Our guest photo bloggers are on the ground and covering fairs in NYC this weekend. We first heard from Lee Gainer, a painter from Arlington, VA, who sent some notable pieces from the Armory Show and Scope Art Fair. Gainer noted that, "Scope was lean this year. Due to gusty winds, the tent was rockin’!  It also made the floor twist a bit and some works on pedestals were in danger of tipping.  Funny thing, there were many works involving doughnuts or optical illusions using mirrors...While Scope had doughnuts, the Armory had many (!) mirrored and or chromed works.  Also the free Nordic gallery section posters was a big hit.  Many guests were grabbing at least one of each.  Later that evening, two lovely young ladies knocked over a large multi-chair sculpture with their rolled poster bundles. They left in an embarrassed shuffle, leaving behind a few of their posters but the sculpture was unharmed. Sculpture 1, guest 0."

Check out one of Lee's paintings directly below, and see her favorites from Scope after the jump! And look for more pictures throughout the weekend.

Lee Gainer, | Gay Dolphin Park, 2011, Acrylic on Panel, 36 x 48

ARMORY

Martin Basher

Tom LaDuke | Surrender, acrylic and oil on canvas over panel, 60 x 80”, 2012, presented by Angles Gallery

Tom LaDuke | Surrender (DETAIL), acrylic and oil on canvas over panel, 60 x 80”, 2012, presented by Angles Gallery

Michael Joaquin Grey | Generative Portrait, 2 monitors, 1 computer, custom panel cases and custom software, 26.7 x 35 x 3.1”, ed. 3 of 3, presented by Galeria Senda

Tomory Dodge | Untitled, oil on canvas, 15 x 16”, presented by CRG Gallery

Bo Christian Larsson | Radio Silence, mixed media on paper, 59.1 x 57.1”, 2010, presented by Galleri Bo Bjerggaard

Me (Lee Gainer) with cardboard Jennifer Dalton in her installation presented by Winkleman Gallery

Mike Bayne | Orange Roof, oil on panel, 5 x 5”, presented by Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects

Need more glasses!

Works by Eric Yahnker (one of my favorite artists and NAP artist) presented by Ambach & Rice

SCOPE 

James Chronister (NAP #91) | Dreaming of Me, oil on canvas, 40” x 40”, presented by Eleanor Hardwood Gallery

Alison Blickle | Projection Portrait, Palm Springs Woman, Grandmother, oil on canvas, 24” x 18”, 2012 (except Grandmother which is dated 2011), presented by Eleanor Hardwood Gallery

JongSeok Yoon | To Live II, acrylic on canvas, 51.2” x 38.2”, presented by Patrajdas

JongSeok Yoon | To Live II (DETAIL), acrylic on canvas, 51.2” x 38.2”, presented by Patrajdas

Gainer Comment: Normally I don’t like works that use a gimmick, in this case, bright neon-ish colors on black combined with the image of a puppy.  But this painting grew on me as I moved about the fair so I included it.  The artist paints with a syringe.  I very much enjoy the idea of an artist working so diligently and using such a highly controlled process to produce their work.  That kind of patience impresses me.

Casey Gray | Still Life with Flowers #11, spray paint and ink on panel, 48” x 36”, 2012, presented by White Walls

Brad Woodfin | Huet, 11” x 14”, presented by Sloan Fine Art

Eric Finzi | I thought you knew, epoxy resin on wood, 44” x 70”, 2012, presented by Civilian Art Projects

Daniel Karrer | Untitled (Zelt), oil and acrylic on canvas, 150 x 180 cm, 2010, presented by Licht Feld Gallery

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Lee Gainer was the only girl born at Stuart Circle Hospital on the day the Agnes Flood hit Richmond, Virginia in 1972. She grew up in the blue collar suburbs, winning numerous art awards including three National Cappy Dick contests. Lee attended Virginia Commonwealth University on scholarship and earned a BFA with honors in Communication Arts with an emphasis in Photography. After working in the state's forensics photography lab, Lee moved to Orlando (because her car wouldn't make it to San Francisco) and worked for the Walt Disney Company as a photographer. In 2001, she relocated to the Washington D.C area. After managing the studio of an internationally acclaimed painter, she decided to concentrate on her own art career full-time beginning in 2007.

Lee is presently a resident artist at the Arlington Arts Center in Arlington, Virginia. Her work has been exhibited nationally, including exhibits at Civilian Art Projects, Pierro Gallery, Red Cake Gallery, the Arlington Arts Center, Slideluck Potshow, and a solo exhibit at GRACE in Reston, Virginia. Lee's work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The American Prospect, The Atlantic, and YVI Magazine. Her works are part of the collections of the Rosslyn Renaissance Business Improvement District, the Indie Photobook Library, and The Newark Public Library, Special Collections Division. Online, her work has been presented at DailyServing, Humble Arts Foundation, Murmur DC, The Truth of Beauty, Today and Tomorrow, i like this art, Beautiful Decay, DesignBoom, and many others. She is a recipient of a Creative Communities Fund Grant for her work with the 2011 Source Festival. Lee also curates a blog, Peek (www.leegainer.blogspot.com), which has presented a new contemporary artist each weekday since February 2008.