Review of Pulling Weeds from a Cactus Garden by Jeffrey D. Keeten
The Fox and the Mosquitoes
This is a wonderful review of my book Pulling Weeds from a Cactus Garden -Life is full of pricks by the talented writer and reviewer of books and films, Jeffrey D. Keeten.
Recently, he's contributed to a collection of scary, suspenseful and weird short stories, prose and poems along with a group of other writers titled, Halloween Party '21, (available on Amazon).
I am flattered and inspired by his insight and the parallels he draws to other artists.
The review is here:
When Nathalie Tierce first approached me about reading her book, I thought to myself, I’m not an art critic, nor an expert on poetic prose, and haven’t read a kid’s book (This is not a kid’s book, so my reservations in that regard were completely erroneous) in many decades. My mind was swimming with all the reasons why I was the wrong reviewer for her book. Instead of sending her my standard thanks for thinking of me but… email response, I decided to go visit her website. I’d share that address right now, but I don’t want to lose you quite yet from my review because I know, like me, you will be spending a good hour flipping through her gallery, and you would be so bedazzled by the raw power of her paintings that you would forget all about my attempts to explain why I like Nathalie’s paintings so much.
Check out this little gem from R. Crumb about Tierce’s work: ”You are a genuine visionary artist with a direct line to your subconscious.” And what a marvelous subconscious it is!
I first discovered R. Crumb when I bought the R. Crumb illustrated edition of The Monkey Wrench Gang. This prompted me to search for more examples of his art, and I was soon ogling his Amazonian women and sometimes gasping with pleasure at his flagrantly deviant, but honest, art. (I once called a rather impressive looking waitress working in an Oklahoma bar in Bricktown R. Crumbesque. It was truly as if she’d stepped straight out of the lurid mind of Crumb.) I could see how Crumb, after perusing Nathalie’s art, recognized a fellow artist who is genuinely expressing her truest feelings through her art.
This book was inspired by Aesop’s Fables, but I couldn’t help thinking about the Brothers Grimm, especially before the brothers sanitized their folk tales for children. Even after being censored, those tales have gruesome and grotesque moments that continue to give children and adults nightmares and daylight shudders. I found Tierce’s work to be deliciously horrid and, at moments, wonderfully torrid.
Tierce worked on these paintings for two years, and during that time, as she said in her forward, “the world witnessed the most bizarre spectacle of politics.”She went on to say: ”Being in lock-down for Covid-19 made people examine disturbing, deeper currents running through our society in the U.S. that we were otherwise too distracted to scrutinize.”
We are living in a post-truth world, and I miss the world that existed before. It wasn’t perfect, but at least we could disagree about things and still be friends. Now, we are bludgeoned with information, some of it true, some of it completely false, and most of it is somewhere in the middle. We have been segmented into two Americas. Each of those segments believes the other half to be batshit crazy.
Tierce further stated in the introduction, ”The symbolism that developed in those works came from the turbulence, fear, and confusion we were experiencing and trying to wade our way through.”
Art provides us with a chance for self-reflection, and as you peruse Pulling Weeds from a Cactus Garden, you will find, as I did, that what I need in my life is more flights of fancy. The paintings in this book are playful and humorous, but also speckled with thorny truths. They are the ticklish parts of our imagination and what is accepted as reality brought together in a pleasing mixture to evoke realizations that remind the gazer of the things we used to be afraid of, the things we should be afraid of, and also the things we should still try to cherish.
“‘The drool on your chin tells me you're not listening.’ --- The Lamb and the Wolf Aesop’s Fables.” For me, this sentence sums up the last few years. We quit listening to each other. We quit caring about one another. The wolves have been turned loose in all of us, and we are a less kind society. Lambs, optimists, proffered kindness are all seen as naive. Toothy ruthlessness has run rampant. It isn’t about who let the dogs loose, but who let loose the werewolves?
Tierce’s paintings are visually amazing, and the longer you peer into them, the more you will see, so you will enjoy these paintings on a multitude of levels. I even turned each painting upside down and saw even more. That is a trick I learned from my professor in college while taking a survey class on art.
I see some Picasso in her horses, some Stephen King in her clown, a bit of Cortés in her skeleton, Jeff Goldblum in her southern belle, a smidge of Ralph Steadman lurking around the edges of many of her paintings, but in the end, these are what will be known as vintage Nathalie Tierce art.
You will look at these pictures and see your own marvelous things.
If you need a chuckle and a shudder in equal measure, then this book will give you exactly what you are looking for. This book is preceded by a book called Fairy Tale Remnants that looks fabulous as well. I will also be reviewing that book in the very near future. For that slightly quirky person in your life who is almost impossible to buy for, these books will make a perfect Christmas/birthday gift.
Nathalie Tierce provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As promised here is the link to Nathalie Tierce’s website: https://nathalietierce.com/
You can also follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathalietie...
And like her page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathalie.tierce
And, see below, don’t forget to follow my page on Facebook and my Instagram page.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jeffreykeeten/
Spirits and Books at Goldbug
Monday, November 1st, the preview opening for the auction to benefit the ACLU of SoCal was a night filled with with lots of art, people, curiosities and books! I can’t think of a better way to spend an evening.
