Art Space Talk: Casey Ann Wasniewski

Casey Ann Wasniewski received her Master's Degree from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. She is an accomplished contemporary artist, concentrating mainly in a fiber medium. Her work is painstakingly detailed, paying special attention to texture and color. The artist uses horsehair and yards and yards of wool yarn, which she hand-dyes, and later, meticulously hand-embroiders using the highly three-dimensional "French Knot" stitch. The knots are then skillfully manipulated and hand-sewn into abstract and organic-like structures. Like the layers of cells comprising the organs in our bodies, such is each piece a massive conglomeration of "French Knot" stitches. This accumulation of knots creates density and overall form of the pieces. Horsehair creates a decidedly dirty and fleshy quality. Ms. Wasniewski's sculptures have shown around the country, including Pennsylvania, Florida, New Mexico.

Preternatural #4, Dimensions: 37" X 11" X 11"; Medium: Wool, Horsehair, and Industrial Felt. In the corner, far away from sight, lives this, growing, feeding, living, we tend to think of these things, these dark ugly corners, in the house, forest, bottom of the ocean, are disgusting and yet, we can not keep our eyes off them, they intrigue us.

Preternatural #4 (detail)

Brian Sherwin: Casey you studied at the School of the Art Institute Can you briefly discuss that experience? How did it impact you as an artist? Did you have any influential instructors?

Casey Wasniewski: I received my BFA and MFA from SAIC which took five years, it flowed by so fast, and I got on that river and took in everything I could possibly take in, learning bits and pieces of history, literature, and technique. I embraced those moments of fragmented thoughts, learning process, and took in the energy of all the working professional artists around me. The community that exists in such an institution is intense and full of free-flowing ideas and thoughts.

At the time, when I was emerged in the flow of things I didn't really think about how it truly impacted me, although three years out of it, I would say that at the time I couldn't really articulate what I was doing, and now working as an artist, out of that institutionalized community, I look back and take those things I once had, and apply them to my current life. I have found a community like that of the institution and can go back to what things truly inspired me to work/create, taking out books/notes/ thoughts from all those years, adding to the pile, learning new things that I never had time for. I use the knowledge and the practice I embraced then and use it on a daily basis, sharing and bouncing ideas off of the tight-knit community that I am surrounded by. I think knowledge is a moving target, and it follows you wherever you go, and life at SAIC showed me that.

I have had many really influential instructors, Anne Wilson opened my mind to deep philosophical ideas, and techniques, for which I have always looked up to. Park Chambers stuck with me, making my mind turn in all kinds of directions he was not afraid to tell me things were not working or I was to linear. Francis Whitehead, opened my mind to the conceptual world, and through working on a project in South Carolina showed me the ways of research and organizing thoughts. Through a Co-op at SAIC, For the past 6 years, I have had the pleasure of studying textile conservation with Frank Connet,with whom I have had a long relationship with. He taught me things, ways of life, cultural histories, and preservation techniques.

Brobdingnagian Caliginous Substratum Scarum, Side View, Dimensions: 18" X 45" X 22"; Medium: Wool, Horsehair, and Industrial Felt

Brobdingnagian Caliginous Substratum Scarum (detail)
The colors in this piece, while brighter than most of Casey's other works are still hand-dyed. This shot shows, the extreme detail of the "French Knot" The embroidery stitch used to create this texture.

BS: Casey your primary focus is the utilization of fiber mediums within the context of your work. Thus, texture plays an important role with your creations. Can you discuss some of the materials you have used and perhaps give some detail about your process in general?

CW: The materials I use are simple natural yarns, silks and wools; embroidered together, knot after knot, an accumulation of knots on top of a thick piece of felt. My hand and needle punctures, pulls, folds, and shapes the felt intuitively by the knotting process. Texture to me is a sensation, it is important as it is something you can feel, something your hands want to touch and your mind wants to investigate.

One straight needle, and a line of soft delicate yarn takes flight through my fingertips, wrapping around the sharp metal needle, going into the dense wool felt over and over, at moments the multiplicities of other materials such as horse hair and goat hair enter the pieces; becoming animal. The process is a meditative state, where the hands take flight and the mind moves in semiotic chains.
Vehement Flavescent Ilk 1 & 2, Dimensions: 12.5" X 27" X 4"; Medium: Wool, Horsehair, and Industrial Felt. The microscope goes into a realm of bright biology. Specimens so bright and vivid, they must not be taken from nature, or should they? At the bottom of every jungle or forest there are moments so bright, so full of life, they become a mystery.

Vehement Flavescent Ilk (detail)

BS: You have stated the following, " Sometimes we think we know something but we only know it in the most abstract way which means we may not know it at all". Can you go into further detail about that?

CW: Kiki Smith said in an interview, " I think art is just a way to have an opportunity to think about things." One can enter my work in many ways, taking it as a whole, concentrating on an area or focusing on a point of rupture. Each fragment of the whole holds different intellectual and emotion thoughts for me. If one looks for literal in my work, they will not find it, because those abstracted ideas of fragmented semiotic chains will take flight, into a world of the poetic imagination.

The work is not just an abstraction of one literal thing, it is an abstraction of multiplicities and some can take those multiplicities in entirely different directions which is the most interesting thing about working in the abstract, it has a variable we may never know.

BS: Your work tends to explore opposites- for example, repulsion and attraction. Would you say that your utilization of these contradictions are a reflection of how you perceive humanity? What are the specific social implications of your work?

CW: I think humanity is a beautiful thing, there are white and black areas, but there are also vast amounts of grey. By exploring these opposites there is room to think about those fragmented moments in-between ,i.e. the grey areas . There is a lot of good and bad, repulsion and attraction but for me it is those moments in-between, those grey areas, that we are not accustom to that intrigues me the most. Art often imitates what nature can no longer do.

Pellucid Ecumenical Quietus #1,2,3. Dimensions: 12.5" X 41.5" X 4"; Medium: Wool and Industrial Felt. Water, Maps, Constant shift in the material landscape. Yellowish blue, pollution? Beauty? A landscape, a movement, Glaciers melting? Forever lost. White is silent, white is mourning, white is death for the life of a coral.

Pellucid Ecumenical Quietus (detail)

BS: So Is there a specific message that you strive to convey to viewers and if so, what is it?

CW: The world is a Rhizome in essence; each creature runs in its own line of flight. One can enter a piece of artwork and follow it into the poetic imagination of the artists or of themselves, taking a journey into the sensuous unconscious.

BS: With all this in mind… Can you discuss your current work and the goals you have for it?

CW: Be like the river constantly flowing in different directions. The goal is to create an environment with multiple entry ways and like the river it flows from there, taking space, philosophy, and art into consideration, and well going with the flow of things, moment by moment.

BS: Finally, where can our readers view your work in person? Will you be involved with any up coming exhibits?

CW: I was absolutely flattered to have been one of the 50 finalists for the myartspace.com Bridge Art Fair winners, so I will be shown on screen over there, and I will also be at a satellite show, PooL Art Fair

Miami: PooL Art Fair ROOM 209

A show called: n-Literal ( n(minus) Literal)

Artists: Casey Ann Wasniewski and Scott Gruss

I of course have a myartspace.com page, as well as a website www.caseyannwasniewski.com. In January I will be having a solo show, at the Brickton Art Center in Des Plaines, IL , please check the website for more information .

You can learn more about Casey Ann Wasniewski by visiting her website-- www.caseyannwasniewski.com. Casey is a member of the myartspace community-- www.myartspace.com/caseyannwasniewski. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Art Space Talk: Christina Massey

Christina Massey was born and raised in Northern California where she studied painting and printmaking becoming an award-winning graduate before moving to New York City to pursue her Art career. Described by some as a Neo Conceptualist, her work often uses humor and theatrics to involve the viewer in anti-establishment rhetoric through the use of word play in her titles.

Massey has produced multiple series of works including everything from conceptual abstract paintings to public interactive works negating the gallery completely. Works, though often making a statement about Art as a whole, revolve around the subject of painting in particular through her process and use of materials. The installation process itself is often a political commentary more geared toward the non-art educated viewer. Donations are often made to various charities through her sales.
Wrinkled 14, Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 34" W x 28" H x 3" D, 2006.

Brian Sherwin: Christina, you studied at London Metropolitan University and at California State University. Can you briefly tell us about your academic background and how it impacted you as an artist? For example, did you have any influential instructors? Was art school a positive or negative experience?

Christina Massey: College for me was a very positive experience, but it was my decision to minor in Theater Set Design that impacted me as an Artist more than any Art Course or professor did. Working in the Theater Department taught me to think on a larger scale, to think about the power of language and audience participation. More importantly, this allowed me to step out of the shoes of an Artist so to speak, and view the Art Department from another point of view.

BS: In your work you utilize humor and theatrics to involve the viewer in anti-establishment rhetoric through the use of word play in your titles. Can you discuss this and perhaps describe some of the thoughts and motives that inspire you to create art as you do?

CM: That "ah ha!" moment when a viewer makes a connection with the work is what makes me feel successful as an Artist. I love to exhibit in spaces where a more diverse audience than the typical gallery-goer crowd gets to see and interact with the work. I strive to reach a wide audience and if that connection is made through a smile, an "oh I get it" moment, even better. It's those moments that inspire me to create the work I do.

Wrinkled 39, Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 12" W x 12" H x 3" D, 2008

BS: Originally you focused more on figurative abstraction with an interest in futurism, correct? Eventually you broke from that path and started to create flesh-like abstract paintings instead. You titled that series the Dead Series. I understand that the Dead Series was the catalyst for your current work. Can you go into further detail about that? What spurred your change in direction?

CM: Yes, much of my early work was figurative. Ironically, the figures were typically trying to escape their frames. The "Dead Paintings" series was a break through in terms of not doing what was expected of me. Though the desire to change my style and direction was already there, after 9/11 like many people, I rethought what direction and path I wanted to take my life and work.

BS: Tell us more about the social implications reflected within the context of your work. What are the specific messages that you strive to convey to viewers when they observe your art?

CM: Different installations will focus around different social aspects, but always using those general social observances to demonstrate and relate them to those of the Art World. Each installation, though different in theme, always revolves around the concept of connection as base. I use painting as a process to communicate and de-construct the "us" and "them;" the artist: dealer, art educated and not, 3D artist: 2D artist, new and old. This has been addressed through traditionally hung wall paintings to large installations, always using the same format of painting to communicate the conceptual process.
Wrinkled 22, Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 16" W x 16" H, 2007.

BS: Tell us more about your process… perhaps you can select a piece and discuss how it came into being as far as the materials and methods that you utilized? For example, do you work intuitively or do you prefer a strict work ethic when focusing on the creative process?

CM: My work is very constructive/deconstructive. I create work intuitively, always in the mind set that the first approach will be the end result, though this is not often the case. Somewhere in the middle of the process of creating the work, I'll get an idea to do something completely different. The work that had initially seemed completed, I see through a new set of eyes how that work could be used more powerfully in another form, even if this means "destroying" the original work.

For example, the "Meat Market" series was entirely constructed out of previous paintings. The fact that those paintings had to be "killed" in order to make the installation only enhanced the overall concept, making it stronger than the paintings had stood previously alone.

BS: You have been described as a Neo Conceptualist. What are your thoughts on that and art world labels in general? Do you embrace titles, labels, and so on… or do you try to avoid being pinned down to any specific box, so to speak?

CM: I prefer to stay in that "gray" area that defies any particular label. My work is somewhere between painting and sculpture, craft and fine art, abstract and representational. As long as I can continue to surprise people with new work and not become predictable, people can label my work however they like.
Wrinkled 17, Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 2006.

BS: Speaking of the art world, what are the specific concerns that you have about the art world at this time?

CM: One concern is that much of the Art that gets the most attention is all drawn from the same sources. Diversification is a new concept to the Art World, and one that I feel needs to continue to grow. Not simply in terms of gender and race, but also from various income levels and educational backgrounds.

BS: I understand that you have been an advocate for a few charities and have used your work as a vehicle for raising funds, so to speak. In your opinion, why is it important for artists to use their work for this form of change?

CM: So many Artists love to make comments on social awareness issues through their Art, and often tend to fall a little short in terms of their own actions. Like the old saying, lead by example, not just talking about it. In my opinion, doing so only educates yourself more on the topic, but also adds more validity to your point.

Wrinkled 21, Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 18" W x 18" H, 2007.

BS: Christina, where can our readers view your work in person? Will you be involved with any upcoming shows?

CM: I've just begun a new series of work that I want to fine tune before I'm ready to exhibit it. So the majority of my energy is being devoted to that. Though, that having been said, due to some recent international interest, I'm also researching opportunities to exhibit in various cities in South Korea and Japan.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the goals that you have?

CM: Just that I'm thankful you enjoyed it enough to feature on your blog!

You can learn more about Christina Massey by visiting her website--http://cmasseyart.googlepages.com. Christina is currently a member of the myartspace community-- www.myartspace.com/christinamassey. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Eric Beltz's Good Land

Eric Beltz
"By this Axe I Rule"
2008
Graphite on Bristol
27 1/2 x 23 inches

"All conservation of wildness is self-defeating, for to cherish we must see and fondle, and when enough have seen and fondled, there is no wilderness left to cherish."
-Aldo Leopold

The exquisitely rendered graphite drawings included in "The Good Land," Eric Beltz's recent exhibition at Morgan Lehman Gallery, are sophisticated responses to our American folkways and myths. As darkly funny as they are disarmingly earnest, the graphic works are both exhortations and critiques of our nation's inborn exceptionalism and romanticism.

Of particular interest to Beltz is our American relationship to landscape. In "By This Axe I Rule," a contemplative outdoorsman sits on a tree stump, ax in hand. The bodies of a white-tailed deer, a moose, a opossum, a raccoon and other animals are partially concealed by snow drifts at his feet; a turkey vulture is perched above, wings spread. The man bears a striking resemblance to renowned ecologist Aldo Leopold. The likeness may be coincidental, but is nonetheless pertinent. 2008 is the 60th anniversary of Leopold's death. Like Henry David Thoreau and John Muir, Leopold is a lodestar for many contemporary environmentalists. His "A Sand County Almanac," published posthumously in 1949, remains a critical conservation text.

Unlike Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," the 1962 bestseller that catalyzed the modern environmental movement, Leopold's "Almanac" is not a call for corporate and federal responsibility. Although Leopold would surely support such measures, his book is principally concerned with our reforging an intimate connection to the landscape we inhabit. "We can be ethical only in relation to something we can see, feel, understand, love, or otherwise have faith in," he wrote.

It's noteworthy that Leopold's faith is not of the starry-eyed variety; his "land ethic" includes hunting, controlled burns and other practices typically condemned by preservationists. Contrary to the romantic conception of wilderness, Leopold's ethic acknowledges that the tools invented by humans (the saws, shovels, axes, picks and pitchforks that figure prominently in Beltz's drawings) are not simply cruel agents of mastery. Humans are animals and, as such, we are not apart, but rather a part of a complicated, messy ecology. No matter how we manipulate our environment, dominion remains a comforting delusion.

Yet most of us do not conceive Nature in this way. Just as we distinguish between the self and the group, so too do we draw a hard-line distinction between humanity and the “natural world.” William Cronon, a respected, if controversial environmental historian, argues that we must alienate ourselves from Nature before it can be understood as something pristine, virgin or more wild than ourselves. In his celebrated 1983 book, “Changes in the Land”, Cronon reveals the quixotic quality of preservationist impulse.

"If the nature of Concord [Massachusetts] in the 1850s - a nature which many Americans now romanticize as the idyllic world of Thoreau's own Walden - was as 'maimed' and 'imperfect' as he said, what are we to make of the wholeness and perfection which he thought preceded it? It is tempting to believe that when the Europeans arrived in the New World they confronted Virgin Land, the Forest Primeval, a wilderness which had existed for eons uninfluenced by human hands. Nothing could be further from the truth....the land was less virgin than it was widowed. Indians had lived on the continent for thousands of years, and had to a significant extent modified the environment to their purposes…The choice is not between two landscapes, one with and one without a human influence; it is between two human ways of living, two ways of belonging to an ecosystem."

The preservationists' dualistic attitude (i.e., Humanity vs. Nature) provides only simple answers to our complex questions. By contrast, Beltz’s allegorical drawings shirk simplistic moralizing in favor of contradiction, ambivalence and multiplicity. His scenes speak to an active communion with Nature, albeit one that includes suffering, death and a melancholy nod to the essential absurdity of existence. By turns, Beltz eulogizes, champions and satirizes Thoreau's self-sufficiency and Andrew Wyeth's rural romanticism.


Eric Beltz
"Hysteria"
2008
Graphite on paper
17 x 13 3/4 inches

Beltz critiques America's religious and economic landscape, as well. Four of his drawings comprise a series entitled “Back to Eden.” In each, a headless body clothed in overalls, workman boots and a shirt with rolled up sleeves – the uniform of the outdoorsman-farmer - is slumped in or alongside a pile of cut logs and other vegetation. Above each of these tableaus, Beltz has written one word in cursive: Asthma; Hysteria; Cancer; Delirium.

Considering the series, I recall Adam Smith’s ignored admonition concerning the dangers of loosely regulated capitalism. Smith, the 18th century Scottish philosopher best known for his influential treatise "The Wealth of Nations," is canonized by contemporary capitalists for laying down the principals of free market economics, but he entertained doubts and acknowledged the shadows cast by such a system.

"Power and riches," Smith wrote, "are immense fabrics, which it requires the labor of a life to raise, which threaten every moment to overwhelm the person that dwells in them, and which, while they stand, can protect him from none of the severer inclemencies of the season. They keep off the summer shower, not the winter storm, but leave him always as much and sometimes more exposed than before to anxiety, to fear and to sorrow, to diseases, to danger and to death." Smith’s misgivings were warranted. Contemporary life is rife with social ailments and, in combination with our alienation from Nature, secular capitalism is a principal causative factor.

