Wednesday Work: Christopher Hartshorne

Nebula Christopher Hartshorne

This week's Wednesday work is Philly's own Christopher Hartshorne.

Walking those winding, unassuming stairs up to the second floor of the "Vox building", (a derelict property, just north of China Town, that has been re purposed housing apartments, at least one suite of textile factory-type work, and a myriad of artist-run spaces, including: Vox Populi, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Marginal Utility, Grizzly Grizzly - and the NEW NAPOLEON) I didn't think we were going to make it. Fresh from a down pour of summer thunder storms and a happy hour bar boasting half price everything until 8PM, the sweat was dripping off of our faces, pooling in blotchy splotchy patterns all over our clothes. We round the corner past the elevator doors and into the deplorable bathroom situation that is the second floor - quick past the growing crowd of gawkers in the hall,

And we were made a new once through the threshold of NAPOLEON's door.

The room was white, the air was cool, and we were met with large oversize huge gigantic prints made from woodblock, printed just so, on long rolls of paper delicately pinned to the walls and strung over utility pipes - I found my feet.

This is why we made the trip.

The beautiful movement and abstraction and depth of Christopher Hartshorne's woodblock prints let you in. They let you go - there - where? That's up to your imagination. They deftly set the stage, one with many different avenues and options, but they don't tell you what to say. A variation of line work mixed with subtle color shifts, the work a grotesque adventure, a memory, or a want - all depending on if you had 6 dark and stormys, or just 2 pale ales, at the happy hour bar, and your ability to synthesize alcohol.

I received the image in two parts, which I show together up top. Below, the two images as they were sent as separate. The image size, 96"x38". Now that's some big wood.

Go see the show for yourself!

Gallery hours at NAPOLEON: Saturdays 1-3. 319 N. 11th Street. 2nd Floor. Philadelphia, PA. Up through July.

And check out more of Christopher Hartshorne's work at his website, here.

Nebula Christopher Hartshorne

Nebula Christopher Hartshorne

Wednesday Work: John Buck's Woodcuts (and more!)

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"The Preserve": 2005

Color woodcut : 62 x 37" : Ed. 15

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"The Coal Mine": 1996

Color woodcut : 62 x 37" : Ed. 15

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"Argosy": 1998
Color woodcut : 62½ x 37" : Ed. 15

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"War Eagle": 2010
Color woodcut with hand coloring : 37 x 73" : Ed. 15

John Buck resides between Montana and Hawaii. He not only works with these beautifully detailed woodblock prints, he also works with wood carving and bronze sculpture. He has shown his work extensively and a retrospective of his graphic work is currently on a national exhibition. To see this work in person would be a dream! It will be on exhibition at the Yellowstone Art Museum through January 2011, so if you're in the area, check it out.

Ok, now more of the good stuff:

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"Projections and Predictions", 2008

wood & acrylic, 71 x 71 x 3.5 inches

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"The In Crowd", 2003

blown glass and wood

Is there any medium this guy hasn't eloquently mastered?

And check out where the magic happens...

Now this looks like the kinda place I'd like to spend my days.

Read more about John Buck here.