Nature, new and improved

I finally made it over to the Oceanside Museum today to see the Nature Improved show, a show that was held in collaboration with the San Diego History Center. I am going to be up to my ears in it next week and I needed a day to just chill and get away.

The show focused on contemporary artists' handling of the modern landscape. Lots of traffic and stucco. There were definitely some interesting canvasses but I thought that the work overall was a bit uneven.

I am assuming that we are witnessing a further departure from the historic grand landscape and past the politically charged schools of social realism and regionalism and have now charted dead square into the realm of mansard roofs and the piquant underbelly of the modern architectural tragedy. Welcome to the twentieth century miasma.

I needed to visit because an artist that I have carried in my gallery, Carol Lindemulder, had two pieces in the show and I felt like a schmuck for not attending either opening.

I believe that the show was curated by Charlotte Kagen and Bram Dykstra. There may have been different paintings in the two different facilities. This painting above, Carol's Ramona Morning, was not in Oceanside but is shown on the website for San Diego. I really liked Carol's stuff, somebody named Rosenblatt had a wild piece, a couple others were promising. Somebody channeling Roger Kunz, unfortunately without his power. A nice wrist painting of a building, the pejorative term from art school for somebody who is adept at turning on his or her projector. Not a ginormous amount of craftsmanship or facility with the brush apparent but a few artists definitely nailed it.

The show is up until the beginning of March. Visit it and draw your own conclusions. We may have updated nature but it surely doesn't look much improved to me, then again who the hell am I and who asked?

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There is a fantastic photographic show upstairs. One woman makes her own primitive cameras. I believe that her name is Burstine and her fuzzy black and white was exceptional and without post production. May have to visit that one again.

CONTEMPORARY LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY:
AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
November 9, 2013 - March 23, 2014
The Bob and Estelle Gleason Gallery

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Great show by the Fallbrook Camera Club up at the Fallbrook library right now too.