Curiously, free market capitalism is close kin to Manifest Destiny, the divine doctrine of conquest and consumption. Capitalism is exported with no less zeal than our cruel spread west from the colonies. Harriet Beecher Stowe, the 19th century novelist best remembered as an outspoken proponent of abolition, wrote that America is "a nation specifically raised up by God to advance a cause of liberty and religion." She did not say “liberty of religion.” America was founded by Protestant fundamentalists fleeing religious persecution in Europe. Arriving on these contested shores, they took names like Ezekiel, Jacob, and Issac, and likened their journey to the Jewish Exodus from Egypt. These religious settlers are the forebears of a great many contemporary Americans.

Appropriately, Beltz’s drawings incorporate Biblical texts and his subjects are recognizable as America's founding fathers and God-fearing, anonymous farmers. But Beltz draws from a peculiarly American well, the proverbial melting pot. Each drawing is suffused with currents of Eastern philosophy and shamanism. His farmers and historical figures are also mystics. American philosophy is more plural than we care to admit, and Beltz's admixture of East and West, allegory and history, supernatural and natural is a fair reckoning. (American transcendentalism, for example, the philosophy so vital to Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, was a hybrid of Protestant Unitarianism, Romanticism, Hinduism and European intellectualism.)


Eric Beltz
"Tree of the Evil Eagle"
2008
Graphite on paper
40 x 30 inches

Still, the Bible is the first book of the United States, and many Americans regard the Constitution and founding fathers with astonishing reverence (to the extent that, in some circles, the former is sacrosanct). But documents and philosophies are of a particular time. Guarded by strict interpreters, the Constitution of the United States can become as regressively dogmatic as any primary religious text. Without thoughtful interpretation of Constitutional scripture, the significance and relevance of the founding fathers' enterprise will wane.

But most Americans (politicians and citizens alike) are in the business of denying the inevitable, be it the death of a loved one, an unregulated economy or an ideology. Rather than confront our heavy history (and with it our future), the United States cloaks itself in exceptionalism. We remove ourselves from a fact-based historical narrative so that the road to future success is understood as an unyielding continuation of the present, divinely-ordained course. Like the empires that rose and fell before us, America's clarity of vision is obscured by global power and a history that privileges mythic glory over fact. Because we make history, many of our leaders feel strongly that we don't need to know it. Moreover, the history we make is irreproachable because it is consecrated.

Yet the secular capitalist world view strives to replace religion and the supernatural with consumerism. Manifest Destiny Version 3.0 is not ordained by God so much as by the Almighty dollar. And the replacement worked, more or less. The secular capitalist model is today the global standard. But sociologists, anthropologists and, now, some neuroscientists agree that the substitution is inadequate. This deficiency is most apparent in a religious nation like the United States, where fundamentalism and cultism, reactionary responses to the secular world, are thriving. Despite our founding fathers' dismissal of the New Testament's Book of Revelation (Thomas Jefferson described it as "the ravings of a maniac"), a 2002 CNN/Time magazine poll found that 59 percent of Americans believe the prophecies therein are real and that the gruesome judgment of the Second Coming is imminent. James Watt, former President Reagan's Secretary of the Interior, is among that majority. He famously stated that protecting our nation's natural resources was not a priority because Jesus Christ would return only "after the last tree is felled."

Yet some fundamentalists are more fair-minded. They focus instead on the Bible's call for stewardship, and argue that the success or failure of the environmental movement depends on which interpretation gains the upper hand. Will we embrace a dominionist or stewardship theology?

The crux of that question is the American notion of wilderness. Cronon writes, "the flight from history that is very nearly the core of wilderness represents the false hope of an escape from responsibility, the illusion that we can somehow wipe clean the slate...and return to the tabula rasa that supposedly existed before we began to leave our marks on the world...Non-use is not an option: to live in nature is to use and change it by our presence. The choice we face is not to leave no marks - that is impossible - but rather to decide what kinds of marks we wish to leave."


Eric Beltz
"The Good Land"
2008
Graphite on paper
30 x 40 inches

Beltz's meticulously rendered works don't offer any answers, but neither do they shrug off the dilemma. With a richly ironic sensibility and a sensitivity to the complexities of our national character and (natural) history, Beltz embraces our clusterfuck approach even as he skewers it. "The Good Land" is sublimely ambivalent.

Photo credit: all images ripped from the artist's website

(Note: This post originally appeared on the art blog, Hungry Hyaena.)

Art Space Talk: Daniel Oglander

Daniel Oglander’s interest in creating visual art was nurtured at a very early age. Oglander was born into a family of visual artists. His work involves meshing aspects of photography and painting together. Oglander derives most of his material from abandoned buildings. In a sense, he gives new life to the images he finds in books and magazines that have been disposed of-- the meaning is open to the interpretation of viewers. Of his work Daniel states, “I have all of these impulses when I work and I just do it. My process is chaotic and colorful. Usually a "clean" image of a human is transferred over the mess of color underneath. This is meant to represent the facade most people put forth, when inside there is a lot more going on.”

Brian Sherwin: Daniel, I understand that you are from a very artistic family-- in fact, you share a website with several of your family members. Can you tell us about that experience? For example, do you exhibit together?

Daniel Oglander: My family is very unique. Usually parents are "Normal" and the kids end up rebelling against the adults. I always thought my parents were cool. My brother and I embraced their ideals instead of rebelling; it worked out nicely for both parties. Eva, my mother, is a potter/graphic designer and the Rock of the family. My dad Gary is an abstract painter and a super cool dude. My younger brother Eric is a mixed media artist who is currently living in San Miguel, Mexico. The "Oglanders" are a team.

We live and create together on pretty much a daily basis. Almost every room in our house has been converted into "shared" studio space. My mother's pottery studio is the same place where my brother and I paint. The electric kiln is in the garage along with wood working tools metal scraps, fertilizer, bikes, and other random shit. The gas kiln is just outside the garage in the driveway. My dad's paintings are pretty big so he paints outside on the deck...when it's nice. If its raining He'll just pin a canvas to the wall and paint there.

On the occasions when we have exhibited together, our house turns into controlled chaos. But we make it work. It's kind of like a family of musicians performing together. But, A family of visual artist putting together a show is something different and special in it's own right.

BS: Can you go into further detail about the connection you have with your family as far as your artistic growth is concerned?

DO: Basically, I grew up in art school. There were always plenty of pencils, crayons, pastels, paint, clay, ink, string, glue, all of which ended up on the walls, couch, or even on my moms Chevy Nova...sorry mom. My creativity was nurtured every step of the way by my parents. After high school, I decided I wanted to go to a "real" art school. In six months I had dropped out. My parents were better teachers.

Oh, but they don't pull punches. I'll walk upstairs with a brand new painting I've just done, show it to my mom, and she'll say "It sucks"...but, here's why it sucks and this is what you should do. We are constantly bouncing ideas off of one another and learning new techniques. One of us will go to a workshop or class, come back, and teach the rest of us what we've learned. Our goal is to continually evolve and inspire each other as artists and as people. In case you were wondering, I love my family.

BS: Aside from your family… are you influenced by other specific artists? Tell us more about your influences…

DO: Hmmm. As far as other artist go, I've been looking at Jenny Seville. The Nurse series of Richard Prince. And De Kooning just for a few color ideas. What really influences me, though, is life in general: the random occurrences, happenings, discoveries, all of it. I derive most of my material from abandoned buildings. There is something about taking an image out of a book or magazine that someone left years ago and breathing new life into it.

BS: Now… about your specific body of work-- I noticed that you use pop culture references, but there is also a foreboding sense about your work. Tell us about the thoughts behind your art…

DO: My ideas are constantly changing. The one constant in my work is images of people. I've always been intrigued by human beings- our nature, why we do or don't do certain things, why we treat people of different classes, races or creeds in dissimilar ways. We all have layers. Each of us has parts of ourselves that shine through and other things that we like to keep in the shadows.

BS: So what are the social implications of your work? Do you strive to convey a specific message to viewers?

DO: When I sit down to do a painting my goal is not to broadcast my views in any particular way. If you can see something in my work, that's great. If you don't, well, then look at something else. I am extremely passionate about what I do. If you can find that message in my work then I've done my job.

BS: Would you say that you adhere to a certain philosophy as far as your work is concerned?

DO: Creating art is hard wired into my brain. I can't do anything else. I've been making art for as long as I can remember. My philosophy is enjoy every moment. Follow your bliss. Don't sweat the small stuff. I am genuinely happy almost all day -- minus the five minutes before I take that first sip of coffee.

BS: Can you give our readers some insight into your current work? What are you working on at this time?

DO: All of my art hinges on my ability to "discover" new material. I don't buy my images, they are all either from books found in abandon buildings or photos I've taken. I was recently in Mexico visiting my brother and his girlfriend. We decided to go for a walk through the town and stumbled upon an abandoned compound of buildings. Inside one of the buildings was an enormous pile of books, magazines, letters and pictures. I spent the next three days of my vacation sorting through this treasure trove...I found two dead rats one squirrel and enough material to last me a few years! I'm surprised I didn't get the Junta Virus from inhaling all that rat shit. Most of my new work will be centered around that new material found in mexico.

BS: What about exhibits? Will you be involved with any upcoming exhibits?

DO: I am currently working on a piece for an exhibit at the Nashville airport. Each one of my family members has been given quite a large space to fill . I'm planning on doing a grid consisting of 60 or so small pieces to form one large image. Its the first time I've ever attempted such a large piece. The dimensions will be 20'x10'. I have to finish this piece before January 15. Kinda freaking out.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the goals that you have?

DO: Right now I'm just interested in making good paintings and having fun. If I end up getting some measure of success and respect that would be the cherry on top.

You can learn more about Daniel Oglander by visiting the following website--http://web.mac.com/oglanderart. Daniel is currently a member of the myartspace community--www.myartspace.com/danieloglander. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Myartspace / Bridge Art Fair Announce the Winners and Finalists of Joint Miami Competition

The three winners and 50 finalists of the Miami competition sponsored by www.myartspace.com and Bridge Art Fair have been announced! The three winners are-- Jonathan Brilliant, Beatrix Reinhardt, and Douglas Ljungkvist. The jury panel for the competition included: Elisabeth Sussman-- Senior Curator at The Whitney Museum, Janet Bishop-- Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), JoAnne Northrup-- Senior Curator at the San Jose Museum of Art and Michael Workman-- Founder of the Bridge Art Fair. The three winners will be represented by myartspace at Bridge Miami this December.
First Place Winner: Jonathan Brilliant

(www.myartspace.com/jonathanbrilliant)

Jonathan David Brilliant describes himself as a Southern Has-been and a British Wanna-Be. He was born in 1976 in Charleston, South Carolina. Brilliant holds a B.A. in studio art from the College of Charleston and an M.F.A. in Spatial arts from San Jose State University.In addition to site specific installations, Brilliant works in video, photography, digital imaging and googles himself regularly. He currently lives and works in South Carolina with his wife Brooke and their cat Zero. To read an interview with Jonathan, click HERE.

Second Place Winner: Beatrix Reinhardt

(www.myartspace.com/beatrixreinhardt)

Beatrix Reinhardt was born in Wolgograd/Russia and grew up in former East Germany. Presently she resides in NYC where she teaches at the College of Staten Island/CUNY. She received her M.F.A. in photography from Illinois State University, her M.A. in Media Studies from the New School for Social Research and her B.A. in New German Literature (minors: linguistics and psychology) from the Freie Universit't Berlin. She has taught widely in Europe, North America, Australia and Asia. Reinhardt's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. To read an interview with Beatrix, click HERE.

Third Place Winner: Douglas Ljungkvist

(www.myartspace.com/douglasljungkvist)

Douglas Ljungkvist was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. Mr Ljungkvist was a former advertising executive who decided to leave his corporate career to become an artist. Douglas describes himself... "I am a self-taught Brooklyn based photographer, originally from Sweden. Photography for me is all about self expression. My goal is to capture images that leave the viewer with more questions than answers, inviting them to an interactive experience." To read an interview with Douglas, click HERE.

To observe a list of the three winners along with the 50 finalists visit the following page-- www.myartspace.com/miamibasel/winners/winners.html

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Art Space Talk: Jonathan Brilliant

Jonathan Brilliant is the first prize winner of the Miami Basel competition sponsored by myartspace and the Bridge Art Fair. The competition involved a world class jury panel from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Jose Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of Art and the Bridge Art Fair. Brilliant was born in 1976 in Charleston, South Carolina. He holds a B.A. in studio art from the College of Charleston and an M.F.A. in Spatial arts from San Jose State University.

The Goldsworthy of the Coffee Shop at SC State University, 30,000 wooden coffee stir sticks woven in place and held by tension, work created on site while in residence the week of oct 17-24 2008, Dimensions: variable; Medium: woven wooden coffee stir sticks

Brian Sherwin: Jonathan, you are the top finalist in the Miami Basel competition. As you know, the competition was a joint effort between www.myartspace.com and the Bridge Art Fair. Can you discuss what attracted you to the competition and why you decided to enter?

Jonathan Brilliant: I think like most people I was seduced by the caliber of the jury. I am always hesitant about submitting to things with an application fee, but when I saw which institutions the jurors were affiliated with, I figured what the hell. I am a big fan of the San Jose museum of Art, the Whitney and the SF MOMA.

BS: How did you feel going into the competition? Also, in your opinion, why is it important for artists to compete in juried competitions of this nature?

JB: I felt about the same as I always do when submitting; a bit like pitching pennies in a well. I don't know how important it is for artists to enter juried competitions of this nature. I do know that it has become part of my practice after I complete any installation to send it out somewhere to hopefully keep the momentum going.

The Goldsworthy of the Coffee Shop at SC State University. 30,000 coffee stir sticks woven in place and held by tension; Medium: woven wooden coffee stir sticks

BS: Jonathan, you studied Spatial Arts at San Jose State University. Can you briefly discuss your academic background? For example, did you have any influential instructors? How did your studies impact your development as an artist?

JB: I should back up and say that my background in the visual arts is almost entirely academic on some level. Before San Jose State I studied art at The College of Charleston, and before that I lived in a cabin in Houston, Alaska. To say I came to making art by wayof academics would be an understatement. I am, was, and always will be a drummer. My first love affair with art made with sticks is drumming. That being said when I entered college at age 21 I hadn't a clue what I wanted to do with my life, on some level I still don't, but I gravitated towards the visual arts because they scratched the same itch as music.

By the time I arrived at San Jose State I was coming off of a good run at making my work mostly in isolation and showing finished works in a gallery. Graduate school gave me a captive audience to test things, and ideas. Not really in a sinister way, but just in a way that helped me better understand what the audience was experiencing.

As far as influential artists in my life I can name a few. At San Jose State University I was particularly impacted by my friend Shannon Wright. Shannon was the first one to really challenge me to make work that I enjoyed as an audience member. She is someone I am still in constant contact with and her input is always welcome, although these days we talk more about non-artsy things.

Another tremendous influence on my practice is David Kimball Anderson. David is a great dude. He is this super funny, insightful, well-informed artist. David is a master of mixing chaos, and control, refinement and rawness, something I strive for.

Finally in graduate school I immersed myself in the art that I loved. I became a devoted follower of British sculpture since the 70's and American post minimalist art of the 60's. Somewhere in there I started filtering all that through my personal lense of southerness, and arrived at my current direction

The Goldsworthy of the Coffee Shop at the Dam Stuhltrager Gallery. For 12 days Brilliant wove 50,000 stir sticks while in residence at the Dam Stuhltrager Gallery in Williamsburg Brooklyn.

BS: Tell us about your installations. For example, you have created works from thousands of wooden coffee stir sticks that are woven in place and held by tension. You have also utilized coffee cup lids and other materials as your medium of choice. What attracted you to utilizing said materials?

JB: I am just intrigued by all the materials related to the ritual of coffee and the to-go coffee cup. I find them to be the most practical familiar materials around. I have handled them way more than most other materials. In many cases it is just that my eyes are always open to the potential for making art in my everyday life. I am constantly looking around, when I see a pile of stuff on the side of the road, or anywhere there is free materials I am there. In the woven stir stick installations it is a very practical decision. I know if I have x number of days to work in the gallery to make the piece, I need x number of sticks, so I guess being practical influences my decisions a bit.

BS: Can you tell us about the process of these works? For example, is there a great deal of planning or is there room for you to follow your intuition, so to speak?

JB: I would say there is more practice than planning. Like a musician rehearsing or an athlete practicing, I am always working on my art. Before an installation I will do some practice weaving to make sure I am up to speed. In most cases I only have a couple of pictures of the space ahead of time, so I just sort of guess how many sticks it will taketo fill the space. When I arrive I immediately begin working. Before my mind has had time to wander I start weaving.

In the process of weaving, I begin to get a sense of the feeling of the space and imagine how I want the piece to flow. Oftentimes I just follow the line of stir sticks and let the weaving guide me. The decisions are sort of made on the fly, and sometimes when a section collapses in the process, I have to remake that section and that will dictate the direction of the piece. I think of the installations as drawing my way around the room, kind of like a big systematic, dimensional, scribble.

The Goldsworthy of the Coffee Shop at the Dam Stuhltrager Gallery

BS: You also work in video, photography, and digital imaging. When working across one medium to another would you say that they are all connected in some way? For example, does photography inform your sculptural works, and so on?

JB: Photography is just part of my sketchbook practice. I keep a sketchbook and a camera with me at all times, just in case I see or think of something. As for informing each other,yes. Recently I started taking multiple photographs from several angles of the installations in order to collage these photos together to create a record of the installation. I am hoping to send one of these collages down to Miami, along with a woven section and another related work on paper.

I find that digital imaging tools are also quite useful. For example the clonening tool within the Photoshop interface really appeals to me, since it creates patterns systematically the way that I do with my rust on paper works, the woven works and even the welded pieces.

BS: Can you give our readers some insight into projects you would like to take on in the future? Can you give us a glimpse of some of the ideas that you have?

JB: Have stir sticks will travel. I am really interested in creating more fully encapsulated environments. Up until now the installations have been dictated by a 7-14 day work time. If I had more time, say 3-6months, I could really blow it out.

As for the immediate future, I plan to continue working in the studio. I have a new series of drawings I am working on, and just the other day I found a few thousand wire coat hangers and started weaving those together. I have some really big wooden stir sticks I am making out of old ikea bed slats, so the future is wide open.

The Sumter Piece, for 12.5 days Brilliant wove stir sticks from the second floor through to the first floor as part of the Sumter accessibility residency program.

