2009 Year-End Review

[commandax]

Since I know my art year is pretty much wrapped up, I thought I'd initiate the Year-End Review, which was inaugurated by Charity last year.

1. Post pictures of your top 3 acquisitions this year.

2. Best experiences?

3. Biggest disappointments?

4. Who are your rising stars?

5. Best show of the year?

[commandax]

1. Post pictures of your top 3 acquisitions this year.

Chris Berens "First Snow (Guide Me Home)"


Thomas Doyle "Acceptable Losses"



Andrew Hem "In the Rouens"


2. Best experiences?

Making new friends who call me to talk about art late at night – you know who you are!
Exploring NYC with Tessar and Nimit – Chelsea, Kandinsky, The Met... crucified frog and funghi misti.
Corresponding with the wonderful and generous Robbert van Ham of Jaski Gallery in Amsterdam.
Being asked by Roman Cho & Tatiana Wills to write the essays and interviews for the upcoming Heroes & Villains book.
A wonderful road trip to San Pedro with the boys for Christine Nguyen's exhibit at Angels Gate Cultural Center.
Being given stunningly deep and revealing interviews by so many artists, including Liz McGrath, Seonna Hong, Mike Brown, Edwin Ushiro and Travis Louie.

3. Biggest disappointments?

The arrogance and rudeness of the Corey Helford Gallery auxiliary staff.

4. Who are your rising stars?

Tran Nguyen, Acorn, Rob Sato, Moki.

5. Best show of the year?

Sarah Joncas, Kelly Vivanco and Tran Nguyen at Thinkspace in June.

[sleepboy]

Wow, it's like celebrating Xmas before Thanksgiving. You sure you aren't buying anymore this year Amanda

For me, it's been an easy year as I have been trying to save money for the big day.

1. Post pictures of your top 3 acquisitions this year (I only had three acquisitions haha.)







2. Best experiences?

Watching Arrested Motion develop. Baby Tattooville.

3. Biggest disappointments?

Hm... I would say having to sell some pieces to help pay for wedding expenses.

4. Who are your rising stars?

Hm, no obscure ones but Matt Small, Elbow-Toe, Yoskay. Maybe I'll remember more...

5. Best show of the year?

Wow, what a tough one... so I will cheat.

Luke Chueh @ g1988, Prism show with McGee & Frost, Josh Keyes show at David B Smith, Todd Schorr @ MK Gallery, James Jean @ Jonahan Levine, Banksy @ Bristol Museum.

[jemappellekat]

1. Too lazy to post pics:

1. Lapinlapin (print) by Tessar Lo
2. My Dumb Luck by Yoskay Yamamoto
3. Death Blosson (print) by David Choe

2. Every time I walk into GR2 and Gallery Nucleus because I feel like part of a team. Every time I go to NYC. Meeting fellow art-lovers. Meeting my favourite artists. Baby Tattooville. SDCC.

3. Meeting a certain artist that I though was cool and finding out just how much of a douche he really is. The time that I walked into CHG and some dude looked at me like I was dirt - so I walked out and got another piece for a hotel. Being snubbed. Overhearing someone talk sh!t about me minutes after they pretended to be cool with me...

4. Tessar Lo, Yoskay Yamamoto, Nimit Malavia, Joshua Keen Valencia, this dude named Misael _______ (need to find his contact info), Luke Berliner, Scott Belcastro, Maria "TOOFLY" Castillo, Nathan DeYoung

5. Best show of the year? The GR Beniale at the JAMN

[highbrow]

1. Post pictures of your top 3 acquisitions this year.
1.
The Single greatest thing I have ever purchased and was a true pleasure not buying a new car and having this, by now the car would have dings and a trunk full of crap, this however hangs on my wall and I enjoy it everyday

2.
A huge fan of his work, happy to own something before I am unable to do so.

3.
Will be trying to purchase more from him, really like his ideas.

Honorable Mention ( had to ad a fourth ) Joe Sorren Sculpture



2. Best experiences?
1. Making my purchase with Joshua Liner Gallery of my Sorren Sculpture.
2. Speaking with various artists via email for purchases, I am amazed at how nice they are and how much some of them care where their art lives.

3. Biggest disappointments?
1. Galleries that seem to not want to deal witha new customer unless your spending 10K
2. The fact that Atlanta is a major city for everything except art.

