“The 2018 Smithsonian Craft Show co-chairs Elizabeth Beck and Susan Vallon announced today that the noted Chinese American sculptor Foon Sham will be named the Asian Influence/ American Design Visionary Artist of the 2018 Smithsonian Craft Show. In making the announcement, Elizabeth Beck said that, ‘Foon Sham exemplifies the talent, creativity and leadership in his field that embodies the theme of this year’s Smithsonian Craft Show: “Asian Influence/ American Design.” We are thrilled that Mr. Sham has agreed to accept this honor. His large-scale sculptures, constructed out of both exotic and common reclaimed woods, have been featured in outdoor exhibitions and museums throughout the United States and world-wide. Born in Macao, China, Mr. Sham is a Professor at the University of Maryland. His deeply-personal works reflect the combined influence of the Asian aesthetic and the American experience which is exactly what the 2018 Smithsonian Craft Show is all about.’”
Read More“Although blurred and scraped, the recurring shapes in Erick Johnson’s brightly hued abstractions are essentially regular. The New York painter calls them “calligraphic parallelograms,” which is evocative, if not literally accurate. Where calligraphy is drawn spontaneously, Johnson methodically applies pigment, partly removes it and then adds more. This yields streaked and layered forms, and results in such serene yet active pictures as “(Inside) Out,” which provides the title of the artist’s Gallery Neptune & Brown exhibition.”
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“A second-generation Italian American inspired by a sojourn in southern Italy, Cianne Fragione makes mixed-media abstractions that seem to contain bits of the old country. The layered, heavily worked surfaces give an archaeological vibe to the pictures in Gallery Neptune & Brown’s ‘Dancing the Tarantella.’”
Read More“For centuries, artists either devoutly emulated or defiantly rejected the work of their predecessors. Contemporary artists such as David X Levine take a subtler approach, gleaning from Old Masters to make work those forerunners would struggle to recognize. Giotto would probably be mystified by “Painting With Pencils,” Levine’s show at Gallery Neptune and Brown. But it features a set of large drawings based on one of the proto-Renaissance painter’s masterpieces, the interior of Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel.”
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