Sol LeWitt

I saved the best for last. My absolute, favorite artist of all time, Sol LeWitt.  His art evolved from stoic contructions to life and color filled installations. In general, his stuff is pretty cool. While I was at the Hirshhorn, I actually almost missed one of his wall drawing because it was a grid drawn out in graphite that covered the middle section of an entire wall. I thought it was just part of the wall until I saw his name on a plaque and started looking for the art.

One of his many "Wall Drawings"

But what you guys might have seen is his Spotch #22, the art that started it all for me. It's in the lobby of the VMFA and it just looks like fun. To me, it's like an explosion at the Willy Wonka factory that has been frozen in time. So really what could be better: candy, sculpture, and color all in one place? He is the perfect balance of artist to me, rules combined with freedom, color combined with shape; I know it sound silly, but he makes art I actually want to look at.

Splotch #22

Patrick Jouin

Born in 1967, Patrick Jouin is one of the leaders in contemporary design on the French and international scene. His is most know for the diversity of his sculptural work, as well as the quantity; he has over 46,000 designs in the urban landscape of Paris.

The piece I found that I like the most is called Oneshot.MGX Stool. It's hard to describe, so I stole the description from his website: "The One_Shot.MGX is a foldable stool which is manufactured by selective laser sintering as one complete piece; the stool emerges from the machine in its final form, complete with hinges that are concealed by the graceful structure of the stool itself. By virtue of gravity combined with a simple twist, an array of rods transforms, in one flowing movement, into a small, useful, strong seat."

Lisa Yuskavage

Lisa Yuskavage is an American artist, born in 1962. I first saw her art and thought "that's what my figures look like," only she does it intentionally. I can always appreciate artists who disagree with our cultures perception of the female body. The amount of pressure that women, young and old, feel to look perfect is unbelievable. None of us can deny that we care how we look and how others perceive those looks, and for some, it is a dangerous obsession. In this painting there is a stark contrast to the girl in the photograph on the wall and the sexualized girl in the room. But which is better? Where can you find the balance between the uniformity in the picture and the conformity to expectations?

Yuskavage stated that her work is an expression of her own "self-deprecation, social climbing, and constant longing for perfection."

Sue Williams

Sue Williams is an artist who fills her paintings with sexual motifs rendered in strokes of vivid color coupled with fluid, cartoonish energy. I must not know what to look for, because I don't see what is supposed to be seen in this painting (spiky heels, pointy shoes, big toes, and feet). I just thought it looked like a fun painting, bursting forth with life and energy, which I think is what she wanted me to see.

"People don't often talk about the fact that my work is funny, but that's definitely one of my criteria. I'm really happy if the paint comes out well and it's a really goofy image, like a new dumb take on toes."

Gabriel Orozco

Gabriel Orozco is someone I found while combing through the MOMA collection. I originally was draw to his work because I thought it might have some strange meaning. But I actually took the time to read his about his work and I love it so much more now.

For Orozco, art is about the concept. This work is based on a precise formula and set of rules, it is about the  process. I love that! It reminds me of Sol LeWitt whose Wall Drawings have instructions that often can be expressed in different ways depending on the surface.