The First 20 Seconds
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Art Drop #02
Hi all and happy November! I, for one, am pretty pleased that October and Halloween are behind us; and, we can look forward to the festivities ahead! As we dive into the fastest-paced months of the year, I thought it would be a great time to launch a new series that I’m currently dubbing The First 20 Seconds. I plan to share how different art industry professionals approach art they have never seen before and find a way to engage with it. Today, you get to hear from me! Next time, it will be someone much cooler.
I am sure many of you have read this stat but research shows that the average museum-goer spends about 27 seconds in front of an artwork. 27 seconds! To me, it’s pretty amazing that the information superhighway in our brains can process an image that quickly and decide if it is something with which we want to engage. Since so much of this work is done practically subconsciously, heretofore, I have not spent much time thinking about what really attracts me to a work in those first critical seconds. So, I did a deep dive.
To ascertain what stops me in my tracks, I scrolled back through my photos from art fairs past because that is a pretty good record of what slowed my roll and made me look twice. The first thing I noticed is that the work has to jostle me out of my norm. It is sort of like Mel Robbins’ counting backwards trick. You have to force your brain out of its habit and reroute the thought patterns. Art that makes me stop does just that.
What would be an example of a piece that shakes up the neural pathways? I mean, right, wrong or indifferent, a banana duct-taped to a wall would be one example. But if we’re staying in the sub-$15k realm, then here are three artists that have commandeered my first 20 seconds and why.
I did not have to go scroll back very far to find three stunner artists that illustrate my point perfectly. I encountered all three of these artists at NADA NYC in May. I was actually familiar with two of them before the fair, but the work is just that good that despite its familiarity, I was still drawn to its novelty.
Jude Griebel, represented by Massey Klein, is one of my favorite emerging sculptors working today. The work is an exercise in oxymoron. It’s both playful and dark, simultaneously light and heavy, at once strong and fragile, vociferous yet quiet. It stops me for the reason that most surrealism stops people: something is familiar but not quite right and you want to stop to figure out what. (User tip: if you click on Jude’s name at the top of this paragraph, it will take you to a page where you can learn more about the work and the artist.)
Similarly yet differently (a phrase that would have all my grad school professors screaming at me), Pauline Shaw’s particular brand of abstraction is just familiar enough to make viewers want to think further on it. It has that tip-of-the-tongue quality that makes you want to get there. At least, that was my experience with it when I encountered it for the first time in the booth of Naranjo 141 (now defunct) also at NADA NYC. Full disclosure: I ended up buying one of the works at NADA as my husband and I have a particular penchant for work that has to do with the cosmos. She recently had a two-person show at Each Modern, which is where the two works featured here were exhibited.
And finally, Kevin Umaña. He is like geometric abstraction meets quilting but its ceramic so neither painting nor textile–how do you categorize that. He defies categorization. (That’s my real-life stream of consciousness in the first 20 seconds, btw.) His work engages with his ancestral heritage, at once paying homage to these people while remaining in an extremely modern visual language. And it just so happens that his show at The Pit LA opens tonight!
So, for me, the first 20 seconds is all about work that wiggles my brain out of its flow like “a stream that meets a boulder.” What makes me stay with it? Well, that is anybody’s ballgame!
Did Pauline, Kevin, or Jude spark your curiosity? Click on images to learn more about each of them or shoot me an email with your questions.
Daniel Gordon, Color Light Study (Knives and Glass Plate), pigment print with UV lamination, 18 x 24 in
Kevin Umaña, Digging Deep Into Meditation, acrylic, oil, vinyl paint, flock, sand, oil pastel, ink, gouache and ceramics on linen, 16 x 14 x 2 in
Until Next Week–
Casey Monda | CEO & Art Advisor
Ahem, Is This Thing On? Mic Check, 1-2.
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Art Drop #01
Welcome to the new Art I Saw and Liked, the only subscription-based art advisory service that meets novice collectors where they are–at the starting line. I developed Art I Saw and Liked to make art collecting easy, approachable, accessible and inspiring. There are a lot of art platforms out there that enable folks to see a lot of art online. In my experience, scrolling those can be like drinking out of a fire hose and you can never really trust that what you are seeing is actually good and worth your money. Art I Saw and Liked is different. Every single piece of art or artist featured on this site has been vetted by me and is something I would buy for myself or recommend to a client. And just like my policy with my private art advisory service, no artist or gallery will ever pay me to be on this site. Just like my clients pay me for the value I add to every acquisition, subscribers to Art I Saw and Liked pay for my eye, judgement, and opinions.
Moreover, Art I Saw and Liked is about empowerment. It empowers the new generation of collectors to hone their taste, develop their own eye, and be confident in what they like. While the art industry is built on relationships and often rewards those who have been around the longest, everyone has to start somewhere. My hope is that AISAL becomes that place to start. After all, that’s the whole premise. Start with what you like.
Here’s what you can expect from AISAL:
–The Collection – The Collection is the heart and soul of AISAL. It is a sortable, filterable, and likeable database of the art I have seen and loved. We are launching with several dozen selections from my extensive private database that I have built over the past few years. Each week, I will add to The Collection, so what you see now is just a sniff of what you will get.
–Seen & Liked Lately – Seen & Liked Lately is the blog that I’ll publish weekly and send out as a newsletter email. I’ll discuss topics related to the art industry and release the newest additions to The Collection.
-Galleries & Museums Map – Not a lot of explanation is required here. The map is actually a map of galleries and museums around the world that I know and love. I am always adding to it and it updates in real time. This is the tool I wish I had when I started my collecting journey. It is a great place to start if you are travelling and want to see some art.
-Likes/Dislikes – As you are scrolling the database, you will be able to like or dislike any art work. You will be able to see how many others have done the same (but not who has done so!). Then you can go to your Likes list to see everything you have selected. This is a great place to start to see your taste and style in an organic way.
