Manhattan Artist

Why Are We Trying to Emulate Apple's Aesthetic?

2012-02-10T13:35:00.003-05:00

Great article on why NOT to do this as a designer from FastCode Design. Beware Of Following The Gospel Of Minimalism, Preached By Apple. Check it out here.

A Personal Wordle

2012-01-25T11:42:00.002-05:00

Courtesy of Wordle.

I Can't Hear You, All I See Is Bling

2011-08-14T17:40:00.001-04:00

Watch Your Fingers!

2011-03-15T14:14:00.001-04:00

New Monkey Man Series

2010-07-27T12:16:00.002-04:00

Remember Monkey Man? He now resides in my friend's apartment downtown but his adventures haven't come to an end. I just started the Life and Times of Monkey Man, a new series dedicated to Monkey Man's angst filled life, complicated travels and run ins with strange characters such as the Binky the Invertebrate Bear.

My Father the Farmer

2010-07-22T13:02:00.006-04:00

My father has always had a green thumb. At his house on Long Island, near Fleets Cove Beach, he grows everything from vegetables and fruit to beautiful flowers.

These photos (again using my Diana F) show the view from the back deck, looking over the strawberry plants to the neighbors to the west. The last shot shows a small variety of his red salvia.

New Diana F Photos

2010-06-29T10:37:00.013-04:00

My best friend, Brooke, bought me a Diana F camera two Christmases ago (perfect gift for an artist) and lately, I've been using it more frequently. If you don't know anything about lomography, take a look here. It's a fun medium for artists, photographers and amateurs alike. Using this manual camera, I can capture warmth, distance and composition in a way not typically ingested through a digital camera or with Photoshop tampering. I love the effects straight out of the camera and find them really inspiring. They might even become subject matter for my new oil paintings (which I will post very soon).

Special thanks to my good friend Laura H. who modeled on 401 East 34th Street's rooftop.

See "Memory" at the Guggenheim by March 28th

2010-03-20T09:52:00.002-04:00

From Art Forum:

The past, we are told, is another country. We can access it from some directions, not from others. We lose our bearings, feel frustrated, retrace our steps. Such is Memory, 2008, Anish Kapoor’s latest attempt to perplex viewers. Constructed with twenty-four tons of Cor-Ten steel, his site-specific oval sculpture looks––from architectural blueprints––like an oversize (albeit squished) basketball. Visitors can never see Memory in its entirety: Squeezed between white walls, it can only be approached obliquely. From one entry, its burnished “skin” invites us to touch it, while from the other entrance, one can glimpse inside its hollow interior––its tunnel-like core much like the rabbit hole Alice toppled into.

Kapoor calls Memory a “mental sculpture,” and its relationship to the architecture of the museum is obvious: stressing somewhat ominous tendencies within Frank Lloyd Wright’s soaring, spiraling landmark. In the quintessentially modernist whitewashed walkways––whose walls generally serve as receptacles for art––culture gazing is a communal activity. Wherever we stand in the rotunda, we can be observed. The building has few secluded nooks, so that when privacy is achieved, it feels strangely clandestine. The deliberately obfuscating nature of Memory––disguised behind false partitions, beckoning us between barriers––underscores this sense of the personal as tied to subterfuge: Memory lures us toward it, but try to explore it intimately and security guards wave us away, and roped barricades trip us up. With Kapoor’s hollow artwork we see less than we want but perceive more about institutional authority than we think.
— Zehra Jumabhoy

Anish Kapoor
SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM 
1071 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street 
October 21–March 28

2010 Whitney Biennial On Now, Go See!

2010-02-25T13:14:00.002-05:00

February 25 to May 30, 2010.

From The Whitney Website: This year marks the seventy-fifth edition of the Whitney’s signature exhibition. While Biennials are always affected by the cultural, political, and social moment, this exhibition “simply titled 2010” embodies a cross section of contemporary art production rather than a specific theme. To underscore the idea of time as an element of the Biennial and to demonstrate the influence of the past on 2010, familiar and less well-known artists from previous exhibitions are brought together in Collecting Biennials, an accompanying installation drawn from the Museum’s collection on view on the fifth floor. Balancing different media ranging from painting and sculpture to video, photography, performance, and installation, 2010 also serves as a two-way telescope through which the Whitney’s past and future can be observed.

See more info here.

Ai Weiwei Uses Art to Make Strong Political Statements...

2009-11-29T16:47:00.004-05:00

...About China. In a country where many people are arrested and jailed for speaking out about the Communist party, Mr. Weiwei has been doing this for years via his artwork. His quiet yet powerful installations speak out against injustice. Recently he was written up in the Times.

Mr. Ai says he is ready for whatever comes. “I came to art because I wanted to escape the other regulations of the society. The whole society is so political,” he said. “But the irony is that my art becomes more and more political.”

Last Day: Artists in the Kitchen

2009-11-08T12:44:00.002-05:00

Check out the Hell's Kitchen (NYC) artist studio tour.

Hell's Kitchen artists open their studios while local businesses and venues host performers for a multi-day event showcasing the creativity of artists living and working in this dynamic and historic community in the heart of Manhattan!

Osang Gwon: See It Before It's Over!

2009-10-20T13:35:00.003-04:00

See Korean artist, Osang Gwon's sculptures at Arario New York through October 24th. This will be worth your while. Each sculpture is composed of varying materials - plaster, wire - and then covered with photos of the subject. Each subject is meticulously photographed so that the end result is both recognizable and somewhat abstracted by the shadows that occur in the photos. His work seems strong and focused. I'm looking forward to seeing where this artist goes.

