Tag Archives: MIXED MEDIA

Jan 30 2012
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ARTIST OF THE WEEK, JESSICA SANDERS

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: JESSICA SANDERS

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Jessica Sanders is an artist and 2010 MFA graduate from Ohio State University.

Jessica Sanders reveals the nature of her mediums through the manipulation of touch and the progression of time. Her works incorporate a wide variety of materials such as drywall, insulation, paper, canvas, sugar and most commonly, wax. Sanders likens these materials to human skin which has a delicate, luminous physicality and can be stretched and transformed over time.

A a few of her works that directly explore the conditions of existence and or physical contact are:

Adit, 2010 – Initially appearing like a molten hole in the wall, Adit is actually a plaster cast of the interior of Sander’s mouth. This cast was then installed in the wall, filled with powder, and worn down over time by the touch of visitors (Image #8).

Slabs, 2010 – Two rectangular slices of wax are propped against the wall until weight and gravity eventually lead the slices to bend and cave in. The pieces break in two and rest on the ground (Image #13).

Untitled Wax Light Bulb, 2010 – A lightbulb is coated in wax and turned on. The heat from the bulb leads the layers of wax to melt and peel off of the bulb (Images #14 & 15).

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Jan 08 2012
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ARTIST OF THE WEEK, CHRISTI BIRCHFIELD

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: CHRISTI BIRCHFIELD

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Christi Birchfield is an artist from Cleveland, OH and a 2010 MFA grad from Columbia University.

Acidic saturation, soft smudged graphite, crushed organic matter, abrupt folds, tears and abrasions, aggression balanced with delicacy  - these are the qualities that lay at the core of Birchfield’s work.

In the first seven images shown you’ll notice the fibrous, grass-like content in Birchfield’s paintings. These are plants or flowers that the artist manipulated and pressed in order to enhance the acidic coloring and texture in her work. Often mixing this organic medium with soft charcoals, gauches and pastels, Birchfield then folds and or tears her works. By combining these destructive actions with otherwise delicately applied mediums, Birchfield creates a bridge between two diverse processes of art.

Birchfields drawings are also quiet and active at the same time. While her drawings may appear hazy and soft from afar, upon closer inspection you may notice burns (as in image 8, 9, 10 titled Bethesda, 2010) and brisk subtractions/erasing of graphite (as in image 11 titled: Wheel of Fortune, 2008, and image 12 titled: Powerback, 2008).

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Dec 12 2011
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ARTIST OF THE WEEK, JACK HENRY

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: JACK HENRY

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Jack Henry is a Sculptor and 2010 MFA Graduate of the University of Maryland. His sculptural monuments are comprised of found objects, cast resin and other mixed media.

Henry takes an archaeological approach towards his work by procuring objects from abandoned/ desolate areas like highway medians, empty homes, and fenced-off vacant lots. He then combines these items into cast resin blocks or forms, eventually allowing the found objects to reveal themselves through morphing layers of color and texture – much like a geological rock formation.

Unlike Mark Dion, who is known for his archaeological installations that display natural environments, Henry’s forms are composed of man made materials that reference a post industrial America.

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Nov 28 2011
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ARTIST OF THE WEEK, MAX GLASER

ARTIST OF THE WEEK : MAX GLASER

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Max Glaser is an 2011 graduate from the School of Visual Arts in NYC. The artworks shown are made with a variety of organic components such as food, plants, wood, glass and even blood (see below for artwork details).

1. The Large Plexiglass, 2010, Bulletproof Glass, Lumber, Artifically Dyed Flowers, Honey, Bird, 38x26x3.5″

2. Wasp Honey, 2010, Plywood, Lacquer, Stain, Glass, White Bread, Honey, Latex Paint, 52x27x.75″

3. Untitled, 2010, Glass, Eggs, Vaseline, Grape Jelly, Motor Oil, 72x20x.5″

4. Georgian Scrotemic, 2010, Plywood, Stain, Lacquer, Glass, Mirror, Epoxy, Latex Paint, 147x45x34″

5.  Grape, 2010, Grapefruit, Honey, Bulletproof Glass, Lumber, Barcode, 30x20x3.5″

6.  Cut to Nothing, 2010, Plywood, Found Cutting Board, Blood, Lacquer, Latex Paint, 38x26x1.5″

Food has been an integral subject in art for centuries. We’ve seen it portrayed in still lifes, as sculptures, in photography and in performances. In contemporary art , artists such as Ed Ruscha (who has colored his paintings with spinach, wine, and bolognese sauce), Vik Muniz (who has created artwork using chocolate syrup) and Antony Gormley (who made a bed out of toast for Tate Britain in 2004) found ways to incorporate ‘live’ produce and food into their work.

By immortalizing what has essentially become decomposed, Max Glaser is able to present wasteful byproduct as a rich, colorful and abstract body of work. There’s also something sneakily ironic about turning a worthless material no longer pleasurable to the senses into something beautiful which you can purchase and admire.

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Nov 20 2011
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AMY SMITH GAROFANO, ARTIST OF THE WEEK Gallery

ARTIST OF THE WEEK : AMY SMITH GAROFANO

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Amy Smith Garafano is a 2011 MFA grad from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. In case it is not clear in the photo, the fourth work titled Tracking, 2011 is a floor print in which the artist tracked a whole winter’s worth of salty shoe/footprints on a taped lattice in her studio.

The way Garafano is able to make an object or a wall seem stretched yet truncated or flat yet 3-D is particularly interesting. Not only is it visually challenging, it allows you to contemplate the work spatially. I might also point out that Garofano’s use of what is otherwise ‘simple’ linage and shape is anything but simple. The geometric patterning in her work gives each of her pieces delicate depth and dimension.

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Nov 15 2011
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ARTIST OF THE WEEK, EVAN BOGGESS Gallery

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: EVAN BOGGESS

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Evan Boggess is a painter working primarily in mixed media. He is a 2011 MFA graduate from the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Evan Boggess’ work blends traditional painting and dimensionality in what he calls a “problematic yet harmonious image.” By allowing his works to sometimes bleed off the canvas/board onto the wall, floor or space, Boggess is able to provoke the established notion of painting – which is either on the wall or on a ‘canvas,’ not typically both. I also like the way Boggess is able to blend different painting styles in one composition. In one work you can find soft almost cloudy scapes of paint mixed with harsh lines, shapes and colors.

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