IMAGE!

YES! Gallery

I finally made it to YES! Gallery on friday for their final friday opening in OTR. I have been meaning to get to this space forever because of its emphasis on print and how much I wanted to snoop around their studio space. I was not disappointed.

I tagged along with my friend James who has been learning silkscreening by one of the artists at YES! and doing a damn good job. I was shocked to see what these artists were able to do in such homemade facilities. They have spent less than $100 on supplies and had rigged up everything they needed. This is music to my ears since I want to start my own space. They made a mop sink out of a giant plastic bucket and hooked a hose where they took out a toilet. It works perfectly for rinsing screens. They made a homemade darkroom and created their own exposing table. It is a great place for cincinnati. Now this print shop, along with the more professional and traditional clay street press is getting cincy some variety in print studio spaces. I'm really interested to see how far they can go on little money. I am taking notes all the way for my own place too ;)

as far as the show it was great. An interactive giant coloring wall with giant paint "markers" everyone can use. They did screen printing totes for everyone to see the process and had books out for view and sale as well. It really reminded me of the print shows I would go to when I lived back on the east coast.

Hopefully YES! Gallery, even though they are new, can keep it going. I'd love to see the product lines and designs expand, and I'd love to see some visiting printmakers exhibit and work in the space.

Jimmy Baker at the CAC

So I went to the artist talk with Jimmy Baker the other day at the CAC. He is a local to cincinnati, went through the UC MFA program, teaches at the art academy, and is having a solo exhibition in one of the smaller galleries there. It was really nice to get to hear a little bit about his process and concept and also about his life and opportunities, which were fascinating to all of the grad students I'm sure. We want any sort of reassurance that we aren't spending all of this money so we can work at half price books and doodle drunkenly on bar napkins the rest of our lives.

His surfaces were worked beautifully. He took some great modernist concepts and put a very contemporary spin on them with his process. His work is super methodical and planned out. He creates a photographic composition from images researched from the internet, projects them, paints a layer, takes the canvas to the printer and gets an image digitally printed on the painted layer, then goes back and reworks the surface painting in other areas. Then he coats the surface with a high gloss type of light clear resin so they have an incredible shine. I thought this process was super interesting and the layering went great with his concept of how we receive information and the different ways of "seeing". The collage elements were really strong and I was fascinated with what he chose to reveal and conceal, what he decided to render photo realistically and distort. The play of comfort and discomfort within his landscapes really drew you in and kept you there. The only thing I found a bit stale were his images involving war. I know this is a relevant topic for everyone in the world, it goes with the ideas of modernism he is playing with, etc. but it is just not my thing seeing guns, soldiers, and military landscapes. I get it in relation to classic war paintings, the color scheme and allusion is totally there, but that subject doesn't really do it for me. If you are talking about the information people in society take in this (maybe even though it should be) is not high on the list. Although I do enjoy his cryptic nature in the handling the imagery. He doesn't give it all away. You might recognize a piece of architecture, or a certain color scheme, or an internet meme line from the title, and then the viewer is let in on the specifics of the subject at different degrees. That is something I enjoy in painting and 2D work. Although I hope he elaborates a bit on that idea of pshyic in his statement, I am intrigued with how artists are talking about this more and more.

As far as his personal story goes, its also pretty fascinating. It was comforting to hear that his success was based on pure networking ability and luck. He went to a chicago art fair while still in school at UC, got lucky and pestered a tiny (like 12ft by 6ft, tiny) gallery in NY for a group show and got it. He showed a bit there but didn't get representation so he played the field and while in communication with an LA gallery got more attention and a solo show from the NY gallery and then from that solo show got the representation in LA. It seems like confidence, communication, and timing are really in his favor. He got lucky with a paris gallery and fully admits timing and luck have a big hand in his success as well.

It was really nice of him to do such a personal talk with us grads. Even though he has a bit of a reputation for not being the nicest guy in the world I thought he was very approachable and seemed reserved but very willing to help and talk if we needed.

Go see the show at the CAC, its worth it to see some strong paintings for a change.

IMAGE!

Haha on the scene

Chase and I at the Today Show Opening.

Check out the rest of the photos.

are my eyes looking two different directions?

studio IMAGE!

lets see if this is any better

Today Show

Ok so this was my first time going to the new CS13 space on main st. for the Today Show. This was an exhibition in which the artists had 24hours to create/curate/open. All in all, the artists did a great job. The only thing I kept thinking when hearing this concept though was... wait a minute, shouldn't it be less than 24hours? Talking with my friend Loraine (who runs MG/GM on sycamore) she had the same thought because a lot of artists are so last minute they are used to making and installing in one day. 8 hours and the audience would have really smelt and felt the desperation. Also, then there would have been some real questionable decision making which would have made for some interesting art.

