All posts by Stephen Hawkins

“Richard Baker, Physiognomist of Our Past and Future,” Hyperallergic

Richard Baker is best known for his still-life paintings of tabletops, often tilted at impossible angles and covered with out-of-print art books and other bric-a-brac, such as ceramic pots, to-go food containers, candy bars, and tulips. Ranging from the lowbrow Learn to Draw by Jon Gnagy (Mr. “Learn-To-Draw”) to the hefty catalogue of the exhibition Paris-New York (1977) — the year the artist graduated from high school — Baker’s non-hierarchical representations form an inventory of the books that have, at different times, been central to his ongoing education, stretching from when he was a teenager until the present.

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“Willie Birch’s Art Brings Shades of Light to the Crescent City,” New Orleans Living

Birch moved back to the Crescent City in the early 90s after receiving a Guggenheim grant to produce a body of work based on growing up in New Orleans. He bought and gutted a property on N. Villere Street, which eventually became his studio space. The old stomping grounds of Mardi Gras Indian Chief Tootie Montana and jazz legend “Jelly Roll” Morton, Birch couldn’t have felt more at home. He began compiling life-sized color portraits of African Americans, but his work has since evolved into black and white through use of acrylic and charcoal on canvas.

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“Robert Gordy,” The Archive

Gordy was born into a fairly well-off Louisiana family. His father took over a family business in New Iberia—salt mining—when Gordy was seven and the family moved to this seeming isolation. Gordy was already dreaming of becoming an artist at this early age, and New Iberia was to deliver a lucky stroke for Gordy when he was taken under the wing of Weeks Hall, a New Iberia resident who had studied at the Pennsylvania Academy and in Paris. Hall educated Gordy about the world of art. By age 15, Gordy was winning awards for his art in Louisiana, and a Scholastic Gold Key at 18. He received a BFA and MFA from Louisiana State University.

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“The Hateful Years: Mark Flood Takes On Luxembourg & Dayan,” Huffington Post

Mark Flood is often referred to as a punk artist, partially because he played in a band named ‘Culturcide’ in his youth, and also because he makes some very angry paintings. At 54, the Houston-based artist is looking back on his oeuvre in a new solo show. Though we’re not often fans of ’80s nostalgia, we are happy to report that the first survey of Flood’s work during this period is now on view at Luxembourg & Dayan in New York, and it’s worth checking out.

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