Jackson Art Seen

Arts and Crafts... what's the difference?

2012-01-26T08:40:00.000-08:00

There is a remarkable show of quilts hanging right now at the Mississippi Craft Center in Ridgeland by the late Gwendolyn Magee. I was only vaguely familiar with her work prior to visiting the show recently, and I never had the opportunity to meet her before she passed away last year. I was primarily familiar with her work in the permanent collection at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Her work often attacks images of race and injustice head-on like a visual steam train of which you cannot get out of the way. Narratives of slaves with bloody slashes on their backs, one pooring arsenic in her master's supper, a man hiding in the shadows of his home defending it from those burning a cross on his lawn, even the death around the New Orleans Superdome after hurricane Katrina. She successfully avoids being trite and sentimental in her narratives. The amazingly beautiful craftsmanship of the quilting juxtaposed with the hard core imagery is as powerful as any art should expect to be.

Fortunately she gives us some relief from the emotionally charged narrative work and produces more traditional patchwork quilts as well, with a superb delicacy and uniqueness. However, it was the narratives that lingered with me. They are not images you might expect to come across in an environment like a craft center. So it got my mind to wondering, what is a craft? Gwen's work hangs in both the Art museum, and the Craft center, so is there a difference? Is there a fine line, a fuzzy line, or no line at all?

I began the search for an answer by trying to figure out what the Craftsmen's Guild of MS uses as a criteria for acceptance. It seems pretty open ended. Primarily the work has to be three dimensional, hand made, and show a level of mastery of the material. Apparently there was a little question at first about Roy Adkins' mixed media pieces. Roy is a local photographer and the pieces look like work you would find in a typical art gallery, but when he explained that in his work pieces of canvas were sewn together then his energetic pieces were fully embraced and welcomed into the fold.

I soon realized that the Craftsmen's Guild and the Craft Center were not trying to define what a craft is or isn't, they are just trying to define the culture of their own organization. Dictionary.com says that a craft is "an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, especially manual skill". Art itself can hardly be defined at all other than something created by a human being wherein if he calls it art it must be (sorry, what the elephants do isn't art). Most art requires some sort of craftsmanship, though not all. Stretching a canvas, sizing it, priming it, even painting it is all craft.

So my answer is no, there is no difference between art and craft. Some work rises to the level of fine art, some doesn't. There has to be a difference in quality of art, but that is a whole other discussion. Art is wonderfully undefinable and will always continue to challenge, excite, entertain, and fulfill us as long as there are living breathing people on this Earth with the God-given gift of creativity.

Gwen Magee

"86 Lashes to Go"

Gwen Magee

"Full of the Faith"

Gwen Magee

"Over a Way That with Tears Has Been Watered"

Gwen Magee

"Yassa Massa, Yo Dinner Won't Neva Be Late No Mo!"

Gwen Magee

"Jewel Fire"

Gwen Magee

"Not Tonight"

Roy Adkins

Art in the back yard part 2

2012-01-04T18:19:00.000-08:00

This past summer I put almost everything on hold to focus on building myself a new studio. This blog was put on what was supposed to be a three month break and it turned into a six month hiatus. I'm not apologizing though, and won't bore you with excuses.

What I am sorry about is how few art shows I have actually visited lately. I have missed the opportunity to write about and share thoughts on some really nice shows like the Clarence Morgan show at the MSU School of Architecture and completely missed seeing shows that I wanted to check out like the Dan Piersol and Maureen Donnelly exhibition at Fischer Galleries. I did make Richard Kelso's annual December show at Fischer, and you may still be able to catch some of it if you're lucky.

Clarence Morgan

Dan Piersol

So I've decided that I will return to the passions of my children and their love of Andy Goldsworthy. previous post At some point early this past summer my 5 year old and soon to be 4 year old asked to watch the movie about "the guy who makes things". Could any of us ask for a better title than that? The dreams and inspiration after watching Rivers and Tides are evident in their eyes, and I am right there with them. It never fails that after watching this documentary they are ready to create. My son decided that we should make a stone arch like the ones Andy makes. Problem number 1: we don't live in a rocky environment. Problem number 2: that sounds like a lot of work, and I am going to have to do it all myself. Problem number 1 was solved when I found some chunks of broken concrete. Problem number 2 couldn't be solved. So here we go...

The first arch...

collapsed...

he was devastated...

the second arch...

collapsed...

as did the third and maybe the fourth, I can't remember now how many of them I made. In the documentary Andy talks about getting to know the stone as you are working with it. There is a lot of truth to that, and finally...

we (I) did it.

But the story doesn't end there. In the documentary Andy says "the very thing that brings the work to life is what will cause its death". In his case it is nature, and in my case it is a 5 year old boy with a soccer ball. Apparently after two weeks our stone arch began to look more like a soccer goal than a piece of artwork. He was heartbroken though, and there is probably a good lesson in there about how we become too comfortable and careless with things around us that we care for... be it art, religion, relationships, or whatever.

In order to keep this blog post from being completely nostalgic I wanted to share some new thoughts on Andy's work. There is an obvious connection between Andy's work and the environmental or land art in the United States from the late 60's and early 70's, but his aesthetic seems quite different from most Westerners. During the same time period there was an art movement in Japan called the Mono-ha. This movement was also environmental in nature, but the work has that certain something that Japanese work has. A simple beauty and elegance that is indicative of the culture. This overall Japanese aesthetic is apparently derived from traditional tea ceremonies and is called Wabi-Sabi. In Leonard Koren's book Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers, he says that Wabi-Sabi is "a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. It is a beauty of things modest and humble. It is a beauty of things unconventional." I think that Andy Goldsworthy may be Scottish, but he is really Japanese at heart.

Joe Perkins

2011-07-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

Retired architect Joe Perkins has creativity pumping through his veins with enough vigor to make the rest of us jealous. With architecture inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, paintings inspired by Gustav Klimt, and sculpture inspired by ancient Aztec culture he blends influence with his own unique vision. You can read about my recent introduction to this impressive artist in the July issue of Jackson's Portico Magazine.

Also, some of Joe's work is now on display at the Madison County Public Library until October 1, 2011. Here are some images of Joe, and a few of his masterpieces...

Culture as a controlled substance

2011-05-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

I was on the phone the other day with a buddy of mine from New York City, and he asked me if I have had any problems teaching figure drawing down here. He sees the South through the media's lens as an ultra conservative place that might not be open to such a course of study. I proudly told him that him that I have had nothing but encouragement and support since beginning the classes two years ago. It is a class which demands maturity and seriousness. I had some trouble back in undergraduate school when I wanted to study the human figure (previous post discussing this), but not in this more professional setting. While on the phone with him I had another call come in. This call was from the city of Madison.

