Benjamin Pritchard, Tom Bronk and Sharon Butler

James Kalm lets viewers ride on the handle bars of his bike, while he takes this cultural cruse through the Lower East Side and over the Williamsburg Bridge to Bushwick.
Ben Pritchard’s “Wayfarer,” at Schweitzer Fine Art Projects, is an opportunity for paint fans to familiarize themselves with this provocative young painter. While extending a legacy of rugged and tactile painting, Pritchard also delves into strange concoctions of medium, oil and pigment to produce unique painterly effects.
Keeping to the painty theme of this trip, we then slide up the Bowery to Andrew Edlin Gallery and a moving view of “the first ever show” by Tom Bronk (b. 1944-) Bronk has lived in the shadow of the art boom that was SoHo, the East Village and now the Lower East Side. While witnessing firsthand many of the most recognized artistic happenings of the last forty years (he worked as a wall painter for Leo Castelli). The artist never formally studied art, rather picking up ideas and techniques as he needed them wherever he found them. His very personal take on color will no doubt leave a visual impression on any one with eyeballs.
Lastly, we slip over the East River heading east to 56 Bogart Street for a conversation and viewing of New Paintings by Sharon Butler at Theodore:Art. Butler has been blogging about art, with a focus on painting for the last twelve years at her site Two Coats of Paint www.twocoatsofpaint.com . This group of paintings features works based on daily drawings that Butler has posted on instagram for the last two years. The artist also comments on her use of canvasboards, living and working in campgrounds, the grays of Giorgio Morandi, and her designation of “Casualism”. A musical introduction is provided by Scottish Octopus. This program was recorded October 6-7, 2018.
Links to Butler’s essays on “Casualism” are listed below.
www.twocoatsofpaint.com/2014/0...
brooklynrail.org/2011/06/arts...

[@johnjones3714]

Love for all 3 artists here "There's meaning in imperfection" Great point

[@anawieder5003]

The color and texture and on that big one is stunning. I loved this show.

[@michaelrowe1907]

Thank you Kate

[@MrIrons-og3rg]

James please visit Tom's house and see what was left out- He is one of the BEST abstract painters on your videos. You need to have a show with him.

[@KayAmooty433]

Love Sharon Butler's work.

[@MegaZidzid]

thank you for showing such unusual stuff, beautiful channel.

[@chriserskineartist]

Prichard Is an amazing artist. I first saw his work about year ago and fell in love with his patterns and shapes. I also love his use of colour and how he divides up his space with two very dark colours that almost merge into one, until you look at it from a different angle. I also find his texture surfaces to be really interesting and particularly how they add to the division of space on the canvas. He is a really great artist and he deserves more recognition for his truly original art. Bulter’s art I like and I appreciate what she is trying to achieve with her work. I wish I could connect more with her work, but it hasn’t happen yet. Nevertheless, I love seeing her work and this latest show is interesting. I read two coats of paint and love what she is doing with the blog. It is unfortunate that a review of the show could not just focus on her art work. I love it when you covered each year’s opening season for the Brooklyn art scene, I think it has been some time since you last did a film. Maybe Brooklyn has reached it peak and now the area is filled with recent arrivals? Funny with the Brooklyn Rail and their lost of all the old writers and their shift in focus. Love your writings, they were very good. These things happens, you create something successful and change the secret formula to remain current and everything goes to pot.

[@jameskalmroughcut]

I think is would be a mistake to try to gauge what's happening here in Brooklyn from the Kalm Report. Although I do my best to cover what'a going on here, there are too many other factors effecting my time and energies (that I can't disclose) which restrict the amount of video I can produce, edit, and post, and have nothing to do with the scene here...Thanks.

[@chriserskineartist]

jameskalmroughcut I completely agree that you are providing a narrow take on the art scene that is run through various filters: time, interest, and luck. Furthermore, Your video project is a huge undertaking in terms of time and effort and very much appreciated; particularly, for a full-time working artist (in New York, no less). Nevertheless, I did find your Bushwich season openers nice to see and a good reminder of the vast and uneven quality of art production out there. What I find particularly funny in this day of mass social media is how no one has consistently made the effort to cover the scene. Thanks again for your time and efforts. Much appreciated.

[@gavinyates9189]

Thank you Kate, thank you everybody.

[@chriserskineartist]

Thanks James and kate

[@ArthouseChannel]

Beautiful art!! ;-))

[@morganrussell6335]

Can't go wrong when you lead off with a home run.

[@adamsabolick3878]

Ben's studio visit on Gorky's Granddaughter is really great.

[@jameskalmroughcut]

Do you have a link...?

[@adamsabolick3878]

www.gorkysgranddaughter.com/2016/10/benjamin-pritchard-oct-2016.html

[@cookiemonster3147]

at 31:32 I thought I heard someone's phone ringing in the background with a metal music ringtone, but it turned out to be bagpipe music that went with the video. (-:

[@TheTerminalExpress]

Technical question--How did Sharon Butler mount the canvas panels on the wall?

[@jameskalmroughcut]

From what I could see, Sharon glued a wooden cradle, or frame, recessed a couple of inches in from the edge, on the back of the panels, and hung the paintings from that...

[@TheTerminalExpress]

I am always suspect of the adherent powers of just glue...seems like it would wear out and fail. Thanks for the response!

[@cliffdariff74]

does Ben enjoy enough sales to sustain his living via painting?

[@jameskalmroughcut]

I don't think Ben's career has achieved "critical mass" yet...but I'm not his accountant.

[@cliffdariff74]

@@jameskalmroughcut thanks you're funny!

[@anawieder5003]

Wacky stuff like what? I’m curious

[@garyreams8123]

Do you ever see various "art works" and or paintings etc. that you think are absolute crap and video them and say so on camera that they're just junk?

[@norikatoyan3872]

Lames please hold camera few seconds more on paintings!!!

[@thirdrockjul2224]

Thank you Kate