On The Scale of Grey
You Should Own Art, Edition 23
Well, hello there. In this edition we’re looking at the inverse of the last. Last month, everything was just BLAW! Lots of color, bonkers composition, and fanciful form. This month, let’s look at some work that is restrained, at least by color. I zeroed in on works that are composed of greys. You’ll see that even with such a restrained palette, there’s some real dynamism that artists can bring to an image. It’s exciting to see.
Before we get into to it though some notes about this here publication:
I got a chance to talk about Y.S.O.A. (and about myself, bless them) to Voyage Austin. I’ve had some nice responses to it, so I thought you might enjoy a bit of backstory. You can read the interview here.
There are some neat collaborative editions in the works. I’ve enlisted some fun and interesting people to look at where art and music overlap, and dive into the wild, wild world of digital art. Feel free to eagerly anticipate those in the next couple of months.
And finally, I have a request for your input. Over the past couple of years, I’ve assembled a huge list of galleries, websites, and artists that sell works that fit the Y.S.O.A. criteria: super high quality, not so super high prices. It seems to me that the list could be mighty useful to others as a tool for finding artworks. What do you think I should do with it? Some wise people have suggested an art finder quiz similar to the Taste Quiz over at Parlor. Others, equally wise, suggested making a directory organized by the kind of art each artist or gallery/site offers. I’m keen to get your thoughts on what would be most useful to you, and to people you know. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.
Landmarks
Nicomi Nix Turner
Archival pigment print on cotton rag, 16 x 20 inches
Signed and numbered, limited edition of 30
USD$75
I’ve been sitting on this image for over a year, waiting for the right fit. I keep coming back to this because it’s just beautifully rendered, and contains no small amount of oddity. I feel like we’re being sent a message and that is up to us to decode.
You can buy this print here.
Nicomi’s Instagram (private)
Nicomi’s website
Parlour, 2019
Sarah Edwards
Giclée pigment print on 260gsm fine art rag paper, 60 x 40 x 2cm
60 x 40 x 2cm, Edition of 5
GBP£650
I don’t know why, but I’m often struck by how abstract and ambiguous a photograph can be. The most literal of instruments can produce images so open to interpretation. The edges of this work make me think of the fabric and clouds that often frame the huge religious paintings of the Italian and Dutch Renaissance.
You can buy this work here.
Sarah’s Instagram
Sarah’s website
Sea Scape
Tanc
Lithograph 1 color printed with Marinoni press lithographic and hand cut
100 cm x 78 cm (39.37 in. x 30.71 in.)
Signed and numbered by the artist
USD$ 406
I love the texture and the restraint. This could be a satellite photo of coastline, or an extreme close up of a bit of sand and water.
You can buy this image here.
Tanc’s Instagram
Four Spoons
Tif Hunter
C-Type print, 30 x 42 cm
GBP£700.00
I find this image to be a bit menacing. Is it the one antique spoon that was clearly bent by a power not of this natural world?
You can buy this work here.
Tif’s Instagram
Tif’s website
Cellule 2
Clio Sze To
Graphite on cream paper, 51 x 36 x 1cm
GBP£750
Oh jeez. I just love how the texture of the paper contributes to the believability of the space. Wonders are worked with just pencil and paper.
You can buy this work here.
Clio’s Instagram (oof, just great work)
Clio’s website (there’s more!)
A Northern Sign
John Wentz
1-color lithograph on stone printed with Marinoni lithographic press, 97 cm x 74 cm (38.18 in. x 29.13 in.)
Edition of 75, Signed and numbered by the artist
USD$ 510
John Wentz is a particularly influential contemporary artist. He is deeply considering what a portrait needs to be in these very digital times. His work is pretty hard to come by, so it’s neat to see it available here.
You can buy this work here.
John’s Instagram
John’s website
Illumination Station Bull
Audrey Bialke
Ink on handmade paper, 16 x 22 inches
USD$500
This is kind of bonkers and the drawing is exquisite. Also, I suspect (or maybe would like to believe) that these are all drawings made while wandering the Met Museum in New York.
This is one of a series. I had a hard time selecting which to share, so please check out the others.
You can buy this work here.
Audrey’s Instagram
Audrey’s website
Lithographie No. 3
Pierre Soulages
Offset Lithograph, 23.5 x 15.75cm
USD$75
Again, this is one of those images that is deceptively simple. Meaning, it looks simple, but it ain’t. Seeing the evidence of layers and overpainting makes me want to see the process of how it was made.
You can buy this work here.
Pierre’s Instagram
Pierre’s website
The Pebble
Patricia Dorr Parker
Woodblock Print On Paper, 36 x 26 inches
USD$525
Wowzers! I’m drawn in by the density of this image, and how the boulder at the center is almost lost amongst the shadows and forms of the trees. Just a masterful use of dark and light. And printmaking too. I’d love to see what this is like IRL - it’s big! If you buy it, send me a picture.
You can but this work here (BTW, the Big Ink website is nuts! Tons of great work available)
Patricia’s website
Ok! Thanks for checking in this month. As always, I’d love to hear what you think of the art and the artists. And do let me know what you think might be done with the Big List.
Love 4 spoons