Several weeks before, I was asked to teach a figure drawing class in Madison for a group of ladies that often paint together. We were going to be able to use someone's painting studio in the Madison Cultural Center, which is the old school at the corner of hwy 463 and hwy 51. The director of the facility approved it, and the space was absolutely perfect.

After two classes, the mayor of Madison found out that we were drawing nude models and kicked us out of the space. The city of Ridgeland has welcomed us with open arms, so everything has worked out well, but it just caused me to consider the culture of Madison that is being created. Now I will say that we were in a public building and that she had complete authority to do what she did. I have also found out that she has kicked out yoga classes and karate classes. I also believe that she is sincerely trying to create a culture based on aesthetic principles and positive social influences.

Culture is defined as "the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc." By enforcing extremely strict building codes, signage codes, and keeping out classes the mayor deems inappropriate for a cultural center she is ultimately suppressing creativity, artistic expression, and the ability of the residents of Madison to create their own culture.

I am not necessarily trying to persuade anyone of my opinion in writing this, but I believe that it is a vitally important topic to be discussed. Not just about Madison, Mississippi, but about every municipality. As citizens we should be concerned with how much the arts are supported or suppressed. It is the artistic vision and excellence of the people that creates a beautiful and fulfilling place to live.

Figment Jackson

2011-04-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

Figment Jackson looks like it will be an interesting test of Jackson's interest in participatory and experimental art. They are still looking for projects for the weekend. Check out their website http://jackson.figmentproject.org/ and sign up if you have an idea. I saw that Megan Prosper is resurrecting her senior exhibit, which I posted about recently. If you missed her show at Belhaven here is another chance to be moved and inspired. Local photographer Rachel Kabukala also did a blog post about Megan's show, and did a much better job than I did of photographing it.

Southern Gothic

2011-04-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

I have a solo show up right now through the end of the month at Gallery 119 in downtown Jackson. It is titled Southern Gothic and it is a continuation of my visual exploration of the use of contemporary realism and narrative in paintings and drawings. This particular approach to my art began with my exhibition "Songs of Innocence / Songs of Experience" in the Spring of 2010.

I am also continuing the use of handmade paper as a support for my oil paintings. The folds, ripples, and tears allow the paper to become its own character in the narrative. The composition I apply to the paper itself comes from a curiosity of how the personality of a piece can shift as multiple sheets of paper are put together in various ways. For example, in the painting "Fearmonger" I used random scraps of torn paper collaged together in a design that contrasts with the simplicity and symmetry of the painting itself. Another example is the painting "Patchwork". I wove together strips of paper to create a grid-like pattern. A border was put around the woven paper to give the feeling of a quilt or blanket. My use of traditional painting techniques on a nontraditional surface encourages the viewer to consider that which the painting is done on. It is an important and much overlooked element of the final painting.

The title of this exhibition refers to a genre found in many art forms where the work focuses on life particular to the American South. Often used to describe the literary work of William Faulkner, the photography of Sally Mann, and the music of Jim White; this subject explores southern culture through social observations and commentary, without being moralistically critical. Southern Gothic work usually uses dark and mysterious content to push its broader themes, however, what is disturbing to one may be innocent to another. The paintings "The Target" and "Southern Gothic" are good examples of images that could be read either way depending on the viewers personal perspective and experiences. My attempt at this genre is simply an honest study of my life in and my perceptions of life in the South.

Here is a selection of the work from the show...

Expecting the Fall

Oil on handmade paper

22"x28"

Fearmonger

Oil on collaged handmade paper

24"x30"

Patchwork

Oil on woven handmade paper

31"x38"

Self Portrait

Oil on handmade paper

30"x60"

Southern Gothic

Oil on handmade paper

22"x28"

The Target

Oil on handmade paper

30"x60"

Tree Removal 4 (series of 6)

Ink on paper

5.5"x8"

Tree Surgeon

Silverpoint on prepared paper

5.5"x5.5"

What are they teaching kids these days?

2011-03-31T19:20:00.000-07:00

"What are they teaching kids these days?" This is usually a derogatory question, but after visiting the Senior Art Exhibition of Megan Prosper at Belhaven University I ask this question with a little envy and a lot of excitement. The sheer ambition of the work I have seen coming out of Belhaven students lately is impressive enough, but it isn't limited to that. There is a remarkable development of concept being shown, along with that long forgotten aspect of technical skill. For years, art schools have stopped stressing the importance of traditional drawing, painting and sculpting, or have put such an emphasis on these traditions that concept and creativity suffer for it. From what I have seen, few schools have successfully integrated the two to the degree that Belhaven has. But beyond the training lies the true secret to their success. They are providing students with the two things that an artist most needs to create work... time and space. Typically, students are overloaded with projects that they must complete in their dorm rooms. Belhaven students are given their own, though modest in size, studio just up stairs from their classes. This seems to be a real source of pride for the students. In Megan's exhibition she actually allowed her studio to be absorbed into her artwork. The studio space was physically reinstalled in the gallery space. The show is made up of a series of installations inspired by the world travels of the artist put together with exquisite detail. The show is at the same time worldly and religious, broad and intimate, inviting and personal. Unfortunately, Friday may be the last day to see it in its current state, but try to go if you can. It can open up new worlds to you.

Vessel

detail of Vessel

Nomad

detail of Nomad

detail of Gathering

Altar

detail of Altar

Studio

East Wall

Addressing the undressed

2011-02-11T20:33:00.000-08:00

I have spent a lot of time defending the use of nudes in art. The school at which I received my undergraduate degree was strictly against it, and my parents were less than enthusiastic about the idea. Still, I went off campus during those early years to learn how to draw. Not just to learn how to draw a nude person, but to learn how to draw everything through the use of the nude. Back at school I was scolded by the faculty.

To begin my defense of the nude I would like to make a distinction between studying the nude as an educational experience, and using the nude in artwork. As an educational aspect the nude is an appropriate source of study for anyone learning how to draw. The intention of all work done in a classroom setting is for learning purposes. John Ruskin says in his book Elements of Drawing that he would tell his students that they were not there to draw trees, but to learn to draw trees. A few drawings or paintings may stand above the rest causing the artist to want to exhibit that work, but that is not for everyone. While it's a good idea for anyone learning to draw to use the nude, it is not at all necessary for all artists to exhibit nude work. The intention is different. So I am primarily going to give reasons why studying the nude figure is helpful, and I'll leave use of nudes as an expressive subject and the exhibiting of nude art to everyone's own personal taste. With a completely opposite perspective, my undergraduate program was against the study of the nude, yet they adored the art of Renaissance masters.

