skot's blog

Thursday, December 13, 2007, 3:29 pm

Burn Baby, Burn

The scene must have looked amazing. Gaia, with her horrific gaze, looking down on a troubled world, inhabited by smoke and flames and the destruction of hundreds of works of art. As Gaia looked on, the world around her melted and collapsed in magnificent glory.

A now legendary fire engulfed the entire ceiling of the Harold Golen Gallery early Tuesday morning, following Art Basel, arguably one of the most important art fairs in the world. At first, the damage appeared to be caused by an advertising balloon's tether rubbing on a power line, but that doesn't make a lot of sense. It seems now the problem may be caused either by a faulty meter and/or a bad wire inside. The fire inspector hasn't made a public statement yet.

I received a phone call from Harold Golen at about 4:30am, and at first, was distraught to hear the news. My wife reminded me of recent tragedies in New Orleans, Malibu, Thailand and all around the globe. About half way through a visit to Dr. Jack Daniels, and after receiving an unbelievable outpouring of love from so many friends and supporters, I remembered that all things are beautiful. No matter how awful I might perceive it to be, it is not up to me to determine what is horrible or beautiful. The fact that the gallery burned is awful to me, but it has brought out so much beauty in people. So many people called and e-mailed me to send their condolences. It was touching. The act of the burning itself, must have been beautiful to look at. As the flames crept along the ceiling, feasting on works of art, the tragedy would have been glorious to behold.

Even the Fire Marshall’s entry into the gallery was angelic. He entered the charred gallery, all dressed in white, carrying a white and silver gaff to aid him in investigating the blaze. A scene I plan to paint.

The loss of the 11 Neo-Psychedelic, religious, series of paintings is painful. In reflecting over these, I am humbled by the fact that, on the same day, some apartments went up in smoke, a 300-year old church also burned down and a lady passed out in a street in Miami and was run over by a car. These losses make mine seem insignificant.

Sadly, the store room at Harold Golen Gallery housed 9 paintings in my series of Florida-themed paintings , which were to be the subject of a show in February, and there were plans to send the Florida show to public venues around the state. Fortunately, the works endure in a catalog that was created for the show.

One of my favorite pieces, Rock, Paper Scissors, is also gone. This massive painting was the largest format I’ve ever painted, next to Gaia Delivers Mescaline to a Troubled World.

Life goes on, and I plan on a memorial show for all the work that was lost. I would like to present images of the works as they were, along side of how they are now. This will probably be presented on You Tube. I’m also seeking a venue to host a physical memorial show. And Harold Golen has been contacted by contractors and the best art restorers in the country. As I write this, the work that wasn't consumed is being evaluated and I remain positive about the possibility of having some if not most of the Neo-Psychedelic work back and ready to show again. I hear that the person in charge of the cleaning recently published a book on restoring paintings after a fire, I'll write about her when I get more details.

During Art Basel, I met with Justin Giarla, the owner of the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco. I'm proud to say that I will be having a show of new work there in December 2008. The show will consist of 12-15 new pieces from my nautical series, so get ready for more giant-squid action in a new and improved painting style. I'm already at work on the show and am looking forward to a great, new year.

If you have any photos you took at the Subjective Reality show, please send them to us at: theresa@skotolsen.com. We need your pictures!

Please stay tuned and thank you for all of the well wishes and support!

posted by skot at 3:29 pm 1 comments

Saturday, December 1, 2007, 4:39 pm

From Leary to Doblin - The promising effects of psychedelics

The fact that marijuana is still illegal astounds me. Or the consumption of any non-lethal plant for that matter. Maybe it's just my generation, but I have all seen enough documentaries and read enough articles about the therapeutic effects of pot to outdo all of the campy "Reefer Madness" propaganda ever published. Thanks to brilliant minds, such as Dr. Timothy Leary in the 1960's, and Richard Doblin, Ph.D., the use of psychedelic drugs are being recognized for their capacity to heal, help, and elevate the human condition.

