Galleries and Dumplings...

A friend and I made plans to meet up with Jen Tong in Chelsea to go to some gallery openings. Not having thought to bring my bag, I forgot the list of galleries and openings at home. The list was ample, so we thought we'd just play it by ear and follow the crowds of art-goers that roam the streets in search of discussions on art over cheap wine. Alas, we met several empty and lonely streets. Where were all the openings? Were there crickets, we were sure to hear them.

Eventually we stumbled upon Heidi Cho Gallery, where there was an opening reception for Ronnie Landfield and his show, Toward Monochrome. The show was comprised of his colorist paintings, all dominated with a bar of a single solid color resting at the bottom of each composition. This hard geometric structure was used in contrast to seemingly ephemeral washes and watery brushstrokes. The effect generated a distinct feeling of landscapes, the horizon line against a panorama of color.

Above Left: Forest: Green, 2006. Acrylic on canvas by Ronnie Landfield.

After we left the Ronnie Landfield show, we walked over to Max Protetch for the David Reed show. These abstract compositions are built from undulating liquid ribbons, moving and writhing in and out of focus. As these are large format paintings, the strokes reference the body - the reach of the arm, the bend of the wrist, the rotation of the socket in the shoulder. One can't help but get the sense of calligraphy. With calligraphy however, the writing scrolls across a page. Reed's paintings are much more concerned with the illusion of visual space, crafted by wet, woven marks.

Above Left: #572, 2005- 2007. Oil and alkyd on polyester by David Reed.
While Jen Tong, a friend, and I were there, we ran into some cronies from college! It was so nice to see them again. I had seen Essye in New Jersey at Kathy Callahan's performance at the 1st Thursdays at the Edge Gallery in Rahway, but some of the others I hadn't seen in several months if not years.

Above Left and Right: Reunion of former students from the School of Visual Arts at the David Reed show at Max Protetch.

When we had finished up at the gallery, Jen Tong, a friend, and I went to Chinatown for dinner. We stopped in at Joe's Shanghai, which is home of these amazing soup dumplings. They are so incredibly tasty. In order not to burn your mouth (which I think I did anyway), you bite off the little doughy top, suck out the broth, and then enjoy the filling. To end the evening, we dropped by The SKINnY in the Lower East Side for a beer and a game of pool. Let's just say that none of us have a career in playing professional pool.