1 - Difficulty: It is true that if you can learn to draw the human figure sensitively and accurately then you can draw anything. The reason for this is our familiarity with the human form. As humans, we develop visual symbols for things that we are familiar with. Consider the common triangle symbol for trees or the gingerbread shaped house. I still find myself using these symbols as well as stick figures when drawing with my children. There is a comfort to it. The thing that we are most familiar with in this world is our own bodies yet few have really observed the human body with a discerning eye. If we can break the symbols of that with which we are most familiar then we can break the symbols for anything. There is a quote by psychologist Rudolf Anheim taken from the book The Undressed Art by Peter Steinhart which says "The human body is a particularly complex pattern, not easily reduced to the simplicity of shape and motion. The body transmits compelling expressions. Also, it is overloaded with non-visual associations. The human figure is the most difficult vehicle of artistic expression." So in drawing the human form we are not only having to get past the hurdles of symbols for the exterior, but also are challenged to record the non-visual emotions of a human being.

2 - Tradition: Take a look through art history. Our fascination with the human form is apparent in the statue called Venus of Willendorf which is estimated to be around 24,000 years old.

3 - Beauty: The human body is an absolutely beautiful creation in all of its complexity and diversity. This is a beauty way beyond the idealized and hyper-sexualized beauty in mass media. Take the time to draw another person and you will witness beauty that has nothing to do with accepted norms of attractiveness. Creating a beautiful drawing or painting from this gift given to you by the model is the difficult part.

In Steinhart's book he describes what someone would experience for the first time in a figure drawing class. He says "...you'd forget that these people are naked and go on gazing, at first fascinated with the variety and immense range of difference in bodies and then struck with how expressive they are. You would quickly feel a human connection, a kind of compassion with them. You might also begin to feel that there is immense dignity, energy, even beauty in them. And somewhere along the line you might realize that you are more or less abandoned to your gaze, that there is something fundamentally human in your curiosity."

As I said earlier, to study is one thing and to exhibit is something else. There is an incredible group show called "Nude and Figurative Works" at Fischer Galleries in Fondren up through March. If you are uncomfortable or offended by the human figure then it is probably not the show for you, but if not then I would highly encourage you to check it out. Witness some fantastic work by artists who chose to be inspired by and not intimidated by our humanity. Here is a sampling of the work...

Evalyn Gray

Nude 1

Jean Seymour

Reclining Figure

Martha Ferris

Afternoon Light

Nancy Dawes

Reclining Figure

Rod Moorhead

Furies

Sam Beibers

Afternoon Nap

Susan Russell

Aron - Leaning

Almost missed the conversation

2010-09-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

I almost missed it. Yesterday, I finally made it to the solo show of Ginger Williams-Cook at the Mississippi Arts Center. The show ended today, but if you missed it I don't think that you have anything to fear. I am confident that we will be seeing more shows very soon by Ginger. The reason I am convinced of this is because of the vast output that she seems to be able to accomplish. One could easily have confused this exhibition as a group show by at least ten different artists, both because of the amount of work and the different styles. With influences from Modigliani to Japanese block prints to French illustrations she is obviously one of the few with such an honest and authentic out-pouring of creativity and ideas that it is probably more difficult for her to not do the work than to do it. She considers art a visual conversation, and I believe that is just what she is initiating.

I had a lot more that I was going to say about her love for sketchbooks, and how I didn't get to see the video about her sketchbooks, and how impressive her drawings are, and about her connection with other equally impressive young artists around here, and about these bizarre and humorous little nesting dolls that she is creating... but my brain stops working after 10:30 PM. So I am just going to post some work that I had a little conversation with.

Apartment

Les Yeux Vert

Sidewalk Flower No. 1

Sketch from Paris

The Big Lebowski

Wall full of work

Look no farther than your own backyard...

2010-08-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

In a recent discussion with a close friend of mine the name Andy Goldsworthy came up. My friend is a new professor of art at Belhaven University in Jackson, and he was talking about the curriculum in an introduction to art class (art appreciation for art majors). Apparently, one of the first things they watch and discuss in this class is the documentary Rivers and Tides about the work of Goldsworthy. I have been curious about the contents of this class for several years because I have heard that it is remarkable, and I was very interested to hear about Rivers and Tides being shown. I picked up the video several years ago when Hollywood Video was going out of business, but hadn't watched it since then.

Andy Goldsworthy is an environmental artist who uses all natural materials for his sculpture. Much of his work is ephemeral or transient, intentionally having a short life span and recorded with photography. In the film he says that he does not consider his work to be "destroyed" by nature. His work is a gift to nature and nature takes it and does something else with it. It is a beautiful metaphor for life, death, and life beyond death. Beyond any philosophical significance the work is elegant and simple with a type of universal aesthetic that few artists are able to achieve.

His work is so universally appreciable, in fact, that even children are moved. This past weekend my children, ages 4 and 3, asked to watch a movie. Instead of the usual Disney or Pixar flick I decided to pull out Rivers and Tides. It was incredible to see how mesmerized they were with it, constantly asking questions, and developing such a connection with the work that they were really sad when pieces were washed away by the rising tide or melted by the rising sun. They actually sat through over an hour of the one and a half hour documentary, a feat in and of itself, and immediately wanted to create their own sculpture in the back yard.

What amazes me is how easily they grasp the idea of creating an object with the sole function of existing for its visual power to create emotional responses. That's something that many adults seem to have lost.

Andy Goldsworthy

Ren and Mae with their "project".

Yes, I helped a little.

In the middle is a brilliant pink seed pod from a magnolia bloom.

Dance as inspiration

2010-06-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

I could not call this a blog about the arts in Jackson if I didn't mention the USA International Ballet Competition (IBC) currently taking place here. While I usually just focus on visual arts in gallery spaces, the remarkable beauty of these dancers excels to a level of artistry infrequently found in galleries. There are, however, some painting and photography exhibitions that coincide with the competition that are definitely worth visiting. The IBC happens every four years and Jackson is the only location it is held in the United States thanks to the vision and love for ballet by the late Thalia Mara.

