Graham Knuttel at the Hotel Louis Fitzgerald

The Hotel Louis Fitzgerald is located on the outskirts of Dublin. The lobby is decorated with a number of paintings by Graham Knuttel distinctive for their graphic political content. Some of these depict the Taoisigh, or Irish prime ministers, and the hotel's conference rooms are named after these politicians as well. These paintings and others display a striking use of color and convey a keen sense of distrust. They've got some wicked Irish flavor but they're hardly your typical hotel decor.

Detail

Aside from the paintings on the walls, the lobby displays a small classic car. Wolseley specialized in sheep shearing machines but also built a popular motorcar. Technology cuts both ways.

1904 Wolseley 6 Horsepower 2 Seater

You might very well expect that a blogger of my stature gets offered backstage passes to Beyoncé concerts all the time, but the sad reality is I hang out in obscure, out-of-the-way hotels and snap pictures of public transportation notices posted at garage elevators.

Beyoncé

Note:  So began my six-day trip to Ireland earlier this month. To be continued...

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Jennifer Baker Paintings and Monoprints

At the Atwater Gallery upstate in Rhinebeck, cartoonist Michael Crawford is showing a small selection of paintings in the back room while another artist, Jennifer Baker, is exhibiting her paintings and mono prints in the larger space. The two artists complement each other nicely. Mr. Crawford's paintings explore the figure, color, and--for want of a better term--abstract cartography.

Ms. Baker's work, on the other hand, examines the changing industrial landscape of the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia. It was a pleasure to meet the artist at the show's opening and to hear her discuss her work. She has painted some beautiful churches to be sure, but also aging factories, decaying industrial architecture, consuming fires, and even some relentless construction equipment. The techniques are surprisingly varied but the paintings and prints are all skillfully executed. They help to document her region's particular social and industrial characteristics even as they change forever.

Jennifer Baker, “Wedding Party, Saint Andrews Orthodox Church,” Oil on Mylar, 34 x 22"

http://atwatergallery.com/?p=365

Note:  The exhibition "Jennifer Baker and Michael Crawford Paintings and Prints" at the Atwater Gallery in Rhinebeck, New York runs through August 13. Michael Crawford's works in the back room were discussed in yesterday's post.

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