them.

She shared how some of the work involved "conversation between colors, the interaction between the colors... letting them have conversation on the canvas." That was an interesting concept.

The reason for this online show was due to the quantity. "I wanted to show a body of work by an artist in one spot... in their living room late at night while sipping wine... to browse at your leisure."

It makes sense that an artist would visualize the people enjoying her art. It also opens the exhibition up to a wider audience, not limited by geographic proximity.

Breakwater Two, 36x48. Painted in MN, 2015

I myself am occasionally concerned about the proper representation of the colors when I put my work online. Atwater stated that this is not a concern of hers. "I work really hard on that to make sure that the colors are close. Also, the lighting in everyone's home is different, because of lighting or the color of walls. But I work very hard to get the colors right."

On another topic, I commented, "I've heard it said that the New York School has been played out. Why are you still enjoying the possibilities of this kind of abstraction?"

"I completely disagree," she replied. "If you go to Art In America for example, you will see right up front (paintings by) Willem DeKooning, Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell... Those names still dominate the gallery shows and the auctions. I love that. I'm so happy to see that's still the case. They're the foundation of abstract art. It's still as strong and sought after as any art movement."

Because I've been doing a lot of reading about the future, I wanted to know her thoughts on the future of art.

"I think the future of art is going to continue as it is, and I don't think the appeal of the New York School is going to go away. But one thing I like is conceptual art and I think conceptual art is going to expand.... Why not have the big yellow duck floating down the river. I think art can and should become all kinds of things we don't really think about. I think the same for online, bringing things out into the world that people don't see.

The Two Of Us Nestled; 10x10 wood panel. Painted in MN, 2016

"I still think the sturdy foundation that comes from Picasso to Pop is still so influential. The future will build upon the past."

Morning Sky; 12x16 140 lb cold press. Painted at Art Students League, 2012

One thing that's apparent is the influence of technology on the art scene. "This show takes advantage of technology," she said. "Being able to sit in our living room at midnight and browse a show of this caliber online... People can look and ask themselves, 'What do I want? What kind of colors do I want to bring into my life?' The technology brings exposure to lots of people. Because it is online it isn't just for local audiences but for anyone who finds my website."

Awning Shell; 6"x8" canvas panel. Painted in MN, 2016. 

Here's where you can learn more: www.ajatwater.com

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Pricing on some of the paintings shown above:
Breakwater Two -- $1400
The Two of Us Nestled -- $400
Morning Sky -- $150
Awning Shell -- $50

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Get into it.