April 2009

You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April 2009.

The Fading Pink

(sold)

April 23, 2009 in Art - Recent Work, Japan | 6 comments

The Fading Pink cut and torn paper art by Patrick Gannon
size: 15 x 10 cm (about 6″ x 4″)
medium: cut and torn paper on wood

Once a year all over Japan, Nature likes to remind us all of its ability to create simple, transcendent beauty. It follows this with a much more bittersweet lesson; the impossibility of holding on to anything so wonderful.

Come every April the cherry trees blossom, turning the entire nation into a cotton-candy colored paradise. Almost immediately, the petals start to flutter down, covering the ground in a pale pink carpet. In less than two weeks, hardly a trace remains. It might have all been an illusion, save for the piles of empty beer cans that mark the now-abandoned hanami (花見) spots.

There’s a lesson to be learned here, I’m sure. Something about the transience of beauty or youth or love or beer. Something that might even be at the very center of Japanese culture and the way the people here see themselves. Good thing I’m an idealistic westerner and can always go in for teeth whitening and cosmetic surgery.

show and tell

April 20, 2009 in Exhibitions & Events, Japan, News | Add your comment

There are so many little things going on right now that I don’t know quite where to start. Which means it’s time for another bullet list!

  • The Idiot Box group show at Gallery 1988LA is wrapping up this coming week. If you haven’t had the chance to check out the amazing artwork, you should do so now! Pieces are disappearing fast, so this might be your last chance to pick up a painting (or cut-paper…) based on your favorite TV show. Thanks to the esteemed individual who grabbed Interplanet Janet and Crew!
    It’s online here!
  • Speaking of Schoolhouse Rock and gratitude, I owe a word of thanks to Redefine Magazine for their very kind mention. They called me “marvelous”. Okay…they didn’t call me marvelous, but rather the paper and the arrangement thereof. But I’m willing to accept the praise on behalf of my ego.
  • Moving to the East Coast, the artwork for myplasticheart’s New Moon Chinese constellation-themed show is now online. And spectacular. And also disappearing faster than Roadrunner on Red Bull. Cheers to the very discerning rodentophile for giving Mousey a good home.
    See the artwork here!
  • If you peek over to the right-hand side, you may notice a new section showing upcoming and current shows and events. A closer look will reveal that, from May 1st to 31st, I will be displaying and selling some of my artwork and prints at Lovers Rock Cafe in Kichijoji, Tokyo. It’s nothing so grandiose as a full-blown “show”. Rather, it’s a great chance to see my work for yourself, and perhaps snatch up a piece, all in a no-pressure, relaxed setting. Unless caffeine makes you jumpy. I’ll post more details as my plans solidify, but it’s a sure bet I’ll be there the evening of the 1st.

    • Patrick Gannon's Koi Kihagaki cut paper art on EcoBag

  • That lil’ widget isn’t the only change to the website. After the parade of shows I’ve been in these past few months, I took a little time to chip away at the lengthy list of tweaks I have planned. Biggest among them is the brand new Shows & Events page. One of these days, I’ll also write a proper artist’s statement.
  • A few new items have been added to the Original Art section of my online shop. You can now purchase some pieces with the click of a Paypal button, rather than having to trudge through the dreary task of writing me an email. Modern Convenience! I plan to add more as time permits. And yeah, the page is already out of date. sigh.
  • Last but not least, my brilliant wife has been bugging me for ages to make an EcoBag for her using my art. You can see the spiffy result to the right. I wasn’t expecting much, but it actually came out really well, with great color and detail. This is just a hand-made version, but if you folks like the idea, I would love to offer an ecologically friendly product like this in the shop. Let me know if this is something you would be interested in (and what art you would like on it!). Now I just need to figure out if “EcoBag” is a real word or just another bit of wacky Janglish (Japanese-English).

I’m outta breath.

Gallery Show – New Moon @ myplasticheartnyc, NY

April 5, 2009 in Exhibitions & Events, News | 6 comments

New Moon art show @ myplasticheart nyc, opens April 10, 2009
New Moon features 25 artists and their interpretations of the Chinese Zodiac.

…But that’s such a lackluster description of what’s really going down at myplasticheartnyc. The group includes painters, custom toy builders, sculptors, one paper slicer (guess who!), and a few people whose works defy my meager ability to describe them. Rest assured, this show is not one to miss. I’ve had the privilege of seeing some previews of the art, and it is eye-popping. Some truly beautiful, epic work.

Sadly, my papercuts will be out painting the town red while I sit at home and twiddle my thumbs. Again. Missing this show stings more than usual. That’s partly because the art is so spectacular, and partly because New Moon was curated by the very cool John Wong. Over the past couple months, we’ve been emailing back and forth so often, he’s become a good friend…albeit one I’ve never met face to face. So, if you pop in at the show, hi-five the man for me.

Click here to read interviews with the artists.

The details:

Name: New Moon

opening reception: Friday April 10, 2009 6-9pm

dates: April 10 – May 10, 2009

place: myplasticheartnyc
210 Forsyth St
New York, NY 10002

website: right here.

Interplanet Janet Leaves the Boys Behind

(sold)

April 2, 2009 in Art - Recent Work, Exhibitions & Events | 11 comments

Interplanet Janet Leaves the Boys Behind cut paper art by Patrick Gannon
size: 7 1/4″w x 10 1/8″h
medium: cut paper on wood

“Lone eagles, soaring in the clouds, fly with silent, peaceful poise,
While turkeys, in their earth-bound crowds, fill the atmosphere with noise.”
-William Arthur Ward

All the boys love a girl with big dreams. The sad paradox of the situation is that by clinging on too strongly, they might ground that flight.

If you haven’t guessed by now (and really, you should have) the inspiration for this piece are the amazing Schoolhouse Rock educational ‘toons my generation grew up with on Saturday mornings through the 70′s and the 80′s. And, of course, Gallery 1988‘s “Idiot Box” group show which gave me the excuse to rock down memory lane. It opens tonight, April 2, 2009.

Our cast of characters (and their songs!) after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »