As part of it’s ongoing program to exhibit classical and contemporary works of art investigating our botanical world, the Horticultural Society of New York in conjunction with a concurrent exhibition at David Zwirner Gallery is exhibiting the recent photographic works of James Welling. For those of you who are still unfamiliar with new location of the Horticultural Society’s offices on the 13th floor at 37th street you will find that the cavernous 20th century museum feel of the old location has given way to a hipper more accessible contemporary environment. Under glass displays are Welling’s hand drawn notes on each photogram revealing the secrets of his technique and process.
Here Welling describes his work in his own words; “First I take Plumbago blooms, about 6-8 stalks to work with in a session, and in the dark, I take a sheet of 8×10 inch film out, put it under the enlarger, place a few flowers on the film and expose to light. Then I process the black and white negative and let it dry. I do about 6-8 at a go. I then contact print the negatives to see what they look like, and I cull the best ones and print them 37 × 46 inches using a color mural enlarger on Kodak Endura Metallic paper. In the first Flowers I made exposures using a filtration I knew would give me certain colors...red, green, orange, purple, indigo, yellow, blue. In the next group, 2005 Flowers, I used 2-3 filter combinations, shading parts of the paper and making second exposures with other filter sets...”. Plumbago, Leadwort or in the French – dentalaire is acrid, and when chewed creates a free flow of saliva, particularly if root is used. It is said to be of homeopathic benefit to relieve toothaches and has long been used in France for that purpose, hence its name, dentalaire. Disease-, pest- and deer-resistant it is sometimes called "sky flower" because of the sky-blue color of its flowers which is of course interesting however irrelevant to the artists process. In his final drafts, which are here on display, the colors of every photogram are so varied in hue and are so rich they appear wet on the paper. Obviously Welling is a master of his craft and his book long exhibition history is a testament to that. Resident Horticultural Society curator Jodie Vicenta Jacobson, who is an accomplished photographer in her own right, has really pulled together a strong exhibition of Welling's work to rival the goings on at Zwirner’s gallery. For more information you can contact http://www.hsny.org or stop by for a visit to either the Horticultural Society at 148 West 37th street or David Zwirner Gallery at 525 W. 19th St.
Refreshments:
Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in a plastic cup-
Winemaking in Argentina, as we know it today, has a young history that goes back to a little more than 10 years ago. Abundant sunny days in the mountainous region favor a good maturity and concentration of aroma and color in the grain. Soils are deep in Argentina, permeable and poor in organic matter, which are all decisive qualities at the time of obtaining a descent vine. Due to low annual rainfall, irrigation is necessary. Water comes from meltdown from the Andes, descending in the shape of rivers that turn into channels or ditches. The grapes are manually harvested from Las Palmas in the Mendoza Province. After passing through the sorting table, the lots are crushed, destemmed, and allowed to macerate and ferment individually in small vats for at least 25 days. The musts are then gently pressed. The individual lots are racked into French and American oak barrels and aged for 12 months. The lots are then blended, lightly filtered and bottled.
With an intense and deep red violet color and sweet aromas of blackberry your first impressions are immediately complicated with plum, a touch of black pepper, smoke and vanilla. This full color blend has a velvety texture with such a long finish you will be licking your lips as you return to the paper table clothed card table for another plastic cup full. I had three! One of the best choices I have encountered so far. Considering the horticultural masters who brought this tasty red wine to life it seemed so eerily appropriate that after two cups I almost passed on the white. But I didn’t.
Frederick Wildman Trapiche Malbec Oak Cask 2002 in a plastic cup-
Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc burst on to the world stage in 1990 when it won the Marquis De Goulaine Trophy for best Sauvignon Blanc in the world. Sadly, the 2002 barrels are not the same of the same quality or notoriety. Although Marlborough New Zealand has produced some of the finest benchmarks of Southern hemisphere Sauvignon Blanc’s, I found this vintage to be a bit watery and lacking the full flavor one would have expected from a region that is renown for it’s character and complexity. Blended from a variety of fruits from the Marlborough region, Brancott’s 2002 is crafted in a style that should displays real fruit intensity but goes down lacking. The gooseberry flavors meld well with fresh bell pepper and underlying ripe tropical citrus flavors. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more from a proper drinking glass but the Horticultural Society is a non-profit organization and I can’t imagine they had room in the budget.
Cookies, Chocolate and Chips-
Anytime a reception offers up delectables you really shouldn't complain. It's truely a happy oddity.
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