Where Inspiration Visits

2009-05-11T22:06:00.004-04:00

My studio is a contemplative place. It's also an office, a storage room, and a filing cabinet. But most of the corner shown here is devoted to art. It's both a functional space and a place for meditation. While working here, I go somewhere not readily visited by most people. It's a place that only some artists go. A private, quiet, solemn place. If I could stay there indefinitely, I would. But, I also enjoy spending time with my love and the bills must be paid - therefore I must leave every once in awhile.

I'm planning to install some wall magnets so that I can hang all recent abstract drawings (some not yet shown here).

Painting, Progression

2009-04-20T22:32:00.008-04:00

This is where I'm at with Untitled, acrylic. It's approximately 5ft by 3.75ft. My technique uses only palette knives and scrapers. The inspiration came from Brian Rutenberg and the view from my apartment - east, overlooking the river and Long Island City, Queens. This piece is Adam's birthday present.

Obarh: A new find

2009-04-20T22:23:00.004-04:00

I found Obarh on Saturday after I was walking downtown from the Hell's Kitchen Antique Fair with Adam. We were both drawn to this work. Obarh (not his real name) was displaying his photos, prints and ink drawings on the corner of 14th and 6th Ave. He gave a long speech as to what he was thinking when he created this. He's influenced by Asian and African subjects. He felt his inspiration for this piece is ying & yang, male and female and opposing forces meeting at the center. Description aside, this piece really speaks for itself.

Serigraph 8x10 in.  Obarh (c) 2008

Painting Again

2009-03-28T17:13:00.006-04:00

Although it's been some time since I last posted, I've continued to work on the Canalize series - I'll post those works later this week - and a new painting style seen here. I got a bit of inspiration from Brian Rutenberg. This is a work in progress. You're seeing the underpainting.

June: Marker, More Marker and the Second Coming of Solemn

2008-06-05T23:20:00.008-04:00

This is the most exciting creative output I've had in awhile. The daily job has calmed down enough that I can focus on these ideas that have been brewing for quite some time. Best Take: Love came first, then Pleasing No One, both in marker and then Solemn II. As with the first, I'm starting Solemn II with sumi ink. This work is of course in progress.

Best Take: Love

Pleasing No One

Solemn II (in progress)

As far as documenation is concerned, these shots were taken quickly this evening. I will document these properly in the coming weeks.

Detail: Pleasing No One

Hardtman Art Exhibit - Manhattan - April 10th

2008-03-24T11:31:00.004-04:00

Please join me at Creative Bubble’s Second Acts Exhibition as I exhibit my newest series of graphite and mixed media drawings.

The opening reception will take place on Thursday, April 10, 2008 at Creative Bubble.

LOCATION: 79 Fifth Avenue (between 15th and 16th Streets), Fourteenth Floor, New York, NY

TIME: 6PM – 9PM

RSVP link: http://www.creativebubble.com/secondacts/rsvp.html

Best,
Christine

Mixed Media - Paper, Copper Plate

2008-02-26T21:07:00.005-05:00

Collage 1

2008-02-26T20:54:00.004-05:00

Cover for MIN Magazine Finished

2007-10-27T15:53:00.002-04:00

The gatefold cover is finished. It's 21 x 13 inches but will be shrunk to fit the magazine's format.

Illustration Project for Magazine: Update

2007-10-16T16:05:00.000-04:00

As of October 16th, the graphite drawing (soon to be gatefold cover and 2 page spread) has been scanned and is going to be digitally colored. It's approximately 14x20 inches:

Mixed Media: Solemn Finished

2007-09-22T16:22:00.003-04:00

(c) Christine Hardtman 2007

Graphite, sumi ink, and acrylic on somerset paper.

I feel like this piece may be finally finished. Note: The vibrant orange background (with a slight gold shimmer) doesn't come out too well in this shot.

Two More Chelsea Receptions I Just Have to Comment On...

2007-09-10T23:10:00.000-04:00

These two artists struck a cord with me due to their style and medium. My affinity for the graphite medium drew me to these two shows last Thursday. Michael Whittle at Daniel Cooney Fine Art and James Nelson at McKenzie Fine Art. Yes, again at 511 West 25th Street. One need not venture far to hit gold (or so we hope) in the Chelsea gallery region.

Michael Whittle, Channels, 2007:
Mr. Whittle is an architect. Some of his pencil & ink drawings have multitudes of the same precisely drawn object. They clamour in their strange environments. His psyche constructs stark civilizations made up of these icons and lines.

James Nelson, China Head, 2007:

I found Mr. Nelson's rhythmic patterns very familiar. I wanted more depth but maybe I'm reaching for that in my own work. His abstract environments have a filthy, overwhelming feel. The globular objects push, pull and constrain an unknown host.

This Week: Chelsea Gallery Scene

2007-09-08T18:34:00.000-04:00

So I ventured again to Chelsea this past Thursday the 6th for a few select artist receptions. It was quite busy as per chelseaartgalleries.com. 88 receptions in one evening made for quite the hoard of people. Goerge Billis Gallery was popular at 511 West 25th Street. Stephen Hicks, David Leonard and Susan Jane Belton were a few of the artists showing. Marcus Kenney was downstairs at Robert Steele Gallery. Stephen, David and Marcus drew me to this location. Mr. Leonard and Mr. Hicks paintings were of NYC landscapes.

Reaching for more than a typical landscape composition, Mr. Hicks built his dyptics and triptychs from multiple views of the same building or street scene.

Mr. Kenney's painting, mixed media collages were hard edged . The trigger happy children, scenes built from paper archives (one including a liquor store stock book), and random pattern cutouts created scenes from a futuristic world overcome with industry and insanity. This last show especially worth a look...