The poster artist for the IBC this year is Mississippi State University professor Brent Funderburk who seems to draw a lot of inspiration from ballet and dance. There are two opportunities to see his watercolors in Jackson right now. There is a group of paintings in the mezzanine area at Thalia Mara Hall where the IBC is taking place. There is also a group of paintings and drawings at Bryant Galleries. His vibrant watercolors are a mix of surrealism and non-objective abstraction with hints of east Asian influence. Fruit transforms into celestial beings, while empty paint tubes seem to take on human personas. This is most evident in the painting "Today" which seems to represent the crucifixion of Christ. There is a faint nimbus behind the "head" of the center tube that may be difficult to see in the image below.

Funderburk's drawings, however, seem to have a different influence. They are much more reminiscent of the Russian Suprematism work of Kazimir Malevich, or the Italian Futurists.

Another must see show in conjunction with the IBC is Celestial Bodies/Infernal Souls: Photography by Lois Greenfield. These stunning photographs at the Arts Center of Mississippi are of dancers captured in mid-air and mid-stride displaying the pinnacle of the capabilities of the human body.

Pears #2

Winter Into Spring

Goodbye Red

Today

Still Light

November

Lois Greenfield

Vogel Collection at the MS Museum of Art

2010-05-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

There is an amazing story on display at the MS Museum of Art right now. I say that because the story of the Herb and Dorothy Vogel collection is just as grand as the collection itself. This couple of moderate means (he was a postal worker and she a librarian) began collecting art after they were married in 1962, and slowly and methodically began to fill their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment with art. They built up a collection of around 4,000 pieces over the years and recently donated the work to the National Gallery in Washington D.C. In a documentary playing at the exhibition, Dorothy said that with the two of them being civil servants felt that they were merely "caretakers" of the work and donating it the National Gallery was their way of giving it back to the people of the United States. The National Gallery was only able to take about 1000 pieces so a program was set up to distribute the work throughout the country. It is called 50 Works for 50 States and the MS Museum of Art is the recipient of 50 pieces for their permanent collection.

The approach they took to collecting art is nothing short of remarkable. In the documentary they were described as eccentric, compulsive, and obsessive. The collection became a concept in and of itself. Nothing was ever sold. Their apartment was filled to the ceiling (with some work hanging from the ceiling). They bought work because they believed in the artist as much as they appreciated the work itself, so many artists were represented thoroughly in the collection. One person that stands out as being well represented in the selection given to the MS Museum of Art is the artist Richard Tuttle. Here is where some people may have difficulty in appreciating the collection. Tuttle was an early Minimalist artist of the '60s. His work is often very minimal. In the documentary, Herb mentions that when they began collecting work that Pop art was the prominent New York style, but Minimalism was new, experimental, and vanguard. In other words it was much more reasonably priced and therefore the collection has a large number of Minimalist pieces. In an interview with Charlie Rose, the Vogels were asked what a particular Tuttle piece "signifies", and their response was "it doesn't have to signify anything, it's a visual thing". If you do have difficulty appreciating Minimalist art, keep in mind what Becky Hendrick says in her book Getting It; that "there are only two requirements for appreciating art: we need to look at art objectively and without prejudice; and we need enough information about art's relationship to history and culture to support our non-judgemental explorations."

According to the book After Modern Art 1945-2000, by David Hopkins, the term Minimalism was rejected by many of the early practitioners. Donald Judd, one of the primary artists of this movement is said to have felt that the term connoted a reductionist view, as though they were "attempting to reach an essential core." He felt that one shouldn't focus on what was missing from the work when "works such as his were kept uncomplicated precisely in order to isolate specific and positive qualities."

The collection isn't all Minimalist, though. There are some wonderful ink drawings by Mark Kostabi that have a more illustrational approach, and an expressionistic ink drawing by Michael Lash. There are a couple of very busy, graphic, mostly abstract with some cartoonish elements graphite drawings by Joseph Nechvatal that contrast nicely with the Minimalist work. In fact, a majority of the collection is drawings, but one of my favorite pieces is a Takashi Murakami object. It is wild and beautiful, and represents a broadening of the collection away from drawing and away from the New York focus.

So, please go with an open mind and enjoy the story.

Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience

2010-04-20T13:22:00.000-07:00

My first solo show as a professional artist is hanging right now at Gallery 119 in downtown Jackson until May 7th.

This body of work is from a series of oil paintings titled "Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience." William Blake's poetry and compositional designs have been very inspiring to me over the years, and the theme of this series comes directly from his work. The concepts of the individual pieces, however, are not derived from specific works of his. I wanted to create a group of poetic narratives in which the "story" in each piece is intentionally left undefined. With this body of work I want to encourage the viewer to spend time with each individual piece, allowing them to interpret the meaning and narrative for themselves. While the images are extremely personal to me, often times being set in my house with my family or friends, I believe that the audience will be able to relate to the situations and emotions presented. The show is comprised of 12 oil paintings, six “Songs of Innocence”, and six “Songs of Experience.” There is also a collection of drawings, some directly related to the series of paintings and some completely independent from the theme.

All of the paintings in the “Songs of Innocence” series are on handmade paper. Over the years I have come to value the craftsmanship that goes into the preparation of a painting surface. Beginning a painting on a surface that I have already spent hours preparing, I am more likely to start that painting with increased focus and commitment. With no training in paper making I decided to do a little research and make the 30"x30" sheets myself. I built the frame and deckle, and because of the large size I used an inflatable kids pool to pull the individual sheets. The pulp is made from scrap newspaper, computer paper, and brown paper bags. The paper is then allowed to dry before each one is primed to accept the oil paint. Because each sheet is unique, I attempt to select the one that has characteristics that will complement the final composition. I let the paper maintain the rough edges when displayed and mount them to the backing with heavy-duty magnets. Symbolically, I want the paper to be seen as representing the delicacy and ephemeral qualities of innocence. The square format represents unity.

The “Songs of Experience” paintings are all on canvas specifically because it is traditional. I recognize that often as people get older they hold on to tradition a bit more closely. Thought process seems to get more analytical and structural which is why the dimensions of this series are all based on root rectangles as described in Jay Hambidge’s Elements of Dynamic Symmetry.

This body of work comes at a time when I am noticing a shift in my own life. I am married with two young children and see very clearly the passing of my youthful idealism and naivety. Yet I long to hold on to some of it. It is my hope that this exhibition expresses to the viewer my individual struggles and joys at this particular point in life.

You can go to my web site to see all of the work from the show, but here is a selection. Catalogues are also available for $30. Just contact me if you are interested.

