Framing your work

My work has recently been accepted for exhibition in a fairly prestigious state-wide competition. I am very excited about this. To prepare for this, I had to get my work framed. The paintings in question are rather large and require larger-than-standard frames. I therefore, placed my order with Frame USA in early July, thinking they would be here well before the deadline to deliver the works. That deadline is now upon me, and the frames are not here. After a conversation with the company, I was informed that the frames are not even shipping until tomorrow. The photo below should indicate just how this makes me feel.



I am further enraged, because after I learned my frames have not yet shipped (and will in fact arrive too late to be of any use ) I cannot cancel or return the merchandise. I am crafting my own frames made of wood, and hoping they will look halfway decent. This has been my unfavorable experience with Frame USA. I would be interested to hear other experiences with this company, so if you have dealt with them, leave your story in the comments. As always see you next week.

Art Show at Southern Illinois University

A friend of mine (Luca Cruzat) recently had a joint exhibition of her work with another artist in the Vergette Gallery on the campus of Southern Illinois University. I attended the reception for this show on Friday. I enjoyed the display very much, and will use this weeks post to reflect on what I saw.

Luca is a printmaker. Printmaking is an art process that is not for me. The few times I have decided to make a print I rely on one of two methods. These methods include lino-cuts and collograph techniques. I was therefore very excited when I discovered that Luca had done a series of prints using the collograph technique.

If you don't know, the collograph technique is one that prints an image from a variety of objects assembled together in a composition. This may include bits of paper, coins, string, or just about any sort of flat object that can be sealed to the surface of a board, and run through a printing press. I asked Luca how she made her images and she explained that she used paper and thread. She said that thread holds the ink prior to transfer of the image better than the paper. She therefore sewed or stitched thread to the paper to help outline the figures, and complete her image. The result was fantastic. Below are some images from the show. The black and white is the collograph by Luca.















More examples of her work, and upcoming exhibitions can be found here. I am interested in your thoughts about printmaking, particularity using the collograph technique. Leave your comments below and thanks for reading.

Do Climate and environment affect the artist?

The other day I was asked if I thought the environment and climate in which an artist works affects the work produced by that artist. I think this is an interesting question, and it's one I've been mulling over for a while. I will provide my answer, but I would be very interested in what you, the readers (Dawn) think.

In my opinion, the environment and climate in which an artist works has an indirect affect on the work produced. I say this because the environment will contribute to the mood of the artist, and this will in turn affect the outcome of the work. I have two stories to back this up.

When I was in Scotland, I met an artist from the United States who had spent the first six months (this was early June) living and working in Scotland. He was having an exhibition of his work from that six month period. The work from late February had a particularity somber palette. The subject matter also took on a drastically morbid character. When asked about this, he commented that at that time of year (Scotland is further North than any of the contiguous States)the sun sets at 2:30 0r 3:00 or something. He said it was always dark, and he was sick of it. His painting strongly reflected his mood.

Story number two. When I was in art school I began as a ceramics major. I later switched to 2-D media for several reasons. One of those reasons however, was the environment of the classroom where ceramics were taught. There were very few windows, and of these they only let in a minimum amount of light. It was dank, all the walls were gray cinder block, and it was near the blacksmith studios, so there were a number of air filter stacks from all the fires used to shape and bend metal. It was a rather unpleasant place to spend any period of time. This environment shaped my mood, and my work suffered because if it. I had to get out of there, so I switched specializations.

So there you have it. Two stories about environment affecting the work artists produce. I am very interested in your thoughts. So leave your comments in the comment section, and I will see you next week.

Resposne to Akarova and the Belgian Avant-Garde

Andrew, N. (2009). Living Art: Akarova and the Belgian Avant-Garde. Art journal, 68(2) 26-49.

This week I will be responding to an article found in the most recent issue of Art Journal. The article by Nell Andrew, examines the link between avant-garde Belgian Art, and the avant-Garde choreography of Belgian dancer Akarova.

Andrew explains first the connections between the art movement in Belgium of the early twenties, and the dance movement of which Akarova was involved. Post World-War I Beguim, as Andrew pointed out, was influenced by many of the countries it bordered. This included Germany, France, and the Netherlands. As a result the art being produced was following the trends in these countries, including Symbolism, and German Expressionism. The daughter of an architect, Andrew explains how Akarova grew up surrounded by her parents literary and artsits friends who strongly influenced her decisions as she began to study dance. Andrew argues that, with particular influence placed on the 7 Arts group, it was this movement that caused Akarova to take her dance in a more avant-garde direction.

