The First Magic
You Should Own Art, Edition 27
Peruse past Y.S.O.A. Editions here | Follow the Y.S.O.A. Instagram here
Well hello, friends. The title and the content of this edition are inspired by the artist, writer, and critic, Amy Sillman. Her work elides the border between drawing and painting. She often will describe her paintings in terms of building up from a drawing, without every abandoning the drawing-ness of the work. If that comes across as a bit sloshy, I recommend listening to this great interview, and checking out her work. For an even deeper cut, I’ve been enjoying her Faux Pas: Selected Writings and Drawings - it’s a lovely object in of itself.
In the interview, she describes drawing as summoning a new space. She’s super interested in where this new space is, where the drawn object are located. Creating this space is a primal, first, human act of magic. And so, in this edition we’re going to look at drawings. I’ve pulled together a set of works that show just how broad the medium can be and still retain the drawing-ness of drawing.
But, before we get to those, an interlude:
How To Own Art
I’m often asked about the various ins and outs of buying art. And understandably so - it’s an often tricky and opaque endeavor. So, I’m going to occasionally intersperse some practical tips about finding and buying artworks into the usual art selections.
Today, I want to talk about buying directly from artists. A LOT or people have asked me about this, and I’d say most of them have been largely a bit intimidated to approach artists. We can speculate why that it is, but I thought it would really helpful to hear directly from an artist.
I truly love the work of Ashley Eliza Williams. She thinks deeply about the natural world and reflects that through beautifully conceptual artworks that open up over time. She is also a really lovely person and kindly answered a set of questions that I thought would be illuminating for someone considering reaching out to an artist they’re interested in:
How do people typically find your work?
In recent years it's been roughly a 50/50 split between real life encounters (people seeing my work at shows) and social media.
I love meeting artists and collectors in person, but I've also met a lot of wonderful collectors and curators through Instagram in recent years.
Collectors will often reach out via direct messages on instagram or email.
How can people learn more about your work, and when you have work for sale?
You can email me ashleyelizawilliams@gmail.com or DM me directly and I'd love to chat! You can also reach out to one of the galleries or institutions showing my work. I currently have three large paintings on-view at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. I'm also represented by K Contemporary Art in Denver and I'm about to have a show at Pulp Holyoke near my hometown in Massachusetts. The directors of K Contemporary and Pulp Holyoke, as well as the staff at the MCA would love to talk with you about my work. Museums like the MCA are not involved in selling work, but they have a lot of information about artists. Galleries like K Contemporary and Pulp can talk with you about buying a piece.
K Contemporary has works for sale and prices on their website. https://kcontemporaryart.com/artist/ashley-eliza-williams Starting on April 1, Pulp Holyoke will have a list of work for sale as well. I have some work available through Headstone Gallery, listed on Artsy: https://www.artsy.net/partner/headstone-gallery/artists/ashley-eliza-williams
I also have a website: ashleyelizawilliams.com with some more information about my work and process.
What is the best way for people to make contact with you?
send me an email: ashleyelizawilliams.com or DM me on Instagram @ashleyelizawilliams
Are there any considerations people should have in mind when they reach out to you (or any artist)? Are there any do's and dont's?
Sadly, I receive a lot of scam emails from people pretending to be collectors. This happens to a lot of artists. I always ignore and delete suspicious emails and my artist friends do the same. When reaching out, it's helpful to be specific so that I know you're a real person. Write about a particular painting that you like and how you learned about my work. "I learned about your work through Aric Cheston" would be great! Or "I saw your work at the MCA last weekend". Those personal details and references are really helpful. Otherwise, I might delete your email thinking that it's spam.
We first came in contact when I bought two of your small works. How do you decide which works to offer directly, and which to offer through a gallery?
The works that I sell through my studio are usually small-scale paintings. I'm usually rushing around trying to put together work for an upcoming show, so I don't sell work directly through my studio that often. That said, I usually have a few small pieces available. The larger works often end up in shows. Occasionally I'll do a public sale of small works posted to social media. Those studio sales really help to sustain my practice! Small-works sales have opened a lot of doors and have been a great way for me to meet some truly wonderful people, like you Aric!
Do you have any words of advice for someone who would like to bring art into their life, but is just getting started?
