{ 5 comments }

tom moody July 9, 2014 at 9:37 pm

What do you mean by “Naturally Adrian Chen writes the feature”? Is Chen the Boswell to Ripps’ Samuel Johnson?
Bill Davenport’s article illustrates the perils of being a critic in a small scene: It should be called “Five Artists in Addition to the Five I Usually Write About and/or Have Personal Connections To (and Sorry to the Ones I Put in the Second Tier).”
It is astonishing that Mark Flood keeps showing up on “hot emerging artists” lists. He has been exhibiting since 1981. That is a lo-o-o-ong emergence.

Paddy Johnson July 9, 2014 at 9:56 pm

Yeah, I could have been more clear. It just seems like there are three main freelance writers with an interest in art and tech that get published by mainstream publications; Adrian Chen, Kevin McGarry and Kyle Chayka. If I were asked who I thought would be the best pick for Ripps I’d say Adrian Chen. He’s written a couple of times about The Jogging when he was at Gawker and I thought he had smart things to say. Obviously those two figures are very different, but in the media world, they fall into a similar pitch world.

As for Davenport – that enormous disclaimer at the end of his piece about all his connections is a little ridiculous. He also goes so far as to say the list is limited to painters, which is probably redundant for anyone who can read the title. I didn’t know too much about any of the artists but Mark Flood. I like Francesca Fuchs work, Davenports wife!

tom moody July 10, 2014 at 10:05 am

I know Davenport from my Texas days so I’m kidding him a bit. Still, when I left (20 years ago next May), essentially the same group predominated. Of his top ten, only four weren’t overwhelmingly familiar names, and they were in the slots 7-10. Consistency over the years isn’t necessarily a vice, art-wise, but I’d have a hard time getting out of bed to write that same article for two decades.

tom moody July 10, 2014 at 10:47 am

The Houston painter I liked best was Perry House, who is in Davenport’s second tier. A De Chirico-esque semi-Modernist who is slightly out of step with the city and the times, but in a good way. His work changes from series to series, and from jpegs at least, it looks like he’s still keeping it fresh.

tom moody July 10, 2014 at 10:50 am

House’s gallery’s website has a good range of different periods of his work: http://www.dma-art.com/#!perry-house/c22cz

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