Local Art-Ralph Duke at the Ground Cafe

In the spirit of using this blog to promote area artists, I would like to take a minute and tell you about one that is showing over at the Ground Cafe. I wrote this for the Amarillo Globe News and it was an article that hghlighted three artists out and about in coffee shops at the time. Ralph Duke was showing at Hastings at that time and he has since then moved his show over to the Ground Cafe. I think the review is still appropriate, so I hope you enjoy and go out and see some local art!

Over at the Ground Cafe on the ground floor of the Chase Tower in Downtown Amarillo, Ralph Duke has a series of photographs there for the art lover to enjoy. These rich pieces invoke a sense of the most revered of coffee drinks, the beloved espresso. The subtle intricacies in Duke’s photographs are what make them so very successful. The Remains Series Image 4 most accurately captures this. Here, Duke presents us with the 4th photograph of the old Southwestern Public Service Company’s East power plant, which Duke was allowed to document before its last day standing. This piece so accurately captures the architectural sharpness of the rafters of the room which lead one’s eye to the large bright window at the back of the expanse. This, in turn, brings one to the floor of the which is littered with mucky, dark chaos. It is a study in contrasts; that bright, steel airiness of the ceiling flanked by the dismal mess of the bottom of the shot. Rich, bold overtones work as one to leave a deep impact in the receiver of the work, much like that shot of espresso works for any coffee aficionado. The Remains Series will be at the Ground Cafe for the month of March.

New stuff

Hello blog world

So it has been such a long long time for me that I feel like a disgrace in the blog world.

I read over my past efforts at this and shame on me!!! I became that senseless babbler of life. No one really wants to read about that!!!

I am deleting most of those past posts today. I will leave my poetry on there as I feel it may have some sort of artistic merit.

But from now on, this blog will be devoted to getting the word out about Amarillo artists and shows going on in the area!!!!

I am starting a new column in Style magazine in April and I hope to use this as a vehicle to further those artistic needs. Now, it is my hope that if you are showing somewhere in the upcoming months that you will send me your bio and tell me where and I will post something here for the digital world to check out and I will even twitter about you!

We need to get Amarillo artistically activated!!! It's a whole new decade-let's embrace it!

Send me your stuff!

Your challenge today is to look at something upside down and describe it to me! Better yet take a photo of it and send it to me!

Be artsy fartsy! There is no shame in it at all!
Ande