BS: You describes yourself as a Southern has-been and a British Wanna-Be. In one project you assumed the role of a British artist who gathers materials in his natural environment and uses them to execute a site-specific installation. It appears that humor, in general, plays a major role in how you perceive yourself. Can you discuss that and how it enters your work?

JB: Sure, I think I subscribe to the Monty python/Simpsons/Marx brothers school of humor. I hope that some of that comes through. Although I am quite serious about the work I do, I am hardly a serious person. I mean can you imagine me at a job interview

interviewer: “Jonathan, we here at The Office really need someone with special talents do you have any?”

me: “Oh sure I can turn your whole office supply closet into a visually stunning installation rendering your closet and supplies useless in the process, and I am really good at liberating materials from coffee shops.”

interviewer: “You're Hired!”

I mean I live in Stephen Colbert’s hometown, that tends to have an effect on a person!

BS: Would you say that most artists take their work too seriously? In your opinion, does that hold artists back at times?

JB: I can't speak for most artists, I know I take myself too seriously and it holds me back sometimes. But you can never take art too seriously, it is a labor of love, and on some level we have to divorce the artwork from the artist.

BS: I noticed that you have had dozens of exhibits in South Carolina. That said, is regional success important to you?

JB: You know whether I am in Sumter South Carolina, Charleston South Carolina, Orangeburg South Carolina, Greensboro North Carolina, Brooklyn New York, or San Jose California, or San Jose De Cabo Mexico, I am going to rock it out and make the best work I can.

BS: Speaking of exhibits… aside from Bridge Miami, will you be involved with anyother upcoming exhibits?

JB: I don't want to spoil it, because you know funding is all up in the air, but I am supposed to do an installation and possible public piece in May for the City of Charleston here. I have a couple of proposals floating out there, maybe winning this will help them take hold.

I want to remind people that I am the perfect recession-era installation artist for a non-profit or university gallery if anyone is looking for installation artists, or a funny inspiring lecturer I know one. Oh yeah and I am having an invitation only oyster roast and open studio some time in February, it will be called "Beg, Borrow, and Steel" email me for more information and to be put on the list.

The Goldsworthy of the Coffee Shop at Redux Contemporary Art Center in Charleston, SC--2006

BS: Would you like to discuss some of your other recent accomplishments? For example, I read that you received a full fellowship from the Joan Mitchell Foundation in 2007. Can you tell us about that experience?

JB: Yeah, to clarify that was a full fellowship to the Vermont Studio Center for a month long residency, nothing short of a great experience. I actually applied to the Vermont Studio Center and didn't think I would get the full fellowship, but when I did Ijumped up and down. I met some amazing people, and maintain contact with themto this day. The experience definitely shaped me, and is the main reason that Ipainted a recent steel sculpture titled “Big Ass Water Bottle” white, I wastrying to sort of capture my memory of the Vermont Studio Experience.

BS: I noticed that you utilize the internet for your career goals. You have a personal website, a blog, and you use art sites like www.myartspace.com. In your opinion, why is it important for artists, specifically emerging artists, to take advantage of the internet and what it has to offer?

JB: I am a big fan of the internet, it beats the hell out of sending out actual physical slides.Seriously though, I think people should only use tools they are comfortable and familiar with. The internet is good, but it is no substitute for actually getting out and seeing work you love and connecting with other artists in person. If somebody lives somewhere and they see a bunch of art stuff on the internet, or more importantly in a book, they should really make an effort to see it in person if possible.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a slight passion I have for the Google search algorithm. I for one was not happy when they changed the search algorithm sometime last year. Since my last name is an adjective, my family name by birth in case you are wondering, I had trouble getting Google juice. Once I began to engage with the internet and taught myself some real basic web stuff, I began to get the Google ranking and notjust the occurrence of the name Jonathan and the adjective brilliant. So all and all this internet experiment seems to be a good thing.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or thegoals that you have?

JB: Have you tried the new espresso truffle at Starbucks, that shit is the bomb!

You can learn more about Jonathan Brilliant by visiting the following websites-- www.jonathanbrilliant.com, www.myartspace.com/jonathanbrilliant. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Art Space Talk: Beatrix Reinhardt

Beatrix Reinhardt is the second place winner of the Miami Basel competition sponsored by myartspace and the Bridge Art Fair. The competition involved a world class jury panel from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Jose Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of Art and the Bridge Art Fair. Beatrix Reinhardt was born in Wolgograd, Russia and grew up in former East Germany. Reinhardt received her M.F.A. in photography from Illinois State University, her M.A. in Media Studies from the New School for Social Research and her B.A. in New German Literature (minors: linguistics and psychology) from the Freie Universität Berlin. She has taught widely in Europe, North America, Australia and Asia. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.

Pathfinder Hunting and Gun Club, Fulton, NY. c-print

Brian Sherwin: Beatrix, you are the second place winner of the Miami Basel competition. As you know, the competition was a joint effort between www.myartspace.com and the Bridge Art Fair. Can you discuss what attracted you to the competition and why you decided to enter?

Beatrix Reinhardt: Art Basel is one of the most important events – it is a big art fair with many fairs, including Bridge, surrounding it.

BS: How did you feel going into the competition? Also, in your opinion, why is it important for artists to compete in juried competitions of this nature?

BR: I did not have any feeling or expectations entering.

BS: Beatrix, can you discuss what attracted you to photography?

BR: Photography attracted me because of its quietness and forcefulness at the same time.

Tantra Club, London, UK. c-print

BS: Do you have formal training in photography? If so, can you discuss that experience and perhaps discuss some instructors who have influenced you?

BR: I started photography classes at the New School and continued (with MFA) at Illinois Sate University. Wolfgang Schiermacher (New School) and Rhondal McKinney and Scott Rankin (both ISU) and my fellow graduate students at Illinois State University influenced me.

BS: You have stated that the politics of space has been the center of interest in your work. For example, how demarcation can be achieved through decoration. Can you go into further detail about this and the thoughts behind your work in general?

BR: Yes, The politics of space has been the center of interest in my work. How demarcation can be achieved through decoration and organization, the way individuals express themselves through how they organize, use and decorate their spaces, and how this can be seen as an expression of cultural values, ideals, beliefs, individual taste and sensibilities; and how architecture and decoration can reflect temporary liberation from everydayness are discussed in my photographic works.

Candy Club, Beijing, China. c-print

BS: Your photographs, such as the Club series, are void of people yet a certain presence is captured nonetheless. Can you go into further detail about this choice and what it represents to you?

BR: Sometimes human residue is more revealing than the humans who occupy these spaces. Most of my photographs are un-peopled but replete with human presence, visible in form of the social relations conveyed by the organization of space. The absence of living beings in my work, which was a gradual development, is not a matter of formal convenience. It is rather motivated by allowing an unencumbered view of a social landscape, revealing information about the people who interact in these spaces, creating real and imagined narratives for the viewer.

BS: What is the specific message you strive to convey to viewers of your work? Do you have a specific message in mind?

BR: No, that is impossible. I have an intention but no specific message.

Cretan Club, Astoria, NY. c-print

BS: Do you mind telling us about your process in general? For example, is your work intuitive or is there a great deal of planning as for where and when you shoot?

BR: Photographing clubs took planning because I needed the permission to photograph. I started the Club series in 2003 in Australia, during an artist-in-residency at the Australian National University in Canberra. Meanwhile, I photographed clubs in China (2005), the U.S. (2006/07/08), Spain (2006), Ukraine (2008) and England (2004).

My interest in clubs was sparked by the attitude of Australians towards these entities – many of the citizens belong to at least one, but more commonly to several clubs. Clubs appeared to be institutions of great significance within the social landscape. I never have been a big enthusiast of organized “togetherness”, which I always contributed to my upbringing in former East Germany, where a schedule of memberships was awaiting since the day one was born.

Thinking about the notions the concept club has to offer has been fascinating and extremely intriguing. To me, Clubs are the nexus of homogeny and heterogeny. It is that space where “like” comes together and “unlike” stays apart. The club manifests the accomplishment of a unified “taste” a harmony, a bringing together of certain personal elements, which could, quite possibly otherwise have been kept apart. However, what remains apart is just as important as what comes together to constitute the club. That is, it is not only due to the nature of union that the club is defined and takes on a meaning but also due to the nature of exclusion.

Exclusion becomes a main attribute of a club but more importantly it is what it excludes that becomes the defining characteristic of the club in question. All these notions, so I hope, have visual manifestations, which became the focus of this body of work.

Hellenic Club, Canberra, Australia. c-print

BS: Tell us more about your influences. For example, are you influenced by any specific artist or world event?

BR: I am influenced and admire different artists for particular notions, for instance Robert Frank’s ability to sequence images, Gregory Crewdson’s use and control of light and the surface quality of his images, Judith Samen’s formalism that evokes humor, the Becher’s discipline, Boris Mikhailov’s subject matters, Shizuka Yokomizo’s anonymous way of collaboration, Allan Sekula’s ideological visual clues, Wang Qingsong’s clever incorporation of art history, Katy Grannan’s captured honesty…the change of environment – having all senses reshuffled is also important. Artist-in-residencies in different parts of the world are essential I find.

BS: What are you working on at this time? Can you give our readers some insight into your current practice?

BR: I usually work on several projects simultaneously. I am working on a project about police hats and about a gas pipeline (Die Trasse) in the Ukraine.

ChangAn Club, Beijing, China. c-print

BS: Aside from the www.myartspace.com space at the Bridge Art Fair, will you be involved with any other upcoming exhibits?

BR: No, not really. I am concentrating on developing new bodies of work at the moment.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the goals that you have?

BR: I would like to make a book of the club series.

You can learn more about Beatrix Reinhardt by visiting her myartspace profile-- www.myartspace.com/beatrixreinhardt. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Art Space Talk: Douglas Ljungkvist

Douglas Ljungkvist is the third prize winner of the Miami Basel competition sponsored by myartspace and the Bridge Art Fair. The competition involved a world class jury panel from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Jose Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of Art and the Bridge Art Fair. Ljungkvist is a self-taught Brooklyn based photographer, originally from Sweden. The artist has stated that his photography is all about self expression. His goal is to capture images that leave the viewer with more questions than answers.

Untitled, from project titled "The Time in Between", which studies spaces and the time in between the memory and anticipation of man. Dimensions: 16x24; Medium: Photography

Brian Sherwin: Douglas, you are the third prize winner in the Miami Basel competition. As you know, the competition was a joint effort between www.myartspace.com and the Bridge Art Fair. Can you discuss what attracted you to the competition and why you decided to enter?

Douglas Ljungkvist: I usually enter contest that are limited to photography only. But in this case I was really intrigued with the possible exposure that the winning artists would receive. And the quality of the jury was an important factor, too. I’ve been a part of www.myartspace.com since the beginning and always been impressed with the quality of their opportunities and the business model. The internet has made art more democratic and has definitely benefited my development.
Untitled, from project titled "The Time in Between", which studies spaces and the time in between the memory and anticipation of man. Dimensions: 16x24; Medium: Photography

BS: How did you feel going into the competition? Also, in your opinion, why is it important for artists to compete in juried competitions of this nature?

DL: Despite having done well in large photography contests in the past I always try and keep my expectations low. Especially when being up against other more popular art forms. As an artist I think it’s crucial to show your work online and in print through contests, portfolios reviews, and with peers. Putting together a contest entry also sharpens your editing, sequencing, and writing skills. I almost only enter contests now that allow online submissions.

BS: Douglas, you are self-taught, correct? Have you had any formal training? Can you discuss what attracted you to photography? At what point did your interest become a way of life, so to speak?

DL: Yes I am self taught except for a few classes I took at International Center of Photography (ICP). But since my school days I never really learned well in a formal and traditional setting. I’m more of a hands-on, trial and error type personality. I’ve always been a very visual person and everything I experience can be translated visually.

The advancement of digital photography got me interested in photography almost 4 years ago. I was hooked instantly and started reading photography books, art magazines, going to art shows, and knew that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. It also helped that my fiancée, who I met around the same time I started with photography, had studied photography at Purchase College, NY. So Erica has been a great resource and encouragement to me.

Untitled, from project titled "The Time in Between", which studies spaces and the time in between the memory and anticipation of man. Dimensions: 16x24; Medium: Photography

BS: I understand that you strive to capture images that provide viewers with more questions than answers-- such, who was there? What occurred? And so on. In that sense your photographs become an interactive experience that allows viewers to explore their imagination while viewing your work. Can you go into further detail about that and about the thoughts behind your art in general?

DL: Photography for me is all about self expression. I don’t strive to make images that tell an absolute truth, but more about how I see the world. Contemporary photography is very much about story telling. My work is more about mood and feeling than a deceive moment. Photography is a documentary medium, but I see myself more as an artist per se, whose medium and tool happens to be photography.

Untitled, from project titled "The Time in Between", which studies spaces and the time in between the memory and anticipation of man. Dimensions: 16x24; Medium: Photography

BS: With your color photography you study urban and industrial landscapes that are in transition. Tell us more about that specific body of work…

DL: The urban landscape is my domain, where I live and where I feel at home. For the first time in history there are more people in the world living in cities. Part of this trend has brought on urban renewal and gentrification, and Brooklyn, where I live, is a perfect example of this. The skyline is littered with building cranes and new buildings popping up. Industrial areas are converted to lofts and condos. I photograph construction sites as part of our changing urban landscape. These sites are considered urban eye sores but after a while we don’t notice them any more.

Metaphorically I see them as people. Yes, up front they all look the same, but when you look closer they have different personalities, materials, colors, texture, and so on. I also love how the fences around construction sites become temporary hosts for street art and message of our time are left.

Untitled, from project titled "The Time in Between", which studies spaces and the time in between the memory and anticipation of man. Dimensions: 16x24; Medium: Photography

BS: What is the specific message you strive to convey to viewers of your work? Do you have a specific message in mind?

DL: I want to share my view of the world. I want to point out the ordinary that we take for granted by making the ugly beautiful through my appreciation for natural light. With reality TV and media being what it is, I think there is a great focus on the “big” moments. Whether it’s fame, career, money, it’s creating a culture where a story is not noticed unless it’s big or scandalous. But for me life is a series of small moments. That’s what I appreciate in life and part of what I want to share as a photographer, a series of small quiet ordinary scenes.

BS: Do you mind telling us about your process in general? For example, is your work intuitive or is there a great deal of planning as for where and when you shoot?

DL: I’m all about intuition. I don’t try and decide what to photograph on a particular day, unless I have shot list for a specific assignment. I am much more deliberate with my travel photography as you only have a limited amount of time in a place, and you need time to scout for optimum light conditions. But for my personal work, I know it when I see it. It’s more important for me to capture images that grab my attention and later I decide how they may fit into existing projects.

By exploring the streets and industrial parts of the city I put myself in situations to find scenes or subjects that appeal to my eye or invoke certain feelings. These often include feelings of familiarity, alienation, eeriness, or the abstract. I’m an observer of life and places. I love the solitary pursuit of the type of photography that I do. I think some photographers are “technical” and others are “feel” photographers. I am definitely the latter.

Untitled, from project titled "The Time in Between", which studies spaces and the time in between the memory and anticipation of man. Dimensions: 16x24; Medium: Photography

BS: Tell us more about your influences. For example, are you influenced by any specific artist or world event?

DL: As with movies, art, fashion, cars, and other things, I’m visually influenced by two decades; the 70’s and the 40’s. My color photography is inspired by the 1970’s color pioneers including Stephen Shore and William Eggleston. My favorite Black & White photographers are Andre Kertesz and Bill Brant. I think it’s the juxtaposition of the elegance of the 40’s and the wonderful tastelessness of the 70’s that I like.

BS: What are you working on at this time? Can you give our readers some insight into your current practice?

DL: The portfolio that I was selected for includes images from a project titled “The Time in Between”, which studies manmade spaces. These are functional spaces meant to host people and often associated with crowds. How do these spaces look when time is suspended and the people removed? Between the memory and anticipation of man, the space takes on a different feeling and mood. These conditions are shared with indoor and outdoor spaces, large cities and small towns.

In addition to my urban landscape photography I have a few specific projects that I’m working on. The most extensive is visiting and photographing towns named “Middletown USA”, in all 16 states that have one. This project started in the summer of 2007 and so far I have visited 11 of 16 Middletown’s. This is not a documentary project of what life is like in Middletown but rather how I experience it as an outsider, along the traditions of vernacular photography. I started is as a challenge to photograph areas that are outside of my urban comfort zone.

I recently started another exciting project in Mexico City that is titled “Rush Hour”. Over time the project will visit 2-3 cities per continent and experience what happens in them during the morning Rush Hour for one week, Monday through Friday. So far I have photographed Mexico City and New York for this project. It’s a street photography project where people play a key part.

I also have several ongoing “collections” of images that I accumulate, including vintage cars, chairs/seats, marketing signs, and discarded items left on the street. A future project is to photograph my way around the Black Sea.

Untitled, from project titled "The Time in Between", which studies spaces and the time in between the memory and anticipation of man. Dimensions: 16x24; Medium: Photography

BS: Aside from the the www.myartspace.com space at the Bridge Art Fair, will you be involved with any other upcoming exhibits?

DL: I was the fortunate winner of the New York leg of the 2007 UnScene Photography Tour. The prize was inclusion in a show at Chelsea Gallery, Peer Gallery, now called Michael Mazzeo Gallery. No date has been set yet. And I’m looking forward to other exhibition opportunities in the US and Europe. I would especially love to have a show in my native country of Sweden in the future.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the goals that you have?

DL: I recently quit my day job after a marketing career in the travel industry to focus on photography full time. My long-term goal is to focus on my personal projects in the form of books, exhibitions, and prints sales. To finance them I would like to develop my editorial Travel and Architectural photography. And a grant or two along the way would help, too. I’m using my old marketing experience to seek out airline, hotel, editorial, publisher, and stock photography partners for my Rush Hour project. A project with such a global reach tends to get expensive.

Other than that I look forward to producing more work in the same sprit as I do now, not worrying about the latest photography trends.

