FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

First Come First Serve opened this weekend at Fort Works Art in Fort Worth.  The opening reception was a big hit, pulling in a packed house to see the huge group show of emerging and established artists. And we mean packed house – doors opened at 6:00 and by 7:30 everyone in the gallery was rubbing shoulders – wonderful turnout.  Patrons were able to grab a scoop of ice cream provided by MELT Ice Creams and listen to music from deejay Ronnie Heart as they walked the gallery.

Part of the gallery’s mission statement reads that the space exists, “…to support the arts, to give back to the community and to inspire youth,” which is exactly what this open call show does.  For many in the exhibition, it was their first time ever to be shown on a gallery wall

Artwork by Glenna Morgio, Laura Romaine, & M.P. Callender

Owner Lauren Childs sought to fill the walls of her gallery with the works of emerging, mid-career, and established artists; giving each an equal opportunity on a First Come First Serve basis.  Over 300 artists submissions came in response to the open call, and just over 100 were accepted before the acclaimed gallery space was full. 

Sculpture by Dan Lam

Don’t miss this wonderful show!  It is a great chance to see original contemporary art in a variety of mediums; both 2D and 3D.  The exhibition is up until March 17th and if you've never been to the gallery, it’s located at 2100 Montgomery Street Fort Worth, Texas 76107. 

Ongoing Training - USPAP

I spent this Saturday doing a 7-hour USPAP update class.  What’s USPAP you ask?  USPAP is the Uniform Standard of Professional Appraisal Practice.   USPAP was defined and put into place when the Appraisal Foundation Board was formed in the wake of the mid-1980s Savings and Loan debacle.   USPAP defines standards of ethics and professional behavior for real estate appraisers as well as personal property appraisers.   

Instructor Cathy Peters, ISA CAPP, leads us through the required 2018-2019 7-hour update for personal property appraisers.

All well-trained, independent appraisers should get regular USPAP training and agree to abide by the standards of conduct.   Of course as a certified member of The International Society of Appraisers, I abide by both USPAP standards and ISA standards.   USPAP updates are required every other year and are just a small part of the ongoing training done to keep up with the latest changes in law and depth of property knowledge.  Our clients expect a very high level of professionalism.  

Brenda

Heckerling Institute

I spent the last several days in Florida at the Heckerling Institute for Estate Planning Professionals.   This conference has been a yearly event for over 50 years and draws most of the heavy hitters in the field.  The speakers are the best in the field and are lined up back to back. 

The vendor room was overflowing with auction houses, charities and service providers for estate planning attorneys.   Bank Trust Officers and Estate Attorneys are important clients for us.  So, much of the time was spent networking.  But there were also a few good information-packed lunch-and-learn sessions hosted by Chubb Insurance.   Laura Doyle (Chubb VP in Personal Risk Services) spoke on the state of the art market, the influx of new types of buyers, and how best to protect collectors’ art.  This involves looking at every aspect of the collection’s needs… proper display, security, appropriate pre-insurance valuation, collection management, transportation and storage, as well as appropriate levels of insurance.  

Laura Doyle with Chubb, presenting on collector's art needs

Kathryn Norris (Chubb VP –Family Practice Leader) spoke about the unique needs of family offices for high net worth families.   Both presentations were well attended and chock full of timely information.   With incredible January weather and the heady mix of attendees, this conference was a winner. 

Brenda

CADD Happy Hour

Last Thursday I attended the third-Thursday CADD Happy Hour.  CADD is the association of Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas, a group that includes some of the best galleries in town.  CADD hosts regular free and low-cost events to introduce current art to new collectors.  I highly recommend getting involved.  Last Thursday’s happy hour was jointly hosted by Cris Worley Fine Art and Holly Johnson Fine Art. 

My favorite artist from this show is Ruben Nieto.   Ruben adored comic books as a kid and has begun to incorporate some of that imagery into his paintings.   The paintings are a fusion of intensely colorful, swirled backgrounds with abstractions of such characters as Popeye, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc.   Nieto gave a short artist’s talk about his working process and how Lichtenstein had been an influence on his work.   Don’t get your mind set on broadly outlined cartoons with benday dot patterns, though.  Nieto’s approach is fresh and his work much less graphic than Lichtenstein.  

The shows are open now.  Take some time and go see them.   Levee street and the nearby neighborhood have become a gathering spot for good contemporary galleries.  Great way to spend a Saturday afternoon…

Brenda

Gallery Hopping in Dallas

In between projects we do our best to keep an eye on the local art scene and catch as many exhibitions as we can.  Texas has wonderful galleries that are showing everything from emerging artists to the established blue chip big hitters.  I was in Dallas yesterday and an appointment of mine fell through, so I took the opportunity to stop by galleries and catch a few shows.

