Notes on Two LIC Studio Visits

With Hollywood shooting Bourne Ultimatum and smashing up cars outside Veken’s apartment, it was fortunate that Veken and I had plans to avoid the mayhem and head to LIC for a visit with two friends, Linda Ganjian and Jesse Lambert.

With art on the mind, and after a Saturday at the Met Museum drinking in the modern arts of Barcelona and cool video art (never mind the amazing Modern wing–WHAT A ROTHKO!), the foray into the industrial forests of Queens was called for.

Linda Ganjian, “Islands of Temptation,” 2004Post-brunch, Veken and I traveled to Linda’s studio to pick out an artwork for my collection. Her latest works are as delectable as ever, and from what she says about her success with eyewash at Miami-Basel last December (one blogger took note), her work is being snatched up by collectors left and right. I was particularly happy to hear that her stunning and large L.I.C. (Lovely Infrastructure Capriccio) (2006) was bought by a Texan collector for tidy sum and a series of drawings were snagged by buyers from all over.

Her lastest drawings, created in the fall of last year, continue her love affair with pattern but infuse stunning metallic touches and a visible marker/brush stroke (I admit, I’m not sure which).

I cooed over one of her 2004 small sculptures [the aptly named “Islands of Temptation” (2004)–pictured above] that is part dessert and part LSD trip, and proudly brought it home with a big smile on my face. Some camera pics of my visit to Linda’s are parked on my photo blog here.

Jesse Lambert, “Climbing Verdant Angles” (2007)Jesse’s studio was our next stop and since it had been two years since my last visit to his lair, we had a lot of catching up to do. Not one for the subtle use of color, Jesse’s loaded canvases continue to spawn new forms–part vegetal, part animal–like petri dishes. My instinct is that Jesse is a few years ahead of his time and these works will be a tad easier to digest in a few years time. Why do I know this? Because today, the acrylic paintings I saw two years ago are more delectable than ever (and they were pretty lovely then)…experience tells me his work is going to get better and better (in more ways than one).

3 responses to “Notes on Two LIC Studio Visits”

  1. Amy Avatar

    I’m curious – what are Linda’s sculptures made out of? Are Linda’s sculptures actually edible?

  2. Hrag Avatar

    I wish they were, but, alas, they simply riff off of deserts and are actually made of a baked polymer.

  3. […] learned about this project through a message I received from Queens-based artists Ganjian & Lambert, who have used their recent experience as parents as the source material for their collaboration. […]

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