SAUGERTIES, N.Y. — In 1993, I had the opportunity to review Synthesis, an exhibition featuring 15 abstract artists at the now-closed John Good Gallery. Among the artists, David Baker stood out, particularly for his piece Personification of a Turtle (1990). However, in a 1996 review of Baker’s third solo exhibition at Postmasters Gallery, a prominent critic from The New York Times dismissed his work.
Following that critique, Baker and his wife, Joanne, decided to part ways with the gallery, moving from their rented loft in Jersey City to a schoolhouse in Saugerties, where they have resided ever since. This shift to the tranquility of the Hudson River Valley has allowed Baker to delve deeper into his exploration of concentric circle patterns in both collage and painting.
Though Baker has not exhibited his paintings since relocating, his film Shadows, Seeds, Alchemy was showcased at the New York Film Festival in 2011. I discovered this when Baker approached me during intermission at a poetry reading I hosted with artist and poet No Land at the Woodstock Shivastan Poetry Ashram Bookstore in Woodstock, N.Y. Our conversation led to a shared appreciation for the ceramics of George Orr, the “Biloxi Mad Potter,” as well as the poetry of Clark Coolidge and Robert Creeley, culminating in plans for future studio visits.
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