But anyway, I thought going to this space was super refreshing. I have found that the group shows I have gone to in cincinnati have been a bit over saturated. Even some of the ones I have been in have been way to dense and conceptually all over the place, so it was nice to go to a show and have some room to breathe.

Jordan Tate's work as always is a conceptually interesting take on technology and new media. The print of a projector on a projector, the image of a kindle on a kindle, it makes sense, and doesn't disregard aesthetics either. I'm interested to see where he takes these ideas in his next few moves. I would love them to take a bit more of a stance maybe (do I even know what that means, I don't know I'll have to think about my wording). But they are very clean and concise and always strong pieces whenever I see them.

Sarah Blith-Stephens, I'm always biased in favor of because she is my BFF, but she has good work too. She did one of her signature plaster walls for the exhibition, which there are pictures of in their little catalogue before it fell, but it did crumble into a beautiful white mess on the floor. In talking to Sarah after the show she regretted not doing something new or taking a risk with something different, but next to Jordan's and especially John's work I thought it was great. Also, in her past work the plaster walls were in tact with a different form of movement and clean aesthetic. In this exhibition it had completely fallen. Leaving the in plastic tarp changed everything for me. It became more about the residue and traces on the tarp which recreated the plaster in my eyes.

John Night's pink was a show highlight for me as well. He mentioned that after being a preparator at the Contemporary Arts Center it was hard painting a wall in that way. I think the action came across as necessary for him and his audience. In that clean white space the subtle arbitrarily mixed pink in white and flippantly painted wall was a very interesting breath for the visuals of my brain. Once again the traces went with Sarah's tarp, but I thought simply the color of the pink was a smart decision. John said he has been obsessed with that pink lately on an intuitive level, that pink and bob dylan lyrics in his titles. The connection, who knows, but its working, and I'm interested to see what connections are next for his work.

The only thing that really drove me crazy about this show was the live video feed of the install. Jordan set up a webcam that I tried to watch a couple times over the night and it barely worked. I was super disappointed. It was just a few stills of the empty room. There was also a chat function for those watching the feed and no one would talk to me. What happened to the interaction! Don't comment in an art chatroom if you aren't ready to trash talk.

weenie animation of the day

Yes/No/Maybe

Well finally I was in a show. It opened at pipeline gallery on thursday night. Its called "Yes No Maybe" and it is a diabetic's nightmare. Alexis Stahl, Andre Alves, Lesley Ash and I, decided to throw a little Valentines Day Show. Our work went together surprisingly well all having seemingly cynical work that under the surface was pretty sweet and loving.

Alexis had beautiful and interactive screenprints and models depicting the objects of love and adoration talked about in her research on object sexuals. She supplied black latex or white cotton gloves to caress and experience the objects with. I think her pieces should be installed with a bit more privacy but it really is a treat to see people apprehensively and lovingly stroke her prints and objects then toss the gloves aside.

Lesley made a great bathroom stall confessional installation where everyone could write loving, funny, or shocking wall graffiti. This was a big hit and turned out to be a great place for people to dump their true feelings about each other (especially those in the program). Les and I also collaborated on a very funny and strange animation in a tiny peep show depicting her reoccurring doppleganger characters oggling my crudely drawn dancer. The weird sound track is my favorite part.

Andre did a great performance called "the perfect partner". He serenaded everyone coming in and out of the show, up and down the elevator, singing a dave berry song "this strange effect" and lovingly feeding you homemade cookies.

A show highlight was when the women in the offices called the cops on andre because they thought he was a perve. He didn't break character once.

My work was the usual break from my thesis. I made giant candies with nude men on the inside. Also interactive ;)

All in all it was a great show. Great turn out, lots of food, fun had, and people were still coming close to nine o'clock. It'll be up until thursday, but just like most love stories it won't be a fraction of as good as it was the first night.

Push>Play crew.

Because I love this picture.

Push>Play

For all of you that missed it, there was a great show this past weekend at the Meyer's Gallery. It was only up from thursday to saturday but it was very worth going to, even if just for the skittles and jello shot jigglers. This was a show that was a project for the graduate installation class at UC, but I am proud of my classmates for not making it look like a class assignment.