4. Who are your rising stars?
Nate Frizzell
Yoskay


5. Best show of the year?
Being in Atlanta I saw 1 show and would easily say it was not the best, so i tend not to reply as all my shows were via AM.com

[steveinca]

what a great start to this thread. The pieces you guys have listed as your top 3 for '09 are all amazing. I mean really, Soto, Berens, Fairey, Sorren.....craziness. Amanda, if it's not too much trouble would you mind PM'ng me the price you paid for the Thomas Doyle piece? Thx .

[droow2]

3 favourite aquisitions -

• jason thielke - Prophetess



• linnea strid - Cry you a river



• dan may - Retired
(just bought it this morning!)




Best Experiences:

• first and foremost, I'd have to say this forum. Hardly a day goes by when I don't come here and discover more and more beautiful things! Congrats and thanks to Hung, Commandax, Sven and to everyone else who's shared stuff with us over the past year.

• jan helford - great, honest lady

• David B Smith - great, honest bloke!

• jemapellekat for efforts way above the call of duty in order to get me a craola matt riddle print from g1988. I know I stil owe you yorkshire pudding mix, tunnocks wafers and milk gums!

• All the other galleries who've humoured me and sent me previews

Disapointments:

• The narrow-minded, short-sighted, snobby attitude of the majority of english galleries

• Not realizing how fantastic Nate Frizzell was until a week into his show when everything had been sold

• Missing 3 josh keyes prints despite having them in my cart yadda yadda...

• For the third year running Craola has had a show on or around my birthday. Yet again I missed it, and worse, missed out on this...



• Disappointed to have been forced to sell a couple of things to finance the essential purchase of a new car.

RISING STARS:
• Linnea Strid
• Moki
• Roa
• Nimit



BEST SHOW 09:
Not sure as all my gallery visits take place vicariously through arrested motion.

[gildoinc]

What a fantastic thread. I think I will wait until the end of the year to properly contribute as I have a couple of things in the works. But I will say that a definite highlight was getting my Matsu from Joshua Liner. Josh is stand up guy and it was a pleasure working with him to get this piece.

[commandax]

Wow, it's like celebrating Xmas before Thanksgiving. You sure you aren't buying anymore this year Amanda

Well, there are a few more things coming up, but I know they won't eclipse what I've listed here.

[origo]

Excellent thread!

My 3 favorites purchased from this year:



This one might need a little explaining. The painter is a danish artist called Poul Pava, I remember loving his work as a kid and this year I realised my dream of owning a painting by him.





Best experience was “discovering“ this scene, and realise how many good people there are around.

Biggest dissapointment would be, that I am still studying and not being able to keep all pieces I have, if I want to buy new pieces. Not always fun parting with them, but I am very happy with the direction my collection have taken.

Rising star would definetely be Nate Frizzell who I think produced an amazing show with LeBasse. Elbow-Toe is another one who I believe could go big.

Show of the year is difficult as I don´t really attend shows, we don´t have a lot of them here in Copenhagen. But I must say that Adam Neate´s show at Elms looked to be in a league of it´s own, very innovative, amazing visions and so beautiful.

[highbrow]

Love your Frizzell my fav of the show

[origo]

Cheers highbrow, your piece is stunning as well and the Fairey ain´t too bad either.

In fact there are several pieces already in this thread that I love. The Berens and Doyle from commandax, the Yamamoto from sleepboy are all very special. droow2´s Thielke is awesome also.

[jpakula]

Top 3 purchases of the year;

Kim Cogan "Freeway"


Augustine Kofie "The Triangulation's of Damp Organics"


Aaron Nagel "Light and Lace"


Best experiences;

Anytime I meet a gallery owner who does not make any assumptions about you. Josh from Joshua Liner Gallery and Justin from Shooting Gallery/White Walls are both class acts.

Biggest disappointments;

Gallery owners who assume you can't afford anything, any gallery in Laguna is a perfect example. Rising prices with falling incomes.

Rising stars;

Mike Davis, Aaron Nagel, Elbow-Toe and Oliver Vernon

Best shows;

Mike Davis @ Joshua Liner Gallery
Kim Cogan @ Hespe Gallery
Jeremy Fish @ Laguna Art Museum

[svenman]

some great things posted here already.
really love that piece by nagel above - have not been aware of this artist before. seems almost kris lewis like, and i would have said it was by him if i hadn't seen the name....

anyway thanks for starting the thread amanda. it's good to take a step back and think of all of the good things i've seen and done this year. there have been so many.....

1. Post pictures of your top 3 acquisitions this year.

i'm gonna cheat and post 4.... in no order of preference....


portrait of my daugher, Amalie, by Ana Bagayan. 5x7 graphite on paper. Ana captured her so well - i'm glad we documented this moment in time.