You can learn more about Douglas Ljungkvist by visiting the following sites-- www.douglasljungkvist.com, www.myartspace.com/douglasljungkvist. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

And you thought Ebay was the only place to buy forged paintings…

And you thought Ebay was the only place to buy forged paintings… Giuseppe Concepcion at work.

It seems that a ‘prominent’ New York and Miami art dealer was arrested last week on charges of selling forged paintings. If the allegations are true the art dealer, Giuseppe Concepcion, set his caliber high. The alleged forgeries include works by several famous artist-- the likes of Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall.
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Prosecutors have stated that Concepcion sold customers the forgeries from a gallery he operated in Manhattan and from the Proarte Gallery in Miami. His activity is alleged to have occurred between 2005 and 2007. However, Concepcion’s lawyer, Mark Heller, has stated that no crime had been committed and that his client is a law-abiding professional who is dedicated to art and art advocacy.

Heller went on to say that Concepcion had been under investigation for several years and would be exonerated. Heller has also noted that a few of the works had exchanged hands between other art dealers and that he feels as if his client is being used as a scapegoat. Will this case expose other crooked art dealers? Only time will tell.

Art fakes and forgeries are a $12 billion industry according to the FBI’s Art Register. The recent economic downturn has spurred art collectors and investors to be more active in knowing the complete marketing history of the works they have acquired. Needless to say, I don’t think Giuseppe Concepcion will be the first to go down. The art dealers bail was set for $500,000. If convicted he may face up to 30 years in prison.

Links of Interest:

Art gallery owner arrested for selling forgeries of Matisse, Calder, others

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

When Does Art Become a Form of Exploitation?

When Does Art Become a Form of Exploitation?

At what point does art-- or should I say the subjects or themes that artists choose to explore-- become a form exploitation? Lately there seems to have been an increase in headlines asking this specific question. Some view this question as an attack on the arts while others view it as a discussion that is needed within the context of the art world and how the general public views art.

There are many questions to ask involving the issue of art and exploitation:

Is it exploitation when an artist like Bill Henson takes photographs of nude teens as young as 12 in the name of art?

Is it exploitation when an artist like Gretchen Beck mentions during a lecture about her work that her agreement with a specific ethnic group in Africa has helped to develop her career by serving as a point of contact and reference for her art?

Is it exploitation when an artist focuses his or her art on racial struggles that he or she has not experienced personally?

Is it exploitation when an artist documents his or her interactions with victims of drug addictions or individuals caught in the throws of poverty-- all the while receiving hundreds or thousands of dollars per image?

Is it exploitation when an artist builds a financial empire on the creation of faith based art while living in a way that is in conflict with the religious views he or she projects in his or her art?

Is it exploitation when an artist claims that his or her art is in support of fallen soldiers while at the same time being vocal against those who are still in the field of battle?

At what point should these works be considered exploitation? Should a line be drawn? Or is the nature of artistic expression to exploit in some manner even if our intentions are good?

The validity of said works is decided by each individual who views them. Some will be outraged while others will praise the artist for what he or she has accomplished in order to expose viewers or inform viewers about a specific topic-- regardless of his or her intention for having done so. However, contradictions can easily pop up when an artist is exploring delicate issues-- such as religion, poverty, aspects of sexuality, and cultural differences-- in an controversial manner. Due to this many feel that these artists set themselves up for confrontation. Critics of said works may even describe the practice as a form of attention seeking or an easy way to create buzz. What are your thoughts on this issue? When does art become a form of exploitation? At what point does an artist create works simply for media appeal? How can we know the true intentions behind the creation of said works? Are we meant to know? Does it matter? What say you…

Links of Interest:
Students Question: Art or Exploitation?

Views on child protocols divided

Never Forget. You’re Reminded

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com

Art Space Talk: Roy Nachum

At first glance the paintings by Roy Nachum can easily be confused with digital art. However, his works are actually oil paintings on canvas that are painted in a way that spurs the viewer to investigate further. Nachum creates his images by utilizing the idea of pixels. Each ‘pixel’ is painted one-by-one. The end result is a painting that comes together in a unique manner. Nachum describes this as creating micro worlds that come together in order to form the pattern of a single reality or of a dream. Nachum studied at the Bezalel Academy of Arts in Jerusalem, Israel. He also studied at the Cooper Union School of Art in New York City. Roy Nachum has exhibited frequently in Israel and the United States.

Brian Sherwin: Roy, you studied at the Bezalel Academy of Arts in Jerusalem and at the Cooper Union School of Art in NYC. Can you discuss your academic years? For example, did you have any influential instructors?

Roy Nachum: Studying at Bezalel (the Arts Academy in Jerusalem) provided me with an extraordinary, intensive, and very powerful experience. The need to create and the desire to work has always tempted me, from the time I was a young child, and has led me to achieve only the best – mediocre was unacceptable for me.

There were a number of teachers at Bezalel who changed my life by showing me new perspectives. The teacher for drawing, David Nefo, definitely made me stop and think. He taught me that every color stain on the canvas should be made only after taking a deep long look at the object – exactly like a lion plans its attack on its prey. It was there that I explored the concept in which you can create a whole world by connecting one spot of color to another – it's amazing how different colors work together to create a perfect harmony.

When I arrived at Bezalel, there was a student exchange program – something which greatly interested me. I wanted to go to the Arts Academy Cooper Union in New York, considered to be one of the most prestigious academies in the world. Every year only one excelling student is selected out of thousands of students from Bezalel. Because of my excellence in studies-- I had a very high grade average for several years-- I was sent to study at Cooper Union.

When I arrived at Cooper Union I thought that I already knew everything. After a few classes I realized that this was only the beginning. My perception as an artist sharpened incredibly. It was like knowing how to do something but now actually having to do it. My studies at Cooper provided me with a deeper and stronger experience that strengthened my perception as an artist.

BS: How did the transition from living in Israel to living in the United States influence your work? Have your travels played a role in your development as an artist?

RN: Though it was difficult, the move from Israel to the United States felt natural, because my goals and aspirations were greater than ever. My daily coping and the cultural differences opened new horizons for me and provided me with new interests around which to create and reach new subjects.

BS: Your oil paintings often appear as if they are digital images composed of thousands of pixels. My understanding is that you utilize a palette knife in order to create this ‘pixel’ appearance within the context of your paintings. Each ‘pixel’ is created one by one. Can you discuss this process further?

RN: I’ve transported on my canvases a mix of my imaginary world and my real life. The works represent part of my memories and my dreams as well as binary reading of real and unreal elements. Each pixel is created hand made, one by one, by a palette knife and so creates something that gives a unique meaning to each pixel. It is like one micro world existing in each of them, but when you look at the paintings from afar each pixel looks alike and so they give the feeling of thousands of micro worlds together creating a large pattern of a single reality or of a dream.

This different technique also creates the desire of a physical approach to the piece, inviting people to feel and touch every pixel and also to bring them into a kind of dualistic experience that finds the virtual and physical coming together in one unique moment.

BS: Can you discuss some of your direct influences? Perhaps you can give us a glimpse of your thought process concerning those influences?

RN: I am influenced by everything that surrounds me. I tend to examine daily behaviors of different people, what makes them do the things they do and why-- what they take for granted and why they do that. Thought, making and results – this is the origin of my inspiration.
I'll give you an example: a cup of water, what seems simple and obvious - the cup is resting there and will always be there. But what is the cup of water, what is it doing there, where did it come from and where is it going? If you have ever tried to look at a cup of water differently and deeper then you can see how many colors, stains, and variations there are in one cup of water. This is the origin of understanding and thinking and connecting to the real thing.

BS: Your work was exhibited by Moti Hasson Gallery at Scope Hamptons, correct? Can you discuss that experience? Also, what do you think about art fairs in general? Do you enjoy them?

RN: For years I worked and pushed to always achieve more and more in art. The relationship people have with my paintings and their own dilemmas drove me to more and more exhibitions. During those years I received unbelievable non-stop support from my parents. My mother and father are strong people with a good grasp on life, the desire to be real – something that I grew up with my whole childhood. The exhibit that I put together with Motti Hasson in the New York Hamptons was in a kind of coming-out. I personally am not drawn at all to group exhibitions. I prefer to exhibit alone.
BS: Finally, what are you working on at this time? Also, will you be involved with any upcoming exhibits?

RN: For the last 3 years I have been working on an incredible exhibit which will soon be released. It is a new process in my development and was created as an evolution of my past. This is a new thing that combines a daily look at man with new thought. This is definitely going to be new and different than anything that is exhibited today. The combination of something very abstract and something so realistic on the same canvas.

You can learn more about Roy Nachum and is art by visiting his website-- www.roynachum.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Damien Hirst Lowers Prices and Slams a Price Tag on Pants

From "Show me the Money!" to "Let's make a deal!"

Damien Hirst has been shaking the foundation of the mainstream artworld more than usual as of late. First he bypassed his dealers in order to sell at auction-- breaking auction records along the way. Then he returned to one of his first dealers while keeping other dealers on the fence, so to speak. Now, with an artworld recession lurking in the background, he is openly stating that the market for his work and the art market in general is over-priced.

There is a bit of irony to his statements considering that critics of Hirst have long stated the same about the artist who has fetched millions for his work with relative ease. The artist, businessman, and entrepreneur is now looking forward to selling his work for affordable rates within the context of recent global economic woes-- reducing the price of some works by half. Hirst has also said that he is looking at more realistic prices in general, "If I want to sell new work, I'll price it lower. If people have got less money, you can either just shut your door and say, 'Screw everybody', or I can wait until everyone can afford my work or price it cheaper."

The Damien Hirst X Levi’s® collection

Do you need an example of how committed Damien Hirst is to his recent statements? Look to his association with Levi’s Jeans for the answer. The artist is working with Levi’s Jeans in order to produce a limited edition collection of clothing featuring themes that are common in his art. According to Art News Blog the prices will start at £55 for tees and £150 for jeans. When asked about the difference between expressing himself in art versus fashion Hirst replied, “I don’t see a difference really, anything done well is art, but this way a lot of people get to own my stuff and in a not too precious way.” It will be interesting to observe how Hirst utilizes the internet for his new ventures. He has a history of exploring eCommerce.

Links of Interest:

Damien Hirst Sees the Writing on the Gallery Wall

End of Days Watch: Damien Hirst Admits His Art is Overpriced

Damien Hirst Levi's Jeans and T-shirts

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

www.myartspace.com/blog

www.myartspace.com/interviews

Giving something of value: The art of building relationship

I don’t want to pick your pocket here. Many smart people have already written and spoken about the significance of the Internet in the art industry. Brian Sherwin wrote about the importance of a solid portfolio and ecommerce for galleries... I don’t think I can improve on his message. I also believe that the audience here at MyArtSpace is not only art savvy but Internet savvy as well, and as such, I’d rather stick a fork in my eye than write another article about why a website is important for the arts. I think we’ve established “the why.”

Museums, galleries and artists of note have websites. They might also have ecommerce to sell their wares to a global audience. Museums and galleries tend to sell trinkets online, while artists want to sell art. (This is an interesting difference and a topic I’d like to write about at a later date.)

When the Internet was born, back in the day, its primary mission was communication. The Internet of today still retains this underlying goal. It makes no matter if you are creating your website, blogging or sending out an email campaign. The primary purpose of all these things is communication with the intent to build relationship.

Building relationship is not only fun but it establishes authority as well. While marketing and advertising exec’s may feel the bottom line is to sell you stuff you don’t need and make you think you do need it… the mission of building relationship is more genuine and customer service oriented.

Speak to your audience: Think a bit on who your target audience is and where are they geographically located. Is your website online to simply display your work to one and all? Or are you looking for a commission? A gallery contract? Is your audience other artists? Buyers? Gallerists? Draw your mission to suit your target audience and then keep those people in mind.

What do THEY need?: It’s not enough to write about and structure your communications based on your needs. Your online communications must provide information that your audience is looking for. A well designed and professional looking website will get you more attention and more credibility than a site that was designed by your cousin’s friend in the basement who will do it for free. Information that is relevant and updated is extremely important. Buyers and Gallerists will want to see detail photography of work. Provide different formats…audio, video, slideshows and text. When purchasing online your audience will also want to know about you. Give your audience multiple ways to contact you… your email, phone, blog address, Facebook, Flicker, LinkedIn, and your ICQ, Skype or AIM accounts.

Give them a surprise: You might want to provide something besides your vitals. Give your audience something of value and fun… something they don’t necessarily know they want. At my business site, Dragonfly Blu Design, I provide a Client’s Bill of Rights and a Designer’s Bill Rights. I can’t tell you how often those two PDFs are downloaded. Do those two documents make me any real sales? I don’t think so, but they are there for a higher purpose… They exist on my site to establish authority, provide customer service to my clients, other designers and maybe to people whom I’ll never meet. If they are helpful in some way that makes me happy. If they result in greater networking, better still.

Let’s just forget about selling art on the web: I know a lot of artists and galleries who have sold art on the web. Some buyers have purchased the work sight unseen (so to speak) and some sellers provide a way for the buyer to view before buying. I also know a lot of buyers who will not purchase art on the Internet. They need to see the piece in the raking light, examine the brushstrokes etc. It’s all valid but let’s just forget for a moment about the sales portion of the web. Many types of people will be viewing your site, gallery, portfolio and email campaigns. Whether they are online buyers or not, the thing you can provide is something of value. What makes you or your work different and why should they purchase for their home or office? If you are a gallery why not help educate your audience in the ways of the art market?

Several big name museums here on the East Coast send me their newsletter. I generally trash them. Why? Because instead of sending me something of value (information on upcoming lectures, new exhibitions, art restoration) they are sending me newsletters focused on their latest Van Gogh scarf inventory and earring sale.

People come to the internet to do an initial search, research or just to dream. The moment of truth comes when they care about something enough to click “contact me.” Will your online presence cause them to click the “contact me” option or click away?

Think “customer service and networking” and then send it off into the world with blogs and press releases, and see what comes back to you.

Thanks for reading,

Lisa

Art Does More Than You Realize

Art Does More Than You Realize

A blog reader recently asked a few open questions about the role of art and artists within the context of society. Her comments were spurred by a topic that dealt with how the recent economic struggles have caused a sense of panic within the artworld. She stated, “I don't even know if it is important if artist are around. Thats the feeling I get. What good does art really do? Can you tell me that?”. I don’t have all the answers, but I do have an opinion on the matter. Art is good for society as a whole. With that said, I feel that I should project some of my thoughts about the importance of visual art as well as the importance of art related skills, such as drawing, within the context of the world as we know it. Our lives would be very different if art-- be it fine, concept, or other-- did not exist.

In my opinion, art is the lifeblood of civilization. Thus, I view art as social and cultural vitality. If we think back on past civilizations we can observe the importance of art and the skills related with artistic creation. Throughout history art has facilitated the advancement of science and commerce as well as the different aspects of our day-to-day lives. Without art we would not see any progression-- there would be no advancements-- society would decline, wither in confusion, and eventually die. In this scenario-- if the creation of art were to cease completely-- the world would be thrown into chaos. Civilization would be stripped of its intellectual and economic endurance-- civilization, encumbered by the ignorance that would stem from this scenario, would be gone. Humanity as we know it could cease to exist.

These thoughts-- as radical or farfetched as they may seem-- are core to my philosophy concerning the importance of art and artists within the context of society. To put it bluntly, advancements in visual language and tradition tend to push society forward. Fine art and commercial art often walk in hand-in-hand as far as individual inspiration is concerned-- so both play a role in advancing society. Thus, if these aspects of artistic creation were to stop we would witness cultural and societal stagnation-- more so than what some of us already feel has occurred-- the world as we know it would take a step back, followed by another step back, and would eventually fall. With that in mind, art does good because it serves as a pillar of intellectual and economic growth.

I don’t think people realize how important art is to the intellectual growth of society. Imagine what the world would be like without the different aspects of visual art and the impact it would have on our intellect and ability to educate ourselves. In the above mentioned scenario our collective imagination-- the ideas that are common within us-- would become dull, our individual imagination would be in peril, the continuation of scientific studies and advancements would be hindered, production lines of new items would stop, we would have to once again rely on oral traditions instead of visual language and visual traditions. Sadly, I don’t think the generations alive today would thrive in that scenario. Academically speaking-- visual art has long nurtured other studies. Some will go as far as to say that without a focus on visual art humankind would have never pursued the sciences. Again, art is vitality!

The creation of art and the skills that are primarily utilized within the context of artistic creation have proven to be of importance with economic growth as well. Every manmade item we see or touch has at one point involved some aspect of art and said skills-- the products we buy and the labels upon them all start out as sketches and concept work at an earlier time, the movies we view involve some level of visual art, the video games we play rely heavily on art, the buildings we visit and dwell involve aspects of these skills, the clothing we wear may have started out as a coffee stained preliminary drawing, and the monitor before you as you read these words was nothing more than a concept design in the past. Thus, commerce would be shattered if artists, architects, and designers ceased the utilization of visual art skills. Art is good because it is the basis of economic growth.

Various aspects of visual art, specifically the skill of drawing, have long served the advancement of civilization. This is not to suggest that every artist or person who utilizes visual art is above anyone else. In other words, we can’t all be treated as the pillars of civilization. However, I do think that on some level each and every artist plays a certain role in advancing and maintaining this infrastructure-- the bones holding together society and culture-- at least in thought and within their generation. It is the continuation of a visual tradition that builds from one generation to the next. Perhaps that is why it seems that artists often feel that they have an inborn need to put ideas to paper, canvas, or upon some other surface-- a survival trait that dictates that so many individuals within a population will feel driven to pursue these skills-- to pursue art.

In closing, I suppose the key point to remember is that without visual language-- without the ongoing tradition of visual art and other aspects of art in general-- society would have never reached the point it is at today. Society would surely decline if artistic creation and the use of various skills involved with the art making process were to cease. People tend to not appreciate something until it is gone. In that sense visual art and the skills used by artists are often taken for granted by the population as a whole.