I also had an opportunity to sign copies of my books, Fairy Tale Remnants and Pulling Weeds from a Cactus Garden - Life is full of pricks.
Goldbug is a contemporary cabinet of curiosities filled with hand made art inspired by natural history and science.... Gold Bug invites its customers to a truly unique gallery experience, presenting contemporary art in a museum enviornment inspired by history, nature and design. Representing independent artists who are masters at their craft, the unique home decor pieces, apparel, jewelry and other art objects are to sure to stand the test of time in their elegance, ingenuity and appeal. Come for a unique conversation piece to add to your home or to find a gift for the person in your life who has everything, Gold Bug is sure to surprise you with something you have never seen before."
It was a pleasure to meet the other artists who had created their “Spirit” on the blank ceramic sculptures by Roberto Cambi, Twenty in all, the full collection can be viewed here
Spirits in the Art Afterlife
Art Spirits @ Gold Bug of Pasadena to benefit the ACLU of Southern California
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It's here! My book, Pulling Weeds from a Cactus Garden
I’m beside myself with the good news that my new book, Pulling Weeds from a Cactus Garden is now live on Amazon!
The video of the first issue unboxing is here:
Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Studio
Join me in my studio where I talk about “Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. It’s one of the paintings that will be included in my new book of surreal visual allegories and writing titled, “Pulling Weeds From a Cactus Garden”. Coming out end of October, available on Amazon in paperback and ebook.
Urban Aesop at Brassworks Gallery
I’m delighted to be included in Brassworks Gallery group show.
From the gallery:
Aesop’s Fables meet Urban Surrealism
We have brought together 28 artists from all over the world to help us ‘Urbanize” Aesop’s fables by creating new works of art based on the original Aesop’s fables with their interpretation of how the fable would be viewed in today's urban city life.
Urban Aesop is our contemporary vision of those ancient yet timeless Fables, Urbanized.
Ona Judge's Forgotten Story
It was in July of 2018. It began like all my other paintings; I dove in, letting the paint's random marks and shapes tell me where to go. A face emerged; I chased the features, realizing it was a portrait of George Washington.
I was stunned and confused. Not because I was painting something that surprised me, I often paint things that I don't understand. This time, not only didn't I care about this figure, his stance and uniform irritated me. Sure, during that year, in fact, since 2016, I was thinking deeply about what America was and what it had become, but I saw this cartoonish homage to this political figure and didn't get it.
Blocked, I faced the piece to the wall and forgot about it. I moved on to other paintings.
In the course of a few months, shuffling things from one part of my studio to another, I would come across "that George Washington thing," as I called it in my mind. It occurred to me to turn it upside down and obliterate what was there, start something new, but I didn't. I would push to the back of the studio and carry on with other work.
One day, I was standing in front of the vast Mark Bradford mixed media/collage piece "Helter Skelter I" at The Broad, feeling the layered surface's history with my eyes. Lost in thought, a voice in my head said, "and what are you going to do about "that George Washington thing" in your studio?" My heart sank for a moment. I walked away from I had been standing and sat down, feeling defeated.
Sitting there, from nowhere, I heard the tin voice whisper, "maybe you should read up about George Washington." I got on my phone and started researching the life of George Washington. The human beings he held as property.
Reading on, I came to the details about Ona Judge born c., 1773 was a dower slave to Betty, a seamstress, and Andrew Judge by the white, an English tailor indentured servant at Mount Vernon.
Ona went to live at the manor house at the age of 10. She became an expert at needlework and eventually became Mrs. Washington's body servant.
In March 1796, Mrs. Washington informed Ona that she would be given as a wedding present to her granddaughter, who had married English expatriate Thomas Law.
Ona Judge planned her escape, one night, in May of 1796, as the Washingtons were having her dinner, she slipped away and was hidden by friends until she could find passage on a Northbound ship.
This history, what life was like for someone like Ona Judge or all the other people who were slaves, was never a part of what I learned in school nor how it affected the way this country developed.
I am still woefully ignorant about the ongoing repercussions of slavery woven into the fabric of our lives today. I have a lot of learning to do.
After learning about Ona Judge, finishing this painting became clear to me. The spin we were fed about the founding fathers' noble intentions was just a twisted fairy tale—the chopping down the cherry tree, all of it, made-up nonsense. People who lived, suffered, and died under the weight of this horrid structure of oppression are nameless and faceless, as are the people who suffer it to this day.
Actress Moves Into 1920's West Hollywood Home
I’m delighted that my painting, “Actress” has been acquired for a collector’s stunning 1920’s residence. The building has all the charm and elegant proportions of Californian Medditerrian architecture.
Her mysterious regard looks like she may not quite be ready to emerge from behind the curtain.
Pre Covid Argument at Gallery 825
I’m delighted my mixed media piece, “Pre Covid Argument” will be part of the LAAA 2020 Open Show. Curated by Shana Nys Dambrot, Arts Editor for the L.A. Weekly, and a contributor to Flaunt, Art & Cake, and Artillery.
