Art encounters of a far-reaching kind…
“ I do not doubt interiors have their interiors, and exteriors have their exteriors,
and that the eyesight has another eyesight, and the hearing another hearing, and the voice another voice.” Walt Whitman
This quote by Walt Whitman seems to encapsulate the dimensionality of the creative spirit of my friend, Andre Martinez Reed.
My first encounter with Andre Martinez Reed was at the Henry Gregg Gallery, which he owned and curated. The power and diversity of works on exhibit were quick to spark a lively interchange. It was immediately apparent that the works exhibited were, in a sense, reflections of Andre’s keen, discerning, and often spiritual sensibility.
As my relationship with Andre deepened, I realized he was truly an artist accomplished in several diverse art forms. His rich background as a composer, and drummer, working with legendary Cecil Taylor and other jazz greats, coalesced with his abstraction in visual art.
As a photographer, in addition to exhibiting in his gallery, I was fortunate enough to photograph a selection from the treasure trove of Andre’s paintings.
The colors flow, the forms lay rhythmically on the canvas and dance almost as a jazz drum beats-one art form flowing in syncopation into another, often surrendering to the spirit beneath the paint, waiting to appear...
This collection of images, coming together in a book, will provide sustaining victuals for a searching artistic soul.
Anthony Almeida, Photographer
Anthony Almeida, Photographer
Chairman of Photography Initiatives, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY.
2018 Salmagundi Club Award, Spring Exhibit, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY; Juror, Andre Martinez Reed
Award Presentation Ceremonies