Andrew went on to explain, as the ideals of Futurism, Cubism, and Constructivism entered Belguim, Akarova adopted traits associated with these movements. These traits include an emphasis on lighting, design, space, audience experience, political content over the more traditional dramatic contexts of theater. Andrew explained how the idea of movement without motion became central to the way Akarova danced. The author described how Akarova re-formed music in the service of dance rather than separating music from dance, as many modern dance choreographers were doing at that time.

This article was well written, and thought provoking. From my perception it isn't often that two types of art are explored. I find the arts to be very compartmentalized. This article however, nicely explored issues of the visual arts and modern dance.

If the expressive content is similar, i.e. motion and movement why are the arts so distinctly divided? I think it is due to the way creative people work. As a visual artist I like to work alone, on my own thoughts, and in my own way. I also think that this is not uncommon. As the creative process begins in a solitary exploration, this idea of working alone continues throughout to the end of the project. That said, I think It would be interesting to see more collaboration between the arts.

Canceled exhibition

Last week I mentioned this exhibition. It had been my intention to blog about it this week. However, it was rainy this weekend, and the show was canceled. I therefore have nothing to blog about this week. Instead, enjoy this image of the Statue of Liberty in the rain.

Response to Madonna Nude

This weeks posting comes in two parts. The first part is a response to the blog Madonna Nude, the second covers an upcoming exhibition in New york City.

In the Madonna Nude blog we are presented with three images of the pop diva Madonna in the nude. One is a painting, and the other two are photographs. In my opinion, it is a little difficult to understand what this blog is actually about. Are we meant to be looking only at the nude images and comparing them, or are we meant to be thinking about how the use of a famous person in a work of art will greatly influence the price of that work? I'm going to discuss the former rather than the latter.

If we are meant to be comparing the images, I think that only one comparison can be made; that being a somewhat distorted perception of Madonna. Two different media are being used, the painting is more of a stylized interpretation of the relationship between Madonna and Guy Ritchie, and less about the pop star herself, and the photographs depict a very young Madonna before she was a sensation. If one considers this when looking at the photographs, then this too is less about the woman and more about a stylized interpretation of Madonna.

As for the works themselves, I much prefer the painting. I think the painting is more visually interesting. In one thousand years when Madonna is unknown to popular culture this painting will carry more significance than the photographs. In this context the images could be depicting anybody, and the painting holds a narrative, while the photographs do not. This is significant because the narrative can be interpreted by many people and comparisons can be drawn between the viewer and the work.

The second part of this posting promotes an exhibition in New York City. If you live in and around New York, you should definitely check out the "9/11, city, country, memories" exhibition in Battery Park on June 20. Below is the official flier that provides more details. If you have any comments or questions about this weeks posting, place them in the comment section, and I will see you again next week.

Art D Tour not a D light

This past Friday (6-5-09) I took an art tour of several galleries, and Museums in St. Louis, Mo. The details of this tour can be read here. This tour turned out to be a disappointment. I was expecting more because I went on the same tour in April, and it was fantastic. I think there are several reasons why this particular tour went so poorly, and I think there are ways improvements could be made.

The initial problem turned out to be traffic. The continued closer of interstate 64 has made getting around St Louis difficult for some time. This situation is made even worse during rush-hour each morning and evening. These factors combined with a scheduled Cardinals baseball game brought traffic into the city to a crawl. While on the bus, our guide even commented on how difficult it was to navigate the city streets that night. It became such a problem, that one of the scheduled gallery stops was deleted, as there was no convenient way to get the bus to that venue. In future, this event should be planned with more care given to the anticipated traffic pattern for that evening. The closer of interstate 64 was anticipated I'm sure. However, I have difficulty believing the other traffic issues were taken in to consideration when this event was planned.

The second issue was a lack of food. For each stop there was to be a variety of food and beverage samples. As outlined in this flyer:



However, I happened to be on the last bus in the convoy, and for each stop made the food had been consumed. There was hardly a scrap left for anyone. As I picked up my advance tickets I was told that they had sold out, and that the buses were quite full. The number of people on the tour should have been anticipated. This tour should either be advance purchase only, or additional tour dates should be put in place.

These two issues alone would not have ruined the evening. However, the art at each stop was also a disappointment. In April, the tour included examples of a wide variety of works. From old masters' paintings to contemporary sculptures, the array of works displayed featured something for everyone. This tour by contrast involved an excess of contemporary art, including video works and installations. I am not opposed to this type of work, but focusing solely on these ideas makes for a very dull tour.

All of these issues combined made for an unpleasant experience. These situations could have easily been prevented if more thought had been given to the planning of this event. The promotion of art and the culture of art is a positive thing. However, if it is not done correctly the public support of the arts will erode even further than it already has. This blog has discussed how the art world has alienated the public and unfortunately I think this serves as another example. If you disagree, or have other ideas to contribute please comment. I'll see you next week.