For me, the most rewarding part of this work is helping clients find pieces that spark joy, tell their story, and create lasting connections with the art they love. I wanted to extend my passion, my knowledge, and my services to a broader audience than I could reach as a one-woman show offering one-to-one art advisory services. AISAL is the result of that desire. Thank you for being here— I hope this platform inspires you to explore, connect, and learn more about yourself as you begin your journey into art collecting.
Exceptional Art. Expert Advice. Easy Access. Step into my personally curated world of contemporary art.
Featured Art
Francisco Moreno, Yoga Squirrel, 2025, Acrylic on canvas stretched on panel, 14 x 11 in, $6,000
Vanessa Wallace-Gonzales, Chrysalis Vessel 3, ceramic, epoxy putty, resin, foraged material, and acrylic paint, 15 1/2 x 14 x 13 in, $5,000
Isabella Innis, A Stream for Fish to Swim, 2025, Oil stick and oil on paper, 30 x 22 in, $3.600
Maris Van Vlack, Storm Descending, 2024, Hand-dyed and wove mixed fibers and rope, jacquard weaving, industrial knitting, paint, 81 x 69 x 20 in, $15,000
Dahlia Elsayed, Day 22, 2025, Acrylic on paper, 16 x 12 in, $2,200
Until Next Week–
Casey Monda | CEO & Art Advisor
Elitism, BOGO, and Other Problems That Ail The Art World + 3 Works from Untitled Houston That Stuck With Me
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On Tuesday evening, I unwrapped a new painting that we recently purchased from Shaheen Gallery’s exhibition of new work by Antwoine Washington. Maybe they have been groomed or maybe their excitement is genuine, but my sons love it when new art arrives. They have opinions on where it should go and why; and, it is the most fun to hear all about what they are thinking. After we settled on the fact that the painting really aligns most closely with my younger son and that it should hang in his room, we took it in there to figure out which wall. There is a lot of bright art in his room and this particular painting is also bright. I held it up and my older son declared, “That does not excite my eyes.” He is 7 and he was exactly right. When I asked him why it does not excite his eyes, giddy with glee that he had articulated his opinion so clearly and concisely. He observed that the colors in the new painting are too similar to the other work on the wall and so it all just gets lost.
Let me tell you a little story. A month or so ago, I attended a brunch where I met a local quasi-celebrity. Inevitably, our conversation turned to art. He shared with me that he had his eye on a particular painter but had been unable to purchase one of his pieces. This particular artist works in a slow, deliberate manner and does not produce many works. My new friend had been on a waitlist with the artist but then that waitlist got abolished when the artist had a show at a big gallery in NYC. When my friend approached that gallery about acquiring a work, he was told that they are only selling to real collectors.
Yeah…
So I told him, well let me see what I can do. Knowing I could not cold call this gallery, I reached out to a few friends who might have a connection so I could name drop when I sent my email. I was told they had absolutely no inventory but to reach out to another gallery who would be having an exhibition with the artist soon. When I reached out to that gallery, they wanted to schedule a call to discuss the collector and his collection.
I mean, c’mon…
So we had the call. I positioned my client in the best light that I could knowing this gallery wanted a pedigree, but what he had going for him is that he is a brand new collector with connections to high profile arts institutions and is close family friends with the artist. The gallery was not sold. I was told that we probably would not be able to acquire a painting from this show because collectors would be buying a work for themselves and then gifting a second one to an institution. My client was offered a work in an alternative media.
Again, c’mon…
This brings up so many problems, not least of which is the whole concept of the BOGO (Buy one, gift one), which completely dilutes the quality of institutional collections and diminishes the trust we place in them.
But the problem I want to tackle today is that my client–a novice collector–is being turned away because his collection is not prestigious enough and the gallery does not know him. Nevermind that he has been after a painting by this artist for several years, wants to START collecting, and has the means to pay for it! Even when I–an art advisor and vice president of a respected museum board–vouch for him. Plus, he is being edged out by a practice that is suspect at best and deeply problematic at worst.
Can we all agree that this is silly? When a new collector is so passionate about a work that he reaches out to a gallery MONTHS in advance of an exhibition to secure an opportunity to acquire a work and is turned away, it leaves everyone feeling icky. The art world is not the luxury retail market. You can’t force people to buy lesser stuff to make them earn the right to the stuff they really want. We’re not selling Birkins here, folks. Art collecting is about passion, connection, resonance, and storytelling. It’s not a status symbol.
I think Jeff Magid recently summed up this issue really well in his ArtNews article, “If The Art Market Doesn’t Welcome More Participants, It Will Severely Contract.” He wrote:
After decades of exclusion, opacity, and elitism, the art world urgently needs a stream of new buyers, and the luxury retail model isn’t bringing in enough people who want to be part of the elite club to keep them open. I’ve long wished that living with art were possible for more people. Now I know the future of the art world depends on it.
But to be honest, I’m not that concerned with a contracting art market. I had cocktails with a gallerist, an artist, and fellow moCa board member earlier this week. We discussed this topic extensively and all agree that the slumping market narrative is irrelevant. Whether Sotheby’s and Christie’s hit their low estimate totals really bears no import on sales of emerging artists’ works. What is REALLY important is the way galleries do business. If the art world is supposedly the warm, welcoming world of newcomers, outsiders, diversity, and difference, then let’s be that. And if we want to continue in the outdated modes of elitism and exclusion, then let’s be honest about what we are doing.
But an access point, an entryway, an open door, a knowing hand to guide new collectors—this is THE REASON I’ve created ArtISawAndLiked.com. It is the first of it’s kind subscription-based art advisory service, specifically targeted at new collectors who want to start but don’t know how. MOST art newbies can’t hire an art advisor to hold their hand and facilitate their journey like a sherpa or don’t even know art advisors are a thing. I want to change that so that anyone who wants some help collecting art has access to it!
My hope is that subscribers will utilize the platform in a variety if ways. Maybe subscribers will shop, maybe they’ll just find inspiration and hone their taste and eye. Maybe interior designers will use it as a jumping off point to create gorgeous, unique spaces for their clients! No matter how you approach it, it will be a confidence builder, a space where you too can discover what you like, learn about the art world, and become empowered to start your collecting journey. It will be a constantly evolving showcase of art I have seen and liked. Some of it is available for sale through the gallery (I hold no inventory but can certainly help facilitate acquisitions) and some of it is not, but that’s not the point.