Passage by Chloe Early. 55x39 oil on linen. Fell in love with Chloe's paintings last year, and had to have this one when i saw it. my second piece from her. hopefully not the last.


Entangle II by Josh Keyes. 40x30 acrylic on board. Josh's work gets better and better. I was excited to see this show and glad i made the trip out to denver.


The Mushroom Hunter by Joe Sorren. 24x24 Oil on board. My favourite painter. Ever. Honoured to be able to put this on my wall. Had a truly memorable visit to his studio too to see the finished painting for the first time.

2. Best experiences?

So many, so i have to name a few....
LA trip. Flights were a christmas present from my wife, which was such a nice suprise, and tied in with Matthew Feyld's solo show. Had a killer tour of the LA art scene from my man Mr Andrew Hosner. we did something like 12 galleries in a whole day, including a bunch of openings, and a street art tour that people would pay top dollar to go on. Thanks Andrew - it only seems like yesterday!
Got to meet some cool LA folks, including a number from this board too. Drove from LA to Flagstaff and back in 2 days. Went to meet Joe Sorren. saw his mural. saw my painting, and drove it back to LA with it in the car along with another excellent Sorren painting that was a commission for a well known movie director. Thought about taking that one home too, but it had to go to a gallery instead. you never saw me run so fast when i was either filling up the car with gas, having a slash or getting food from a service station knowing that these were in the back of the car!

Denver trip for Josh Keyes' show. got to hang out with JK, Dave and Travis from the gallery for a few days, and watched Josh put the installation together ahead of the opening. Awesome people, and Denver is a really beautiful city. i'd love to go back.

Arrested Motion happenings. i love doing AM stuff, and am glad to work on this with such a cool bunch of like minded people dotted thousands of miles apart. i always enjoy when the AM UK crew of Lawrence, Sandra and myself meet up at shows, and it's been cool to meet up with some of the other international guys too.
I got to see so many shows and really made an effort this year to concentrate a lot of my art budget on travelling to shows / openings etc. I got to visit some great artists in their studios and enjoyed doing a bunch of interviews. This year i've felt closer to the art than i ever have before, and i'm sure that is down to being involved with AM. I'm looking forward to a big AM meet-up in Miami in a few days time - first round is on me boys!

Generally. Knowing what a great community this scene has bred. the interaction i've had with artists, galleries, curators and fellow collectors has been inspiring. I hugely enjoy that i can either meet, phone, email or pm various people to talk shit about art.

3. Biggest disappointments?

Toughy. How about going through all of my savings this year? Being next to broke!
As a result of that, seeing so much good art this year that i would like to be able to bring home, but not being able to do so financially.

4. Who are your rising stars?

I'm interpreting this as being artists on the ascendance, not specifically new artists.

Tomokazu Matsuyama
Tristram Lansdowne
Candice Tripp
Chloe Early
Henry Gunderson
Nate Frizzell
Tessar Lo
Tat Ito
Jonanthan Darby
Brian Donnelly
Korin Faught
Matthew Palladino
Brett Amory
Jean-Pierre Roy
Michael Page

5. Best show of the year?

Gosh. been to so many. 2009 has been very high quality generally for me. shows in the UK have been excellent. going to limit this between shows i've seen in person only.
Probably number one for me was Adam Neate @ Elms Lesters. This show was beyond stunning. Neate is truly multilingual across a variety of mediums, and this show really had everything for me.
Others worthy of note in no order. Antony Micallef @ Lazarides. this was probably my number one before i saw the adam neate show. Matt Small @ Black Rat Press. Josh Keyes @ David B Smith. Jeff Soto @ Solenspace. Ana Bagayan @ BSFA, Matthew Feyld @ Thinkspace, Brian Adam Douglas @ Black Rat Press, Grow up group show @ Lazarides, Chloe Early @ Stolenspace, Conor Harrington @ Lazarides. James Marshall @ Magda Danysz.

[gildoinc]

Love the Sorren Sven. You picked up some killer pieces this year.

[oldfartatplay]

Nov 22, 2009 15:37:40 GMT -8 gildoinc said:

Love the Sorren Sven. You picked up some killer pieces this year.

Yes svenman!, very nice works, you did good. So has everyone else that has shared, thanks, I love to see peoples taste! Love the Kehoe and Frizzell origo.
I'm still not done this year, waiting...wondering...

