Friday, November 28, 2014

Good Things Come in Threes


First of all, thank you to everyone who has been to see my cup installations,
small sculptures and paintings in the Food for Thought exhibition
at the Hewitt Gallery, Marymount Manhattan College.
There are three full days left to see the show this coming week:
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, December 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
Additional good news is that the Hewitt Gallery is open 9am-9pm each day!
 


Food for Thought
at the Hewitt Art Gallery
Marymount Manhattan College
221 East 71st Street.

Open 7 days a week, 9 AM - 9 PM
November 6 - December 3
.

More information click here.

****

The second item, is that I am showing brand new cup and painting pairs
based on the idea of the City as Coffee Cups.
These are available for purchase at Admit to Bitter,
a pop-up gallery and shop in the South Street Seaport,
at 117 Beekman/Titanic Park, NYC,
open 12-7PM daily through the middle of December.



For pricing and purchase contact Admit to Bitter:
admittobitterinfo@gmail.com or call 212-514-6052.
Click here for a lovely interview with Jacqueline Joseph,
creator of Admit to Bitter.

****

Finally, I am pleased to announce that my second collection of ceramic coffee cups 
for Anthropologie is now widely available in their USA and Canadian 
stores as well as online. Click here to purchase online, international shipping available!




Many thanks to you for following my ever-evolving cup journey!
It continues to be an adventure filled with unexpected twists and turns.
Wishing you all the best for the upcoming season of celebrations.

Warm regards,

Gwyneth

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Harris Building for ArtPrize 2014


So here I am at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan! My venue is the Harris Building, 111 South Division, with its charmingly rusted sign left over from the building's old days as a fine furniture showroom and upstairs Masonic meeting hall. Now converted to an event and exhibition space, the Harris building is hosting 37 artists for ArtPrize 2014, making it one of the denser venues and a great place to see lots of art under one roof.
              

I was delighted to have several students assisting with the installation of my 1001 cup artworks, and pleased to find we were done in just a day and half, leaving me time to adjust and compose the cup strands, and to start exploring the local coffee bars. There are plenty!  


The view from the street affords a changing impression as the light shifts during the day.



From inside, the cups create a veritable kaleidoscope of color and pattern.


And this is the morning view from my drawing table, where I will be in residence for the next five days, September 24-28th, drawing on cups and adding them to the installation. Bring me a paper coffee cup, have a conversation and maybe I will invite you to draw a cup of your own to take home!

For more details and my drawing schedule, click here:  http://www.artprize.org/gwyneth-leech

For information about ArtPrize in general, other artists, exhibits and maps, visit www.artprize.org



Thursday, September 18, 2014

1001 Coffee Cup Stories


Cups  #998, #999, #1000 and #1001!
India ink on upcycled paper coffee cups
by Gwyneth Leech, September 2014































I am delighted to be taking part in ArtPrize, a city-wide visual arts festival and 
competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan that runs from September 24-October 12.
I will be in Grand Rapids for a week, installing 1001 coffee cup artworks,
my largest cup art installation so far!

Then I will be drawing in the window of my venue for five days, September 24-28.
It turns out that prepping 1001 cups, not to mention just counting them all, is a big job! 
But it is done, the artwork is boxed up and I am hitting the road tomorrow morning 
for a long drive West.

If you will be in Grand Rapids for ArtPrize, or know people who will, 
stop by to visit me while I am drawing on site. Bring me a paper coffee cup, 
have a conversation and maybe I will invite you to draw a cup of your own to take home!

You can visit my window installation any time between 9/24 and 10/12,
and if you like what you see, of course I would love your vote.

The venue:
Harris Building, 111 South Division Avenue in Downtown, Grand Rapids.

My drawing sessions:
12 - 2 PM, 9/24, 9/25. 9/26, 9/27 and 9/28,
plus 5-7 PM, Thursday, 9/25 and Saturday, 9/27.

The dates my installation will remain on view: September 24 - October 12.

Vote Code: 56642

Here's the link to my ArtPrize page with more information:
http://www.artprize.org/gwyneth-leech/2014/1001-coffee-cup-stories
And for more about ArtPrize and the other 1500 artists taking part:
http://www.artprize.org

Thank you in advance for your support
and I look forward to reporting back from ArtPrize when I am there.


Prepping 1001 Cups in the studio in NYC
proved to be a monumental task!


 Yes! They fit into just four boxes.
Telescoping is the way to go.
I will be driving the artwork out to Michigan myself.


Goodbye to my studio view. 
I will be back in NYC at the end of September!


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Summer Art Stroll

Seaside Cups by Gwyneth Leech
Watercolor on upcycled coffee cups

Summer dog days are upon us. It seems like everyone is headed out of town, following art fairs to the Hamptons or just seeking sea breezes. But for those of us still in the city, there is plenty of art activity to enjoy. If you don't fancy Jeff Koons at the Whitney, or the vast air-conditioned vaults of the Met and MoMA, lots of shows are still open in Chelsea and the Lower East Side. In fact, this Thursday, July 24th is the 5th annual Chelsea Art Walk from, 5-8PM.

