“…a space opened up behind that paper, a space—who knows how wide—between the paper and the wall, inaccessible but hinted at by the tear. It occurred to me that this photograph was…” Frederick Sommer, “Max Ernst, 1946.” 1946. Gelatin silver print. © Frederick & Frances Sommer Foundation. Image courtesy of Bowdoin College Museum of Art, […]

This painting happened at the end of a work session on a summer day, when sweatiness, general mess and frustration let mind barriers fall. I was on a pink jag, thinking about Wendy Davis’ filibuster Mizunos and the image of Malala Yousafzai making her speech at the UN, clothed in Benazir Bhutto’s sari.” Marianne Gagnier, […]

I’m definitely conscious of this kind of rhythm, and am always preoccupied with ensuring that a sort of lyrical quality permeates both my imagery and its eventual arrangement. When I’m making photographs or capturing video, I’m certainly aware of the general aesthetic sensibility that tends to drive my response, but I guess my process at […]

…there’s also no question that locking Mr. Dial’s work into the “outsider” narrative diminishes it, turning it into artifact instead of art–-into evidence of his struggle against the often brutal and at least unforgiving injustice he was met with daily. Thornton Dial, “Tiger Likes The Lady To Stand By.” 22 x 30 inches; mixed media […]

The indexical relationship inherent in the medium, the relationship between the thing in the world photographed and the representation of that thing, opens endless questions about how we understand our relationship to our surroundings. The ability to express the very concept of paradox is one reason I love the photographic medium. This is the second […]

Abstract painting requires a huge amount of faith in oneself. The process is mysterious and almost impossible to teach, as each artist needs to find his/her own way. If one can approach each painting having the love and trust that things will be all right, that an image will come eventually, we will make the […]

The more art I see—and I think in 41 years in the art environment in New York I have seen quite a bit of art—enigma is that aspect of an artist’s work that holds me the longest and the thing that separates one artist from the rest. But enigma does not necessarily make you very […]