Laurie Rosenwald is “Jill-of-all-Things-Visual”… that’s the feminine for “Jack-of-All-Trades”. I’ve known her for decades from the magazine world, where I hired her to do her fab, poppy graphic drawings and collages. You may have seen them in The New Yorker, the New York Times or elsewhere. But she does SO much more. She runs a design, illustration and animation studio. I take that back, according to Laurie’s websitebio,
“Actually, there is no studio, Miss Rosenwald works alone, and Rosenworld doesn’t exist.”
Too modest. She’s written books and teaches a popular and super-fun workshop, which I have taken, called How to Make Mistakes on Purpose which she has held for Google and Starbucks and many other regular folks too. She collaborated with David Sedaris on his diary, which is an animated app of her work.
But last night was her opening in NYC of paintings on wood which were made with with hot, colored wax, also known as “encaustic”. It was organized by John Cheim of Cheim and Read. We have a LOT of friends in common so I chatted with many old pals like photographer Janette Beckman and met some new ones, like artist Juan Ulsé, who just opened a show the night before at Cheim and Read. I took a few portraits of people along with her pieces. My favorite (I think) is the circle target, and the title wins too; “How Very Dare You!” Exactly. How very DARE she be so freakin’ talented.
"I don't know what it is but I want to eat it" is up at Parasol Projects for just a few more days, through May 9. There’s another opening tonight, Saturday May 7, 6-11 PM at 171 Elizabeth. Go. Tell her I sent you.