Let Love In by Sean Greene

Wicked Wednesday greetings, collectors. NYC is in full summer swelter, which has me contemplating greener (and shadier!) pastures and seeking air-conditioned shelter till I can make my escape. Today's edition, our second by Northampton, MA-based painter Sean Greene, is also soothing in its own way. The heat might be making me crazy, but the rich hues of Let Love In evoke the sweet refreshment found in Italian ices consumed in summers past, the kind that came in wax paper cups and were eaten with flat, wooden spoons.

Evocations of such simple pleasures aside, it must be noted that Sean has much more than Marino's Italian Ice on his mind when making his intensely pigmented, sensuously curvy abstractions, deriving a very different (and considerably more cerebral!) pleasure from their making. In his statement, he writes:

These contours, structures and paths give me a way to control the number of times colors mix, as well as locate areas of hotness or contrast, allowing me to create rhythm and balance within a sometimes tumultuous situation. I find deep satisfaction in the way that these forms imply typography, symbols, graffiti and other forms of visual expression. It makes sense to me to develop shapes that ask to be read or deciphered.

If you're going to be in the Berkshires anytime soon (you lucky duck) be sure to swing by the Geoffrey Young Gallery on Railroad Street, where you'll have the opportunity to see in person the original painting this print is based on. That original sold on opening night, however, so today's 20x200 edition is the only way to let Let Love In into your life. The exhibition, entitled Traction, features work by Vince Contarino, Mr. Sean Greene himself and another member of the 20x200 fam—and someone whose smiling face is often seen at Jen Bekman Gallery openings—Gary Petersen.

For those of us not fortunate enough to have a Berkshires sojourn on our agendas, we can look to the interwebs for a deeper exploration of Sean's work. You should check out his site, follow him on Twitter and see his not-to-be-missed first 20x200 edition, Try Letting Go.

Off Season by Joseph O. Holmes

Happy Thursday, collectors—it's Sara, with an early summer salutation courtesy of Joseph O. Holmes. As many of you know, Joe has held a pretty special place in the JBP family for some time now: he's one of 20x200's superstars, with a total of 17 editions over the past several years—many of which have sold out. He was a Hey, Hot Shot! Ne Plus Ultra back in 2006, and the only person to ever win the competition twice (in the Fall of 2005 and 2006). He's participated in several group shows at Jen Bekman Gallery and had his first solo exhibition there last winter. In short, Joe is adored for the pictures he takes, but he's also got a way with words—so, I'm going to let him give you the spin on Off Season. In his artist statement, he writes:

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Coney Island has only ever existed in one of two discrete states—as either the rococo, wedding-cake parks of the Steeplechase, Dreamland and Luna Park, or the more recent quasi-sleaze of the Sideshow and Shoot the Freak.

But from just the right vantage point, when the sun is low and the light rakes the structures, if you squint your eyes and let the shadows swallow the razor wire and chain-link fences, it's still possible to see the silhouette of some earlier transitional state, all circles and curves and sweeping roller coaster lines. If not exactly Dreamland, perhaps you can glimpse some phantom Coney Island that flashed in and out of existence in the wink of an eye.

One final note for all of you photographers out there: If you'd like to join Joe's ranks, this is your reminder that the Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2011 competition closes in just a few weeks. If you haven't yet submitted an entry, you're missing out. Among the great prizes (and unrivaled exposure, support and recognition!) are a $500 honorarium for the Hot Shots and the opportunity to exhibit work in a group show at JBG. Plus (!) all of the work submitted is reviewed for participation on 20x200. Our diverse panel of photography professionals, in conjunction with the JBP curatorial team, select the winning entrants. One grand prize winner is awarded $10,000, a solo exhibition and representation by JBG.

Already, the competition has awarded over 135 emerging and established photographers (including Joe!) unparalleled opportunities and exposure. The entry fee is $70, but will rise again incrementally throughout the remainder of the competition. With the deadline set at June 22nd at 8:00 p.m. ET, the earlier you submit, the better. Don't delay. And while you're at it, be sure to check out the HHS! blog for daily contender posts to scope out what your competitors are submitting.

Abstract artists and edition-makers Sean Greene and Gary Petersen will be exhibiting their work as part of the group show Traction at the Geoffrey Young Gallery in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, from now until June 23rd. The show (which opened last week) features work such as Sean Greene's Hold That Thought, a colorful painting resembling his two 20x200 editions, Try Letting Go and Let Love In.