The artists really utilized the space having one room be the original toy pieces, such as cards, old video game consoles, children's dress up costumes, legos, etc., and having the other room being a very interesting funhouse mirror reflection of the original childhood objects. The original objects were displayed in an interesting commentary on installation in the white cube. They were statically placed on pedistals or cleanly pinned to the wall, while the room of abstraction dynamically had string and pink and blue lights to lead the eye through the entire space of the room. It was a great way they used the space itself as a "fun house mirror" more than just recreating the objects. Although the objects and projections were in themselves a fun and colorful distortion with a little bit of that carnival creepy as well. The color and spirit really came out after all of the sugar and jello shots too, good call on the food, but next time you might want to label that jello before people like my friend michael gobble a whole handful.

I also appreciated that when the group was talking about the work they wouldn't disclose exactly who did what, or what was whose idea. Way to keep with the collaborative spirit and keep the fun in your work without the bog of egos.

Great job guys! I can't wait to see your solo projects.

sneak peak

This is why everyone should come to our valentines show at pipeline gallery opening this thursday. Here is a foreshadowing of the fun had by all :)

a little statement and what I have been reading

I am constructing a visual representation of the body's relationship to itself and surroundings by abstracting its interiors and creating my own understanding of its systems. I remain true to these systems, and by doing so, I introduce a language that poetically communicates sensuality, pain, burden, and expression. In creating my own flux, I take control of the natural body - an attempt to establish visual harmony and order to what cannot be understood. My intent is to enable beauty to emanate from these seemingly arbitrary medical conditions and breakdowns.

I am interested in the medical tools and machinery that measure, examine, and diagnose our bodies. I've been exploring this connectivity by questioning people about their medical conditions and mapping them through my language.

Intuitively, I am using the processes of printmaking and animation as a means of abstraction and narration of another's experience. Through the employment of such applications, I intend to compel my audience to witness a "shadowed fraction" of the physical experience.

"Vaguely alarming yet unreal, laden with consequence yet evaporating before the mind because not available to sensory confirmation, unseeable classes of objects such as subterranean plates, Seyfert galaxies, and the pains occurring in other people’s bodies flicker before the mind, then disappear...

Then when one speaks about “one’s own physical pain” and about “another person’s physical pain,” one might almost appear to be speaking about two wholly distinct orders of events. For the person whose pain it is, it is “effortlessly” grasped (that is, even with the most heroic effort it cannot not be grasped), while for the person outside the the sufferer’s body, what is “effortless” is not grasping it (it is easy to remain wholly unaware of its existence; even with effort, one may remain in doubt about its existence or may retain the astonishing freedom of denying its existence; and finally, if with the best effort of sustained attention one successfully apprehends it, the aversiveness of the “it” one apprehends will only be a shadowy fraction of the actual “it”)." ~The Body in Pain, Elaine Scarry

When talking about primitive man, “Their most powerful urge was, so to speak, to wrest the object of the external world out of its natural context, out of the unending flux of being, to purify it of all its dependence upon life, i.e. of everything about it that was arbitrary, to render it necessary and irrefragable, to approximate it to its absolute value. Where they were successful in this, they experienced that happiness and satisfaction which the beauty of organic vital form affords us; indeed, they knew no other beauty, and therefore we may term it their beauty.” ~Abstraction and Empathy. Wilhelm Worringer

Silkscreen in Process

Animation without sound

any sound suggestions?

weenie animation of the day

Sheddings: Works on Paper by Michael Smith

"Sheddings" opened on friday in the Pipeline Gallery. It is a gorgeous well unified exhibition of Michael's recent works of charcoal, graphite, glitter, and layering of paper. You can check out his website Michael Smith.

Michael shows a great mix of pure drawing talent and a clear concept, which makes him a pretty great art powerhouse in the university of cincinnati MFA program.

His work is some of my favorite too, since I also love to work with the figure and line, but I find his incorporation his own narrative of making the piece pretty fascinating. He takes great care to show his own hand of tearing, smudging, and even leaving eraser shavings where they pile. It is completely refreshing to see work having to deal with the male nude, male gaze, and finding comfort in homosexuality and queer identity, that I can completely relate to as a heterosexual woman. Even though his work finds its face in a minority it is relatable on a beautiful level to all figures and personalities.

I'm looking forward to seeing where the work goes, very excited.

Its up in Pipeline until Tuesday. Go see it!

weenie animation of the day

weenie animation of the day.

trying.

trying to post something everyday is hard. but i can do it.

also, for all of those graced by our presence tonight at northside tavern andre and i did a wonderful performance piece to me singing karaoke of common people by pulp. thanks to all who took the time to share in our happiness.

weenie animation of the day

IMAGE!

MY INTERN FINALLY SHOT SOME IMAGES OF MY PRINTS! Now I can finally start updating my website. Coming soon!

1st attempt at stop action.

I finally started to figure out how to use photoshop. This is my first weenie attempt at a stop action animation. More to come, hopefully.