Unfortunately, Dr. Leary's "Turn on, Tune in, Drop out" platform resulted in a serious anti-drug crackdown, and a psychological resistance to all drugs (both the helpful and the hurtful) in our culture. In 1979, psychologist Stanislav Grof's book, Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research, was published. If you are interested in reading about the multi-dimensional effects of LSD, written by an brilliant scientific mind, I highly recommend it. You can read Kein Gan's excellent review of the work here Gan's review includes a brilliant quote by Grof:

“It seems premature at this point, to discuss the problem of the origin of these experiences and their ontological relevance. There is no doubt, however, that they represent the same phenomenon that has been described for centuries within such diverse religious, philosophical and mystical framework as the cosmologies of certain African and Amerindian cultures, the Orphic cult and Plato’s philosophy, early Christian thought, and several major religions of India — in particular, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.”

This statement relates to my current series of psychedelic paintings. In essence, they exalt psychedelic plants in a religious way. They are another pathway to a spiritual plane, as is religious practice. Humans are wired with a built-in need for nourishment of the spirt, as well as the body and mind. In order to become actualized, fulfilled, people, we need to nurture each of these three fundamental components.

Not unlike the religious crusades of the middle ages, President Regan's War on Drugs put a stop to much of the beneficial research that was being conducted using psychedelics. But the seed had been planted, and was still underground, as the knowledge that these chemicals are a key component to human well-being remained in brilliant minds. Stealthy research continued, and in 1986, Harvard Professor, Richard Doblin, Ph.D., formed the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). MAPS is a non-profit organization that sponsors "scientific research designed to develop psychedelics and marijuana into FDA-approved prescription medicines, and to educate the public honestly about the risks and benefits of these drugs" (Source: http://www.maps.org/). The work that Doblin and his team are doing is severely needed. Please visit the website (http://www.maps.org/)M.A.P.S. to learn how you can make a donation to this worthy cause, or otherwise get informed and involved. It's the holiday gift-giving season, why not make a donation in the name of someone, rather than giving them another piece of junk that will wind up in the garage?

posted by skot at 4:39 pm post a comment

Monday, November 19, 2007, 7:36 pm

Welcome

Welcome to my new website and thanks for taking the time to read this blog. I'll be discussing a variety of topics here and I encourage you to post comments or suggestions. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Tim Gavin and Jill Weisberg for all the help in putting this site together. Check the credits in the footer on this site if you'd like more information on these two geniuses. In the future, look for more detailed painting descriptions, image details, and a sweet audio tour of each painting.

I'd like to start off by saying how excited I am about the South Florida art scene. Since the late eighties, I've watched the scene grow from almost nothing to what is now becoming a respected force in the art world. If you haven't been to the Wynwood district in Miami in a while, it's time to go. There's something like 60 galleries there now showing some cutting edge work as well as hosting some fine events. Every time I go there for a gallery walk night or to do a show, I find something I really dig or that I remember, which is a far cry from the hit-or-miss journeys of only four or five years ago. If you haven't already, be sure to check out the Harold Golen Gallery. It's where I'm currently calling home base and possibly the coolest looking gallery on the Eastern Seaboard. I see this place becoming a must see art-tourist destination. The gallery's private collection alone is worth a look and you're guaranteed to have a groovy time walking around in there. Harold has a degree in architecture, a wild imagination and a powerful drive to succeed. This all adds up to a space that delivers a great experience as well as a confident collecting environment. He's had more press in his first three months of business than most galleries get in a year including a feature in Architectural Digest Spain and some TV interviews. Starting with Lowbrow as a departure point, Harold has a vision for future shows that will influence the local and maybe national scene.

In Wynwood, also check out: Antikulture Gallery it's a great space with a friendly staff showing another side of Lowbrow by mostly Miami based artists as well as graffiti inspired work. Plus, be sure to stop by Anthony Spinello Gallery, there's always something worth seeing there.

Ft. Lauderdale in Broward county is where Lowbrow in South Florida first made an appearance and I'll be blogging about that in the future. While many of the great galleries that brought it here are gone, there is a shining beacon of alternative art still burning in Broward. Bear and Bird, located in the jaw-droppingly amazing Tate's Comics is a space not to missed and well worth the 30-minute drive from Miami.

posted by skot at 7:36 pm post a comment