Gallery 825 is located at 825 N La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90069. The show runs from December 12 to January 15, 2020. The gallery is observing strict guidelines for viewing the work safely. Call ahead before visiting 310 652 8272.
New Painting "The Crow and The Swallow"
Based on Aesop’s Fable “The Crow and the Swallow”.
The story goes; a Swallow was once boasting to a Crow about her birth. "I was once a princess," said she, "the daughter of a King of Athens, but my husband used me cruelly, and cut out my tongue for a slight fault. Then, to protect me from further injury, I was turned by Juno into a bird." "You chatter quite enough as it is," said the Crow. "What you would have been like if you hadn't lost your tongue, I can't think."
This fable annoyed me so, I had to make the painting. The swallow was at fault for mentioning her misfortune? I suppose sympathy or compassion would be too much to expect.In my painting, the crow is actually sitting on a mythological bird with angry teeth and ironically a huge tongue. I wanted to represent something more hideous than an aberration of a recognizable version of a crow, as the response to her story was so vulgar to me.
ShoutOut L.A.
I am delighted that ShoutOut L.A. has done a profile on me, my work as an artist, visual storyteller, and color consultant. It’s not until someone asks me how one aspect of my practice informs the other that I see the big picture. Years spent working as a designer and scenic artist in the theater, television, and film industry fed my experience of telling stories through images.
Click on the image below to read the full story.
Elephant Finds Home
in artist, artist's work, gallery
I am pleased to announce, that “Stolen Innocence” has been sold to a collector in Los Angeles.
"Exalted One" Group Exhibition at Gallery 825
I am pleased to have my drawing “Too Much Information” in the group show “Exalted One” at Gallery 825. Click the link to see the entire show.
"A Surreal Life" Exhibition from Castelli Art Space on Artsy
What could be more bizarre than the times in which we live? Inspired by dreams, fantasy, and the occasional despondent nightmare, we embark upon a journey into destinations unknown, through surreal and figurative art. Curated by Dale Youngman, “A Surreal Life” runs from July 2 through November 2 by Castelli Art Space on Artsy. The exhibition includes the work of five artists, Nathalie Tierce, Randi Matushevitz, Luis Sanchez, Cory Sewelson, and Julie Gardner.
Founded in 2016 by Fred Goldstein, Castelli Art Space continues to provide contemporary exhibits in all mediums by local and international artists through Artsy. Featuring undiscovered and emerging through mid-career artists, their curated online programming is designed to be provocative, creative, thought-provoking, eclectic, and distinctive.
Razorcake Review
The critic Craven Rock from Razorcake has done a great review of my book, Fairy Tale Remnants.
Razorcake is a punk rock fanzine published bi-monthly out of Los Angeles, California. It was co-founded by Todd Taylor (former Flipside managing editor) and Sean Carswell (author and Gorsky Press co-founder) in 2001
Fairy Tale Remnants By Nathalie Tierce, 37 pgs.
All the illustrations in this book were once on a canvas. They’ve been reproduced into this little glossy book in full color and it’s a pleasure to look at. Well, it’s a pleasure if you’re a bit twisted, anyway, because these pictures are dark and surreal. Each figure, be it a human or animal or combination of the two, is contorted, out of sync, and grotesque—whether it be the baby throwing down with the snake, a boxer getting destroyed by his opponent, or the stripper and her dead-eyed, shark-faced customers, or Adam and Eve enjoying their exile from Eden cavorting naked near a pile of skulls.
Tierce, in the introduction, talks about the monsters she would see in the darkness as a kid, “waiting to jump out and grab her.” Now she attempts to recreate this feeling by starting with a black canvas and then turning the shapes she sees into the lost and damned creatures in this book. –Craven Rock (Indigo Raven Publishing, 1413 ½ W. Kenneth Rd., Glendale, CA 91201)
Instagram Live Event @ JoyFanaticFoundation June 5 @ 7:30 pm
I’m thrilled to be in conversation this evening on IG live with Terrence McClain, founder of Joy Fanatic Foundation. Terrence has a history as an artist’s advocate, producing events that bring communities out and share their art form whether it be the visual arts, fashion or music.
You can catch the recorded version here on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/p/CBFBL9cnL6Z/
Strange Times Require Even Stranger Reading
If we could have gone back a few months and tried to explain how our world has changed since COVID-19, it would be hard to believe. In the historical scheme of things, human beings have suffered plagues before and come through.
So much of the anxiety we feel, longing for what we had, loneliness, all of it is difficult to get our minds around. For me, it has always been comforting seeing the push and pull of desire and its consequence (whether it has a moral or not) embodied in fables. Somehow being able to commune with an image that was only a momentary dream impression gives me solace.
Looking for Visual Escapism during Quarantine?
Everyone is feeling cagey. It’s normal. Social distancing to slow down the impact of COVID-19 is the right thing to do.
However, being in quarantine is a drag. There’s only so much surfing Facebook and Instagram one can do.
Experience another world through art in a book. Hold the pages in your hands while contemplating someone else’s point of view while communing with your feelings as you respond to the subliminal imagery and writing.
