Month: October 2013

Quick review: Brinsley Tyrrell at Busta Gallery

At first sight, I was underwhelmed by Brinsley Tyrrell’s show, Ohio Lands Forever, at Busta. The large-format pieces with their electric colors and ropey splatters struck me as gimmicky and shrill. Tyrrell’s enamel on steel technique threatened to skid out of control–obsession with process has shipwrecked many artists. But after a couple of processions around…

Review: Truppe Fledermaus and the Carnival at the End of the World

The collaborative team of Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick recently filled the Galleries at  Cleveland State U. with posters, postcards, and photos from their magical world of speculative fiction and false history–Truppe Fledermaus and the Carnival at the End of the World. While Kahn and Selesnick’s magic realism reminds me of artists like Magritte, or…

In the Studio 10/20/2013

I am always happy when I can show finished paintings. The painting in the upper-left is titled ‘Wayne in a Blue Cap.’ It’s of my father-in-law, Wayne Kaniper, who recently passed away. This painting is finished. The painting in the lower left, ‘The Blue Bow,’ is of my daughter Jane. She was inordinately proud of…

RIP Wayne Kaniper

My father-in-law, Wayne Kaniper, died Saturday in Brigantine, New Jersey after a battle with cancer. He was 81. Wayne was a retired teacher and school superintendent. He was in the habit of sending me newspaper clippings that he thought would be of interest. The topics reflected his wide-ranging interests: history, business, and civics. He was…