Dozens of galleries are taking part, too numerous to mention them all, but be sure to see Redefined Existence at J. Cacciola Gallery at 537 West 23rd Street. It features a good selection of new work by China Marks. Her sewn drawings are a perennial favorite of mine. I do have to declare special interest, having made videos of ten of her sewn books, but I never tire of losing myself in her intricate, processs-driven pieces. She is showing alongside Rick Newton and Sally Curcio and the show continues through Friday, July 25th.

"A Foreign Affair",  Sewn drawing by China Marks 
at J. Cacciola Gallery 537 West 23rd Street, Chelsea

At Michael Rosenfeld Gallery over on 11th Avenue and 19th Street, Edge of Always is an amazing solo exhibit of constructions by Nancy Grossman from the 1960s, made with recycled leather from a prodigious variety of sources. And her ink drawings are terrific. This show is up for just a few more days, through Friday July 25th.

For a full list of  galleries participating in Art Walk click here, but finish up with a stroll on the Highline, which is open into the evening and illuminated, or check out Under Line, a literally cool new coffee bar on 20th Street between 10th and 11th.

  Kate Gilmore photo at Holman Gallery
65 Ludlow Street, Lower East Side
 
On the Lower East Side, there are good shows running into August.
Nicholas Cohn has curated Gatekeepers at Holman Gallery, 65 Ludlow Street, featuring arresting large scale photos by Kate Gilmore, delicate cast cityscapes by Liene BosquĂȘ and striking geometerical paintings by Sinta Tantra; visual pleasure unerpinned by social engagement. Open through August 2nd.
Color as Structure runs through August 2nd at McKenzie Fine Art, 55 Orchard Street - a very strong show featuring numerous wonderful artists bridging painting and sculpture.
And check out the interesting group show of gallery artists at Marc Straus at 299 Grand Street. Just don't trip over Jong Oh's nearly invisible but elegant spatial drawing. The show is up through August 22nd.

To wrap up, head to the Doughnut Plant at 399 Grand Street. They have a most unusual variety of flavors, freshly baked on site. Please make mine a Coconut Lime Yeast with an iced Americano to go. Who says we need to leave town in the summer to stay cool!

Glazed seat at the Doughnut Plant
399 Grand Street, Lower East Side

Monday, May 19, 2014

Spring Cup Drawings and Upcoming Exhibtion News



Cup of the Day #119 - Spring on the High Line
Colored ink on upcycled paper coffee cup
By Gwyneth Leech

New York City has been in the grip of a prolonged and flowery Spring. The days have been cool and showery with long spells of settled clear weather. As a result, the succession of tree blossoming and garden flowering has unfolded slowly. No sudden leap from Winter to Summer this year. I have been revelling in this situation and have spent many days outdoors in Clinton Community Garden, Central Park, and on the High Line - blank coffee cups at the ready and a box of fresh pens at my side - trying to capture these all-too-fleeting moments of unfurling, freshness and brilliant color. 
Here is a portfolio of some of my favorite new cups and Spring photos.

These recent cup drawings will be incorporated into my next 365 Cup installation, as part of "Time Frames Marking Time", a group show curated by Elisa Decker and Barbara Lubliner at the Westbeth Gallery, 55 Bethune Street in Greenwich Village. The show opens this Saturday, May 24th 12-6 PM and runs through June 15th with a reception on June 4th from 6-9 pm. There are lots of special events scheduled, including two afternoons where I will be drawing on cups in the gallery, and I will be blogging my progress here. Scroll to the bottom of this post for all the details!

Looking forward to seeing you at Wesbeth - or catch up with me on the High Line one of these sunny mornings!

Daffodils From My Garden Plot
Colored ink on upcycled paper coffee cup
By Gwyneth Leech
 
Cherry Blossom Alley
Central Park at West 90th Street and the reservoir

 
My daughter, Grace, ornamenting a cherry tree in Central Park.