Target Launch Date for ArtISawandLiked.com is October 18 so watch your inboxes for an invitation to be founding members plus a coupon code for a free first year. I am so appreciative of each one of you. thank you for supporting me, listening to what I have to say, and spending time in my little corner of the internet.
And now, some art…
Noelia Towers at de boer
The work is dark, mysterious, cinematic, and downright beautiful. I am not typically drawn to figurative work for my own collection but I’d live with this pretty lady. Why is she wearing all black? Why is her face covered? Is she sad? Is she hiding? Plus the quality of the painting was delicious. Saw this one at Untitled Houston last week and it has stayed with me.
Randy Twaddle at Moody Gallery
This one had a sort of Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tree elegance to it. I’m not sure that’s a thing but there is a poignance to the barrenness and brokenness to which someone paid attention. If you zoom in, you can see little strings tied to the branches. Someone cares about this tree (I realize it is a fantastical tree) and I find that beautiful.
Sarah Williams at Moody Gallery
These little jewels were like siren songs of home. They eminated warmth and nostalgia and presented a stark contrast to the idea of home we see on Pinterest and social media. Nothing fancy, nothing particularly beautiful, and certainly not grand, these homes represent the feeling of being home.
Cheers to the weekend, mes amis!
Setting Intentions For A Paradigm Shift
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And three artists that are still with me two weeks later
As we are all well-aware, I went to NYC a couple of weeks ago for Armory week. It would have been easy to get wrapped up in the cycle of VIP previews, being the first to post favorites, and hoping to place a few works. That’s usually how these things go. But I was anticipating the fairs and shows and exhibitions to be lackluster and so I shifted my intentions. Instead of walking the fairs looking for works that might be well-placed in this or that collection, I simply sought inspiration. I just wanted to see something I hadn’t seen before and engage with art and artists that were new to me. When I was speaking with someone about this change, it occurred to me that the new mindset allowed me to see the art through my own eyes rather than filtering them through the lens of this or that client. That realization really punched me in the gut. Honestly, it made me feel guilty that I had not been allowing myself to fully engage with the art I was seeing with my own trained eye and brain. What have I been doing to myself?!!
Despite the aggressive talking-to I gave myself, the mindset shift really yielded miraculous results, not least of which is that I felt so much calmer and less stressed the whole time, which allowed me to connect more deeply with the art I was seeing and artists I was meeting. But this slowdown also translated into not feeling like I had to get my recap out immediately last week. Instead I decided to sit with it for a bit to see what bubbled to the surface and stuck around in the ol’ brain trap.
And on that note, much to my delight, galleries came to play this fall, y’all. My love for Armory was reified by the stellar presentations the participants put forth. Some of the usual suspects played it safe but I did not bother to engage with them. The ones that stopped me in my tracks were…
Bongsu Park at Gallery Rosenfeld
Gallery Rosenfeld out of London is quickly becoming a fair favorite for me. Their presentations have taken the top spot for me, now twice in the last year. In this latest edition at Armory, I discovered Bongsu Park, a thoughtful artist and lovely human. Bongsu’s work engages with nature and memory in a multisensorial, experiential, temporal way. Yeah, she takes flower art to a whooollle new level. She has an incredible garden in London, where she tends and grows flowers and plants year round. These are the specimens she then uses to create her work. But in addition to creating the paintings, she is also interested in the way scent conjures and affects memory. So, after the flowers have yielded their color to the painting, she removes the dried petals and places them in a small ceramic pot (which she made) and then adds a cocktail of essential oils to each pot. With only very small apertures in the pots, one has to get very close to enjoy the smell. With the purchase of the painting comes a vial of the essential oil concoction so the owner can continually add to their pot. And to take it one more step, the artist then provides the owner with the recipe so that they can then recreate the essential oil cocktail on their own, should they so choose.
So many layers here. The aesthetically pleasing visual aspect of the work is really the least of my concerns here. What I really love is how she has found a sensorial way to explore how smell creates and affects our memories. Much like a memory may shift and morph over time, so too does the scent she has created, as she accepts and welcomes the idea that the second and third and fourth versions of the essential oil cocktail may or may not smell exactly like her original.
Mehrali Razaghmanesh at O Gallery
I love the way the gallery describes his practice so I’m not going to try to improve upon it.
Mehrali Razaghmanesh (b. 1983 Tehran, Iran) is a photo-based visual artist based in Paris, France.
Positioned at the threshold between photography and painting, Razaghmanesh challenges the boundaries of these two mediums with a thought-provoking focus on nature. Through a painterly reimagining of landscapes in photography, he seeks to revive a world of imagination. Rather than merely capturing nature, he searches for a visual interpretation—one that moves the image toward imagination itself. In pursuit of realizing the precise vision he holds for each piece, Razaghmanesh employs a variety of printmaking and photographic techniques. This experimental approach to materials and processes enables him to achieve nuanced textures and effects that deepen the conceptual impact of his work.
Razaghmanesh’s practice reflects a sustained inquiry into duality, displacement and the fragile relationship between human presence and the natural world… In his most recent series, created during a residency in Paris, Sept Pleurers, Razaghmanesh turns to the solitary weeping willows along the Seine, drawing connections between botanical migration, poetic melancholy and the inner states of exile and reflection. Across these works, the artist’s aim is not to resolve contradictions but to inhabit them—to find form in fragmentation and presence in what is fading.
Razaghmanesh’s work has been exhibited internationally at Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles; Rencontres d’Arles (2019), Foam Photography Museum, Netherlands; On Earth: Imaging, Technology and the Natural World at Lieu Unique, Nantes; Photolux Festival, Italy and CLB Berlin. Among his accolades, he was recognized with an award at the 14th edition of the prestigious Talents Contemporains competition (2025), affirming his position as an influential voice in contemporary visual arts.