The trick is not to expect respect or outright reverence-- hardly any of us will obtain that no matter what we accomplish. That goes for fine artists as well as anyone who utilizes aspects of visual art within their profession. For example, I doubt the average person could name the architect behind some of the common building designs that we have come to expect… or the mastermind behind character designs for a major motion picture. Think of it this way, you have won half the battle if the art you create-- or at least the process of artistic creation-- is important to you. You have done good with art if someone discovers your work and enjoys it-- even if that person does not know your name.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com

Art Space Talk: Mel Davis

Mel Davis holds an MFA from The San Francisco Art Institute (2005). She is the recipient of two grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, (2007,2006), the Irene Pijoan Memorial Award for Painting and a Visual Artist grant from the Conseil des Art et Lettres du Quebec (2001). Her work is part of international public and private collections; Wellington Management, Boston, Capitol Group, Los Angeles, Hyatt Hotels, Santa Clara and Concordia University, Canada. Mel Davis has been featured in publications such as New American Paintings,(2004), Magenta Carte Blanche: Vol2 Painting (2008) and Studio Visit Magazine (2008).

Untilted 10, oil on found wood, 11"x12", 2008

Brian Sherwin: Mel, you studied at Concordia University in Montreal, The Slade School of Art in London, and the San Francisco Art Institute. Can you discuss your academic years? Did you have any influential art instructors?

Mel Davis: Concordia University was an incredibly nurturing place to make art. It's soft critiques and encouraging atmosphere made this place very special to me. Enthusiasm for painting was contagious. It was 10 years ago that I attended this institution for a BFA and the friends I made then remain my closest to this day. We all still paint as well which is astonishing and admirable.

A brief stint at the Slade in London reinforced a respect to the long tradition of painting. Faculty there are experimental but within the confines of traditional parameters. For example they were really big on setting up the painting palette in a customary fashion, something that I had never done before. It is a useful technique to learn, but my rebellion did not sit well with them.

The San Francisco Art Institute was a difficult place to make paintings. A lot of students came into the painting program, but then abandoned the discipline for the New Genres department or installation/performance/video arts. As a result painting became unpopular and something one had to defend doing. Grad school was pretty cliquey and I felt isolated most of the time but in an adverse way I left feeling prepared and really sure of who I am and what I wanted to do as an artist. Speaking with other artists this experience seems pretty typical of grad school. The affliction of a tough love philosophy appears to be the way serious institutions build their artists.

The great thing about grad school was the level of sophistication the conversations held. Memorable conversations with faculty members such as Christopher Brown, Pegan Brooke and John Zurier have shaped the way I think about painting.

Untitled 4, oil on found wood, 13"x11", 2008

BS: How have your travels-- studying art in three different countries-- helped you to mature as an artist? Do your travels influence you?

MD: I think travel is essential for growth in any discipline. Three weeks in Tuscany and Umbria remain the most important and educational time for me. Seeing the Piero della Francesa tour I was able to experience a level of history in painting that made me realize in a really profound way how resilient painting as an art forum is. I was filled with hope and a new found seriousness and urgency to be part of this incredible community. Looking at paintings that transcend time and place will instill a respect for the forum and a humility that is essential to any artists practice.

BS: Give our readers some insight into your art. What do you strive to achieve with your work?

MD: A respect to the tradition of painting, to be in close proximity to nature, specifically light, a sense of both mystery and revelation, accuracy and spontaneity,

Untitled 5, oil on found wood, 12"x5", 2008

BS: Can you discuss some of your methods?

MD: I manipulate these wood objects before, during and after the painting process by hammering, ripping, wrestling and sanding. It forces a characteristic in my paintings that can be interpreted as violence, however beyond this they also function as artifact. The process of artifact is a violent one. It speaks of civilizations lost, broken territories and abandoned communities. I am purposefully aging the paintings. I see them as fractured paintings clipped from a larger endeavor.

BS: What about specific influences? Do you adhere to any specific art tradition, so to speak? Are you inspired directly by any specific artist from the past?

MD: For these works I was directly influenced by the Fayum mummy portraits from Roman Egypt. These portraits are in varying stages of decay; displaying centuries of elapsed time yet contain an uncommon tenderness that is found in master portraiture. They speak of the great tradition of painting whilst showing how natural and instinctive making a painting can be.

Untitled-- windy sail, oil on found wood, 7"x9", 2008

BS: What are you working on at this time? Can you give our readers some insight into your most current work?

MD: I am continuing with the found wood paintings. Lately they have been speaking of the particular light in Scotland. I recent trip here has been an influence. I am also thinking about a new body of work that pays tribute to the fan paintings made by Hiroshige from the Edo period. These exquisite paintings display everyday moments and settings executed in the richest of pallets. They are playful and decorative. I think it would be a cool challenge to interpret these works today.

BS: I noticed that you have been very active with the NavtaSchulz Gallery. You have also been featured at the Bridge Art Fair. Can you give us some highlights of your exhibition history?

MD: Sadly the NavtaSchulz Gallery folded earlier this year. But Ryan Schulz worked hard for his artists, trying to place the work in important collections. This gallery was kind enough to take a chance on me when I was still in grad school, which meant a lot to me. I've been pretty lucky, participating in group and one person shows around this country and Canada, it's been a little tough showing consistently here in the Bay Area; there are too many artists and not enough spaces.

Untitled-- Scotland #1, oil on found wood, 12"x16", 2008

BS: Will you be involved with any upcoming exhibits?

MD: I am currently having a one person exhibition at Larry Becker Contemporary Art in Philadelphia.

BS: Speaking of exhibiting… what do enjoy about displaying your art in public view? Do you see it as part of the process, so to speak?

MD: Before this show in Philadelphia, I didn't really see it as part of my process. Larry and Heidi Becker have a gift when it comes to hanging a show. They taught me something about my work, about it's relationships and nuances that I didn't realize existed before. Previously I was never really excited about the way my work hung in a gallery or exhibition space.

Untitled-- Scotland #2, oil on found wood, 11"x14", 2008

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the goals that you have?

MD: I like this quote from Tom Marioni-
"The artist's role in society is to observe real life and report on it poetically. If the movement of his materials is sure and honest, the work becomes a beautiful gesture.”

You can learn more about Mel Davis by visiting her website-- www.meldavis.peachpitpie.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Art Scholarship Competition for Undergraduate and Graduate Art Students

Myartspace, the social networking site for visual artists, has launched a free to enter student art scholarship competition for undergraduate and graduate art students. The competition is free to enter and is open to art students (seeking a BA, BS, BFA, MFA or other high degree in art) worldwide.

The scholarship program is intended for art students who exhibit exceptional artistic excellence in their chosen medium. All mediums are accepted. Including photography and video. Both contemporary and traditional art will be considered. Myartspace is providing 3 scholarship prizes for undergraduate students and separately 3 scholarship prizes for graduate students. $16,000 in cash prizes are up for grabs!

Early Registrants (Students who register before November 21, 2008) will automatically be granted a free 3-month subscription to premium services on myartspace, a paid service normally selling at $75 per year. Premium Subscribers have more capabilities including a personal URL on myartspace and improved networking tools. Early Registrants will also be eligible for a chance drawing involving two iPhones. The final deadline for registration and online submission of work is December 16, 2008.

In order to enter and submit a portfolio/gallery students must be a member of the myartspace community. Membership is free. JPEGS/videos must be placed into a myartspace online gallery. Up to 20 images can be submitted for consideration. Scholarship winners will be announced on December 19th, 2008. Creating a portfolio and gallery is quick and easy using the Gallery Wizard on the site. Students interested in signing up for the myartspace art scholarship competition can find out more details by visiting-- www.myartspace.com/scholarships

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

www.myartspace.com/interviews

www.myartspace.com/blog

Nov 15th is the last day to register and submit work for the myartspace / Bridge Art Fair competition!

November 15th is the final day to register for the myartspace / Bridge Art Fair competition. The 15th will also be the final day to submit galleries. Thus, if you want to take advantage of this opportunity you must do so very soon. The competition involves jurors from the Whitney Museum of Art, SFMOMA, San Jose Museum of Art and the Bridge Art Fair.

www.myartspace.com/miamibasel/

Myartspace Interviews: Bo Bartlett, Alex Golden, Aleksandra Mir

A look at past interviews that have been featured on www.myartspace.com.


Interview with Bo Bartlett:
“I don’t think there is a collective spirit of America. America to me seems fractured. Many people seem marginalized. I think the "America’s heart" concept is really just talking about a larger idea; a mythological spirit or soul of America which has to do with the concept of freedom, individual rights, and the adventurousness we associate with the frontier spirit. People are all longing. We’re all looking for something. On some level, my paintings tend to address this sense of desire. I paint people because I am a person. I paint America because I am American. I’d like to think that I’m a citizen of the world, but at the same time, I can’t deny my nationality. I am not necessarily proud of it.” -- Bo Bartlett
READ MORE

Interview with Alex Golden:
“I never fully cast aside my questions and doubts about the systems of society, but I try to. I think my work is, at heart, ironic and critical, but I try to get in there and join in what I sometimes perceive to be the absurdity of various belief systems. It is an effort to understand the human propensity to find meaning and then to believe in it, often wholeheartedly and without doubt. Why do we subscribe to the norms that cultures generate for us, even when they seem outdated? Why are we seduced by celebrity and branding? How is it possible for ideological warfare to be waged in the 21st century?” -- Alex Golden
READ MORE

Interview with Aleksandra Mir:
"The closest I get to religion is in that I try to seriously engage with and maintain certain originally religious traditions and rituals that I like. A lot of my work also has a celebratory aspect to it that perhaps can be seen as verging on ceremonial worship. I also need to have a lot of faith in good weather when dealing with big public and ephemeral events. But that's pretty much it." -- Aleksandra Mir
READ MORE

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Hi Everyone

My name is Lisa Mikulski and Brian Sherwin has invited me to contribute to this blog every so often about the importance of web design and Internet marketing for the arts. I am happy to do so because I feel this topic is becoming more and more relevant especially in light of the present economic situation. I also consider Brian’s writing and the content here at the MyArtSpace blog to be first rate.

While the economy is certainly a factor effecting the increasing importance of using the Internet as an arts resource, it’s really about more than trying to avert an economic crisis situation. Simply put, the Internet is a tool and it should be taken advantage of in good times and bad. It is my hope that my writing and thoughts might inspire or in some small way help you take better command of how a quality website can empower your business.

I’d like to tell you a little about myself. I am a graphic designer, web designer and marketing consultant. I have worked exclusively with artists, sculptors, photographers, galleries and art organizations for the last 10 years. I have the privilege also of writing art features and editorials for the monthly print magazine, INK Publications. I keep my own blog on art and design at ArtLOOK.

Thank you Brian for inviting me and I look forward to the dialog.

/Lisa/

Art Blog Buzz: Recent buzz from the art side of the blogosphere

Buzz from the art side of the blogosphere



Interior photograph of Rothko Chapel, Houston, Texas. Completed 1971



Hungry Hyaena
www.hungryhyaena.blogspot.com
Christopher Reiger at Hungry Hyaena explores Mark Rothko’s darkness and the wonderful artifacts of Matthew Day Jackson.

Art Fag City
www.artfagcity.com
Art Fag City takes a jab at the validity of shock-rocker Marilyn Manson’s paintings while the Estate of Helmut Newton takes a jab at Art Fag City with a cease and desist letter. All in a weeks worth for a steadfast art blogger.

Religion and art...

Art News Blog
www.artnewsblog.com
On the Art News Blog there has been discussion about religion & art, Shepard Fairey & wine, with a dash of Jackson Pollock controversy for good measure.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin / Senior Editor / www.myartspace.com

myartspace / Bridge Art Fair Deadline Nov 15th!

MYARTSPACE has teamed up with the Bridge Art Fair Miami to sponsor a juried competition. Jurors from The Whitney, SFMOMA, the San Jose Museum of Art and Bridge Art Fair will select the winners. Winners will be represented at the upcoming Bridge Art Fair Miami event in early December 2008. The normal registration fee of $50 is now implemented. However, JPG is offering a discount code that will allow registrants to enter for just $25.

JPG Magazine is one of the most innovative online communities for photography. JPG Magazine has become an anchor sponsor for the myartspace Bridge Art Fair Miami competition. For those of you still looking to enter the Juried myartspace Bridge Art Fair competition, they have made available a $25 discount for registration.

Bridge Art Fair currently presents a combined total of nearly 300 galleries and over 2,000 artists at four expositions throughout the year. Since the premier of Bridge Miami Beach in 2006, total sales of nearly $30 million and more than 100,000 visitors have confirmed Bridge as a leading voice in a newly globalized art marketplace.

Link to discount code:
www.myartspace.com/miamibasel/JPG_Magazine.html

Link to competition info:
www.myartspace.com/miamibasel/

For more information about the Bridge Art Fair:
www.bridgeartfair.com/miamiindex.html

Mistakes that Artists (and art dealers) Make When Selling Art Online

Mistakes that Artists (and art dealers) Make When Selling Art Online

The art market of today is very different than the art market of the past. Today artists, art dealers, and other individuals can utilize the power of the internet in order to forge alliances with peers and to sell their art by exploring eCommerce capabilities. In most cases a personal website is not enough to be successful when it comes to selling art online. Thus, individuals need to promote themselves on high traffic art websites that demonstrate professionalism within the context of the mainstream art world. However, finding an online ‘home’ for selling art does not mean that your work stops there. An entrepreneurial spirit-- with the drive and ambition to succeed-- is needed.

As many of you are aware, www.myartspace.com is preparing to implement eCommerce capabilities. That is why I have decided to tackle some of the mistakes that artists and others make when selling art online. Below are what I consider to be the most common mistakes that online art sellers make when it comes to listing their art for sell-- these mistakes can easily block your efforts when it comes to selling art online. These mistakes can drive potential buyers away:

Lack of image descriptions: Believe it or not most art buyers, especially those making a purchase online, desire to know information about how an image was created and the motivation behind the creation of the image. Unfortunately, many art sellers leave options for image descriptions blank instead of taking advantage of the opportunity these options provide in order to offer more details to potential buyers. Thus, sellers need to take some time offering information about the work they are selling in order to be more successful selling said artwork online. This does not mean that the information has to be of any great length-- it simply means that online art sellers need to condition themselves to offer more content. Content is king online-- and that goes for selling art as well.

Lack of an artist statement: The lack of an artist statement does not say much for the artist or the artwork that is being sold-- literally. This is especially true for emerging artists who are not yet 'known' to the general public. Thus, having an artist statement that is easy to access online can drastically improve the chances of selling art online. Don't be afraid to write about yourself if you are selling your art online. If you are selling the artwork of others it is still important to offer as much information as you can about the artists you are representing online.

Lack of online networking commitment: In order to be successful selling art online one must be committed to online networking. Online networking is important for establishing a presence online. This is accomplished by taking advantage of networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and even myartspace in order to introduce yourself to, and establish rapport with, potential buyers. Also, by networking online an artist can establish connections with other artists who may have crucial information pertaining to strategies for selling art online successfully. To put it bluntly, you don’t exist if you fail to social network online in the market of today.

Lack of consistent pricing: Most of us would like to sell art for the same prices as Damien Hirst or another mainstream established artist. However, that is not exactly a realistic approach for pricing your art-- especially if you are only pricing works that you are extremely attached to in that manner. Thus, artists and other art sellers need to be realistic and consistent about how they price their artwork online. If your attachment to a specific work of art is blinding your judgment on pricing it may be best to not sell that specific work until you are ready to let it go. Also, while it is tempting to ask high prices for specific works the simple truth is that it is best to be consistent with pricing. In other words, if you have sold work for $500 it is best to stay in that price range. Once you raise your prices remember to be consistent with all of your prices.

In closing, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of art sites that an artist or art dealer can choose from in order to increase his or her chances of selling art online. However, the wise online art seller will focus his or her attention on art sites that are geared toward professionalism-- art sites that can prove their significance with an established track record of mainstream artworld involvement. Focus on art sites that have been involved with major contemporary art fairs because that often means that high profile collectors are aware of those sites. Only a select few, including www.myartspace.com, have been involved with art fairs directly. By utilizing art sites that are embedded in the mainstream artworld and avoiding the mistakes mentioned above an individual will greatly improve his or her efforts in selling art online.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com

JPG Magazine Sponsors $25 Discount Coupon for Bridge-Myartspace Competition

www.myartspace.com is sponsoring a joint competition with the Bridge Art Fair. Three top finalists will exhibit at Bridge during Art Basel Miami in December. Bridge Art Fair currently presents a combined total of nearly 300 galleries and over 2,000 artists at four expositions throughout the year. Since the premier of Bridge Miami Beach in 2006, total sales of nearly $30 million and more than 100,000 visitors have confirmed Bridge as a leading voice in a newly globalized art marketplace. The deadline for the competition is Nov 15th.

MYARTSPACE has teamed up with the Bridge Art Fair Miami to sponsor a juried competition. Jurors from The Whitney, SFMOMA, the San Jose Museum of Art and Bridge Art Fair will select the winners. Winners will be represented at the upcoming Bridge Art Fair Miami event in early December 2008. Our early registration for the competition ended on October 16. The normal registration fee of $50 is now implemented. However, JPG Magazine is offering a discount code that will allow registrants to enter for just $25.

JPG Magazine is one of the most innovative online communities for photography. JPG Magazine has become an anchor sponsor for the myartspace Bridge Art Fair Miami competition. For those of you still looking to enter the Juried myartspace Bridge Art Fair competition, they have made available a $25 discount.

Link to discount code:
http://www.myartspace.com/miamibasel/JPG_Magazine.html

Link to competition info:
http://www.myartspace.com/miamibasel

For more information about the Bridge Art Fair:
http://www.bridgeartfair.com/

Art Space Talk: Carolyn Ryder Cooley

Ryder Cooley is a multi-media artist and musician currently based in Troy, NY, (US). Weaving together chimeric visions with residue of daily life, her work reveals a terrain of lost dreams and phantom memories. Working with found materials and personal mythologies, she creates cinematic performances and installation spaces. Public performances, interventions, murals and collaborations are modes that Ryder employs in order to engage viewers in multi-sensory dialogs. Working resourcefully and sustainably while establishing and maintaining art practices beyond the context of industry and commercial culture is integral to her approach. Exchanges with artists and communities in local and international settings are crucial to her practice.