Cherry Blossom Cup
India Ink Brush pens on upcycled coffee cup
Bleecker Street Garden, Greenwich Village, NYC, April

 
Tulip flowering, April
Clinton Community Garden

April on the High Line

Fresh Green, April on the High Line
Railway Ties Garden Cup
India Ink brush pens on upcycled coffee cup
High Line Park, NYC, April

 
Early May on the High Line

  
Flowering Tree Cup
India Ink brush pens on upcycled coffee cup
High Line Park, NYC, May

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Gallery and Coffee Hopping: a Day Out on Orchard Street

 
 
Cup of the Day #118
Reconfigured Cup by Gwyneth Leech
India ink, white ink and Encaustic
on used paper coffee cup

This winter just doesn't quit! Who can remember so many snow storms and icy days in Manhattan? Certainly not my children, aged 18 and 10, as they trudge off to school through yet another blizzard. 
I have been pretty much in hibernation since the New Year, not really venturing further from home than my art studio on West 39th Street, 8 blocks away. Actually, this studio-bound period has been a boon, resulting in a push forward into new ideas, tying some cup artworks back to paintings even as I open others up and reconfigure them into sculptural forms. Are they maquettes for monumental works to come, or will they exist as the kind of small scale artwork that draws the viewer close and fills a whole field of vision?
 
Paintings and Reconfigured Cups by Gwyneth Leech
Oil paint, colored and white ink and 
Encaustic on used paper coffee cups
and oil paint on wood panel

Painted and Reconfigured Cups by Gwyneth Leech
Mixed media and Encaustic on used paper coffee cups

Finally last week, a break in the weather inspired me to head by subway to what is, hands down, my favorite art destination in Manhattan: Orchard Street on the Lower East Side. Orchard Street has traditionally been known as a place to buy coats or men's hats, but it has been in transition for years now. You can still get the coat, or even work uniforms, but from Canal to Houston Street it has become a mecca for those in search of intriguing art exhibitions and awesome coffee. 

On this particular day, I hopped between coffee bars and galleries the length of the street and had some great conversations along the way. Lesley Heller, of Lesley Heller Workspace at #54, talked to me for some time about Deborah Brown's exciting and vibrant new painting show, "Outer Limits", These riveting reinterpretations of classic French portraits executed in an explosive abstracting tangle of deft lines are so recent that many came into the gallery with the paint still wet. Lesley also made some excellent coffee suggestions: Lost Weekend at #45 for bracing, locally roasted coffee, as well as Roasting Plant, #81. She proposed I check out Whynot, a new open at #175, which was to be my last stop of the day. 

At #55, McKenzie Fine Art, I was thrilled with Lori Ellison's current exhibition, which runs for just a few more days, through Sunday February 16th. I have been a fan for a number of years. As well as the mesmerizing pen and notebook paper drawings and small paintings lining the walls, owner Valerie McKenzie opened the flat files at the back to let me study several dozen additional works. I was delighted to add the blue circle drawing pictured below to my personal art collection, in one of my intermittent breathless moments of artist buying art.
 
At #83, Muriel Guepin Gallery, I was pleased to see several works by Iviva Olenick, whose quirky narrative embroideries are effectively displayed as light boxes. In this gallery, the main spaces are currently given over to the exquisite artwork of Esther Taugot in a show called "Nurtured Nature". The artist has adorned a wide range of small natural objects with seamless, crocheted encasements of yellow cotton thread or bamboo yarn. I was awed by an installation called "Huddle", of found honey bees, each one belted in golden yellow. This extraordinary and beautiful show is up through March 9th. These truly are the kind of small-scale artworks that draw you in and become monumental in effect, despite or because of their small size! 

 Hardy coffee drinker in the snow on
Orchard Street, Lower East Side.

 Mac, barrista at Lost Weekend New York, #45 Orchard Street.
A surfer-themed coffee bar, book store and art gallery.
Coffee roasted in Brooklyn.


Drawings with ballpoint pen on notebook paper
by Lori Ellison in her current inspirational show 
at McKenzie Fine Art, #55 Orchard Street.


 

Irving Farm,  #88 Orchard Street, 
offers a rustic coffee bar atmosphere. 
An urban outpost for this coffee roaster from Millerton, NY.


TĂȘte (Cardinal), oil on canvas, 30" x 30", 2014 
in "Outer Limits", recent paintings by Deborah Brown.


Lesley Heller in front of 
"TĂȘte (Mariana of Austria)" 2013
oil on canvas 48" X 48"
in "Outer Limits", recent paintings by Deborah Brown
Lesley Heller Workspace, #54 Orchard Street.

  "Seed Dome", Acorns and cotton thread, by Esther Traugot.

"Huddle", Found Honey bees and cotton thread, by Esther Traugot
 in "Nurtured Nature" at Muriel Guepin Gallery
#83 Orchard Street.



Narrative embroideries by Iviva Olenick,
also on view at Muriel Guepin.


Admittedly, three latttes in one day is a lot.
But who can pass up Blue Bottle coffee,
also roasted in Brooklyn, served at 
Whynot coffee bar, #175 Orchard Street.
And it is an art gallery too!



Lori Ellison, at McKenzie Fine Art, 55 Orchard Street, through February 16.
Deborah Brown, "Outer Limits", at Lesley Heller Workspace, 54 Orchard Street, through March 9.
Esther Traugot, "Nurtured Nature", at  Muriel Guepin, 83 Orchard Street, through March 9.


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