Michael O'Keefe

Desiderium Head

2013

The sculpture is painted cast plaster. The dimensions are for the painted cast plaster. The black base dimensions are 2 x 10 x 10 inches. About this body of work: “Everybody has that feeling when they look at a work of art and it’s right, that sudden familiarity, a sort of...recognition, as though they were creating it themselves, as though it were being created through them while they look at it or listen to it...” ―William Gaddis, "The Recognitions" “A great deal of my recent work was made during a time when I was reading the great American novel by William Gaddis, "The Recognitions," the most demanding book I’ve ever read. Along the way, I extracted sentence fragments that interested me and I pieced them together to make the titles for the last three years of my work. So, my recent work is linked to Gaddis’ novel through the titles, but also in the theme of “recognition,” which speaks to the nature of my work. I feel my way through various processes until I recognize a possibility―a possibility that is promising in terms of visual dynamics but also in terms of giving a body to some part of my experience. It is my hope that the viewer is compelled to recognize some part of themselves reflected in the work.” —Michael O’Keefe Michael O’Keefe earned his MFA from SMU and currently teaches at The O’Keefe Studio Center in Richardson, Texas. This sculpture was included in "Recognitions," his fifth solo exhibition at Valley House...

Michael O’Keefe’s sculptures, drawings, and paintings depict figurative narratives born from unpredictable processes. He couples innovative methods with unconventional tools to creat...

Michael O’Keefe’s sculptures, drawings, and paintings depict figurative narratives born from unpredictable processes. He couples innovative methods with unconventional tools to creat...

This sculpture is edition 2/20

Artist/Designer: Alexander Ney (Russian/American, b. 1939) Marking(s); notes: signed Materials: white terracotta, wood (base) Dimensions: 11.5″oah; sculpture: 6.75″h, 3.5″w, 4.5″d; b...

"Metaphors, symbols, the material world, the collective unconscious and the spiritual realm generate the sources in which I investigate images for the viewer to interact with. Becaus...

The artistic collaboration of Kelly Bugden + Van Wifvat has produced a thought-provoking body of sculptures, paintings, and constructions. Nature, childhood memories, and everyday archetypes take shape in unexpected combinations of materials. The works emerged as the tactile and visual senses channeled the ritualistic power and materiality of selected artifacts. The resulting objects exist in a space between what they were originally and what they could become. A wheel, for example, is distorted as if seen through a prism. Their collaboration grew out of years of shaping materials into one-of-a-kind objects. Intuitively, the process of creating with their hands took an inward turn. Prism is a travelogue through memories and dreams, yielding abstract forms that capture moments of transformation. Van Wifvat grew up with eight siblings and studied sculpture and environmental design in Minneapolis at MCAD. In 1979, he opened a storefront art gallery to promote the work of local artists. The space featured printed materials—art books, periodicals, fanzines, and postcard’s. Wifvat moved to New York in 1983 to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons. In 1987, he co-founded Van Gregory & Norton design studio, specializing in convex mirrors and curtain hardware...

This is a bronze cast sculpture by Philip Pavia is part of his series of "Imaginary Portraits from the Club" , a one-man exhibition at Max Protetch Gallery, New York in 1982. The approach at rendering the figure is grotesque, and the facial features have been severely distorted to the point were the portrait becomes an abstract interpretation of the subject. As an artist and writer, Philip Pavia was a committed member of the Abstract Art community throughout his long, distinguished career. Pavia was active in the art world until his death in 2005 and received immense critical praise for his artistic and literary contributions. Recognized for his signature work The Ides of March...