{"id":3766,"date":"2013-10-18T13:05:10","date_gmt":"2013-10-18T13:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766"},"modified":"2013-10-19T10:19:53","modified_gmt":"2013-10-19T10:19:53","slug":"bike-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766","title":{"rendered":"Bike works"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rudge<\/a>

Rudge Whitworth, Robert Mielenhausen<\/p><\/div>\n

Robert Mielenhausen<\/a>\u2019s solo show is up at Viridian Artists<\/a>\u00a0with an opening this weekend, and I\u2019ve been looking forward to it ever since it was delayed after Hurricane Sandy did a number to his house and studio last year. He\u2019s back on track now, and has been doing additional work that looks even more interesting than what he had planned to show a year ago. Jerry Saltz actually stopped in to see Mielenhausen\u2019s previous show at Viridian a couple years ago\u2014the indefatigable Lauren Purje, who was overseeing the opening reception, recognized him on the elevator in the building, and, having friended Saltz on Facebook, invited him to take a look. Saltz liked some of what he saw, but not enough to write it up. He should check out the new stuff. Mielenhausen has found channels to reach some collectors in NYC who\u2019ve bought his work recently, and he deserves to be better known.<\/p>\n

Mielenhausen focuses on merging photography and painting in a way that allows him to experiment with materials\u2014emphasizing the texture of the surface. He paints on hollow lauan doors, the kind you can get at Home Depot, sealing them and then aging and weathering them with compounds that he spreads over the surface and lets dry in different ways. That surface is one part of a tension between opposing qualities that he sets up, at various levels in each piece: photography vs. painting, abstract surface vs. representational illusion, and universal vs. particular. The show is a series of images of bicycles he has come across and photographed in New York City, and the images capture not only the human quality of the bikes\u2014most have been heavily used and have the character of an old pair of jeans molded to the wearer\u2019s body\u2014but also a sense of time of day and season. His use of color is especially subtle and evocative, beautiful but in a reserved way that seems to bring out the feeling of the place and the time of the photograph. Though the work is formally experimental, it feels natural, a glimpse of a recognizable moment in ordinary daily life: a visual haiku.<\/p>\n

I talked with him briefly this past week about the show.<\/p>\n

You developed a lot of your techniques as teaching experiments, right?<\/b><\/p>\n

Working with students I began to develop this technique and began to pursue it myself and pushed it further with found objects and by making partial\u00a0reliefs out of\u00a0the work as well. Again, it\u2019s focused around the idea of marrying, joining photography with painting, not in a gimmicky way, but very straightforward way where the two would meet and join. Texture is a big thing. The idea is to combine elements found in both painting and photography and bringing them into one space.<\/p>\n

How did you first think of doing it?<\/b><\/p>\n

I was sort of interested in David Hockney\u2019s joined photographs. I saw his show back, maybe twenty years ago, in the Modern, a big retrospective. Not that I derived from that, but the idea that he could use multiple photos and make an image out of it intrigued me.<\/p>\n

There was a Cubist impulse in what he was doing back then.<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes. Abstract. To find something that has a sense of place, and is intimate, but expand on it with other features about what the environment is about. The bikes are as much about the city as they are about the bikes. The sidewalk, the buildings, the light, the mood, what\u2019s going on in that space. The bike is something which is sort of still, but at the same time, gives context.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s parked and waiting. It\u2019s there for a reason.<\/b><\/p>\n

Right, there\u2019s a sense of place. People ask why do you do bikes?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s abstract, but it also has emotional and seasonal associations even though it works in an abstract way with the shadow that comes off of it.<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes. Working with that light and the perspective and how that sculpture on the surface creates a presence and a structure with light and shadow, and how that lends to the whole, and is pulled together by that. Generally speaking, I shoot some newer bikes and some pristine-looking, but most of them are old, beat-up, they\u2019ve been around a bit. I like that vintage quality, as if it\u2019s sculpture. I ride bikes myself, we have a couple really old Schwinn bikes that we ride, and I\u2019ve always enjoyed it, but I\u2019ve always found the form of it, the aspects of the wheel and how it\u2019s shot and what context it\u2019s in creates a whole other quality.<\/p>\n

Tell me about your materials.<\/b><\/p>\n

I was working on plywood, but it\u2019s incredibly heavy. So now I\u2019m working on lauan doors and I have some where I cut them into irregular shapes, just as you would with a canvas. The surface is good because it\u2019s hard, it doesn\u2019t warp. and you can can add texture and build up weight on top of it, with wallboard compound. A found object, layers, I can add and it holds up very well.<\/p>\n

If you cut it, it\u2019s\u00a0 hollow.<\/b><\/p>\n

What I do then, is I buy lattice and glue it in place, tape it. That dries and that takes care of the edge. They\u2019re light compared to what I was doing in the beginning.<\/p>\n

Do you treat it?<\/b><\/p>\n

I prime it. Either an oil base, like a Kilz, or Kilz latex, and that works well to seal it up. Some areas I build up with illustration board if it\u2019s an element of architecture or a part of a curb, and on top of that I build with wallboard compound which takes a little time to dry. You can play with that, vary the textures of that. Then I paint with acrylic.<\/p>\n

How do you print the photos?
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

I have someone who does it for me, who has a large-format printer. Which is really good.<\/p>\n

How big?<\/b><\/p>\n

Up to four by whatever. Some of the images I\u2019ve shot are on film, going back a ways, and he will just digitize it and work it up. The prints are good, they\u2019re clear.<\/p>\n