Isabella du Toit’s show TRUCE at Cris Worley Fine Arts
I was able to get an early peek at the show that will open tomorrow, Saturday the 18th, and run until December 30th. 

"Markhor and Snow Leopard"  |  "Wolf and Fox"  |  "Snails and Ibis"

Snippet of the show’s description: Isabelle du Toit’s finely detailed oil paintings of birds, insects and mammals, found on a stark deep background enhances the isolation and the fragility of these creatures. The artist starts each painting on a highly smooth and ground canvas, as to masterfully capture each stroke. Then, each animal is studied in the same academic manner as a biologist or ecologist. With each tuft of hair, vein, and patch of skin, all are meticulously captured in oil paint. The ever-present spotlight on her subjects both elevates their status, yet simultaneously alludes to an impending sense of encroachment. Within her work, Isabelle revels the overwhelming importance of animal conservation, and her desire to inform viewers about the vulnerability that many of these wild animals face.

Isabelle du Toit’s paintings in Truce hit a wonderful trifecta for art aficionados; there is the predator-prey commentary, animal lovers will instantly connect with the subject matter, and fans of photo-realism will marvel at her insanely detailed work.

I particularly enjoyed the predator-prey relationship in each painting.  An Ibis standing calmly while snails crawl on its beak and up its leg.  A wolf and a fox cuddled up next to each other.  A ram and a snow leopard staring out at the viewer, as if to ask what the big deal is. 

This is du Toit’s seventh time to show at Cris Worley Fine Arts. 

BUILDERS group show at Circuit 12 Contemporary
I stopped by Circuit 12 and was able to catch the gallery's owner, Dustin Orlando, who was kind enough to give me a tour through the current show. 

"Loud Speaker" by Katie Bell

Snippet from the shows description: Builders brings together artists Katie Bell, Matt Kleberg, Keith Allyn Spencer, Marilyn Jolly, Alex Ebstein and Brad Tucker. Through traditional and expanded modes of painting, these artists consider building a crucial element of their process. Paintings peel and bulge off the wall, or recede into illusionistic spaces of the surface. Their works focus on the formal, but they often allude to moments of narrative, wit, and humor. Each artist acknowledges tropes of abstractionists throughout history, while forging their own visual language within the contemporary dialogue of painting.

""Rebuilders 1" and "Rebuilders 2" by Alex Ebstein  |  "Fingers" by Brad Tucker

Circuit 12 is always a fun stop for me because they represent and show emerging and mid-career artists who really have innovative approaches to the mediums they are working in; including new media works.  During my tour of the show, Dustin mentioned the gallery is planning a show of solely new media pieces in the near future.

I really liked the hand-cut yoga mat pieces by Alex Ebstein, they are fun and whimsical works that are a commentary on the artist’s relationship with her body and the world around her.  I also liked the large site-specific installation work by New York artist Katie Bell.  All her work is done with found objects she gets from around the site she will be assembling them; her work questions material as our visual language, why we discard it, and how we construct and build structures around us.

Builders runs through the end of November. 

JOHN ADELMAN - DRAWING: ATTN at Holly Johnson Gallery
My last stop was to catch John Adelman’s show at Holly Johnson Gallery.

"Malicious Mesasoma"  |  "Mycose"  |  "Mismetre"

Snippet from the show’s description: In Drawing: Attn Adelman continues to explore the material qualities of ink. Accumulative and compulsive, his compositions are strictly defined by a series of rules the artist sets for himself.  The works are diverse in scale, subject, and resources, and all created in a formula driven manner. The use of gel ink and the excessive layering of it produce rich, luxuriant surfaces transcending the utilitarian material. With his use of unconventional materials and his meticulous method, Adelman's work could easily be dismissed or overly simplified, if it weren't for the understated beauty in the results.

Before I saw this show, I already liked it; I am a fan of an artist prescribing a set of rules for a series.  When I did see the show, the pieces did not disappoint.  They reminded me a lot of Emil Lukas’ thread works – the pieces pull you in the same manner, making you get up close to see just what is actually happening on the surface. 

"42225 nails"  |  "28677"  |  "38307 nails"

Drawing: Attn is up until December 23rd.

Three great shows; go see them while they are up!
Now, it’s back to the office and the stack of appraisals that need to be completed.

-M.P. Callender