10 pm 30 degrees

(Songs of Innocence)

For the hundredth time

(Songs of Innocence)

Lacrimosa

(Songs of Innocence)

32nd Birthday

(Songs of Experience)

A dog named Kat

(Songs of Experience)

Sunday afternoon adventures

(Songs of Experience)

Lea Barton's Southern Charm

2010-04-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

There are at least two great shows currently up right now here in Jackson, if I do say so myself... because one of the two is mine. I'll post about it later. First I want to feature the exhibition of new work by the finely tuned collage artist Lea Barton at Fischer Galleries in Fondren. Barton's work is unapologetically presented from the view of and about the southern woman. In the hands of a lesser artist this narrow focus may keep certain groups of people at a distance or seem irrelevant, but Barton's witty and sincere approach is inviting. Her pieces are challenging in the best sense.

With Barton's newest work, the Belle Boxes, I can't help but see a connection to the work of Kara Walker. The delicate silhouettes of the southern belles are composed in shadow boxes as charming graphic pieces, but like Walker's work they seem to question the importance of the elegance.

This is an opportunity to see the work of a seasoned artist with a long exhibition list including a solo show at Denise Bibro gallery in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood.

21 Hours

Disarming

Walls of Jericho

Belle Box

Backyards and Beyond at the MS Arts Center

2010-03-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

If you haven't visited the Backyards and Beyond exhibit at the Mississippi Arts Center in downtown Jackson, you absolutely should. This isn't just an art exhibit, it is an experience. H.C. Porter of Vicksburg, MS created this exhibition after the devastation of hurricane Katrina. As part of the exhibition there are audio recordings from folks that were affected by the storm. With this exhibition Porter is doing something that most artists hope that their work will do. That is, not to just make a social statement, but to make a social impact. Here is what she says about the exhibition... "My hope is that this exhibition will move people toward continued volunteerism and humanitarianism in Mississippi or wherever it may be needed, in our own backyards or beyond. This is a story that must be told for a very long time."

Besides the paintings and the audio recordings, there are large images of floors from Gulf Coast homes laid out on the floor of the exhibition space. The floor images are of broken tiles and mud covered linoleum and holes exposing the ground beneath. It is a moving experience that helps to give you a better sense of the massive destruction. She also created a book of the exhibition, set up a website specifically for the exhibition (linked above), and created a non-profit organization to get the exhibition into more spaces nationally. It is quite an impressive accomplishment logistically.

Back to the paintings. She continues in the style that she is known for, that is painting on top of a photograph that has been turned into a high contrast black and white image. Though she has been working this way for years I think that it particularly appealing in this application. The faces of the subjects remain black and white while the world around is in vivid color. By removing skin color she is ultimately removing race, and as we know the storm was colorblind.

I believe that the exhibition is only up through the end of March so go and prepare to be moved.

Leona

Almost Normal

Letting Go

Recess

Uproot & Anguish

The Chair

Pat Walker at Brown's

2010-02-16T19:36:00.000-08:00

I went last week to check out the Pat Walker show at Brown's gallery in Fondren. She is primarily known for her traditional still life paintings, but there were a couple of landscapes and figure pieces as well. She employs in most of her pieces a classic technique of applying think layers of paint (aka "impasto") in the light masses of the composition, while the shadows remain very thin. By doing this, the physical light of the room reflects off of the impasto areas making them brighter. See the detail of "Onions and Blue" below to see Pat doing this to the extreme. You can tell that she really has fun with it.

I have heard Pat's name come up several times over the past year, not in reference to her paintings, but concerning the destination she is creating at her home in Rolling Fork, MS. After losing her home and studio in Bay St. Louis to Hurricane Katrina, she relocated to the Mississippi Delta. There she is hosting painting workshops by nationally known realist painters/instructors. It's quite an impressive line-up for this year which you can see here. It is an impressive opportunity that she is bringing to this area and I hope that people really take advantage of it.

Here's some of the work...

Peaches

Onions and Blue

Detail of Onions and Blue

Copper and Flowers

1937 MS Delta - Sharky County

Bounty of Color

Lambert and Blankenstein show at Bryant's

2009-12-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

Bryant Galleries in Jackson is not a place that one would likely happen upon if searching for art galleries. It is hidden in a non-descript shopping center off of Lakeland Drive. But then again nowhere in Jackson is a hotbed of an art market. The largest concentration of galleries in Jackson is in Fondren, and I believe that there are only about five. Jackson isn't known for its art offerings which is why I was interested in doing this blog... to attempt to have one more opportunity for artists' work to be viewed. So Bryant's may not be the easiest to find, but it is definitely worth the search. They have a very unique offering of some Mississippi artists and some international artists, and they appear to be very particular about the quality of work that they show. It's a large space, but divided nicely into more intimate areas.

Hanging right now is a duo show of separate work by husband and wife David Lambert and Vidal Blankenstein. David actually runs the gallery. It's interesting to see their work hanging together because living together they must influence each other. They both work in acrylic on panels, but their approaches are quite different. David is also showing some of his airplane sculptures which were included in the Invitational at the Mississippi Museum of Art this year. The Invitational show just came down so I hope you didn't miss it. There was a long article in the national magazine, Art in America, about the Invitational written by guest curator Peter Plagens that was less than flattering but just short of condescending. His arrogant and pompous tone did no credit to the work, but the work didn't need him. It was obviously art of a high caliber that can stand on its own.

When I first saw David's planes in a show at Belhaven they struck me by their witty concept and construction, and yet they were so simply assembled with disregard for attempted craftsmanship. I was pleased to see that this visual language carries over into his paintings as well. The consistency gives credit to the work. David told me that he had not painted in awhile because his focus has been on the airplanes. He looked through some old sketches and found some designs that appealed to him that he developed into paintings. Many of the sketches are displayed next to the final pieces.

Vidal's psychological images are much more layered and painterly. There are recurring symbols of trees and birds and hands and ladders and almond shaped patches that seem to transition between leaves and the all seeing eye. Vidal is a graphic designer, but I think that it is interesting that David's work is the more graphic, illustrational, and cartoon influenced work. I think that artists who have full time jobs aside from their art often produce work that is a contrasting response to what they do all day. Either way, it's just great that they are reserving the energy to produce the work.