Who are your influences?<\/b><\/p>\n

James Rosenquist is a big one. I like the way he puts things together and the scale of the work. He\u2019ll take a lipstick tube or something and turn it into a missile. One thing becomes something very different. I like that idea. I\u2019m not doing that, exactly, but I like the idea of taking something on one scale and putting it into an entirely different scale. When I\u2019m shooting, I may have no idea what I\u2019ll do with the photograph, but in the studio I\u2019ll have a bunch of 4 x 6s made up and fool with them and work it out. This will go large. It\u2019ll be a triptych. Whatever. David Hockney I find interesting. Beyond that, with light and texture, Caravaggio. I like the whole physical act of building the layering out. People want to come up and want to touch it.<\/p>\n

I really like the work.<\/b><\/p>\n

They\u2019re fun to do, there\u2019s variety to them. It\u2019s not a formulaic approach. It varies, with some more abstract while others are more literal.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robert Mielenhausen\u2019s solo show is up at Viridian Artists\u00a0with an opening this weekend, and I\u2019ve been looking forward to it ever since it was delayed after Hurricane Sandy did a number to his house and studio last year. He\u2019s back on track now, and has been doing additional work that looks even more interesting than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[139,115,17,112,138,206],"class_list":["post-3766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-jerry-saltz","tag-lauren-purje","tag-painting","tag-photography","tag-robert-mielenhausen","tag-viridian-artists"],"yoast_head":"\nBike works - represent<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bike works - represent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Robert Mielenhausen\u2019s solo show is up at Viridian Artists\u00a0with an opening this weekend, and I\u2019ve been looking forward to it ever since it was delayed after Hurricane Sandy did a number to his house and studio last year. He\u2019s back on track now, and has been doing additional work that looks even more interesting than […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"represent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-10-18T13:05:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-10-19T10:19:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Rudge-Whitworth.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"dave dorsey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dave dorsey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"dave dorsey\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5f1b414f169df69053f04f66b929fd57\"},\"headline\":\"Bike works\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-10-18T13:05:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-10-19T10:19:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766\"},\"wordCount\":1253,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2013\\\/10\\\/Rudge-Whitworth.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Jerry Saltz\",\"Lauren Purje\",\"painting\",\"photography\",\"Robert Mielenhausen\",\"Viridian Artists\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766\",\"name\":\"Bike works - represent\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2013\\\/10\\\/Rudge-Whitworth.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-10-18T13:05:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-10-19T10:19:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5f1b414f169df69053f04f66b929fd57\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2013\\\/10\\\/Rudge-Whitworth.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2013\\\/10\\\/Rudge-Whitworth.jpg\",\"width\":576,\"height\":582,\"caption\":\"Rudge Whitworth\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?p=3766#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bike works\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"represent\",\"description\":\"the painting life\",\"alternateName\":\"the dorsey post\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5f1b414f169df69053f04f66b929fd57\",\"name\":\"dave dorsey\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1b459062818b38ed5bb3f68365bc2557f760412a5db1278493176a6a45bb1c8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1b459062818b38ed5bb3f68365bc2557f760412a5db1278493176a6a45bb1c8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1b459062818b38ed5bb3f68365bc2557f760412a5db1278493176a6a45bb1c8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"dave dorsey\"},\"description\":\"I'm a painter living in Pittsford, NY. I've authored two books and also work as a ghostwriter. I sell my work through Oxford Gallery, and have exhibited around the U.S. and internationally.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.daviddorsey.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedorseypost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bike works - represent","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bike works - represent","og_description":"Robert Mielenhausen\u2019s solo show is up at Viridian Artists\u00a0with an opening this weekend, and I\u2019ve been looking forward to it ever since it was delayed after Hurricane Sandy did a number to his house and studio last year. He\u2019s back on track now, and has been doing additional work that looks even more interesting than […]","og_url":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766","og_site_name":"represent","article_published_time":"2013-10-18T13:05:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-10-19T10:19:53+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Rudge-Whitworth.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"dave dorsey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"dave dorsey","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766"},"author":{"name":"dave dorsey","@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5f1b414f169df69053f04f66b929fd57"},"headline":"Bike works","datePublished":"2013-10-18T13:05:10+00:00","dateModified":"2013-10-19T10:19:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766"},"wordCount":1253,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Rudge-Whitworth.jpg","keywords":["Jerry Saltz","Lauren Purje","painting","photography","Robert Mielenhausen","Viridian Artists"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766","url":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766","name":"Bike works - represent","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Rudge-Whitworth.jpg","datePublished":"2013-10-18T13:05:10+00:00","dateModified":"2013-10-19T10:19:53+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5f1b414f169df69053f04f66b929fd57"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Rudge-Whitworth.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Rudge-Whitworth.jpg","width":576,"height":582,"caption":"Rudge Whitworth"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?p=3766#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Bike works"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/","name":"represent","description":"the painting life","alternateName":"the dorsey post","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5f1b414f169df69053f04f66b929fd57","name":"dave dorsey","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b459062818b38ed5bb3f68365bc2557f760412a5db1278493176a6a45bb1c8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b459062818b38ed5bb3f68365bc2557f760412a5db1278493176a6a45bb1c8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b459062818b38ed5bb3f68365bc2557f760412a5db1278493176a6a45bb1c8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"dave dorsey"},"description":"I'm a painter living in Pittsford, NY. I've authored two books and also work as a ghostwriter. I sell my work through Oxford Gallery, and have exhibited around the U.S. and internationally.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.daviddorsey.com"],"url":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3766"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3784,"href":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3766\/revisions\/3784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedorseypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}