Try Letting Go by Sean Greene

Color plays a prevalent, dominant role not only in Sean's work, but also in Gary's, with line and form closely following.

"Color is very important in my work," Gary echoes in his artist statement. "It allows the somewhat familiar forms to become personal and subtly eccentric."

Mixup by Gary Petersen

And he elaborates on his site:

I am interested in geometric abstraction that reflects our vulnerability and uncertainty in the world. I've always been interested in the line, how it contains, defines and suggests.

Both Sean's Try Letting Go and Gary's Mixup are just $30 (regularly $50) today only as part of our weekly Friday Flash deal. You may not be able to trek to Great Barrington, MA, but you can certainly enjoy (from the comfort of your own home) the energy that both works emanate.

FUP1968010K003 + FUP1968010K052 by Paul Fusco

Buenos dias from Cadaqués, a little slice of Catalonian heaven on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. I'm here on vacation, celebrating a milestone birthday of a very dear friend, but a break in festivities is well warranted for today's editions. The monumental body of work they're drawn from—Paul Fusco's RFK Funeral Train—is historically significant and has had enormous personal significance to me as well, fueling my determination to see them released as editions on 20x200. (I can't deny that this determination felt Quixotic at times.) That they're actually being offered took quite a bit more than sheer determination, however. Gratitude and thanks go to Susan Meiselas,* a major photographer in her own right and the President of the Magnum Foundation, who smoothed and sped the path to their creation as editions benefiting this venerable organization.

FUP1968010K003 by Paul Fusco

I've always considered myself to have a relatively firm grasp on the story surrounding RFK's assassination, and of the other major events that came before and after it. A major arc of our recent history, I had vague knowledge of its location, the assassin and the public gatherings and national mourning that it precipitated. ‪Missing from all that was true understanding of what it actually meant—comprehension of its importance‬. That understanding came much later, on the 40th anniversary of Kennedy's death, an epiphany that was unlocked by the tremendously talented Paul Fusco, who captured, frame by frame, the nation's grief as it unfolded alongside the railway tracks that led Kennedy's body to its final resting place.

Encountered first online, via a New York Times slideshow, the Kodachrome images hit me like a proverbial ton of bricks. I immediately set to IMing friends and/or forwarding links to everyone I knew. For weeks (actually years…) on end, I was likely to recommend it to any person who I had a conversation with. I seriously considered buying a print from Danziger Projects, reckless as such a consideration was in light of my financial instability, wanting so very badly to support the artist who made this work, and to thank James Danziger himself for mounting the brilliantly curated exhibition that he did. I couldn't wait to get Aperture's then forthcoming monograph into my hot little hands.

FUP1968010K052 by Paul Fusco

Discovering Fusco's tremendous body of work viscerally and urgently connected me to an event that was until then a fuzzy part of a somewhat distant history. Once made, that connection led to having the most incredible conversations with people about their connections with it. It was an event so seismic, so irreversible in terms of a tamping out a certain kind of optimism and hope, and one that most certainly changed the course of history. The sheer number of people who gathered to watch the train's slow progression from NYC to D.C. is its tragedy writ large, but each individual face in those crowds tells its story in a different, quiet and unsettlingly affecting way.

It's an incredible honor to have the opportunity to share that work with all of you today, and to offer two photographs from the series as 20x200 editions. A significant portion of the proceeds from these editions will benefit the Magnum Foundation. We worked closely with Mr. Fusco himself to select FUP1968010K003 and FUP1968010K052, which are being offered only as a pair.

* Susan led the charge, but huge thanks are also due to John Jacobs, Whitney Johnson, Megan Parker, the always incredible 20x200 team and, of course, Mr. Paul Fusco himself, whom Sara and I had the great pleasure of collaborating with to select images for the series.

Any bootstrapper worth his/her laces knows that part of being a savvy entrepreneur is knowing where to funnel the funds. Luckily, enlivening your office with great artwork doesn't have to break the bank. In the June 2011 issue of Inc. magazine, the "Bootstrapper's Guide to Saving Money" recommends 20x200 as a source for affordable art for your office. (It's an article that's close to home, as Jen Bekman herself bootstrapped 20x200 back in September 2007.)

Inc. featured a variety of prints they felt could best "spruce up" your place of employment: Praia Piquinia 02/08/07 15h16, by Christian Chaize; Patsy Cline and Hank Williams, by Mark Ulriksen; Nice Pants, by Landon Nordeman; and Going Under, by Jorge Colombo.

