Joanne Mattera Art Blog: Exhibitions

The Best of 2016
Space Gallery
Denver
Through February 11
Recent work by gallery and invited artists

Here Pat Aaron, left, and a grid of my newest Silk Road paintings

Photo: Jane Guthridge

Silk Road 326

Silk Road 341
All 2016, encaustic on panel, 12 x 12 inches

Below: Silk Road 330

Just published: AAA Journal

American Abstract Artists, the legendary New York-based organization founded in 1936, continues into the 21st century with exhibitions, talks, and journals. We have just published "Past/Present: American Abstract Artist Members Honor Their Predecessors," in which 32 current members write about past members--including Sam Gilliam, Marcia Hafif, Lee Krasner, and Piet Mondrian--who have inspired them or whose work they admire. The 86-page book is available for purchase as a hard copy, but it's also viewable online at no charge. Click pic to view the volume

JUST PUBLISHED!

ITALIANITÀ: CONTEMPORARY ART INSPIRED BY THE ITALIAN IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE has just been published: 59 artists, each with four pages that include a personal narrative and full-page images of fabulous work; a scholarly foreword by Dr. Joseph Sciorra; and an illustrated essay by me that contextualizes the contribution of each artist. Cover image: Detail of a painting by John Avelluto. Book design by Karen Freedman At a time when ethnicity and cultural legacy are part of the art world conversation, ITALIANITÀ makes a relevant contribution. Click pic for more info and a list of the artists.

The First Contemporary Book on Encaustic Painting . . .

. . . and still the best! My book, "The Art of Encaustic Painting," was published by Watson-Guptill in 2001. It's the first commercially published book on contemporary encaustic. There are three sections: history, with images of the famed Greco-Egyptian Fayum portraits; a gallery of contemporary painting and sculpture (including the work of Jasper Johns, Kay WalkingStick, Heather Hutchison, Johannes Girardoni and myself), and technical information, including an interview with Michael Duffy, a conservator at the Museum of Modern Art. Click onto Amazon.com to order