Sarah Walker at Pierogi
Sarah Walker comes from a background of abstract paintings. These color pencil drawings mark a shift in her practice in which she applies her signature layered geometric abstraction to these natural forms that we at once read as a leaf, but are in fact rather organic abstract shapes themselves. The drawings remind me of a line from a book I recently read in which the narrator observes that under a microscope, a green leaf ceases to be green. There is so much more to the world around us than meets the eye, whether we are talking about the microscopic infinities of nature or the silent suffering of a friend or neighbor.
Well, that’s all I got yall! Thanks for reading all the way to the end. I’m headed to Houston for the inaugural Untitled Houston fair. It will be fun to be in my hometown and show my sister and her pals around the fair. Plus I’ll be doing a fun install. More details on that in the coming weeks!
If I read one more post about the imploding art market...
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I'll do absolutely nothing other than scream loudly in my head, but,
Honestly, it’s exhausting. We get it. Big important galleries are shuttering right and left. Sales are down (which is actually not true). Fairs are cancelling. People are running scared. Enough already! Yes, it’s all, mostly, er, somewhat true. Yes, change is hard. Yes, times is tough. But also, the story is much more nuanced than that and a lot of ink has been spilled trying to unpack it. In a nutshell, the system is broken and collector behavior is changing in ways that are forcing the traditionally slow-moving art world to change along with them. Art folks aren’t used to seismic shifts happening quickly. We get our panties in a wad very easily.
To this end, if I’m being fully transparent (which I am), I almost didn’t book my annual fall NYC pilgrimage. It felt pointless. With everyone in a tizzy, I wondered if I could expect to see anything new or if it would just be the same ol’ tried and true bestsellers. I don’t need to spend thousands to see all the SOS all over again. But then I decided I need to see for myself. I wanted to gauge the atmosphere with my own eyes and ears.
I’m off to Armory and Independent next week and will be doing the usual gallery opening gauntlet as well. But I’m also working in a bucket-list studio visit (cue tweenie-meeting-Taylor level excitement) and connecting with gallerists I love on a more personal level. After I recalibrated my expectations and changed my goals for the trip, I became actually really excited to go!
And if you’re wondering where I’ve been the last 3 months, I’ve been quietly toiling away on a brand new way to offer my art advisory services at scale. While I’ve been trying to solve this equation for the last four years, I actually started doing something about it in January. In a few short weeks, ArtISawAndLiked.com will go live and (hopefully!) revolutionize art advisory for the casual collector. Think if Artsy and my personalized recommendations to clients had a baby. So stay tuned for more exciting announcements around that coming soon!
That’s enough rambling, you’re here for the art. And art you shall have. Check out the featured art panel to see five artists I’m looking forward to discovering IRL next week.
And in other news, CMAA’s refreshed website went live Thursday afternoon and I couldn’t be more proud of it and the team at Shark and Minnow for producing such great work. Lauren, Eric, Hallie, and the gang are true pros! So much happening over here. Happy (almost) fall yall!
Featured Art
Yevgeniya Baras, Untitled, 2025, Oil and Mixed Media on Linen, 30 x 36 in. $15,000
Barry McGlashan, Moonlight, 2025, oil on panel, 23 5/8 x 19 3/4 in, $8,500
Elbert Joseph Perez, Mail Just Piles Up, 2025, oil on canvas, 26 x 32 in, $10,000
Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka, reflection, 2025, linocut print, indigo ink, vintage washi from Kashiki Seishi, Konnyaku, 70 × 22 in, $8,000
EXPO Recap: Trojan Horses
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It's pretty, it's interesting, and it has something to say...
Another day trip to Chicago for EXPO has come and gone. I, unlike many of my colleagues, am a fan of ye old EXPO. Despite the fact that this fair was purchased by the Frieze folks last year and they did some re-org’ing that had many a panty in a wad, I quite like it. It has a bit of a midwestern feel to it—not too hoity toity, not overdressed, a bit more practical…Geez, I am not a midwesterner but I guess I’ve lived in Cleveland long enough to appreciate the region’s quirky traits. Aaaanywho…
I’ll be honest with yall, the market ain’t great right now. Shocker, I know. Everyone is just tired and no one wants to think about their next 5-figure expense. Add the shipping delays caused by the confusion-inducing tariffs to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for a lackluster market. But, I’ll lean on some good business sense here—the time to grow is in the down times. Moreover, its when times is tough that the best art gets made. Let’s take a jaunt down memory lane.
This painting by Frederic Edwin Church is an example. One of the most iconic American landscape paintings was made on the eve of the Civil War. Times were tough.
Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain was an artist’s attempt to understand the global chaos around World War 1. Times were tough.
Michelangelo’s David was a show of Florentine strength when the surrounding city-states wanted to conquer it. Times were tough.
In 2025, no matter on what side of the aisle your comfort zone lies, there is so much in this world that needs responding to and the artists shoulder the burden of helping us understand it. So artists are making really meaningful stuff right now and galleries are looking for their next meal, so….I say BUY BUY BUY!
But back to the point of the burden that artists bear in our society. I recently ‘grammed a query to this effect and received some really great responses. The unifying theme was that artists look at the world and provide a perspective usually with a bias. Maybe you share their perspective and it hones your point of view. Maybe you disagree with them but it helps you understand and appreciate an alternative belief. Either way, artists are critical to our society’s survival and future because they help us communicate our differences and, ideally (pie in the sky), work toward a solution that fits everyone.
I understand not everyone wants to live with art that makes them think about current events. Even the fieriest among us don’t want Elon Musk burning in effigy or an homage to Marjorie Taylor Green over their mantle, but we might want work that marks a moment in time and offers perspective on that moment in a subtle way, like all 3 of the aforementioned examples. Here is some work from EXPO that I found particularly relevant to this goal. (Note: None of the work featured today is actually political. Fret not, my friends!)
