16 Dec - Albright-Knox Acquires Works

LAUNCHPROJECTS - The Albright-Knox Museum in Buffalo, New York acquired works by Patrick McFarlin and Eric Tillinghast to be added to their permanent collection. LAUNCHPROJECTS applauds our artists on this great achievement.

When Louis Grachos visited Santa Fe this past summer we had the opportunity arrange a studio visit with Patrick McFarlin to preview the works in our then upcoming show, Obituaries and (mini) Masterpieces. These pieces represented a departure for McFarlin. Eulogizing the work of those who have come before, he placed obituaries and masterworks into new and unexpected contexts, thereby recreating and reframing our assumptions of fame, mastery, and the anticipation of originality.

Grachos was already deeply familiar with McFarlin's work as they worked together for McFarlin's solo exhibition at SITE Santa Fe in 1996 when Grachos was then Director. He immediately responded to this new body of work and began the process of acquisition at that point. The five Patrick McFarlin pieces Grachos ultimately selected from this series were all of Joan Mitchell, one miniature painting, George Went Swimming at Barnes Hole, 1957 (pictured above) was based on the original already included in the Albright-Knox collection.

Grachos was also very familiar with Eric Tillinghast's work, and several of Tillinghast's pieces are already in in the Albright-Knox permanent collection from an earlier donation by Natalie and Irving Forman. The Pools portfolio selected by Grachos is a 24-piece collection of unique images of swimming pools, all depicting a different shape and color of water. In the words of Internationally acclaimed artist and critic Harmony Hammond "in Pools, Tillinghast reworked appropriated photographs of swimming pools. From a distance, the resulting condensed-down shapes— both familiar and strange — read solid turquoise. It’s only upon very close examination, that variation in water depth, reflection of light on the surface, and the side of or steps into the pool are discernible." To read more about this body of work please refer to the review by Jan Adlmann published in Art in America.

Works from both series are currently available at LAUNCHPROJECTS - please contact the gallery for additional information and availability.

16 Sept - Patrick McFarlin Reception

LAUNCHPROJECTS - The reception for Patrick McFarlin was a great success - crowded house all night and the work was well received. A review of the show by MaLin Wilson will be in the Journal North this Friday and additional reviews are forthcoming.... The show is up until October 17 and we will host another small reception for those who could not make it on Thursday.

26 August - Jennifer Joseph at Margaret Thatcher Projects

LAUNCHPROJECTS - At Jennifer Joseph's studio last week with art collector and curator Bobbie Foshay. Foshay made her final selections for Appropriate Associations, an exhibition she is curating in New York at Margaret Thatcher Projects. She selected three fabulous acupuncture pieces for the show. The show opens Thursday, September 16th in Chelsea. That same night in Santa Fe, LAUNCHPROJECTS will be opening Patrick McFarlin's solo exhibition Obits and (mini) Masterpieces.

Pictured above with Jennifer Joseph are Bobbie Foshay and Louis Grachos, Director of the Albright Knox Art Gallery. While in Santa Fe, we had the opportunity to show Louis Grachos the gallery and bring him to Patrick McFarlin's studio. We are very pleased to report that he acquired a series from McFarlin's Obits and (mini) Masterpieces and a portfolio by Eric Tillinghast for the permanent collection of the Albright Knox Art Gallery (McFarlin's deKoonings from the series pictured above). Great news for both artists!

22 July - Patrick McFarlin's Art in America

LAUNCHPROJECTS - Studio visit today with Patrick McFarlin. Patrick is such an incredible painter and it is always a treat to see his latest projects. This trip blew our minds and prompted us to schedule a solo show for McFarlin this September, 2010.

Two years ago he began creating drawings based on Art in America's annual obituary section. The "all-stars" of the recently deceased, the practice was a sobering homage to the artists who had passed away that year. Patrick recently folded the project into something he had long wanted to do - painting covers of some of the most notable painters and paintings in modern history. As a musician covers timeless standards, this series "covers" such iconic artists as Francis Bacon (pictured above, Joan Mitchell, Robert Motherwell, Allan Kaprow, Theodoros Stamos, and Larry Rivers. This new body of work is such a testament to his skill, and these little paintings are unquestionably masterpieces in their own right.