Saturday, March 5, 2011

Coping Strategies: Exhibition at Gallery Q

In response to a chaotic, uncertain world, this body of work explores individual’s coping strategies. Turbulent skies and swarms of birds are metaphors for the fear, anxiety, and confusion people often face. They seem to threaten the delicate communities, but the surrounding shelters provide protection. Faced with similar conflict, the populace has acted in different ways. Some have given up, while others have improved their defenses. Some are in denial, as others have made the most of it. Although the future will always be unsure, those individuals that effectively cope with their changing environment are left stronger and more resilient.

A note about the media:

The two-dimensional framed art are one-of-a-kind screenprints. Screenprinting is a printmaking process in which water-based ink is hand pushed through a design on a stretched mesh screen. The collaged elements have been hand-sewn onto the backgrounds. The small sculptures have been created from thin sheets of mica. Mica is a naturally occurring mineral. If a line of small holes is punched into mica, it is able to be folded. The idea of these shelters came from Victorian wardian cases which were a precursor to terrariums and were used to transport plant specimens across seas.




























Monday, October 11, 2010

...And here is the finished photogravure printed in a warm black with layers of screenprint over the top a la Buckminster Fuller. The shelters pictured in this print are being constructed to protect the hole in the oak tree which is also the opening to a village.


Under the Oak


(detail)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

In-progress Photogravure

I'm working on a photogravure for an exchange portfolio for the Mid America Print Council conference in the Twin Cities, MN. The image was taken with a Holga camera and I will be printing a few layers of silkscreen over the print.

"Central Wisconsin Artists" at the Carlsten Art Gallery, Noel Fine Arts Center, UW Stevens Point. A two person exhibition featuring 18 new prints and sculptures by yours truly.

A couple autumns ago as I was driving through country fields, I witnessed thousands of starling birds flying in flocks. The flocks moved like swarms of insects or schools of fish and created interesting moving forms. I was inspired by this phenomenon and started on a series of prints. During the process, I noticed that the starling formations resembled storm clouds. They were beautiful and slightly menacing. Intrigued by this duality I created shelters to protect the inhabitants of these environments. At first the shelters stood alone and in small groups. As the series progressed, the swarms became more ominous and the shelters became a metaphor for the many ways in which people cope with their internal and external tribulations.


(Please click on below images to enlarge)


Fortified, screenprint, collage, sewing, wood, 2010

(detail of Fortified)

Go With the Flow, screenprint, collage, sewing, wood, 2010

Rising Above, screenprint, collage, sewing, wood, 2010

Swept Away, screenprint, collage, sewing, wood, 2010


(Detail of) Circle of Friends, screenprint, collage, sewing, wood, 2010

Green Zone, screenprint, collage, sewing, pochoir, 2010


(Detail of) In Denial, screenprint, collage, sewing, wood, 2010

On the Offense, screenprint, collage, sewing, wood, 2010

Higher Power, screenprint, collage, sewing, wood, 2010


Camo, screenprint, collage, sewing, pochoir, 2010

To the Rescue, screenprint, collage, sewing, 2010

Abandoned, screenprint, collage, sewing, wood veneer, brass nails, 2010

On the Offense II, screenprint, collage, sewing, 2010


(detail of) This Too has Passed, screenprint, collage, sewing, 2010

Play Dead, screenprint, collage, sewing, wood, 2010

Self Contained, screenprint, collage, sewing, acrylic, 2010

Old Habits Die Hard, screenprint, collage, sewing, pochoir, 2010

Out on a Limb, screenprint, collage, sewing, wood, 2010


(detail of) Green Zone II, screenprint, collage, sewing, 2010