Here is my list of Trojan Horses, if you will. These are all artworks that are beautiful to look at, interesting to ponder, and make a statement relevant to current events. (Disclaimer: Not all works featured today fall in the sub-$10,000 category.)
Richard John Seymour (UK, b. 1989)
This was literally the first thing I saw upon entering the fair. There were several works by him and I loved them all. He calls these works his Landsat series, which Seymour describes in the following way:
[this is] a series of large format artworks using the public domain data captured by Landsat 8, borrowing from industrial false-colour imaging techniques that can be used to reveal geological properties of our planet’s surface otherwise invisible to the human eye.
The resulting large format images are at once a statement regarding the role technology plays in the surveillance and subsequent manipulation of our environment, but also an attempt to reveal the sublime through the technological gaze.
If the climate crisis, environmental issues, or nature are important issues, then this work is for you!
Winnie Truong (Canada, b. 1988)
I have been watching Winnie’s work for several years; and, I’m pleased to see how they quality and craftsmanship have arrived at a new level. She seems to have reached a certain comfort level with her medium—colored pencil on paper—such that she can manipulate both the color and the substrate with masterful precision. In my view, the work addresses issues of feminism and the way in which toxic masculinity has had disastrous affect on both women and Mother Nature. But also, her surrealist, almost escapist, dioramas also address the digital age and how we enter and exit these digital alternate universes multiple times per day. How do we exist in two places simultaneously, being more connected and more lonely than ever before?
Rémy Hysbergue (France, b. 1967)
Rémy Hysbergue was among my top favorites of EXPO last year and he continues the streak this year. It is really hard to communicate the depth and luminosity of these works in photographs. They are paintings on silk velvet. Ostensibly, Hysbergue is working against and within the legacy of abstraction, but I find them to be subtly more nuanced. The way he lays down thick swaths of acrylic and adds gentle layers of spray paint on top really plays with the eye. Sometimes there appears to be texture and depth where there is none and sometimes the texture appears flattened when it is actually thickly applied paint. What you see is not always what you get. That mantra can be applied to so many aspects of our contemporary lives that I won’t even begin to count the ways.
Yoo Suntai (Korea, b. 1957)
You Suntai is Korean but trained in Paris and these paintings definitely reflect the influence of both of these cultures, which is probably why I am so drawn to them. As an aside, the Koreans CAME TO PLAY at Expo. There were so many Korean galleries showing. Booth after booth I found myself really drawn to the precision and sophistication of these artists. This was not news to me though. I have known about my affinity for Korean contemporary artists for a while. I’m also on a major yellow kick right now and I love Magritte so these works just spoke to me. But the reason they made it on this list is because of the very faint overlay of Korean calligraphy that blankets the composition. You can’t really see it from far away but up close you can see all of those tiny lines. Those are Korean characters. There is not a message but it is just a jumble of words, or so I’m told. You could read the work as a comment on language barriers, or globalization, or mixed messaging, or the way words don’t always capture meaning, or a picture is worth a thousand words. Take your pick.
So, there you have it. Obviously this is not a complete recap of all the art I saw and liked at EXPO but I wanted to keep it tight and thematic. I discovered so many new artists and I will be sharing them with you over the coming weeks and months.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting my work. I’m glad you’re here.
The art is my wife's thing.
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A common refrain we should dig into...err....into which we should dig...
TBH, I was not planning to send a newsletter today. I did not really have anything to write and thought I’d practice restraint rather than clog your inbox with uninspired noise. But, alas, I had the most amazing and satisfying installation this morning and found inspiration in the unlikeliest of sources.
Eric the art handler from Museum Services is an art handler extraordinaire by day and philosopher on the side. I knew my client had hit it off with him during delivery last week because he replied to the group text shortly afterwards letting Eric know he had just bought the book he recommended. But then this morning my client shared another story.
During delivery, Eric asked about the art that was being delivered. My client froze and panicked because he couldn’t remember the name of the artist. Grappling for a response, he said, “The art is more my wife’s thing.” And Eric dropped a truth bomb. Eric responded, “That’s great. Every time you look at it, you can get to know her a little bit better.”
Yeah, I’ll let that sink in for a sec…
In addition to being an art sherpa for my clients, I also serve as a pseudo marriage counselor. I frequently encounter couples whose respective tastes in art are not so simpatico, shall we say. Unfortunately, they do not screen for art taste compatibility in premarital counseling. But, in all seriousness, a big part of my job is bringing all the stakeholders to the table and finding a work or an artist that satisfies the goals and visions of everyone. Sometimes we even throw in an opinionated interior designer for extra fun! It is a wonderful thing when we find a resolution that suits everyone but that often means that everyone has to compromise on something. C’est la vie, n’est pas? Eric has shed some light on another avenue forward though.
For many, many couples, the non-negotiable criterion for any purchase is “we BOTH have to love it.” I generally see the wisdom behind that idea. If it is hanging in OUR house, then we should BOTH love it. And perhaps this is the guiding principle behind the major purchases for the important locations—your mantles, over-the-sofa walls, foyers, etc… But what if sometimes, maybe one party gets to pick something they really love, even if the other partner isn’t so excited about it? And then, and this is the kicker, we don’t view that as one party compromising but rather appreciating an alternative perspective and loving the way that reflects the person with whom they are ostensibly in love. What if we shifted the paradigm a bit so that an art collection that reflects a family means that it reflects who they are as a unit and who they are as individuals??
Instead of viewing these differences of opinion as an obstacle to overcome, what if we looked at them as opportunities for relationship growth. A running joke with so many couples is that “his art” or “her art” gets relegated to an out-of-the-way guest room or an office so that the offended partner does not have to rest their weary gaze upon so disgusting a picture. But what if these artistic divergences became loci of connection? Instead of conversation-starting cards, your art collection could become the topic of the dinner table.
“Mom, tell us why you like that painting of candy-colored squiggles that looks like an overcrowded koi pond?”
“Dad, what is so appealing about that mug and vase that looks like it belongs in your grandmother’s blacklight rave party?”
“My lovely daughter, please do enlighten us as to your whim for hard edge jungle scenes!”