Ryder Cooley has participated in a wide variety of collaborations, public works and educational projects, as well as individual and group exhibits. Selected exhibitions have included: White Box and Exit Art in NYC, Grand Street Community Arts in Albany NY, Feminism(s) Conference at U. Hartford, Theater Artaud in San Francisco CA, Contemporary Artist Center in N. Adams MA, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco CA, Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco CA, New Image Arts in Los Angeles CA, Anno Domini Gallery in San Jose CA, Sama-Sama mural exchange in Indonesia, Numero 8 street mural journal (displayed in France, Morocco, Biennale de la image, and other locations in Europe), Brown Bag Contemporary Gallery and Photo New York in NYC, and community arts workshops in El Salvador. She has completed artist's residencies at Hambidge Center in Georgia, Jon Sims Center in San Francisco, C.E.S.T.A. in the Czech Republic and The Vermont Studio Center. She is a 2006 recipient of a Belle Foundation Artist Grant.

Antlered Doe with Menses, mixed media painting on paper, 14x17in.

Brian Sherwin: Ryder, you studied Sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design and Combined Media at SUNY. You then earned an MFA in Integrated Electronic Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Can you tell us about your academic years? Did you have any influential instructors? Do you have any advice for current students who are in those specific programs?

Carolyn Ryder Cooley: I came from a family where education was highly valued. My parents were both teachers and there was a lot of emphasis on college. After my first year at college I was ready to cut loose from academy so I struck a bargain with my parents and switched to Art School. I entered the Rhode Island School of Design in 1990 where I discovered an inspiring group of young women artists working with their bodies and exploring materials from women’s folk art traditions such as fabric, hair and domestic filigree.

Displaced within a formal & highly departmentalized institution, I stitched myself into the seams of the Sculpture Department where there was more flexibility to work collaboratively, site specifically and performatively using the body. During that time I began making performances and installations in empty buildings and outdoor settings around Providence, Rhode Island.

The best thing that happened for me at RISD was that I formed an identity as an artist. Unfortunately, I didn’t take advantage of all the great classes and facilities because I didn’t want to be in school. As a working artist, I wish I could afford to take classes now, so my advise to others in similar situations is to wait until you are ready before going to college. Ultimately, art school re-informed my distaste for what I viewed to be a highly competitive, commercially driven, alienating art world, and upon graduating I fled to San Francisco and immersed myself in the underground art and music scenes.

More recently, as an MFA student at Rensselaer Polytechnic I worked with amazing artists, musicians and thinkers such as Pauline Oliveros, Kathy High and Linda Montano. I’m not an electronic artist, which was a challenge at RPI since it’s a technical school, but the program supports multi-disciplinary work, which was great for me since I work fluidly in so many different mediums.
Reconstruction. Exit Art, NYC. April 2007. Three hour performance on a swing with Deer, feather shoes, sound and video projection. (Trickster Theater series)

BS: You have stated that as an installation and performance artist you strive to invent haunted dream worlds that echo political and cultural phenomena of the past and present. Can you go into further detail about the thoughts behind your work? Also, what are the social implications of your art?

CRC: I embrace a methodology focused on inventing new myths, rituals and life expressions which speak to diverse audiences, bringing people and other life forms together in unusual contexts for poetic acts of re-enchantment, thereby provoking thought and inspiring change. Given that we live amidst varying degrees of human destruction and oppression, it’s my hope that through the language of the arts, new levels of ecological awareness, gender diversity and non-violent co-habitation can be encouraged. Exploring ways of working sustainably through creative reuse of materials is a critical part of my work. Discarded belongings, recycled mater and visceral debris (feathers, hair, bones) are transformed into props and garments for installations and performance works.

Masquerade, mixed media painting on paper, 24x30in.

BS: What attracted you to these themes? At what point did you realize that the direction you have been on with your art would remain a strong focus for you?

CRC: The way that I arrive at ideas is intuitive, internal and often based on personal experience. My interest in deer, for example, began with a series of deer encounters, which subsequently led to a fascination with antlers and a bout of deer research.

My art practice began at a young age with a penchant for cake decorating. I enjoyed the impermanence of the cake and the carnal act of eating it. Moreover, I enjoyed inviting guests to participate in the cake eating ceremony (my first efforts toward creating ritual). I began to recognize that it would be preferable to society if I abandoned all forms of creative expression as Ronald Reagan was elected U.S. President in the early 90s. Therefore, from 1984-1989 I dedicated my life to the pursuit of normalcy and the strict avoidance of being an artist.

Over the years I rediscovered my creative voice. As an inter-disciplinary, politically concerned & emotionally driven artist I often find it difficult to operate within the product oriented art world, yet over time I have learned to follow my heart and pursue dreams in ways that are conscientious and sustainable. At times, this involves forgoing comforts such as a stable home, health insurance and a fixed income, but I enjoy finding ways of working around capitalism.
Carcass, mixed media painting on paper, 20x24in

BS: Can you discuss your use of symbolism? For example, in several of your paintings and works on paper you depict wounded or dead birds. Do you intentionally use symbolism in order to convey a message?

CRC: There is personal symbolism embedded in my work, and I hope there is symbolic significance for others who experience it. I don’t intentionally work with culturally constructed symbols, though I realize that my work can be interpreted in that way. Over the past year I’ve been developing a performance, Animalia, which looks at the society of honeybees and other animal creatures in their current struggle for survival within diminished environmental conditions. The Animalia performance uses the symbol of antlers as a vehicle for looking at identity, gender, queerness & interspecies trajectories while exploring metaphors of flight in response to social distress and the reverberations of war.

BS: You are a musician as well, correct? How do you find balance between visual art and music? Does one build upon the other, so to speak?

CRC: My work is multi-disciplinary, combining video, sound, music, text, movement, performance, installation, drawing & painting. I try not to think of the mediums as separate entities, but rather as voices, languages, tools and vehicles for expression. There’s a lot of pressure to compartmentalize and specialize in our culture. I’ve been trying to shift away from fighting against the system by working through the margins in poignant ways. I may call myself an “artist” or a “musician” when necessary, but in my heart I know it is all the same, communication and magic. Recently I injured my hand and couldn’t play the accordion for two months. During that time I was thankful that my creativity was fluid and I was able to express myself, install an exhibit and perform using the rest of my body. A few years ago I went to Indonesia to paint murals. There seemed to be less emphasis on mastery and a broader versatility of skills there. For example,everyone who I met knew how to play an instrument, you didn’t have to be a musician to play music. I admired the Indonesian fluidity, especially in relation to the arts.
Body of the Hive, part one (bees) of Animalia performance. Dec. 2007, Troy, NY. photo by J. Craig Thompkins

BS: Can you give our readers some insight into your current work? What are you working on at this time?

CRC: Currently I’m working on a performance called Animalia, Stories of Collapse, Calamity and Departure. The performance combines live and recorded music on singing saw, upright bass, banjo & accordion. Video, archival film and aerial movement reveal an enchanted fable about a girl who, through her disillusion with the human world, decides that she must develop flying powers. When she joins a circus and learns to fly the trapeze, she realizes that even the idolized circus is a military operation. Eventually, the performer falls under the spell of a deer and revokes her humanity to become an antlered deer creature. She is joined by another antlered character, and together they fly into the clouds on a nocturnal journey. Animalia is available for booking in 2009, for more information please contact me. Rydercooley at yahoo.com.

I’m also working on two other ongoing projects. Reliquary is an installation series where groupings of mixed media drawings are mounted on old wood and built into site-specific constructed environments. Suspensions is a series of site-specific duration performances in which I suspend my body, often seated in a floating chair. There are images of all of these projects on my website.
Drawing Room Reliquary, installation of mixed media drawings mounted on found architectural wood with tea bags, framed drawings and feathers. Photo by Carols Vela

BS: Where can our readers view your work in person at this time? Will you be involved with any upcoming exhibits?

CRC: Reliquary (a multi-media drawing installation) is currently on view at Pan American Art Projects in Miami, Florida until early December. I’ll be performing Animalia as part of an artist residency at the Robert Wilson Watermill Center on May 2nd, 2009 in Watermill, NY. I also have a band with musical collaborator Todd Chandler called Fall Harbor. We have CD’s available through Blood Onion Records and we perform intermittently. For more information visit www.myspace.com/fallharbor. During the 2008-2009 winter I’ll mostly be in artist residencies on the east coast (MacDowell Colony, Vermont Studio Center). Readers can view my work on-line via my website, www.carolynrydercooley.com, where there is a list of events as well as a detailed archive of images and text.

BS: I understand you have been involved with several collaborations including public works and educational projects. Would you like to discuss some of the projects you have worked on? What do you enjoy about collaborating?

CRC: I collaborate with people, animals, environments, sites, histories, communities, dreams and spirits. Animal interactions and collaborations have always been intuitive, with origins in childhood and possibly past lives. A youthful fascination with non-human creatures led me to take up animal portraiture. I worked with subjects ranging from dead birds to spiders and turtles. Animalia was created with living human collaborator Todd Chandler and two previously living deer collaborators. The taxidermy deer are brought back to life in our collaboration. I am packing the rack when I strap the deer to my body. Trough me, my strap on deer re-experiences the living world. Through her I travel back in time. I feel her death in my body as she becomes part of me.

Collaborations have often been challenging for me, you take a lot of risks when you work closely with others and there inevitably are conflicts and intensities. Putting aside the ego can be difficult, however the experience gained by working collaboratively or collectively is invaluable. I have learned more through collaborations than through classes, workshops or books. The work is hands on and intimate, you can really observe your collaborators up close.

Working on site specific and/or public projects such as murals and street theater enables me to transcend the synthetic “neutrality” of museums and galleries. Creating work outdoors and in public space allows for more diverse and unsuspecting audience interactions. Connecting with the nuances and histories of sites, and the various life forms who inhabit them, opens up opportunities for generating living art. Of course, it can be difficult dealing with people’s expectations, conditioning and definition of “art”. Sometimes I find myself self-censoring in public contexts. Though I like to take viewers into consideration, it is also important to take risks and challenge peoples’ expectations.

Animalia performance, Pt. 4, Flight of the Deer, with Todd Chandler. photo by Zulma Aguiar

BS: Can you tell us more about your influences?

CRC: My primary inspirations are the people, animals and environments around me. There are many enchanted places I’ve experienced in the world, and in my mind (the rainforest, the ocean, hidden gardens, old buildings, empty spaces, reconstructed memories, characters who I’ve dreamed up).

There are a number of artists whose work approaches themes of embodiment, environment, ritual and time/duration who have been influential to the development of my practice: the installations of Ann Hamilton, the film-performance works of Rebecca Horn, Ana Mendieta, & Loie Fuller, the Indonesian art collective Taring Padi, the photos of Dianne Arbus, the combines of Rauschenberg, the quilts of Faith Ringgold, silent movies of the 1920’s such as The Wind. Moreover, animals, plants and insects offer more complex inspiration. Honeybees, for example, are amazing creatures. Producing an array of vital inventions, their matriarchal artist communities are composed of mostly “female” workers. Birds are also influential. They engage in an array of astronautics, acrobatics, migrations and navigations.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the message that you strive to convey?

Bird Spirits, mixed media on found paper, 10x12 in.

CRC: As humans, as artists and as animals we have the power to create and destroy. The body itself can be a navigation device for points of departure and arrhythmic shifts. We all make choices with our bodies. There is a leaping into the unknown, a shattering and suspending of time. I believe it is possible to unearth invisible pasts and restore forgotten histories within an ever-unfolding presence of bewilderments.

Art practice is my never-ending refugee camp of the soul. In this place I seek asylum from the wars around me. The retreat becomes a platform from which I can speak. Practice is a place, a home for my homeless gypsy spirit.

If you are interested in experiencing my work in person, I would like to come perform, speak, install or create in a school, theater, museum, gallery, or public space near you. Please contact me: www.carolynrydercooley.com

You can learn more about Carolyn Ryder Cooley by visiting her website-- www.carolynrydercooley.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

More on the Economy

Greetings MyArtSpace readers. Guest blogger Nathaniel Stern here. You can learn more about me via nathanielstern.com, the implicit art blog, or my MyArtSpace interview. Brian asked me to be part of his new Artist Essay series, and so I may be doing some occasional postings or re-blogs from time to time.

It was Brian's post on Art and Recession that sparked my wanting to participate now, given that I am one of the emerging artists he alludes to there: I've had two important shows for my career indefinitely postponed due to the current financial crisis. So I wanted to take this opportunity to think and write about who might be affected by the situation, how, and what they (we) can do about it.

I have the privilege of being both an experimental and an emerging artist. On the one hand, much of my work is conceptually-, digitally- and/or installation-based. I also make more sell-able work, but that leads me to my other hand: I'm no Art Star. Unfortunately, I'd say both of these things are working against me right now.

Experimental artists tend not to show at commercial galleries so much; the work is generally harder to sell (sometimes nigh impossible), and so I often rely on my own funds, grants, commissions, experimental galleries and museum spaces to create and exhibit my work. People like me often have full-time day jobs and live off writing or academia or the like. Given the monetary crisis, the number of people looking for these kinds of funds and art-related jobs will increase, while the amount of them will stall and/or dwindle.

Number 2: commercial galleries are less likely to take "risks" with lesser-known or unsigned artists. Bear in mind that this isn't just about making money in the short-term. Galleries understand that it can take time before they get a return on their investments, and not every show, even for mid-career artists, necessarily turns a profit right away. Part of their job is to see where that investment is worthwhile, look for talent and drive and professionalism in the field of emerging artists. But right now, unless you are signed with said gallery, it's not in their best interest to think long-term investment with new artists. You may decide to go to another field, sign with another gallery, or make work that is non-commercially based and thus insupportable. You may simply never "make it" - and the number of artists such galleries can take risks with is getting lower by the day. Remember: an average NYC / Chelsea gallery has overheads of around $20,000 a month. Nobody benefits from them needing to close down after taking too many risks. If they are going to lose money on a given show, they are better off doing it with an artist who they are absolutely sure they will still be working with in the future, when the money comes back.

But fret not. This is not permanent. And I believe it will work itself out for the aforementioned talented and emerging and professional artists in the long run.

Picture this: around the time of the Clinton years and the dotcom boom (not to mention new taxes for imported art works in London), young artists (Young British Artists - YBA - to be more precise) like Damien Hirst began playing the system and becoming Sensations overnight. This helped start the trend where artists were being snagged right out of grad school - Matthew Barney being one example (his Yale and familial connections didn't hurt). But such quick success stories weren't always the way, and I think they may have had their day. At present, young artists seem to think that if you don't "make it" by the time you're 30, you're screwed. In the "old days," young 'uns were told to come back when they were more refined, had time to hone their practice and skills and engagement with discourse. If you had a solo show by the time you were in your mid-forties, you were in good shape.

Perhaps we won't go back to quite that system, but the kind of carefulness you're seeing from galleries again - where they don't necessarily want to risk a hot new or sensationalist artist for a quick buck, where they want to spend time on group shows or long-term investments to make sure they can meet their overheads - is the same attitude pretty much all commercial galleries had in the pre-YBA years. I think we may see a shift towards older artists again in the near future. And if you are a young or emerging artist now, by the time the crisis ends - assuming you carry on showing and making at whatever pace - you will be a much better artist, and ready for that mid-career snag.

So what do you do?

Use this time to hone those skills. Go to grad school. Get an apprenticeship. Look for the few grants that are left. Do some writing. Take risks in your art while the galleries are not doing so in their shows. Don't show art, just make it, lots of it. (The best work happens when you don't have a gallery in mind.) Get a job that inspires or at least does not exhaust you, and make art as much as you can - more experimentally rather than less. It's true that this'll mean less time in your studio, "just making." But honestly, have you ever met an artist who felt like they have enough time in the studio? I complained about it just as much when I was a full-time artist as I do now, with a full-time job.

We're again in a thoughtful and reflective moment of art, where the most prized works are a wonderful composition of the conceptual and the material, context and visuality. Explore that in depth and add to the art discourse, and when we're out of the hole, curators and gallerists will have no choice but to find you.

In other words, now more than ever is the time to be more artist than careerist. It's the best thing for Art to move forward, and probably the most pragmatic move for your personal career.

CATCHING UP WITH HOT SHOT CUBAN DIRECTOR ALEJANDRO BRUGUES

alejandro%20blog%20interview.docx

myartspace / Bridge Art Fair competition entry deadline is November 15th 2008!

myartspace / Bridge Art Fair Competition!

myartspace, the premier online venue for the contemporary art world, is sponsoring a Juried competition. We want to represent three of the hottest contemporary artists down at the Art Basel Miami event in early December at the Bridge Miami venue. The competition, like others from myartspace, will have world-class jurors reviewing the work of the submissions. Fifty finalists will be selected and three winners will have their work represented at the fair.

With over 40,000 members, and more than two years of history, myartspace has been a key force in the art industry at availing opportunity for its rapidly growing community. The myartspace community consists of artists, collectors, gallerists, art appreciators, educators, curators, art critics and many others. Membership to myartspace is free, and members can upload an unlimited amount of art work, music, video and audio narration. Deadline for registration and submission is November 15, 2008

Create a free account on myartspace:

www.myartspace.com

Link to competition info:

www.myartspace.com/miamibasel/

For more information about the Bridge Art Fair:
www.bridgeartfair.com/miamiindex.html

The jury panel:

Elisabeth Sussman, Senior Curator, The Whitney Museum: Elisabeth Sussman returned to the Whitney in 2004 (she was curator at the Whitney from 1991 to 1998). Her Whitney exhibitions included Mike Kelley: Catholic Tastes (1993); the 1993 Biennial Exhibition; Nan Goldin: I�ll Be Your Mirror (1996), with David Armstrong; and Keith Haring (1997). For the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Ms. Sussman co-organized, with Renate Petzinger of the Museum Wiesbaden, a recent retrospective on the work of Eva Hesse. The exhibition received the International Art Critics Association First Prize for the best monographic exhibition outside of New York in 2001 and 2002. For SFMOMA, Ms. Sussman also organized, with Sandra Phillips, a Diane Arbus retrospective, currently on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The catalogue for the Arbus exhibition has received the 2004 Infinity Award for Publication from the International Center of Photography.

