Barbara Mink

s The first real snowfall of the year has buried the sidewalks and trees, a beautiful sight- from indoors, of course. My collection of work on display through the end of the month in downtown Ithaca's CAP Artspace is a reflection of what I feel about the season; black, white, everything in between, muted colors but stark forms, creating a mix of sharp outline and deep softness. My paintings range from large reflections of walks up Cascadilla gorge to a view at Stewart Park, to smaller works on paper, sometimes a wash of black or gray, highlighted with small pen drawings. Growing up in Buffalo, winter was a part of life for us, not something to dread as unexpected, but a seasonal reality to embrace. Ithaca, just three hours away, has been my home for 40 years, and I continue to respond to each change of season through my work.

With so much extra teaching this year (which I'm loving) and a number of shows coming up through the end of the year, I'm excitied about producing enough new and varied work for all the different venues. (Quintus in Watkins Glen and Cornelia Street Cafe August September, Art Trail at the Mink Gallery October, CAP Artspace and Impulse Buy Popup with sister in law Ronna in December.) Here are a few examples of new things, waiting to be assigned.                                                                                                                                                     

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It's such a privilege to have one's work viewed and thoughtfully considered by someone you've never met. Jessica Beck is the Associate Curator of Art at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, and was the judge for the BSA 120th Catalogue Show at the Castellani Museum of Art in Lewiston. I wanted to share what she wrote about this piece, "Happiness", not only because it's so generous, but because it makes me think about what I do in new ways. "In the process of installing the exhibition Michael Chow aka Zhou Yinghua: Voice for My Father at the Andy Warhol Museum, my thoughts have turned to abstraction with new direction. (Example above left.) Chow works with large-scale abstraction and engages mixed materials, including precious metals, house paint, and even trash. With densely layered surfaces and contrasting textures, Chow's paintings have an intense, almost violent energy. In this competition, the painting Happiness by Barbara Mink caught my...

Feeling the weight of history these days, the untimely death of Cornell's president Beth Garrett, the passing of our son Dan three years ago last month, my mother three years ago this month, my father in June of  2014- feelings of nostalgia, as much as loss, and as I age, the sense of a limited horizon. So why not put some thoughts down? My father was 42 when he painted "Valhalla ", oils thinned with turpentine to create a watery feel, something I also gravitated towards when I was using oils, and also now with inks and acrylics. They say you never really lose your first drives as a painter, and I started with water colors, so... My father started drawing and painting as a young teen, and wanted to be a professional artist. But the familiar caution, "From this one makes a living?" steered him towards medical school. We grew up hearing that the quota on Jews at the University of Buffalo is what kept him from medical school- but as he was dying in hospice, he ...

I received a big box today; inside was a painting my father had done in the seventies, sent to me by cousins I had not seen since we were children well before then. It's on top; called "Valhalla", I had never seen it before. But I am struck by our resemblance in style.  The painting on the bottom is mine. I knew we shared a love of abstract landscape, but seeing his drippy oils and acrylics again is so wonderful. What a gift from family, who, though distant, feel so close through their generosity.

On a roll here, I think. all large-scale ink, acrylics and acrylic skins. I don't know when or where I'll have a chance to show these, but planning to open the Mink home gallery for March, they'll be there.