I’m not saying that it should be a free-for-all and everyone just gets what they want all the time. Some of the best purchases come when the group members push one another to keep looking for the perfect thing. But I do think we should take a page from Eric’s playbook and rethink our approach to those works that maybe we don’t love but our partner can’t live without!
Thanks for wandering down the path of wisdom with me. Enjoy your weekend everyone!
Air kisses (cuz EXPO is next week and homegirl is outta practice),
Casey
Shara Mays, Plaifa, 2023, oil and acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 in
Clare Woods, Collage for Small Wins, 2025, oil on paper, 22 1/2 x 22 1/4 in
Mairikke Dau, Water Harvest, oil on linen, 24 x 36 in
A Big Ol' Texas Art Fair
All Access
Ain't nuthin' wrong with pretty!
Howdy folks! It has been a few weeks since my last post. I was spring breaking with my family and then needed a hot second to get re-situated in my routine. And now I’m off again on a little adults-only vacay to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, which means I’m missing Dallas this week/weekend. I loved Dallas last year (both the main Dallas Art Fair as well as the Dallas Invitational happening concurrently) and would highly recommend the trip as good beginner fairs if you are wanting to get on that circuit. It is small enough to not feel overwhelming but expansive enough to get a good taste of a lot of different things that are happening in the art world. Additionally, I say it is a good beginner fair because I feel like it is curated to cater toward the collector who is not buying bananas duct-taped to a wall. Much of the work hits that sweet spot between looking pretty but also having something to say. And the price points span the spectrum so it feels like there is something for everybody. It really is the perfect amuse-bouche to EXPO Chicago at the end of April, which would be the appetizer for Frieze in NYC in May, which would be the main course to Miami Art Week’s dessert course (la grande finale, if you will). Anyway, I’d recommend putting it on your calendar for this time next year. I plan to be there and would love to have some company. (Hint hint, wink wink.)
On the note of looking pretty while having something to say, I would like to take a moment to address the fact that there is nothing wrong with pretty art. It is okay to be a collector of contemporary art and also want that art to be pretty. You don’t have to live with edgy. raunchy, difficult art to appreciate it. Time and place, yall, time and place. And I would say that this is my spec-ee-ality—pretty art that ain’t decorative art.
So for this week’s installment of Art I Saw and Liked, I am going to share some of my favorite pretty-but-also-has-something-to-say art and artists (all under $10k of course) that are showing in Dallas right now. (And just to remind you, the Impressionists were criticized in their own time for being pretty and decorative and it turns out they had much more to say than anyone thought. So, I’ll just leave that nugget with you there…)
As a reminder, if you would like to attend an art fair, let me know! I have plans to be in Chicago April 24-25 and NYC May 6-9 but I can be easily persuaded to visit almost any venue. I will have more fair dates for Q3 and Q4 later on. We can do IRL or FaceTime. Let me know what you’re thinking with the form, a good ol’ fashioned email or send me a message.
Ok, onward to the art, mi amigos!
Tammi Campbell
I am almost positive I have talked about Tammi on this platform before but I like to sing her praises every chance I get. I met her in New York last May on the occasion of her solo show at Anat Ebgi and had the pleasure of an extended conversation with her about her work and practice. She is one of the best in the biz at merging the pretty with the technical with the thematic. And she does so with humor and grace. Some might call her a feminist but I would probably more generally classify her as an activist for canonical inclusion, as if to say, “We should always revere and show gratitude for the (male) luminaries of the mid-century, but now it is time to make space on the wall for a new generation of voices that includes all perspectives.” She’s showing this wonderful bubble-wrapped Andy Warhol with Blouin Division in Dallas this weekend. (This particular one, being quite large, is over $10k but one could easily acquire one of her smaller works for well within this range.)
Sean Weisgerber
Sean Weisgerber is a new-to-me artist and also happens to be showing with Blouin Division in Dallas this week. His work centers on the intersection of art and commerce and commodification of art. It also happens to be really well painted and very cool in any style decor. You can calculate the price for yourself…
Kevin Ford
Kevin Ford asks us to question the very objects before our eyes. In his hands, the process of first looking, then seeing, and finally knowing becomes tenuous. “Ford’s objects (often corporeal, comical, and overlooked) are rendered as barely there- inhabiting space between a glance, observation, and memory. One object bleeds into another, mimicking the visual slippage of internal images. His paintings’ soft focus simultaneously alludes to the atmospheric sfumato of Renaissance pictorial space, the narrow depth of field of photographic images, and the pixelization that occurs as one zooms in on a digital image. Ford draws on a wide range of visual traditions and histories as he explores the very immediate act of looking.” In a time when it is difficult to trust the very institutions we once relied upon for facts, this work feels all the more relevant. Plus he’s got the academic pedigree and CV to back it up. Yale MFA, yall. We call that Context. Kevin Ford is showing in a 3-person presentation with Tops Gallery from Memphis. (BTDubs, this work is V affordable…)
(On the subject of Tops Gallery, they are also presenting Mamie Tinkler who is a perennial favorite. Her colors are positively luminous but some might find the imagery to be difficult, which is why I didn’t include her in the official list. There was a little watercolor of hers at Abattoir in Cleveland a while ago and it was the one that got away. Poor moi.)
Katie Butler
Katie Butler is an Akron-based artist who will be included in the group presentation from Hesse Flatow. Hesse Flatow is a hotbed for great up-and-comers, FYI. Katie’s work is always expertly crafted, fusing tenants of historical genres that boast photographic precision like Dutch still life and Renaissance interiors with other genres that turn these very principles on their head. Think Cubism and Surrealism. Commenting on the financial disparities of American society, Butler’s deeply seeded art historical references allow the work to be both beautiful to look at and to contemplate. It’s brilliant is what it is. (And again, we are comfortably under $10k here.)
As a reminder, I will be attending fairs in Chicago April 24-25 and in New York May 6-9. If you have always wanted to got a fair but would like a chaperone for your maiden voyage, fill out this form or just send me a good ol’ email. I’d love to show you the ropes either IRL or on FaceTime.