Ms. Sussman was a Fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation at the Rockefeller Study and Conference Center in Bellagio, Italy, in 1999. In 2003 she was a Scholar at the Getty Research Institute. She is the author of many publications, including Lisette Model (2001). Before coming to the Whitney, Ms. Sussman served as Interim Director (1991) and Deputy Director for Programs (1989-91) at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. Also at the ICA, she was Chief Curator from 1982 to 1989, and Curator from 1976 to 1982. She has taught at M.I.T. and Tufts.

Janet Bishop, Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA): Janet Bishop is the Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Since 2000. Bishop worked as a observation assistant at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University and in the print room at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University. Janet holds a B.A. in Art History and Psychology from Cornell University and an M.A. in Art History from Columbia University.

JoAnne Northrup, Senior Curator, San Jose Museum of Art: JoAnne Northrup is a Senior Curator of the San Jose Museum of Art. Prior to this, from 1995-2001 she served as Curator, Exhibits and Collections at the de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University, and from 1992-95 she held a curatorial position at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California. Northrup earned her Master's Degree in Art History/Museum Studies from the University of Southern California, and her Bachelor's Degree in Art History from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Since accepting the position at SJMA, Northrup has curated numerous exhibitions that fuse popular culture and contemporary art, including Un/Familiar Territory; Domestic Odyssey; Girl Power! Laurie Long; Heavenly Bodies ; and Jennifer Steinkamp, which is on a national tour. Her most recent entitled Robots: Evolution of a Cultural Icon, opened in April 2008. The exhibition featured sculptures, paintings, photographs, digital media, and installations created by more than 20 artists from across the US.

Michael Workman, Founder, Bridge Art Fair: Michael Workman is Founder and Director of the Bridge Art Fair and Bridge, NFP, a Chicago-based arts publishing and programming organization. Bridge, NFP, publishes the Pushcart-prize winning bimonthly /Bridge Magazine /, for which he serves as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. Bridge, NFP also organizes the annual Artboat exhibition on the first Saturday in May at Navy Pier and pioneered a multi-use facility that provides incubation space at 119 N. Peoria for developing arts organizations, currently occupied by 1R and Bucket Rider galleries. He received his Bachelor's from Northwestern University in 2001.

Workman writes a column on visual art, /Eye Exam/, for the Chicago alternative weekly newspaper, NewCity. He is also Chicago correspondent for the bi-monthly Italian art publication, /Flash Art/ and works as an arts critic and commentator for Chicago's NPR affiliate, WBEZ-FM. His writing has appeared in catalog essays for the Chicago Cultural Center and elsewhere, and his fiction, journalism and critical writing has appeared in /New Art Examiner/, the /Chicago Reader/, /zingmagazine/, /TenbyTen/ and /Contemporary/ magazine. Michael holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and Philosophy from Northwestern University.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Art and Recession: Time to Adapt

Art and Recession

It appears that the current status of the economy may have delivered the final blow over the success of the art market. Many had thought that the booming art market would continue to thrive regardless of the financial crisis facing the global economy. Today is a new day-- and it is not exactly better. There is great fear that the financial bubble surrounding the traditional aspects of the art market may finally burst. Could it be that the art world recession has finally come? Are we already there? These questions and more plague the thoughts of art dealers at this time. The need to adapt is now.

I'm not convinced that we are 'there' yet. However, if the art market continues to sour we will most likely witness artists forced into obscurity while gallery doors close for the last time. It has been estimated, as mentioned on this blog recently, that if a downward spiral occurs it could result in the closing of over 50 galleries in New York alone. If this happens careers-- artists, curators, and other art related professionals-- may stagnate and emerging artists will find traditional exhibit involvement to be even more difficult to accomplish.

For example, I’m already getting reports from emerging artists who have stated that exhibits that had been planned for months have now been cancelled. Insiders have also warned that major contemporary art fairs may be forced to hold off until the economy is more stable. It is very likely that the situation could turn into a waiting game. That said, I would not count the art market out just yet-- though it does pay to be wary and to learn to truly adapt to the situation by utilizing the technology of today.

These concerns are warranted due to a drop in transactions between art dealers and art buyers at recent major art fairs in the UK. In the US the art market has been delivered another blow due to major sales by Sotheby's and Christie's in New York that were millions of dollars below their lowest estimated prices. The brick & mortar galleries are having a tough time, the art fairs are having a tough time, and now the auction houses are having a tough time in this unstable market. Needless to say, the art market has dodged more than a few bullets and has taking a few hits in stride as the financial crisis unfolds. To put it bluntly, there is enough fear to go around, but there are also people putting up one hell of a fight to sustain the art market as best they can. The question is-- will the good fight be enough to keep the art market in the ring, so to speak?

It is no secret that the success of the art market is often only as strong as the status of the economy. The two walk hand-in-hand. If the economy is strong the art market is strong. The best example of this is the art market of the 1980s and how the art market had a harsh fall in the early 1990s. However, the thing to remember is that the art market always bounces back-- sometimes a little bit before the economy does. Also, the art market of today is far different than the art market of the early 1990s. Today the art market is truly global. That factor may help to sustain the art market when everthing is said and done.

Think of it this way-- the number of international collectors has drastically increased in recent years. There has also been an increase in younger art collectors compared to the recent past. Thus, one could say that the art market is down on one leg, but that does not mean that it is out for the count. Collectors from India, China, and young collectors throughout the world may serve as a lifeline. In that sense, I think that some galleries may learn to appreciate ecommerce and other marketing strategies that are considered unconventional by the blunt of the art world at this time-- such as utilizing online social networking for exposure and global reach.

In closing, when the market changes a good business person will learn to adapt to those changes. That involves more than just saying, "I can adapt". I know a lot of art dealers who claim to adapt, but in all honesty they do not. Key figures involved with the art market are being bombarded by questions concerning the financial crisis. At this rate I believe we will know some of the answers by the start of 2009.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com

Selling Art: Three Key Factors that Emerging Artists Should Consider

Selling Art: Three Key Factors that Emerging Artists Should Consider

When it comes to selling art there are as many ideas about pricing and selling artwork as there are artists, gallery owners, and art consultants-- each individual has his or her own opinion on the matter. In other words, there is no set rule for how one should price or sell his or her work. Some artists are able to cash in with the traditional route of gallery representation while others bypass the traditional market in order to carve out their destiny one their own terms. The hard definitions of how an artist should sell are broken all the time. However, for emerging artists I feel that it is important to be realistic about pricing and to consider three main factors that can help or hinder the process of selling art. Thus, I will offer my humble opinion on these factors.

Before going into detail about these three factors I feel that I must include some information about art pricing in general. When pricing art an emerging artist must consider details that might be uncomfortable to think about. For example, the emerging artist must look at what his or her art has accomplished from an objective standpoint. He or she must acknowledge a lack of exhibit history if there is one and the connections that come with it. He or she must acknowledge that in the bigger picture his or her artwork has yet to make a cultural impact.

One can have an ego that matches the ego of some of the top selling artists in the world, but that does not mean that he or she will be able to realistically demand the same prices. In other words, the emerging artist must acknowledge his or her place in the art market as a new face who has yet to be tested. Pricing should reflect this. In other words, don't expect to sell art for $20,000 a pop. True, there are exceptions, but most of us are not so lucky. Thus, in order to improve status one must take the initiative to do so.

With that said, there are several factors to consider when understanding why some artists can sell their work for several thousand per piece. I think three factors are the most important-- exhibit history, cultural impact, and social networking. Fortunately, emerging artists can take advantage of-- and improve upon-- these factors by utilizing the internet:

1. Exhibit History: The exhibit history of the high selling artist is one of the top three factors concerning demand for high prices in my opinion. Where the artist has shown can debatable prove the importance of his or her work as a financial investment on top of raising the value of his or her art in general. True, there are exceptions, but most high selling artists have exhibited actively throughout their careers in prestigious galleries, museums, and institutions. The thing to remember is that most of them started off exhibiting in smaller venues. Thus, it is important for an emerging artist to strengthen his or her resume by taking part in as many exhibit opportunities as possible. Don't expect everything to just fall in your lap.

"Don't be fussy about the shows you are asked to be in, although still aim for bigger and better shows. The more exhibitions you are in the more likely you will be offered venues that are more prestigious and you will get a better deal." --
Derek Ogbourne

Each exhibit brings with it new connections that the artist can utilize in order to push further into the market. Fortunately, the internet can be used as a point of contact. By utilizing aspects of the internet an emerging artist can learn about exhibit opportunities that he or she may not have been aware of otherwise. This can come in the form of discovering online juried art competitions or curators who are seeking emerging artists. Thus, it is important to take some initiative and make things happen. An emerging artist should not wait for ’it’ to happen-- an emerging artist should try his or her best to make ’it’ happen by improving upon his or her exhibit history. Think of each exhibit as a step up a ladder leading to the next step or as a machete that can slice into career obstacles.

2. Cultural Impact: The impact the artist has had on popular culture can be a factor in why he or she is able to demand high prices. A perfect example of this would be the art of Shepard Fairey. True, Fairey was well-known before creating his iconic image of Obama. However, that single image launched him into mainstream culture. That impact has made it possible for the artist and his work to end up discussed in a rural gas station as much as it is on the streets of New York. That impact, which spread like wildfire on the internet, has no doubt increased the value of Fairey’s work in the mindset of art collectors. Thus, it is important for emerging artists to make as much of a cultural impact as they can AND to utilize aspects of the internet in order to spread the flames, so to speak.

"Everybody uses labels: they give you a handle on things – an over-simplified handle, sure, but without labels, without ads, without words, the world would be an indistinguishable mass, a blur. You can hope, maybe, that people ascribe so many labels to you that none wins out…" --
Vito Acconci

Making a cultural impact involves fostering discussion about your art by taking specific actions that can help improve your chances of being successful-- or at least notorious. This does not mean that the emerging artist must fight for a specific political cause, but if the artist does have a statement to make he or she should probably make it very clear. Fairey’s HOPE is an example of how easily work by a specific artist can become recognizable by utilizing the internet and spreading the word. True, an emerging artist may not be able to make the same national impact on visual culture that Fairey has accomplished, but it is very possible for he or she to make a regional impact on culture. As I’ve mentioned before… it is very important to build a regional audience for your work and this specific factor can play a role in that.

3. Social Networking: Who the artist is associated with can be a major factor in why he or she is able to demand high prices. Traditional social networking is still a solid foundation for exposure. However, there are other options-- such as online social networking. By social networking online an emerging artist can meet and build connections with individuals who have the potential to drastically improve the exposure of his or her work.

"My students have almost all made networking sites part of their daily life. I seriously wonder where they find the time. Young artists have great opportunities to see what is out there, to form connections and communities and to promote themselves." --
Holly Hughes

Today an emerging artist can utilize social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, and myartspace in order to build rapport with gallery owners, curators, art collectors, and fellow artists. Establishing good rapport with fellow artists is one of the best ways to open doors later down the road, so to speak. Online networking and the interaction that originates from it can foster exhibit involvement and other opportunities for the emerging artist. Social networking online is social networking without the expense of travel or a hangover.

In closing, that is the three main factors as I see them. My opinion is that if an emerging artist improves on these three factors he or she will have a better chance of demanding higher prices in the future. Until that point is reached he or she will have to be realistic about pricing. True, an emerging artist can be successful in grasping these three factors and still not achieve the standing of pricing that he or she desires. However, by taking initiative and improving upon them he or she will stand a much better chance of improving upon his or her market.

As the saying goes, “You only live once.”. In other words, spend your time wisely. If you want to view art as a career-- and if you strive to sell art you most certainly do to some extent-- then you must realize that you will need to do what you can to foster it just like any other business entrepreneur. If you can’t think of selling art as a business… than you should probably not bother selling your art. It is as simple as that.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com

Myartspace Interviews: Kathie Olivas, Travis Louie, Sas Christian

A look at past interviews that have been featured on www.myartspace.com.

Interview with Kathie Olivas:
“I started exhibiting over a dozen years ago and wasn't really familiar with the term "lowbrow." I was just showing in contemporary galleries. I met my husband in 2000 and he introduced me to Juxtapoz Magazine and started encouraging me to start showing on the West Coast. My work just sort of fit, but I've always thought of Lowbrow as being a very West Coast movement so I guess I still feel a bit like an outsider.” -- Kathie Olivas
READ MORE
Interview with Travis Louie:
“My work is created in several stages, . . . the first being the idea and or inspiration which can come at any time at any place. When I'm purposefully trying to come up with something, I make many little thumbnail drawings and write little character descriptions or complete little short stories to accompany the concept of a piece before I even get to the painting,”-- Travis Louie
READ MORE

Interview with Sas Christian:
“When I was about 8 a Japanese friend of mine at school had shown me some dolls she had - they were hand-painted and had these vibrant large "manga" eyes. I was fascinated with them and it stuck.”-- Sas Christian
READ MORE

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Art Space Talk: Antonio Puri

Antonio Puri states that his art is his means of identifying with the universe. Puri utilizes symbols, forms, and spatial concern as a means to express his need for universality. His inspiration comes from the unity between the microscopic and the macrocosmic. In a sense, his painting process is also designed to bridge the gap between the known and the unknown.

Voyage 3, Mixed Media on Canvas, 36" X 36", 2008

Brian Sherwin: Antonio, you studied at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Can you discuss your academic years? Did you have any influential art instructors?

Antonio Puri: I loved San Francisco. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t left. As far as instructors though, the most significant art teacher I had was in Iowa. His name was Bob Kocher and he taught painting. I remember how he pushed me to think outside the box. I was very comfortable doing landscape paintings and still life but he helped me realize there was more than that. From the very first abstract painting I made I was in love. I found it to be so liberating to be able to paint from sources inside of me rather than what was outside.
Janm 1, Mixed Media on Canvas, 20" X 20", 2007-2008

BS: You have stated that your inspiration comes from the unity between the microscopic and the macrocosmic. Can you go into further detail about this? Tell us more about the philosophy behind your art.

AP: My work is about Oneness. Things that are so small that cannot be seen with the naked eyes have a relationship with things that are too large to see, like supernovas and nebulas. I found the similarities fascinating. I remember reading in Eastern mysticism that things which are inside us are also outside of us. This idea troubled me for years, since it seemed like a contradiction. However, looking at the similarities between the micro and macro, things started to make more sense. My goal was to make works that could be seen as both large and small simultaneously. The mitosis series was born from that quest.

Crown Chakra, Mixed Media on Canvas, 72" X 72", 2008

BS: Can you discuss some of the symbolism involved with your art?

AP: Targets are a perfect example. There is a definite history to the target motif used by Johns, Noland and others, but they could also be mandalas used in Buddhist expressions of meditations. It is this overlap of meanings that symbols present that excites me. When the same images can be seen by different cultures as meaning different things, it is ultimately abstract.

BS: What about your methods as far as your painting is concerned? I understand that you utilize materials that sometimes resist each other. Can you discuss some of your techniques and your thoughts behind some of the materials that you use?

AP: I studied batik when I was very young, around 12 years old. The idea of wax resisting the dye was thrilling. When I studied painting I felt that the traditional process of painting usually covers up layers and layers of paint. So I decided to apply the batik process to my paintings. I had to modify the process so I could work with wax and acrylics and oils.

The fact that wax would repel washes of acrylics allowed me to experiment with a variety of applications not easy to create with traditional paints. For example, if I was to have a drip which changed colors as it went on that would be almost impossible by using just paints. But a drip made of wax covering several colors would make this possible. Of course I would need to burn off the wax with newspapers and irons before the colors underneath are revealed. I realize it can get confusing talking about this without a real demo but hopefully it makes sense.

I also experiment with paints of different viscosities to create a resist affect. The whole concept is to break down paradigms that say what we cannot do. It is this feeling of separation that I resist. Is it possible to make oil and water one? Can collage and painting fuse together? I started to experiment with all kinds of materials and techniques and hope to continue that.

Stairway 4, Mixed Media on Canvas, 30" X 30", 2008

BS: What about other influences? Do you adhere to any specific art tradition, so to speak? Are you inspired directly by any specific artist from the past?

AP: I definitely have a deep respect for abstract expressionism. I find Pollock, Kiefer, Johns, Rothko, Rauschenberg, De Kooning, among others, very inspiring. Nonetheless, I don’t see my art as derivative of any of these artists but an attempt to create a synthesis between the past and present. By incorporating my own life experiences and philosophy to the work, it separates it from any particular school of thought. Personally I prefer to stay away from labeling the work as belonging to a specific tradition.

BS: What are you working on at this time? Can you give our readers some insight into your most current work?

AP: I have been working on an afterlife series. I find death and afterlife are issues which are treated so differently by various societies that I wanted to address it in my work. To see death and birth into another life as the same thing continues my exploration of oneness. I created a work which incorporated crematory ashes and saw this as an afterlife for those ashes. I am pursuing a more conceptual idea now where I am asking donors to will their ashes to me. Of course it is conceivable that I may never get to use those ashes in case I transcend before my donors, but it is the idea which has merit for me. By willing one’s ashes an individual has to think about their own demise and afterlife. Some cultures are more open and receptive to these ideas than others, and it is quite revealing how each reacts. It is by understanding death that we can begin to live.

BS: Will you be involved with any upcoming exhibits?

AP: I am currently in a group show with eleven international abstract artists known as Pintura Fresca. We met on the internet and have been showing our work together around the world. The show has already traveled to Singapore, UK, and is now in San Francisco at the California Institute for Integral Studies.

The opening reception is on November 7th at 7pm. You can get more information on the group and exhibition at www.pinturafresca.net. There are several other exhibitions I have coming up in Philadelphia, Bethesda, Arizona, and India. I try and keep an updated list of exhibitions on my home page: www.antoniopuri.com.

Open when Closed, Mixed Media on Canvas, 72" X 72" X 3", 2007

BS: Speaking of exhibiting… what do enjoy about displaying your art in public view? Do you see it as part of the process, so to speak?

AP: The public is a crucial part of the art making process. Especially in my new afterlife series, the public is one with the art. By having the audience participate in signing the donor list, they become a piece of the art. It is unifying the viewing experience and the participating experience. I enjoy the opinions that people express because it is out of those differences that I find unity. If the art would be the same to everyone it might get boring.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the goals that you have?

AP: No, I feel like I have already said too much. Thanks Brian.

