This is the blog for lookupgospelchoir.com, the art site of Ryan Callis. Here is where I post about influences, and the stories behind my art. To see the art that this blog refers to, visit www.lookupgospelchoir.com.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

oranges and sardines is a go!!!


What a show. This show was sooo important for me to see. At the Hammer they asked a group of 6 abstract painters to pick like 10ish influencial artists/pieces that have fed their creative process, and then each gallery consisted of a piece by the artist, and then the 10ish pieces the artist chose. Amy Sillman, Mary Heilmann, and Christopher Wool, and Mark Grotjahn stoooked me out with their pieces and their choices. Seeing Wool with Picasso, Grotjahn with Mondrian, Heilmann with Hockney (YEAHHH), and Sillman with fucking Gustan. wowee. it was a fest for the brain and senses of a kid who loves picture making. It was unashamed painting for the most part. Grotjahn's piece hummed with a red glow of muscle geometeric paint that made me giddy and then to see a little Mondrian with magic edges within feet of his red bohemath, woooooo.

meeeouch!!





This is another new guy. It's a wounded lion tribute painting of sorts seeing how the tiger image was lifted off one of their fliers from '05. I like it though. One of those ones where I got lost like a kid making it and then when I came to, this f-d up thing had emerged.

some new work.




I like my guys with Ian from the Make Up's head as the
testi-highfivers giving
positive yeah YEAH's.
Exploding gold middles are prevailing as some pieces begin to circulate around a golden center (rule) of all the action around.
thumb's up and high five's are also prevailing.