Get your own print of these editions on the site while you still can, as they are moving fast. In fact, Praia Piquinia 02/08/07 15h16 sold out. Not to worry: There are still numerous Christian Chaize prints left for you beach-minded lot (try to keep the daydreaming and wanderlusting to a minimum, for productivity's sake!).

And if you're in need of some gift guide advice for a coworker or employee, check out our curated selection of prints perfect for your officemates.

12 Bicycle Drawings by Christine Berrie

Hi collectors, it's Sara. Today's edition couldn't have been better timed. And yet, as crazy wonderful things often do, it all came about serendipitously. A few months ago, Jen and I were looking at a bunch of colorful and classically clean drawings from Christine Berrie and I got so excited when I saw 12 Bicycle Drawings. It's clever and charming, yes, and emblematic of her most engaging work—to see more of what I'm talking about, browse her previous prints and pick up a copy of the latest issue of Dwell magazine, where she's illustrated a full spread on Italian design.

But that's not all I was thinking of. You see, I had been hoping to indulge the request of my sister Katie's boyfriend, Travis, to feature more art that he might like. You know, like, more art with bikes in it. So I said, hmm, I'll see what we can do. (He also asked why all of our prints don't come framed and I said, hmm, I'll see what we can do...)

A smart and articulate guy, Travis is always willing to engage in a conversation about art and what we do here at 20x200 but has been slightly resistant to the whole "art for everyone" idea. He is a fan of bikes and biking, though, and I know he's not alone. There are lots among you who love Tatsuro Kiuchi's Car Free (and rightfully so, the car-full world is crazy, even in the bike lane). And as you know, we love introducing people to art and collecting and supporting artists through something else that they already know and love—something that does not seem so foreign and inaccessible—like a favorite color, animal or sport. So after making it my mission to keep an eye out for more two-wheeled delights, I was so pleased to see Ms. Berrie's bikes. We knew right then that this drawing would become an edition and put it on the calendar for this very day.

And then, just yesterday afternoon, Travis insisted that he and Katie take their mountain bikes up into the hills to ride (she loves biking, too). And, even though the skies above Bozeman, Montana, (where they live) were heavy and dark, and even though the car didn't start after they had loaded up their bikes and their dog, Tigger, for the drive to the trail, he stubbornly persisted. Eventually, they were side-by-side, on their bikes and on the trail. And not too much later, they were stopped. Tigger ran out into the woods, and when he came back, Katie saw something shiny dangling from his collar. And Travis was off his bike and lowering himself to one knee. He asked Katie if she would help him make each next day better than the last, he asked if she would spend her life with him, he asked if she would marry him.

And my radiant, my sweet, my only sister (my fellow giraffe), she got off her bike, and she said yes.

The word is out—our semi-annual RIDONK sale is on! With all the excitement comes a little news of note as well: THE FINE PRINT.

Some of our prints are already *too* good of a deal and are not eligible for 20% off with RIDONK (or any other code or promo for that matter), including prints by:

Roger Ballen
Ed Baynard
David Bowie
David Byrne
Paul Fusco
Tierney Gearon
Todd Hido
Paula Scher
Mike + Doug Starn
William Wegman
Lawrence Weiner

Also important:
There is a $50 order minimum. (If you're eyeing small prints, stock up!)
RIDONK may not be combined with other discounts, offers or promotions. (Again, the deal is already pretty sweet.)
Gift certificates are not eligible for the discount. (Give prints or just get the goods you've been eyeing for yourself!)

And finally, don't forget to hit "Apply" when you're going through checkout to make sure the discount is applied. Now, hop to it! Like all good things, this too will come to an end on Monday, June 20th, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

slow ending by Yosuke Yamaguchi

Triumphant Wednesday greetings, collector friends! Today's edition—slow ending, by Tokyo-based painter Yosuke Yamaguchi—is one I've been looking forward to releasing for quite a while, and it's such a joy to be able to do it. How its release evolved is a testament to what makes me love my job so very much, and also, in a weird way, why I love the internet as much as I do. (Which is to say: A WHOLE LOT.) 20x200 is all about connecting collectors like you to amazing artists like Yosuke, but it's also a thriving ecosystem of artists connecting with each other, and all the wonderful things that hatch from such intersections. I daresay that none of it would be possible without this here interwebs, and for that (among other things!) it gets my undying gratitude.