[untilshewokeme]

Post pictures of your top 3 acquisitions this year.
oh my, I am afraid I am still not done. Waiting on a commission/transaction or two that may be done around halfway through December that could really change my list around. One thing I know will make the list no matter what is:

Daniel Elson "The Pedestal"


Best experiences?
Having my little on-the-side print "business" grow over the past year and getting to know some great artists along the way.

Biggest disappointments?
A few sour commissions/transactions that I have had to deal with / am still dealing with over the entire year. One might finally get resolved with the coming week but the other I am still getting the run around on. Also the lack of a bigger art budget

Who are your rising stars?
Daniel Elson, Jonathan Bergeron, Michael Page

Best show of the year?[/img]
man this year was filled with so many stellar shows it is hard to pick just one... so i am not

[grotesqueanimal]

I am so impressed by all the great artwork you got this year and the things you got to see and people you got to meet (especially Sven!).
Will post my humble acquisitions later, as I am still waiting for a piece

[bspear]

This thread is excellent!

These are the only three pieces I picked up in '09.

"What do I have to do to get you in here" - Michael Page


"Permanent Shifts" - Michael Page


"Stay Right Here" - Craig "Skibs" Barker


Best experiences revolved around my awakening to the scene. Definition Gallery (Baltimore) introduced me. I was very excited to open my first Hi-Fructose magazine (and every one since). The Arrested Motion blog is an invaluable resource. Met Josh Liner who turned me onto this message board.

The biggest disappointment was the closing of Definition Gallery, the only spot in Baltimore that regularly featured low brow, pop surrealism, street art etc.

I see Michael Page continuing his upward trend. I think Tiffany Bozic will blow us away with her show later next year. Haven't been around long enough to speculate too much more.

Only saw a handful of shows. Dreamscapes at Definition Gallery showed me the worlds of Dan May, Martin Wittfooth, Michael Page, Andy Kehoe, and Chris Ryniak. ThankYouGoodbye at Varnish was stellar....too bad the gallery is being taken under eminent domain. Not sure if this counts, but Todd Schorr's American Surreal in San Jose Museum of Art almost made my head explode (not to mention the Calder and Ansel Adams exhibits running at the same time).

[sleepboy]

Glad to have you here bspear but don't seem to see your pics. Maybe it's just my computer but you may want to check this thread about posting pics here.

[Weekender]

Im new here, would like to share:

Here's my list

1. Post pictures of your top 3 acquisitions this year.



Candice Tripp "HOney Trap"



Martin Wittfooth "The Messengers"



Chris Peters " Los Angeles"

Honorable Mention: Luis Lorenzana, Captain Beer Lightning from Distinction Gallery



2. Best experiences?

Really getting into the US pop-surrealism thing this year. Ive only been a looker before but i decided to take the plunge and got the pieces that i wanted. I enjoy dealing with the gallery and artists themselves through email or phone calls mostly, since im in Sydney at the moment.

3. Biggest disappointments?

.....not having too much cash to get everything! hahahaha ;D. But none so far. Maybe i have to pay higher because of shipping and i would always put that into the equation.

4. Who are your rising stars?

Candice Tripp, Nate Frizzel, Michael Page

5. Best show of the year?

Havent been to one this year to see it personally! Maybe next year, i need to drop to US!

[svenman]

great introduction to the board thomas... nice picks you made there - welcome

[Weekender]

Thanks Svenman for the welcome. Cheers!

[bspear]

Thanks, Sleep

Images are up now

[cluttergeoff]

1. Post pictures of your top 3 acquisitions this year.

I've only bought two pieces this year...an Usugrow print and Joe Ledbetter OG "Shock and Awe"



2. Best experiences?

Hanging out with good friends at openings, seeing the shoots of more creativity in the UK art scene.

3. Biggest disappointments?

See #1 - lack of money really and to my mind ridiculous pricing by the majority of London-based galleries during a recession.

My commission from a well known and respected street artist never arriving and no communication about a replacement or my money back!!!!

Too many 'urban/contemproary' galleries pushing what IMO is below-par work (both in the UK and the US). I don't really blame the artists for this, if you're pretty new and someone offers a show of course you'd probably take it. But I can't help but feel there's too many people doing this and not taking their time to find their style and voice, leading to a lot of generic, insipid and uninspiring art.

4. Who are your rising stars?

I dunno if you'd call them rising anymore by Candice Tripp and Andy Kehoe continue to amaze me. Just have to hope one day I can get their work on my walls!

5. Best show of the year?

Word to Mother @ Stolenspace and Miss Van's "Lovestain" - so nice to see her older works again.