Man in Striped Shirt (Lambert)

Soup and Grits (Lambert)

War (Lambert)

Planes (Lambert)

Sanctuary (Blankenstein)

Where are you going? (Blankenstein)

Morning (Blankenstein)

Open (Blankenstein)

Kelso at Fischer

2009-12-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

I get excited when December rolls around every year. It's not because of the cooler weather or because of the upcoming Christmas Holiday. I had grown tired of the mass materialistic holiday until four years ago when my wife and I had our first child. There is a renewed sense of magic seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child. No, the reason I get excited when December comes around is that I know there will be a show of Richard Kelso's work hanging in Jackson that month. It is an annual event to look forward to and it is hanging right now at Fischer Galleries in Fondren. Kelso was mentioned in my last post about color theory and the influences of Henry Hensche.

Richard Kelso is a landscape painter. He has produced an incalculable number of landscape paintings through the years. You might think that this would cause someone to become stagnate in his work, producing Bob Ross like symbols for trees that are comfortable and familiar, but I continue to be amazed at the experimentation and variety he shows. And the work is simply gorgeous. Anyone can appreciate the beauty of the scenes in his work, but if you are a painter you will marvel at the way he uses paint. Every stroke is deliberate, and every color of every stroke looks as though it were mixed uniquely for that one spot. His colors are never chalky or muddy but rich from the vibrant sunlit treetops to the deepest shadows. Kelso holds to a standard of quality that is both inspiring and daunting to me as a painter.

There actually are two paintings in the show that are not landscapes. Many times in his shows there will be a small selection of paintings of his studio or things in his studio. I always love these pieces but not only because of their masterful execution. If you ever visit Kelso's studio which is above Hal and Mal's you will recognize the light. There is a single window that he paints by, and from what I've seen he never uses artificial light. The cold indirect light that comes through the window casts soft warm shadows, and he absolutely nails the atmosphere that it creates.

My one disappointment in the show is that there are no drawings. Drawings are so sincere and personal feeling, and Kelso's Constable-esque pieces are like little treasures. Maybe I've been a good boy this year and Santa will bring me one.

Autumn Glory

Evening

Green House on Hwy. 22

November Mist

Pond at Mr. Palmer's

Spring

Studio Corner

Color Theory

2009-11-23T13:31:00.000-08:00

A month or so ago I had the opportunity to go to a home out in Madison where there was a reception/showing for California artist Camille Przewodek. Camille was leading a workshop in town on plein air painting that week. I recently read that Camille's approach to painting came from her experience at The Cape Cod School of Art where she studied with Henry Hensche. Charles Hawthorne, who studied under William Merritt Chase, began the school in the late 1800s with a close tie to the American Impressionists. Hensche was a student of Hawthorne's, and he took over the school when Hawthorne died. This man's instruction must have been incredibly inspiring because there is an impressive number of artists continuing to follow his approach to painting, particularly in Mississippi. Sammy Britt, long time Delta State art professor, studied with Hensche as well and really carried the torch influencing hundreds of artists through the years. Others around the state following to different degrees the color theories taught at Cape Cod are Richard Kelso, Bob Pennebaker, Gerald DeLoach, and George Thurmond.

It's not easy to clearly define the color theory taught from the Cape Cod School. It has roots in impressionism, but really stresses the use of color to turn form rather than values. Masses of colors are laid down as "light keys" to quickly see the relationships of colors at that particular time of that particular day. Sammy Britt stated to me a few years ago that "Hensche was providing us with a new language, not simply a style or technique. It is a visual language of light keys where you focus on the changing color on an object not the changing value. One must choose to paint tonally or in light keys." Here is where things get a little difficult. It is very tempting to try to take some of the ideas from this mind set and mix them with some tonal painting. This can create years of confusion to a painter.

In my early days of painting I studied with Bob Pennebaker a little, and took a workshop with Sammy giving me some ground in a colorist approach. Later, in my graduate studies everything was hard core tonal. I think that I am just now beginning to see how my own approach can pull from both sides, but as Sammy said, this probably means that I am not painting in light keys. The influence is undeniable though.

At the Camille Przewodek show I had the pleasure of meeting local artist Ginny Futvoye. She was taking the workshop while also working on a body of work for a show at Nunnery's Gallery in Fondren. The show is hanging right now, and I was really curious about how this workshop would influence her work in midstream of a show. Her work has a real decorative appeal to them. They tend to be warm in tone and of a nice size that gives them a confident kind of presence. The "Cows Grazing" painting stood out to me in composition and color approach, and sure enough, according to Ginny, that painting was the first one completed after the workshop. The show does not feel incongruent though. Ginny told me that there was some difficulty at first in applying her new found knowledge, but didn't feel that it was that far off from where she already was.

Here's a selection from the show...

Square Books 1

Alpine Sunset

Cows Grazing

Sunset Zinnias

Lauterbrunnen Valley

Article in Northeast Ledger

2009-11-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

This blog is not intended to toot my own horn, but I am very proud of the flattering article in the Northeast Ledger this morning. Scott Albert Johnson, journalist and musician extraordinaire, did an amazing job of weaving the bits of information that he gathered when he visited my studio into a comprehensible story. He mentions the blog as well, so if you are a new reader because of the article please leave me a comment telling me so. Here's the link.... Artist balances art, family.

Rob Cooper's glass work

2009-11-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

Currently at Fischer Galleries in Fondren is work by three young Jackson artists, Rob Cooper, Josh Hailey, and Ginger Williams. Rob is doing some particularly intriguing work with glass. Most of the show is made up of wall mounted glass panels, but there are two traditional leaded glass pieces as well. For at least the past 13 years Rob has worked at Pearl River Glass Studios in Jackson which is having their annual exhibition at The Cedars in Fondren next week, I believe. During this time he has been able to develop some very sophisticated and skilled handling of this medium. He is incorporating fused glass, painted glass, and etched glass to create delicately layered images. The subjects run the gamut from mythology and ancient literature to superheroes, but the work really fits together well as sort of mystical narratives. There is an interesting influence from Japanese wood cuts present. In images such as The Dream of the Fisherman the visual connection is obvious. He uses the strong graphic outlines around flat shapes of color, not to mention the Japanese looking figure and architecture. But another interesting connection is the process of painting the glass. Like wood cuts, and unlike most painting it is a subtractive method. You lay on a flat tone of paint and use a brush to lift off the pigment in order to create the gradations and highlights. Then the glass is fired in a kiln to set it. This process can be done multiple times in multiple layers, and I can tell you from experience that it is not easy. Rob has a unique sensitivity to handling this medium that you won't find anywhere else around here. Here is a sampling of the work...