Thank you so much for caring about The Arts and for supporting artists! I feel like art collecting is a form of community-building. I have a very tiny collection of drawings made by artist friends and I love being able to tell others about the work that I have and the people who made each piece.
It always feels like such an honor when someone decides that they want to live with a painting or sculpture I've made, especially a first-time collector. I know that most artists feel this way. Please don't be shy about reaching out to artists. We want to hear from you!
Some key takeaways:
Artists really want to hear from you. Go ahead and reach out.
If you’re not ready to take the plunge on a large work, ask about any smaller works available, or when the artist might have a studio sale.
Be clear and specific when you do reach out to avoid being mistaken for a scammer.
Follow artists on Instagram, subscribe to their newsletters, check their websites to get the scoop on when they’re showing or having a studio sale.
Be nice.
Alright. Let’s look at some drawings.
Night Work Red/Blue
Helen Rebekah Garber
Lithography pencil and collage on handmade pape
USD$375
This is a work that I would immediately walk over to if I saw it hanging in a wall. I’m really into the intentionality of the design which is offer by the looseness of the hand-drawn execution. Oh, and that paper looks delicious.
You can buy this work here.
Follow Helen on Instagram.
Helen’s website (wow!)
She Wears her Skin like a Sail
Rebecca Harper
Watercolor pencil on watercolor paper (from the artist's sketchbook)
GBP£350
Speaking from experience, a loose drawing such as one might create in a sketchbook has an energy that is impossible to recreate with the front of your brain. I feel like this has that same kind of living flow.
You can buy this work here.
Follow Rebecca on Instagram.
Untitled
John Jodzio
Mixed media on paper
USD$400
This is just bonkers and I love it. It reminds of the very dense streets scenes that a Renaissance artist like Titian or Piero Della Francesco created. Devoid of the narrative or cultural context, you just have to embrace the weirdness.
You can buy this work here.
Follow John on Instagram.
John’s website
Quatre couleurs 4
Riwan Coëffic
ballpoint pen
USD$273
I’m really into how this is constructed. There are no bounding lines, the form is completely built from cross-hatching. It’s mesmerizing.
You can buy this work here.
Follow Riwan on Instagram.
Riwan’s website
Structures #5
Lisa Kellner
Ink on Paper
USD$250
This feels at once closely observed and entirely imagined. As if the artist has looked deeply at a natural form then made an impossibly delicate construction with it. I enjoy the thingness this gives off.
You can buy this work here.
Follow Lisa on Instagram (the paintings!).
Lisa’s website
Portrait
René-Jean Clot
Pencil on paper
USD$437
I would expect that this is a study for another work, or perhaps just some practice. But an artwork is not always the outcome of an intentional process. I love the quality for the drawing, and the fact that the second head recedes unevenly is a really interesting effect that gives some narrative weight to this work. This drawing is for 1955, so there’s a dimension added by being a time capsule of sorts.
You can buy this work here.
There’s not much biographical information available about René-Jean, but it seems like he was pretty interesting cat.
Salus populi suprema lex esto (The welfare of the people is to be the highest law)
Elliott Earls
Vinyl, resin, wood, paint, Edition of 8
USD$300
This stretches the definition of drawing, maybe. I’m interested in the world-building at work here. The arcane objects and gestures that feel like rituals load the image with narrative.
You can buy this work here.
Follow Elliott on Instagram
Elliott’s website
Lisca
Rossella Mercedes
pencil, colored pencil
USD$153
I really like the rendering of this image. You can feel the artist looking closely and building it up. It invites reflection.
You can buy this work here.
Follow Rossella in Instagram (wild!)
Rosella’s website
Cubist Interior Scene with Figure
Leo Saal
Graphite, Crayon & Watercolor
USD$975
Good gracious I find this so fascinating. I can’t help but think of Edvard Munch, perhaps it’s the air of existential questioning. Bringing this back to Amy Sillman, this is a rendition of a place, that creates a new space. If you like this, Lost Art Salon has a similar image for a lot less.
You can buy this work here.
You can read about Leo Saal (1912-1996) on Lost Art’s website.
Alright! Thanks so much to reading. Be a friend and invite your friends to subscribe, they like art too. See you next month.