Brian Baker through the creative lens of Philip Laubner
Brian Baker’s enormous paintings, some the size of murals, immerse us in fragmented, even chaotic imagery as they fill the brilliant red walls of the Cyclops gallery. His ambitious body of work—large mixed media canvases—suggest memories as much as dreams, but taken as a whole, could also express someone’s powerful spiritual journey.
The evening I took in Brian’s works at Cyclops concluded with a performance by his wife, artist Heather Joi, one of the BMA’s Walk-Around Warhols (who you may have seen at events all over town promoting the Warhol exhibition). During Heather’s performance, the room was dark with a single star glowing in the background. I could only see her silhouette and the occasional flash of light coming from her golden shoes. She moved lithely, winding around in circles before slowing to a motionless closed form on the floor and then speeding up again to spin gracefully about.
Evenings like these (captured in Philip Laubner’s fantastic photographs) convince me that art and artists such as Brian, Heather, and Andy Rubin (the impresario of Cyclops who does a little bit of everything at the bookshop/gallery/performance space AND runs his own record label) will revitalize Central Baltimore.
You can see Heather’s work on view at Joe Squared and at the Brewer’s Art. Her vibrant paintings, drawings, and mixed media pieces reflect her amazing performances. They are often brilliant red in palette, warm with love. Filled with powerful, whirling lines and strokes, they capture life and imaginary events where motion plays the lead role—from a clown and a ballerina in perpetual motion to a baby sitting backward in a rocking chair.
If you want to meet Heather and Brian, or if you are wise enough to be looking for an original work to take home and cherish, go to Heather’s closing party at the Brewer’s Art tonight, from 5:30-9 p.m.
This week also marks the very last opportunity to see Andy Warhol: The Last Decade at the BMA. DO NOT miss this exceptional exhibition of the influential artist’s final body of work. The show, named one of the year’s best by The Washington Post, closes January 9.
Andy Warhol. Self-Portrait. ©2010 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Doreen Bolger is always on the move because she can’t stop seeing, supporting, and writing about the arts in and around Baltimore City. Her lengthy love affair for the arts began in Long Island when her father, an executive in the textile industry, brought home breathtaking fabrics every night from the heart of the garment district. 