The Dream of the Fisherman

Tales of the Sea I

Tales of the Sea III

Sirens

Aquarian Totem

Flash Gordon and Wonder Woman

A kite too far

2009-10-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

death, my love,

is a scary thing

but not so much

compared to responsibility

for things beyond your control

for people you can't make do

what you

in your ultimate wisdom

think they should do

like it's not out of your hands

the string leading

to a kite too far in the sky

like the silent pop

is not a hurt

a hurt in the swirling

farther away tail

that makes death

easy my life

easy my love

a folding and gentle creasing

like with an unbitten

fearless thumbnail

From a collection of poems called the majesty of the past by Jackson poet Bob Hudson. The bound collection can be found at Sneaky Beans coffee shop and One Blu Wall Photography Gallery.

In and out of context

2009-10-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

I finally finished reading Michael Kimmelman's book (I'm a really slow reader). It strikes me when I read art criticism or commentary how dependent it is on the context. I'm sure that Kimmelman wouldn't consider himself a strict contextualist, but in writing about art it seems to be necessary to clue the reader in to the background of the artist and why the art was done. Kimmelman has access to artists that most of us don't have giving him great insight into the context of work that he writes about, but he is also great at verbalizing his own interpretation of the work without all of the incomprehensible "psycho-babble" (my wife's word) even if he knows that it is different from the artist's intention.

I have always considered myself a bit of a contextualist. Being an artist I have trouble separating the work from the artist and can appreciate the work on a whole other level having that knowledge. Several years ago I visited a gallery in New York that was exhibiting work by the Mississippi artist Walter Anderson. A gallery worker spoke to me (I'm not one to initiate conversation) and I told him that I am from Mississippi, and that I love Walter Anderson's work, and that he was a complete nut case. With snoot in the air he told me that they prefer to just focus on the work. Well guess what, Anderson's work was his life and it is does a disservice to him and his family to separate the two.

This does not mean however that I can't appreciate seeing artwork without having any knowledge of the artist. There is a wonderful group show at Gallery 119 right now called "5 under 35", five artists under the age of 35, all of whom are new to me. The artists are Charlie Buckley, Laurie Fisher, Allan Innman, Amanda Sparks and Carlyle Wolfe. I have actually seen Amanda's incredible work before in the current Invitational show at the Mississippi Museum. In starting this blog I was more interested in solo or two person exhibitions that really show a good concept for the show as a whole with a unified body of work. This group show doesn't really fit in those parameters, but I was so struck by the work of Carlyle Wolfe that I wanted to put it on the blog. I had the chance to meet her at the opening, but again I am not very good at introducing myself, so I didn't. Perhaps I could have given you a bit more context had I spoken to her, but the work is so strikingly beautiful that I think that it is not necessary even in writing about it. Her work which is usually of flowers can be striking and harsh with hard-edged cutouts and at the same time delicate and dainty. It has a flat softness reminiscent of traditional chinese watercolors, and beautiful layering that reminds of the work of Julie Mehretu. So now, I think I will find out more about her, like whether she is related to Karl Wolfe, whose autobiography I am starting to read now.

Vinca (watercolor on tissue embroidered)

Shadows (oil)

Pink Hydrangeas (Oil)

Hydrangeas (oil)

Begonias, Vinca, and Zinnias (embroidered monotype)

Christopher Brady at Mississippi Library Commission

2009-10-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

Since the Mississippi Library Commission opened their new building several years ago they have been exhibiting some nice art shows. Similar to my last post though, the building is worth visiting simply to appreciate the architecture... it is just a plus that you get to see art there as well. Hanging through October is a group of paintings and drawings by Christopher Brady called People, Places and Things. You can also check out the fused glass work of Phyllis and Jess Tackitt of Southern Fired Glass, but I am going to focus on Brady for this post. He is an art instructor at East Central Community College in Decatur, MS. I pulled a quote by him about this show from Clintonnews.com.

"This show is an exploration of people, places and things that we may take for granted. My hope is to take these familiar and ordinary sights and transform them into something deeper and more extraordinary."

While the show as a whole does not come across as a cohesive body of work, there are some very nice individual pieces. The tight watercolors are well executed and the watercolor monotypes have a unique and appealing character to them. There is also a charcoal drawing, a pen and ink drawing, an ink wash, and a silverpoint drawing. Silverpoint, or metalpoint drawing is not common these days, but when you see one handled well it is a treat. It was a very popular method of drawing in the Renaissance period because of its durability and that it doesn't smudge. Metalpoint drawings are done on coated paper with a stylus that would have some type of metal point to it, e.g. silver, gold, copper, lead. It is a very delicate and beautiful medium, but one of the most unique qualities of metalpoint is that over time the metal will tarnish and each type of metal tarnishes to a different color. To me, the silverpoint drawing "Ray" and the other work that embraces a modernist approach with a subject on a flat background like "Yo-Yo", stand out in quality. One interesting thing that I found out about Christopher Brady is that his thesis project while at the University of Mississippi landed him in the 2008 Guinness Book of World Records for the longest wood block print measuring at 282 feet. Congrats to him on that. Here's some of the work...

Yo-Yo (watercolor)

Vessels (watercolor)

Tom (Ink Wash)

Ray (silverpoint)

Oxford Square (watercolor)

Central High (watercolor monotype)

Berries (watercolor)

Apron Show: An Accidental Masterpiece

2009-10-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

I visited the new Mississippi Craft Center today. If you haven't seen it you really should for the outstanding architecture if not for the amazing shop of Mississippi crafts. I didn't know what was showing in their gallery prior to my visit and what I saw was at the same time bizarre and endearing. It is a selection of aprons from a collection of over 600 aprons owned by a lady named Carolyn Childs Terry in Iuka, Mississippi. You may wonder why I would be interested in putting such a thing on a fine arts focused blog, but there were two things that kind of intrigued me about this. First, though not all of the aprons in the collection are hand made, I felt like there was an interesting connection between these and the quilts of Gee's Bend, Alabama that took New York by storm several years ago. True, the designs of these aprons don't have the irony of strong abstract designs by folks that couldn't be further from the established artworld as the quilts did, but the idea of designing and crafting such an ordinary utilitarian object into a personalized expression creates a value that can't be ignored.