You can learn more about Antonio Puri by visiting his website-- www.antoniopuri.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Aitken's not-so-migratory menagerie

Doug Aitken
"Migration"
2008
Production still
25-minute video loop
Doug Aitken's haunting film "Migration," recently on view at New York's 303 Gallery, vignettes a number of North American animal species, each displaced in a banal motel room. These affecting scenes are intercut with shots of rail yards, highway on-ramps and motel exteriors. The film is a beautiful monument to our transient American existence. Indeed, whether moving homes or traveling for business, Americans are a peregrinating people; we move more often than citizens of any other industrialized nation. Aitken's decision to use wildlife to meditate on this phenomenon is apt. "Migration" is dream-like and hypnotic; it was hard to pull myself away, even when the 25-minute loop began again.

But when I picked up the gallery press release, I noticed that it described the critters Aitken filmed as "wild North American migratory animals." This jarred me from any reverie. In fact, of the twelve species that I recall offhand, only three - the American bison (Bison bison), caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and hawk (unidentified sp.) - might be deemed migratory, and it requires an almost comical ignorance of wildlife to think that an American beaver (Castor canadensis) or raccoon (Procyon lotor) will trundle hundreds or thousands of miles in search of more hospitable temperatures. I don't know if the press release mistake is Aitken's doing or that of a gallery employee. Of course, I hope it's the latter, but I'm dismayed either way.

Artists are generally urban animals. We congregate in cities so that we might feel connected to other artists and novel ideas. (Certainly, there are many exceptions, and the rural, more solitary approach to art-making is no less valid or vital. Different strokes for different folks, as the expression goes.) Some of us, though, strive to straddle the urban-rural divide. But those artists who, like me, spent childhood in the country and now reside in the city (or vice versa) often come to feel uneasy in both environments.

In my case, that sense of alienation is felt most acutely when I am reminded of urbanites' general ignorance of natural history. Despite their relatively impressive academic pedigree, urban artists and art enthusiasts are no exception. What's more, most city dwellers consider those individuals who do possess a knowledge of or curiosity about other species and ecosystems quaint; natural history is considered an esoteric and incidental subject. Among my friends, I'm the go-to-guy for questions about animal behavior or physiology, but these questions are cast as if the answers are more trivial than celebrity gossip. (My friends are often surprised that I can't name a fifteen-minute celebrity pictured on a newsstand rag, but don't think it odd that they can't identify but one or two of the city's common bird species.)

Indeed, when I mentioned my finding fault with the 303 Gallery press release, one artist friend chuckled and said, "Only you would even notice that." Sadly, that may be true, evidence of how very divorced urbanites are from the lives and lifestyles outside the proverbial city walls. Such a dismissive urban attitude is not merely an unfortunate reality for natural history buffs like myself; with an increasingly urban global populace, it bodes poorly for the future of ecological stewardship and, in turn, our human station.

Photo credit: 303 Gallery

(Note: The original edit of this post was posted on the art blog, Hungry Hyaena.)

+++++
Christopher Reiger
http://www.christopherreiger.com/
http://hungryhyaena.blogspot.com/

The Intentions of Shepard Fairey Should be Examined

HOPE by Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the iconic HOPE image of Barack Obama, has been openly upset concerning individuals profiting off of the iconic posters on Ebay. Many of the Obama HOPE posters were distributed for free after Fairey donated them to the Barack Obama campaign. There have also been some reports about the artist being upset that other artists have violated his copyright by creating similar pieces for sell. For example, Fairey informed a U.S. News reporter that once the election is over he plans to go after "bootleggers" who have "hijacked his style" in order to create "copycat images" of Obama and McCain. The article goes on to say that Fairey hopes to make the "bootleggers" donate some of their profits to the ACLU. That said, I find it interesting that an artist like Shepard Fairey would become upset when others trespass on his intentions or emulate his methods. After all, Shepard Fairey is the same artist who has been exposed several times for infringing on the copyright of other visual artists. The irony surrounding Fairey’s anger over this issue is amusing at best.

Apparently there is a new twist to this issue in that Obama supporters who have obtained the free poster have started to crease the posters in order to detract people from listing them on Ebay. The action is in response to the good intentions that Shepard Fairey had behind the creation of the poster and his donation. They are aware of Shepard Fairey’s intentions, but they are obviously not aware of Fairey's sorted past concerning the intentions of other visual artists. The artists he has stolen from had specific intentions for their work. If Shepard Fairey is unable to acknowledge those intentions why should anyone care about his? Fairey certainly did not care about the intentions of the late Rene Mederos. In my opinion, people should consider this before running to Fairey’s defense.

In 2007 a shirt with an image, titled Cuban Rider, by Shepard Fairey was listed on the Bombing Science website. Lincoln Cushing, author of Revolución: Cuban Poster Art, recognized the image. He recognized it as an altered image from a poster by Cuban revolutionary artist Rene Mederos. Having worked closely with the family Cushing also knew that the Mederos estate was not aware of Fairey’s use of the image. The Mederos poster had been reproduced in Cushing‘s book with full permission from the Mederos estate, as well as David Kunzle’s book, Che Guevara: Icon, Myth and Message. So Cushing assumed that Shepard Fairey had discovered the image within the pages of one of those two books. Needless to say, Cushing contacted the Mederos Estate. After being exposed the shirt was discontinued and the Mederos estate was paid a small royalty fee-- some have suggested that it was a mere $1,000.

Shepard Fairey recalled the incident during an interview with Liam O'Donoghue for Mother Jones. In the interview Fairey stated, “There's a piece by Rene Mederos that I used, thinking, "Well, how would I ever pay this guy anyway because he's in Cuba?" All I really changed about that graphic was I put flowers into the gun and put a peace logo in it. With Castro and Che on horses I was definitely manipulating the original intention, but at the same time, it was a really beautifully done poster and tweaking it for my anti-war agenda was a way to pass that graphic along. So when the Mederos estate contacted me, I immediately paid him the exact same royalty rate that any artist would be paid.” Thus, Shepard Fairey knowingly infringed upon the copyright of another artist and acknowledged that he did not care about the intention that the late Rene Mederos had for the poster. Rene Mederos died in 1996-- apparently Shepard Fairey was not aware of that fact.

In the same interview Fairey also stated, “A lot of the stuff that I do is designed to try to circulate things that I think are awesome back into a new crowd. Even if I'm like a hip-hop artist recontextualizing a piece like a sample, I'm not going to say I own it, because I don't feel that way. When I'm using someone else's work as a reference point, I'm just trying to give them props.”. As I’ve mentioned before, if Shepard Fairey truly wanted to acknowledge the artists that he has ‘referenced’ he would be wise to acknowledge them on his website or in some other manner instead of hiding behind the ‘hope’ that no one will find out.

I think Shepard Fairey’s intentions are clear: He can ‘reference’ you, but you had better not ‘reference’ him. He can infringe on your copyright protected works, but you had better not infringe upon his copyright protected works. He can distort the intentions of a fellow artist, but a fellow artist had better not distort his intentions. Thus, I can’t respect the man or his art not matter how good his intentions are. I think individuals who support the rights and protections of artists and their work should examine the career of Shepard Fairey in great detail before defending his rights as an artist. People should examine his intentions before complaining about how others are violating his.

In closing, Shepard Fairey should take a long hard look in the mirror before being angry at Ebay sellers or people who have infringed upon his protected works. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow.
Untitled Silk-screen poster - Rene Mederos, Cuba, 1972. This double portrait by one of Cuba’s most famous poster artists depicts the revolutionaries Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos as seen on the Art for a Change article. A must read!

From Art for a Change-- Screenshot taken from the "Bombing Science" website 7/18/2007, where the Fairey rip-off of Mederos’ poster was being sold as a T-shirt. Fairey copied the graphic without permission from the Mederos estate. Fairey did not publicly acknowledge his use of the Mederos image until after being exposed. One could ask how many other works Shepard Fairey has infringed upon. If Fairey is paying homage to artists like Mederos and the causes they fought for it would be nice if he would do it the right way by acknowledging their legacy as well as the copyright of their work. The intention behind these works should be known.

Links of Interest:

Mother Jones Interview with Shepard Fairey
www.motherjones.com/interview/2008/03/interview-shepard-fairey.html

Obey Plagiarist Shepard Fairey
www.art-for-a-change.com/Obey/index.htm

With Barack Obama Posters Comes Fame

www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2008/10/24/with-barack-obama-posters-comes-fame.html

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

www.myartspace.com/blog

www.myartspace.com/interviews

The Art Portfolio Serves Many Purposes

The Art Portfolio Serves Many Purposes

It is often suggested that it is imperative for an artist to maintain an art portfolio in order to document his or her growth as an artist. Gallery owners and curators tend to expect it. An artist who presents his or her work with a well maintained art portfolio is more likely to obtain gallery representation and more apt to be included in other exhibit venues. This is due to the fact that by having a portfolio reviewers will have an idea of where the artist is going with his or her work. In other words, it is assumed that the artist is serious about his or her art if he or she takes the time to document it in a portfolio. It is also a lot easier to transport photographs of specific works rather than the work itself. That is the basic reason for having an art portfolio. However, I would like to make some points that focus on other positive reasons for maintaining an art portfolio.

The art portfolio speaks for the artist: I’ve been around long enough to know that people, in general, don’t like to speak about their talents. We tend to be humble about what we are able to do. Part of this is due to social conditioning that dictates that to state your skills or talents is a form of bragging. Thus, professionals from all fields often avoid direct discussion of that manner. Therefore, maintaining an art portfolio may very well do most of the talking for you when meeting with gallery owners, art collectors, and other interested individuals. If anything the portfolio will serve as a point of discussion-- a focus on the work itself.

The art portfolio serves as a point of reference and reflection: Maintaining an art portfolio can be a great source for future reference and reflection. With a portfolio an artist can easily observe his or her past works during the throws of the creative process. In that sense the documentation contained in the portfolio may very well serve as a point of origin for future works upon reference. The portfolio also allows an artist to reflect upon what he or she has accomplished visually-- which can come in handy when one is in a creative rut or feeling a bit unworthy to continue. Looking back on documentation of past works can be a good motivator for further exploration. It says, “This is what I’ve done. I can push it more.”.

The art portfolio can serve as documentation (your best friend) if legal issues arise concerning ownership of your art: Maintaining a portfolio that contains photographs of your past work can become a legal cannon that can blast would-be art thieves who attempt to infringe upon your protected works. It would be very hard for an infringer to claim that he or she owns the rights to the work when you possess the work or know who purchased the work AND have a portfolio to back your claim as well. Trust me, if someone tries to profit off of your creations you will want to be ‘packing’ some form of documentation. If you have one of the more expensive portfolios there will most likely be areas for you to keep other documentation as well concerning each piece-- where it has been exhibited, where it has been published, if it has been purchased-- that is represented in the portfolio. Do it!

In closing, having an art portfolio can serve an artist far more than its basic function of displaying examples of your work. A portfolio containing photographic documentation of specific works can help to make a good impression when the actual art-- paintings, sculptures, what have you-- is not available for direct viewing. However, the portfolio can also help the artist to communicate efficiently, reflect upon and reference past works, and protect ownership rights during legal disputes.

Links of Interest:

The Artist Statement
www.myartspace.com/blog/2008/09/my-art-advice-artist-statement.html

The Artist Statement… Again
www.myartspace.com/blog/2008/10/artist-statementagain.html

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com

Art Space Talk: Polly Morgan

Photograph by Gino Sprio

Polly Morgan is a British artist who utilizes taxidermy within the context of her work. Polly creates still lives with animals as her subject-- which she places in unexpected scenes. By observing these pieces the viewer is encouraged to look at the animals as if for the first time. The preserved animals are either road casualties or have been donated to the artist by pet owners and vets after natural or unpreventable deaths. Polly Morgan is rapidly becoming a name to watch among a new generation of British artists. Her work can be found in the art collection of Vanessa Branson and Kate Moss.

Someone on the Phone, 2006

Brian Sherwin: Polly, at the time of this interview you are currently exhibiting in New York having been included in gallerist Steve Lazarides exhibit titled The Outsiders. The exhibit includes works by Antony Micallef and Jonathan Yeo. I’ve been told that the exhibit has been very successful. In fact, one report suggests that the exhibit has received more traffic than the Gilbert & George retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum. What can you tell us about the exhibit? Were you present for the opening?

Polly Morgan: I’m afraid very little. I couldn’t make the opening and wasn’t involved in the show other than to advise over installation of my work, sorry.

BS: An interesting aspect about your work is the fact that you are a legal taxidermist in the UK. You utilize your skills as a taxidermist in order to make still lives with animals as the subject. Can you tell us about your interest in taxidermy? Who did you study under?

PM: I’m only legal in that I don’t break the law, IE. By killing protected animals, there is no qualifications recognized by law in the UK that I know of-- anyone can do it. However, I did choose to learn from an expert, George Jamieson in Edinburgh who has been a taxidermist for 40 years, as I wanted to do as good a job of it as I could-- it’s easy to make bad taxidermy!
I’ve always loved taxidermy and was never creeped by it. I just loved the access it gave me to animals that, in life, would run away from me when I approached.

Former Things, 2007

BS: I understand that you did not begin working as a fine artist until 2005--- were you a taxidermist before that time or did you learn the trade specifically for your art? Did the process of meshing the two interests evolve over time or did you simply jump into it?

PM: It was all very unplanned. I simply wanted to learn taxidermy, which I did in 2004 and practiced over the year when I came upon a corpse. I was asked by a friend with a bar/restaurant (Bistrotheque) to taxidermy some animals for four belljars they wanted to fill. With no brief, I used my imagination and came up with what I liked. What was meant to be a small ‘unveiling’ turned into a big party with lots of art world people that I knew from running a bar in Hoxton Square.

Bizarrely, Banksy turned up and was an early champion of my work. As well as the artist and gallerist Wolfe Lenkiewicz, who encouraged me to make work for his stand at the Zoo Art Fair. I had much interest and many sales from then on and it all happened organically from there. I had a lucky start.

Understudy, 2008

BS: As far as art is concerned… can you discuss some of your influences?

PM: My major influences are my friends really as I don’t come from an art background and therefore don’t have much knowledge to draw on art history wise. I have lived in East London for ten years and become friends with lots of artists living and working in the area. The artist Paul Fryer has been a major influence on me, we’re very close and he has always given me advice on how best to realize my ideas. Mat Collisha is good at recommending shows he thinks I’d like and artists I should investigate and Wolfe Lenkievicz is good at giving me his very honest opinion on my work.

The only artist I have ever consciously referenced is Dali with my melting cutlery. Someone pointed out that a white-framed glass box I exhibited work in was similar to Damien Hirst’s display cases. I absorb things from people that work around me, but I am not always good at spotting it when it comes out in my work.

MS Found in a Bottle, 2008

BS: I recently interviewed Jessica Joslin, a Chicago based artist who creates sculptures involving various animal bones. Jessica made the legal aspect of her practice very clear. She also touched on some of the reactions that people have had about her work. Can you discuss some of the reactions viewers have had concerning your work? When faced with controversy how do you explain your intentions to an upset viewer?

PM: I have a disclaimer on my website making it clear that none of my animals are killed for my use, but it doesn’t stop everyone from being offended. I am generally impatient with people who take offense as none have come up with any very legitimate attacks.

I’ve had people say it’s irresponsible to show my work to children, which I find absurd as I’ve never met a child who isn’t intrigued and thrilled by it. Parents teach their children to recoil from these things-- the natural response is curiosity and children learn by being curious.

Another criticism is by people who believe I go around having animals killed for my work. That, to me, would completely defeat the object. To kill an animal in order to try to make it look alive again is perverse so I wouldn’t.

Another criticism is that it’s disrespectful to the animal to cut it open post-death. I’m not sentimental about corpses. I’d never work on a human corpse as it would upsetting to the relative of the person. Animals don’t follow the same codes as us-- they eat their dead. Birds don’t cluster around graves to mourn so I think the question of respecting a corpse is pretty redundant.

BS: Would you say that your work is a form of activism?

PM: I’m not sure what you mean. While it certainly has nothing to do with animal rights, I think animals are beautiful. I think their beauty can be lost in some traditional taxidermy. I’m a fan of traditional taxidermy, but if not done perfectly it can look unintentionally humorous. While I’m not the worlds best taxidermist, I hope the animals beauty is preserved through the poses or settings I put them in, as opposed to because I’ve rendered them anatomically accurately.

BS: Polly, can you discuss some of the legal aspects of your work. For example, if an artist is interested in learning taxidermy do you have any advice for them? At least from a UK perspective?

PM: Don’t kill anything-- there are plenty of animals dying for other reasons all the time that are obtainable from the side of the roads in the country or dragged in by friend’s cats, etc. Join the Guild of Taxidermists(www.taxidermy.co.uk) where you can get the details of many taxidermists who are credited by the guild-- the highest stamp of approval available in Britain, and possibly tuition too.

Testament (Robin), 2007

BS: I assume a great deal of planning is involved with your practice. Can you give us an idea of your thought process while working? For example, do you have an idea of how you will utilize the preserved corpse of an animal as you are preparing it or do you create the environment that it will be placed in later? In other words, does the overall concept come first or does it evolve as you work?

PM: I should plan more. The best taxidermy is well planned as it is good to have an idea of how its going to be positioned while you skin it. My early work was rarely planned, IE. The bluetit on prayerbook was an accident that came from placing down the skin while I built the body and realized the powerful poignancy it had as just a small back of relaxing bones. As my work has progressed I have begun to plan more and to actively seek certain animals rather than to just work with what I have.

To Every Seed His Own Body, 2006

BS: Finally, what can you tell us about your current work? Also, will you be involved with any upcoming exhibits?

PM: I’m in the very early planning stages of a new show and can’t really give more specific details than that, but I will update my website as soon as I have any firm plans. I am working on two shows; one where the work is based around mans’ various attempts at flying-- with life-sized installations of my interpretations of Victorian designs for flying machines. These feathered carriages or cages being drawn by harnessed birds in the sky. The other show will be to do with superstition and the arbitrary significance we attribute to things.

You can learn more about Polly Morgan by visiting her website-- www.pollymorgan.co.uk. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/blog.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com