If  you have not seen “Herb and Dorothy” yet, take the day off and go to the movies today! This is inspiring for artists and collectors alike. It is a love story for art. I love this movie!

The Trailer Synopsis:
HERB & DOROTHY tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to Minimalist and Conceptual Art, Herb and Dorothy Vogel quietly began purchasing the works of unknown artists. Devoting all of Herb’s salary to purchase art they liked, and living on Dorothy’s paycheck alone, they continued collecting artworks guided by two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. Within these limitations, they proved themselves curatorial visionaries.

After thirty years of meticulous collecting and buying, the Vogels managed to accumulate over 2,000 pieces, filling every corner of their tiny one bedroom apartment. In 1992, the Vogels decided to move their entire collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Many of the works they acquired appreciated so significantly over the years that their collection today is worth millions of dollars. Still, the Vogels never sold a single piece. Today, Herb and Dorothy still live in the same apartment in New York with 19 turtles, lots of fish, and one cat. They’ve refilled it with piles of new art they’ve acquired. HERB & DOROTHY is directed by first time filmmaker Megumi Sasaki.

Studio Visit is series of juried artist books published by The Open Studios Press. Each year they produce two volumes and each volume features about 150 artists selected by professional curators. Studio Visit, a.k.a. Studio Visit magazine, is a well-respected publication received by two thousand curators and gallerists throughout the country.

I am excited to announce that I am in Studio Visit this year!

Studio Visit, volume seven and volume eight came out at the beginning this year. There are many talented artists featured and I am thrilled to be in such great company. I know Jonah Burlingame, Silvia Poloto and Catherine Small through the Paris-San Franscisco Artist Exchange. And Rob Harrell and Suzanne Lewis are fellow Austinites that I know through the prestigious Wally Workman Gallery. I admire these talented artists and I hope you visit their websites. In fact, if you have time, I urge you to browse all of the artists from both 2010 publications here: Studio Visit, Volume 7 and Studio Visit, Volume 8.

You can see my two page spread found in Volume Seven below. The paintings are Between the Two of Us and Wheels for Feet and Teeth that Talk. Click on image below to view larger.

Here’s the excerpt from the publication:

Dreams inspire my work. Images ranging from public domain icons to archaic glyphs grab my attention. My work in narrative in it’s intent, with titles helping to progess the story. I see my work as a painterly memoir, and the color and humor are grounding for me in this process.

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My good friend Stephen is a very talented and unique musician. I really like his work and was honored recently when he chose my work to mashup with his music. You should check out his YouTube channel as well. In his profile he describes his music as “Gothic Americana – a little bit of everything with a dark and moody accent”.  Be sure to visit his website to find our more about SP Smyth.

Hope you enjoy the video!  I did!

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