I discovered Yosuke's slow ending on the internet back in February and was captivated by it (and his other work as well). My pursuit of doing an edition of it was fueled, as things so often are with me, by the challenge of Getting It Done. Unlike many people, Yosuke was something of an enigmatic person when it came to internet presence,* and the mystery of who/what/where was further heightened by the bulk of that presence being written in Japanese. (This charming interview with the photographer Patrick Tsai sheds more light on Yosuke himself and his lovely work.) Anyhow, flush with fervor to conquer this challenge, I set about finding this mystery artist. I knew immediately that I wanted to do an edition with this particular image, and was also hoping to buy the original painting itself. (SOLD, unsurprisingly and alas, by the time we connected.)

Here's where that interconnected artist ecosystem comes into play, with Hot Shot, 20x200 edition-maker and now JBG-represented photographer Chikara Umihara playing a pivotal role in Getting It Done. I reached out to Chikara (via The Facebook, natch) asking him to serve as both emissary and translator in my quest to connect with my new favorite Japanese painter. He went above and beyond a mere email introduction, meeting up with Yosuke in person in Tokyo to talk about 20x200, the gallery and his experiences working with our whole team.

Thankfully, things proceeded swimmingly from there on out, with emails and files and certs making their way across ether and ocean at a most pleasing clip. Part of what's so heartening about this whole experience is how the tragic circumstances of the tsunami and its aftermath (the Proverbial Elephant in the Room, if you will!) did little to deter our progress. Patrick, our aforementioned photographer and interviewer explains why in a way better than I can possibly explain myself, so I'll let a quote from him close out today's missive:

A couple weeks before the quake, my friend and I... had started a blog called Talking Barnacles to introduce Japanese artists abroad, but then one day Japan got torn into pieces. Immediately afterwards I noticed a lot of little things amongst the big things that everyone was talking about; and I thought that those little things should be mentioned as well before they were forgotten, so my friend let me take over this site, and now it is what it is… an ongoing diary about disaster, family, friendships, love, pain, loneliness and everything else that goes along with living.

*It's worth noting that his online presence has evolved considerably since then—his work has gotten on the radar of several notable blogs.

Who says sports and art can't be teammates? Two 20x200 photographers are featured (full page spreads, no less!) in ESPN The Magazine's Photo Issue, which was released earlier this month. Jenny Odell's satellite view mosaic of Football Bowl Series stadiums is as impressive as her yachts, swimming pools and parking lots. The image even captures a game in progress at UConn's Rentschler Field, the publication points out.

And Don Hamerman's Found Baseballs is a home run in the sports magazine. Among the 35 gnarled baseballs in the spread, you'll find two of Don's latest editions, Shallow Left Center and No. 46.

The issue is out now. And if you're in the gift-giving state of mind, check out our selection of prints sure to be a big hit with any sports fan. They're even more of a grand slam when custom framed!

Apartment Therapy recently listed 20x200 as a great place for geek art. Edition-maker Todd McLellan's Old Flip Clock was featured on the site's Marketplace, in a roundup titled "Art for Geeks: Cameras, Computers & Tech Art."

Todd's disassembled series of obsolete gadgetry is indeed a natural fit for the technologically inclined. And if you're looking for more gift ideas for technophiles, check out our gift guide for geeks, or browse by category: technology.

Installation view, 2011 Nicholas Robinson Gallery

New York Times art critic Roberta Smith reviewed 20x200 edition-maker Jason Polan's New York solo debut in today's paper, calling Jason an "incessant draftsman and enterprising artist interested in making both his art and himself more available." Living and Working debuted June 9th at the Nicholas Robinson Gallery, and "its principal theme is availability; namely how art is usually made available to the gallery audience, and how the artist’s availability is in turn limited within (or by) this context," explains the gallery site.

In the Times review, Roberta lists the various ways Jason immerses himself in his craft. Roberta writes:

Through his Web site he can be commissioned to make an hour’s worth of drawings for $125 and will consider requests. One of his several projects is to draw every person in New York. His self-published books include Every Piece of Art in the Museum of Modern Art Book. Mr. Polan’s New York solo debut includes One Month, a series of 31 drawings, each depicting objects encountered during a single day and drawn from life.

Installation view of the artist at his workspace, 2011 Nicholas Robinson Gallery

Jason's dedication to his daily drawings has resulted in some truly spectacular (and rule-breaking) 20x200 editions (which you can now purchase beautifully matted and framed). Living and Working closes July 30th; the artist will be on hand working, as well as interacting with attendees via his illustrated-all-over Ping-Pong table and/or an interesting conversation. For more of what Roberta Smith said about the show and the artist, read the full online article.