Sean Weisgerber, Price Per Square Inch series, 2023, Acrylic on linen, 46 x 55 in.
Kevin Ford, Seagull 22, 2025, Acrylic on panel, 10 x 9 in
The stranglehold of glitter and graffiti on Cleveland art buyers
All Access
I'm getting fiery today!
There’s trouble in River City, my friends! Oh we’ve got Trouble with a capital T that rhymes with G and that stands for glitter and graffiti! It’s as alluring to newly minted millionaires as the siren’s song was to Odysseus. I pride myself on staunchly steering my clients away from oversized glistening portraits of Uncle Pennybags passing GO, and I often feel like the sailors who tied the famed sea captain to the ship. It’s the cross I bear, I suppose, but it’s the Lord’s work.
But seriously! Yall! What is it with the tacky and EXPENSIVE so-called red-chip art?? Glitter and graffiti seems to have a particular stranglehold on the 2-comma-club members of Cleveland and I really just do not understand it. I suppose money can’t buy taste, but it can buy an art advisor who will tell you to please not waste it on flavor-of-the-week gaudy, decorative crap. An artist who appropriates Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE compositions and embellishes them with some lenticular situation and garlands of flowers is called APPROPRIATION ART. It is not original; and as I tell my children when they are trying to be funny but actually misbehaving, “It’s not cute and it’s not funny.” And guys, people are dropping BIG dollars on this stuff. (Apologies if that’s you….well #sorrynotsorry actually.)
How do I know about this wild phenomenon in my fair city? Well, TBH, we have been perusing the local real estate in search of some new digs, and I have been unpleasantly surprised at some of the art collections in the homes we have toured—a lot of glitz, a lot of glam, and a shocking amount of f-bombs (in the art, not out of my mouth, well, maybe silently I WTF’d a couple of times…)
I hear you imploring me, “Why is this happening, Casey? For God’s sake, WHY?!” I have my suspicions and I may lose some friends over this next part. I think there are some local purveyors in high-visibility locations around town that are capitalizing on a naive marketplace or a generation of digital natives who only like what their feed feeds them. And to that point, I think Cleveland, to some degree, is a naive market without access to a robust economy of art-buying options that sees the three-comma-clubbers in Silicon Valley hoarding this stuff and so it’s the trendy thing to do. They have a hard time finding the better alternatives. That’s not to say they don’t exist. (I see you Shaheen and Abattoir!) Perhaps some see it as a status symbol because it is HIGHLY recognizable and unmistakeable. (Unmistakably horrid, if you ask me…but apparently no one is.) It reminds me of the Dooney & Burke thing that happened in middle school, which was also a trend for which I staunchly and proudly sat on the sidelines. Those bags were heinous and yet every cool girl in my school had one. WOOF!
I digress. I actually take great pride in my fellow Clevelanders for having an innate appreciation for art thanks to our stalwart art museums. We KNOW what good art is, yall!! WE KNOW BETTER! This is why this situation honestly befuddles my brain. How can we have two of the most important art museums in their respective arenas and yet so many Cleveland-based millennials with disposable income are filling their homes with the worst of the worst. I might even contend that expensive, tacky, diamond-dusted, faux street art is worse than buying decorator art from HomeGoods. Now thems is fightin’ words.
And that brings me to an adjacent beef I have with my generation. How can one drop TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS on art that will NOT hold its value and claim you are an ART COLLECTOR and LOVER OF ART and then not support our local ART institutions??? Hmmm??? I’m waiting for an answer… I’m getting heart palpitations just writing this. I serve both of our local art institutions in various capacities and have chatted with counterparts in other cities about their struggles. This is a huge, universal problem. Millenials are not carrying on the torch of philanthropy from the previous generation.
See my point? People who are buying this stuff want the cache or the status or the wow factor. I suspect if you asked them to tell you about the artists, they would barely even be able to tell you their names. Ok, let me pause for a second. IF you are a buyer of these wares AND you can tell me about the artists who made the works in your collection, THEN I will let you off the hook. That tells me that you have a genuine connection with the work….for some reason…and we can still be friends even if we disagree on your taste in art. I will always condone buying art that you love and that genuinely resonates with you. I would also let you off the hook if you unknowingly equated price tag with quality. Perhaps you thought this is what good art must be if it is that expensive and all the billionaires are doing it. BUT «insert finger wag» if you’re going for status and shock value, we can really do better.
If you have $20k to drop on art, perhaps I can set you up with an emerging artist doing something really cool for $10k and you can donate the rest to an institution of your choosing? Win/win! And, AnD, AND maybe, just maybe that artist will go on to knock it out of the park because you supported their practice early-on and then you can donate that work to that institution one day! Wouldn’t that just be the bee’s knees?!
Maybe I’m off my rocker. Maybe I’m missing something here. I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. If you buy this stuff and love it, I would really like to hear from you. Why do you buy it? Why do you like it? This is a safe space and all opinions are valid (despite my fiery rant). Please DM me or comment to get a conversation started.
Now, in the words and image of David Shrigley…
PS – I linked it above but I’ll call it out explicitly here, Artnet just posted a really good article that delves into this phenomenon more deeply and gives some historical context. If this is a topic that interests you, I’d recommend the read.
Alec Monopoly, Monopoly Cane Up on Teal German Luxury Car, mixed media painting, 35 x 48 in
David Shrigley, My Rampage is Over, screenprint in colours with varnish overlay, 2019, on Somerset Tub Sized 410 gsm wove paper, numbered 16/125, published by Jealous Gallery, London
Should you hire THAT art advisor?
This post is not as self-serving as it sounds...
