Saturday is paperwork day, just like Sunday is laundry day.  Inviolable.  I am OCD enough to know that if I break the schedule, the world will begin to spin backwards.  It’s a great motivator.

But today was SO beautiful outside that I carefully hid my pile of paperwork, AND the list of paperwork I had to complete, AND the research I needed to complete the paperwork on the list, and I headed out to look at art.  It was just me, about two million New Yorkers plus their out-of-town guests and their dogs.

Thanks to Andrew Ginzel who publishes a weekly log of gallery shows to see, I was armed with a list of five stops to make in Chelsea.  And beyond being delighted by the art, I experienced a couple of great surprises in the galleries.

Joan Linder

First, I went to Mixed Greens Gallery at 531 W. 26th Street (www.mixedgreens.com).  I hadn’t checked the exhibition ahead of time, I just like the people there and the space.  And it turned out to be a wonderful show of drawings by Joan Linder, whose meticulous and yet quirky mark-making brought the many views of her kitchen sink to life.  I turned to the woman at the front table and asked for a press release, and she turned out to BE Joan Linder!  So I got to talk to the artist and exchange business cards and express my real enthusiasm for her work.  She’s making hyperrealistic drawings as well as time-lapse drawings, and giving us a look at the endless constant mess of our kitchens and the frenzy that makes the mess over time.  They are beautiful and unique, but completely relatable.

Joan Linder

Then I stopped at Field Projects (526 W. 26th Street, #807) www.fieldprojectsgallery.com because Jacob Rhodes, one of the founders of the gallery, had been kind enough to visit my studio last week during Open Studios, and we had a good conversation about art and he left his card and suggested I submit to the gallery.  Notwithstanding the fact that he probably does that all day long, I was flattered.  So I went to his gallery today and enjoyed the group show that is up now, Show #13: Desaturated Rainbow.

Feodor Voronov,
Verse, and Adverse,
at Field Projects

While there, I chatted with the other gallery founder, Keri Oldham and asked about a masking tape wall-installation by Heeseop Yoon that I found very reminiscent of work by my school-mate Minseop Yoon, who will graduate with her MFA this month.  Keri told me that the two artists are sisters, which is just cool.  I showed Minseop’s work in my post about the Affordable Art Fair, and her sister’s work is below.  Desaturated Rainbow is only at Field Projects until May 18, and you should make the time to go.

Heeseop Yoon

And because I couldn’t resist, I made a quick trip into Gemini G.E.L. at Joni Moisant Weyl (535 West 24th St., 3rd floor) www.joniweyl.com to see the John Baldessari show.  I am a fan of most of his work, but had never seen the series called Eight Soups that was on display.  With a nod and a wink to Matisse and Picasso, his bright colors are completely captivating, and the titles are very funny.  Definitely worth another look.

John Baldessari

It was a great afternoon of good and unexpected art finds in the middle of all of New York City taking a walk.  Happy Spring!