However, I probably would have just walked by the sign that simply reads "Apron Show" had I not just started reading The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by Michael Kimmelman. Kimmelman is an art critic for the New York Times, but I was not familiar with him until I watched the documentary film My Kid Could Paint That. He was in the film, but there is a section in the special features that is simply titled Michael Kimmelman on Art. This short monologue is some of the most refreshing and comprehensible commentary on art that I believe I have ever heard. That being said I had to pick up his book. In the introduction he talks about a man that amassed a collection of around 75,000 lightbulbs and lightbulb related objects. Kimmelman writes,

" He certainly created something wondrous out of his

improbable hobby. His achievement was not simply to

put together a collection of lightbulbs; it was to convey

through his collection the obvious contentment and

meaning that this obsession gave him. The collection...

became his masterpiece by accident - by which I mean

not a traditional work of art like a painting or a sculpture

but derived, like art, from a creative impulse, a deep

compulsion pursued to the nth degree. His museum

became a shrine to his peculiar ardor, which (again,

like art) entailed the value of looking at something very

closely, in this case at a humble lightbulb.

The idea behind The Accidental Masterpiece, the one

that popped into my head at some point, is pretty simple.

It is not that I should write a book of art history or

criticism, exactly, or solely dwell on my favorite painters,

sculptors, and photographers. Nor is it that all art is

salutory. A day of looking at bad art can be long and

dark. Instead, it is this - whether the example is the

life of an artist as lofty as Bonnard or the passion of a

lightbulb-enthusiast... - art provides us with clues about

how to live our own lives more fully. Put differently,

this book is, in part, about how creating,

collecting, and even just appreciating art can make

living a daily masterpiece."

There's nothing else I can say. Here are some of the aprons...

Patterson/Barnes at 119

2009-09-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hanging at Gallery 119 in downtown Jackson is a show of 33 pieces by the Florida based duo Gary Patterson and Marion Barnes. They collaborate on assemblages that typically focus on caricatures of blues and jazz musicians, but also delve into subjects of the rural life that is behind this type of music such as poverty and religion. Like the music that inspires the artwork there is a real entertainment aspect to the work. Found objects mixed with well crafted drawing and painting cause the viewer to stick around for a longer look moving the work beyond pure illustration. Patterson/Barnes' work has a close connection with one of my favorite artists, Benny Andrews. He also uses exaggeration and mixed media to depict African-American lifestyle and hardship. Here is a selection from the show...

Too tired to fight

Not in my backyard

Mississippi Blues

Just as I am

John Lee Hooker/I don't want to hear it

I'm glad you're gone

Don't get left behind

Bobby Rush/Turn on your love light

B.B. King

Michael Doucet and Dennis McGee/Alligator Bayou

Jack Garner at Fischer

2009-09-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hanging at Fischer Galleries now is a body of work by Jackson artist Jack Garner. This Rothko inspired show is Jack's first solo exhibition. While there is a definite visual connection to Rothko's "multiforms" they are certainly not pastiche, but introduce his own sense of design and color combination. Jack also stays away from Rothko's grandiose canvases to a size that is not only more manageable for the artist, but for the viewer as well. Here is a selection from the show.

Reflected Persuasion

Jung And Old

End Then Begin

Bank On It

David West's Digital Cartography

2009-09-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hanging right now at Belhaven's Bitsy Irby Visual Arts and Dance Center Gallery is a body of work called Digital Cartography by Baton Rouge artist David West. The description of the show is pretty well stated on Belhaven's website and I don't think that there is any reason for me to try to rewrite it. It says... "David West combines traditional print techniques with digital media to create a space that exists partly in the analog world, and partly in the digital. By borrowing motifs from architecture, mapmaking, and computer code, this recent work highlights the influence of the digital age on traditional art making practices." David recently received his MFA degree from LSU in Printmaking; however, printmaking is only one of several mediums used to construct this work. One of the pieces is an interactive projection called "Shift into Place" which places the viewer into the artwork by recording a wall graphic and projecting it on the opposite corner of the space. Several of the other pieces combine printmaking with silkscreen applied to plexiglass creating a multi-layered graphic that, like the projection, can only be fully experienced in person. The industrial imagery such as telephone poles and maps contrasted with strong abstract designs create a sense of urban decay with a beautiful promise for the future. Here's some of the work, but again you should really see these in person. I believe that the show will be up through October.

"Shift into Place" Wall Graphic

"Shift into Place" projection

"Chiba City II"

"Dead Television Channels I"

"Digital Sprawl II"

Another venue

2009-08-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

This being the first post of my new blog I wanted to give a statement of my intentions as well as a disclaimer.

Intentions: I really enjoy looking and talking about art. Typically it is a conversation rather than a one-sided rant, though. My intentions aren

't to talk too much in this blog, but to provide another venue for artists.

I will discuss my personal feelings about the work, however. As Tolstoy says, "Art is man's (I'm sure he meant mankind's) transmittal of feelings."

Being an artist myself I know the value of having your work in front of as many people as possible. There is quality work being shown in Jackson, Mississippi that people aren't seeing.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional art critic. I am simply commenting on exhibitions and the impact they had on me personally.

That being said, the first show that I visited since deciding to start this blog was at Fischer Galleries, www.fischergalleries.com, in Fondren. It was a two person show of paintings by Matthew Puckett of Jackson, and ceramic sculptures by Stacey Johnson, www.staceyjohnsonart.com.

Matthew Puckett's work has a real psychological quality to them that is anything but comforting. He employs some traditional compositional no-no's, intentionally I'm sure, to create a disturbing sense of solitude. It's no surprise that he pays tribute to Francis Bacon in a triptych in the show. The uncomfortable compositional elements are things such as having an object sitting right on the edge of the painting, or having a figure facing off the side of the painting that it is closest to creating a lack of balance. In the case of "Interior with Columns" the column comes out of the guys head in a most unpleasant fashion. Matthew is also in the 2009 Mississippi Invitational at the Mississippi Museum of Art, www.msmuseumart.org., which overall is a very strong show. I got in trouble last time I tried to take pictures in the museum so I won't be showing the invitational here. I highly recommend you checking it out, though. Here are a few images from Matthews show at Fischer...

Interior with Columns

Interior VI

Dinner Party

Interior with Chair

Stacey Johnson's ceramic sculptures on the other hand simply make me happy. She has a great attention to detail, and not to mention that they are just interesting. You could spend hours deciphering the little clues she gives to her ceramic stories. I like what she says in her artist's statement on her website... "These sculptural chapters are work created from a true need to manifest externally what is not completely processed internally." I think that is a good descriptor of the need felt by most artists. Here's some of her work...

Green Skirt

Guilty of Something - detail

Guilty of Something

Self Portrait, Summer 2009 - detail

Listen