Good Friday morning, my friends! It’s my birthday (yes, for real) so I am writing a birthday present to myself. And by that, I mean I am going to discuss one of my favorite topics—art advisory. Now, you might be thinking, it is a sad state of affairs if one of your favorite topics is your work. And that would be fair. But to be honest, my work does not feel like work because I absolutely love what I do. Don’t tell anyone but I would probably work for free. (My husband and my dad will be calling in 3, 2, 1…)
As the laziest high school student on the planet, no one ever thought I’d be the one who would thrive on her job but I LOVE my work and I LOVE working. I think it is because I feel that my work is the honor of a lifetime. Art-buying puts people in a really vulnerable position; and, when people trust me enough to be in that exposed place with them, it really kind of takes my breath away.
But I digress. There are A LOT of art advisors out there. It is a growing field to say the least; and, lots of them, ahem, us are really good. Many of us have rigorous academic pedigrees, resumes full of prestigious jobs, and networks that give us an edge over your average collector. But we are not all created equal. So how do you differentiate?
Here are some factors that should influence your thinking if you have decided to hire some help to fulfill your art-acquiring aspirations.
- Hopefully this is an obvious one. Do your goals align with the advisor’s skills set? I think this idea can take on at least two different forms. In the first way, you want to ensure you are aligned in the same area of the market. If you want to build a collection of emerging Australian artists, you should not hire the world’s greatest advisor who specializes in blue-chip European Modernism. While this person is probably brilliant and obviously the best at what they do, they do not do what you need them to do. The best electrician on the planet could not fix your toilet (unless you have one of those automatic toilets with a heated seat), so you should not hire an advisor who specializes in a field that does not align with your interests just because they are globally-renowned. This seems obvious but I imagine there are folks out there that would hire someone who is “the best” by many measures but not in the way that is most important to achieve their goals. Don’t hire for the prestige but for the expertise.In a real life example, a client wanted to hire me to sell over $500,000 worth of contemporary art. He did not want to sell via galleries or auction. He wanted to privately place each piece. While I can do that, it would be an extremely inefficient use of time and might not yield the best result. The opportunity cost is bad for both of us. In this case, he needs a large global firm with a huge network of collectors to cast a wide net. The boutique experience that I offer does not align with his needs, so I directed him to a trusted colleague. Because I have earned his trust, I am actually still on retainer to continue to advise on ancillary matters. And this brings me to my next point.
- Hire someone you trust. First of all, make sure you understand how they are getting paid. Do they have their hands in multiple pots? As in, are you paying them and the gallery is offering a kickback? If you find out this is happening with your advisor, run in the opposite direction. In my opinion, the best way to keep interests aligned is for the client to pay the advisor, but to each his own. When you pay for a work of art, do you send money to the advisor who then pays the gallery or do you cut a check to the gallery directly? Your money should not pass through someone else’s hands and you should know the value of your investment in the art independent of the value your advisor brings to the transaction. How transparent and forthcoming with information is the advisor? You should have all the information and paperwork pertaining to your acquisition…and you shouldn’t have to ask for it. While the art world is a murky swamp a lot of the time, there are enough good advisors working above board so you should make sure you are working with one of those. Interests of all parties should always be 100% aligned. That is really non-negotiable. (Ask me how I maintain alignment with my clients’ interests, no matter what.)
- Going back to my first point, the second way the question of expertise and goals might manifest is how your taste and style align with those of your advisor. If you are collecting for investment purposes, this matters less. But if you are collecting to live with your art, then aesthetics matter and you want to make sure you are hiring someone with experience in aligning what you want your art to say with what you want it to look like. In some ways, this idea ties into the first, but I think it adds nuance to the question. First, you narrow by broad field, and second, you further differentiate by style. So if you are looking for emerging and mid-career artists, have a budget of, say, less than $10,000, and want a piece to hang over your mantle, then you are looking for a very different person from someone who is going to bid on your Magritte at the next Christie’s sale.
- And finally, you should listen to the way your advisor talks to galleries, artists, installers, framers, shippers, and other professionals. Just like they say you can judge someone’s character by how they talk to Alexa, so too can you understand the value of your advisor by listening to how they converse with other art world personnel. Are they interested in understanding the artist’s work and process? Do they ask questions and engage in the conversation or just wait to make the sale? Do they respect each person’s role in the transaction?
- Oh, and one more thing, how much do they get out in the world and see stuff?! A good advisor goes and sees lots and lots of art, but can also envision what something will look like IRL versus on a screen. The only way to develop that skill is by seeing a lot in person and understanding materiality.
I hope you feel armed to engage with an art world pro now, be it me or someone else. If you have a project and want to know if I’m right, I’m happy to have a conversation and point you in the right direction.
And since you made it this far, I will reward your devotion with some art. Here are some things I’ve seen and liked lately…
lobster club is not a new-to-me gallery but I spent a bit of time perusing their recent group exhibition this week and found a few new artists. Here are some standouts…
As always, I appreciate your eyeballs on my work so much. Thanks for being here and following along. It means more than you know.
Featured Art
Stephanie King and Pam McMillan, I Spy Something Brown, acrylic, gouache, oil on treated paper on panel, 57 x 64 in
MARCEL ROZEK, The Vapors, 2024, oil and latex on canvas, 72 x 96 in
Marcel is not new to me but this is a new direction and I am here for it. I imagine these layers of color look like the colored light of stained glass.
PHILIP WARNER PATTON, Untitled Still Life (Teapot), 2025, oil on canvas, 35 x 22 in
Philip is brand new to me but the caliber of painting here compared to the price is such good bang for your buck. I spent some time on his website and found that the movement and vitality of the flowers in this scene carries across his other still life scenes. Movement and vitality are not often words associated with STILL lives… There’s also the teeniest hint of the surreal, more in mood than in actual form, but I think that lends a certain tension that I enjoy.
JOHN VITALE, Ra, 2024, acrylic, pencils, enamel, latex, and china markers on raw canvas, 36.5 x 30.5 in
Another new-to-me artist, John Vitale caught my eye. I love the narrative he creates in his abstraction. In contrast to Rozek’s abstraction (above) where the hand of the artist is removed in favor of chance due to the nature of the poured paints, here Vitale invigorates the surface fully revealing the artist’s hand and his decision-making power in composing this image. Also I’ve got a thing for neon yellow…