“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” -John Lennon
I’m reading John Lennon, 1980: The Last Days in the Life by Kenneth Womack. Despite the somber tilt of the title, the book is a celebration of Lennon’s final year, a time of creative reawakening and success. It is a reminder of the principle that you just don’t know what something is until you see it fully. An ending can be beautiful, a beginning can be fraught. In life, the only guarantee is that we simply can’t know until we arrive.
Devin B. Johnson joined us to discuss his work and exhibitions with Nicodim Gallery. He described the creation of his painting A Moment in Crossing, which depicts a photo taken from an Uber. Johnson explained that he will sometimes use Photoshop to alter a photograph, playing with color and adding overlays that, in a sense, simulate the process of absorbing the minutia of the moment. To learn more about Johnson’s process, work and exhibitions, listen to the complete interview.
Molly Lowe sat down with us to talk about some of her work that recently appeared in the group show Getting to Ick at Hesse Flatow Gallery. Lowe’s work sits at a crossroads of figurative and abstract, and she tends to consider how much information she wants to give the viewer. Working from her imagination only, Lowe keeps her imagery loose and not quite identifiable while still creating something believable. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
Outings
Join me at Jane Lombard Gallery for Sydney G. James: Girl Raised in Detroit
A few words to keep in your pocket
What are some ways life has surprised you by going in directions you could not have foreseen?
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android, please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews is here.
More books to read
Ours is a community of readers. Tell us what books you’re into these days by adding your titles to our reading list here. Praxis member Lynn Champagne has been spending time in the adventurous escapist works of H. Rider Haggard, author of the King Solomon’s Mines series of novels.
The Keyholder Residency Program offers emerging artists free 24-hour access to printmaking facilities, aiding their artistic journeys. Held in a shared Artists’ Studio, it includes solvent/etching areas and a darkroom. Keyholders work independently alongside peers, irrespective of discipline. Applications are reviewed by a panel, with 8 artists awarded annually. NYC-based artists without studio access are encouraged to apply. Visit the website for more information. Deadline is March 1.
Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics and is currently faculty at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. He has written six books for artists, most recently Making it in the Art World. He also has a new book coming out in the Spring of 2024, The Problems in the Art World: An Artist’s A-Z Action Guide, which is available for preorder.