Untitled 1 by J.Otto Seibold

Happy new-art-for-you Tuesday, friends. It's Sara.

Today's edition came together after eons of emailing, calling and corralling, until finally the stars aligned and J. Otto Seibold and I were in the same place in time and space, meeting at his home in Oakland. After admiring his art collection (I spied two personal photo favorites from across the room—a Sugimoto and a Robert Adams—hung among works of his own and his daughter's), we set to talking about, well, pretty much everything—starting with how we both got to where we were just then, sitting in low chairs in his living room. My arrival, of course, had much to do with 20x200, but neither of our actual trajectories could be clearly defined.

While Jim has had a successful career as a painter and as an illustrator of children's books, he is not someone who has plotted and plodded along from point A to B to C. He is someone who knows leaps and detours: the trusting that once you've left that path that the next thing will come, and that when you get down to it, you should really be doing something that you love—even if it's not what's been presented to you as a career/satisfying life course. Not coincidentally, this is a huge part of why he started making books—so that kids might get the idea that being an artist was as viable and important as becoming a teacher, a doctor, a banker, etc... And so, this is where our talking about life came back to art again and, in particular, the series of works that includes Untitled 1.

In the summer of 2007, when much of California was engulfed in forest fires, Jim's mom was forced from her home and came to live with him. When she moved out, she left an assortment of real estate catalogs behind. Before tossing them out, Jim paged through a few and began to see the photos in the listings as the "mugshots of un-adoptable 10 year olds" and decided to paint portraits of them. As he worked inside his studio, taking what was literally left on his kitchen table to create the work you see here—one of a series of free-falling, unattached funhouses—the world outside swirled along its own path: The economic crash that began to swell at the end of that year crested with the mortgage crisis in 2008. And with that, what initially began as a personal project became emblematic of what was going on in the rest of the U.S. All that a home symbolized—security, safety, stability—was washed away as many lost the roofs over their heads and just as many were left underwater.* Hundreds of thousands learned the hard way that going from point A to B wouldn't necessarily let them reside comfortably at C.

And, so here we are instead, floating in a sea of neon pink, with a wave of flames to remind us of all this. It's a gorgeous print (that looks even better framed!)—I want it for my own home—a small apartment in Brooklyn, which I do not own.

*I'm speaking metaphorically—though floods, fires, earthquakes and other natural disasters, too, of course, have unfortunately taken homes and livelihoods from many.

Star Princess by Jeremy Kohm

Hello, collectors! It's Sara. I returned from vacation this week and I'm not gonna lie: As much as I like it here with all of you and team 20x200, I want to go back to Turkey! Istanbul, I love you! Sweet, cerulean Mediterranean Sea, can't we float along together, forever?

In the spirit of stowing away for just a little bit longer, today we present Star Princess by Toronto-based photographer Jeremy Kohm. Vacation via cruise ship is a strange phenomenon—you're captive, with a bunch of strangers, and none of the adventure of actually being on a boat. But, there's something so still and so mysterious—even Jeremy notes that "the tall and rectangular nature of [the boat's] structure seemed almost counterintuitive to the rules of buoyancy"—about this particular view of Princess Cruises' sweetheart that makes me think it might be nice if we could clamber aboard for just a day or night to see the sights.

For a summery escape a little closer to home (if you're in NYC), come see Jeremy's work in Dawn Till Dusk at Jen Bekman Gallery. Bask in the leisurely passing of hours as the shifting of light and shadow over landscapes and objects is examined in photographs, paintings and works on paper by 26 artists: Darren Almond, John Arsenault, Rachel Barrett, Robert Bechtle, John Button, Christian Chaize, Jorge Colombo, Amy Eckert, Candace Gaudiani, Derek Henderson, Todd Hido, Peter Allen Hoffmann, Jeremy Kohm, Michael Light, Michael Lundgren, Sally Mann, Klea McKenna, Sarah McKenzie, Stas Orlovski, Youngna Park, Ed Ruscha, Bryan Schutmaat, Mike Sinclair, Alec Soth, Esther Pearl Watson and Letha Wilson.

Exhibition details:
Dawn Till Dusk
Jen Bekman Gallery, 6 Spring Street, New York, NY
On view now through July 30th, 2011
Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 6:00 p.m., or by private appointment

What Is Marriage? by Austin Kleon

Like I said on Twitter, I'm so excited for all of my friends to get married.