Days’ End

The residency is over, and I left a good number of works behind for the exhibition which begins on March 2 at the Gallery. I had wanted to complete a few more pieces, but what I was able to try has been satisfying.

Folks have been so nice. Most of the people that came by my area were not familiar with encaustic, and their interest seemed quite sincere. Of the few that have heard of it, and one woman even works in this medium, no one does quite what I do with mixed media. Working with my drawings and mixed media is not as common as I imagined. This has been an excellent experience to push me out of my shell and comfort zone. It was also rewarding to pick up the pace and do more with my ideas. I’d like to do something like this again.

If you're interested in seeing more of the gallery space where I was working, watch this video.

Experimenting

I have been pushing myself to go out of my comfort zone, by working a little larger and then embedding materials--grass pods, rusty hardware. Both have been going well. This is giving me the confidence to be yet more experimental over the last few days of this residency. See what I've been working on in the short video below.

I find that just before I leave at the end of the day, I work on a couple of pieces. I might lay down color that will need to be fused. Or I might glue down an image that will need to be trimmed down to size after it sets. Then I leave. The next morning, these simple follow up tasks are an excellent way to get me started first thing. While I'm fusing, or trimming down, my mind begins to get into the groove for the day and more easily moves me forward.

Hard at Work

Today was a good day. The five artists that have arrived for this week are a lively group, and the cameraderie is contagious. I am finding that working a full day (9:30 am to 4:30 pm) on my own artwork is simply exhilerating.

So you are probably wondering exactly where I am working...check out this video.

Day One

The weather this morning was mild and sunny. What a lovely walk through the woods and garden from the house to the gallery. Even from my work area, the woods are alive with birds and outdoor sculptures from every viewing angle. It is almost distracting as I try to focus on my first piece in the quiet of the space.

I worked hard to think through some design ideas before leaving, and I am determined to follow through on at least some of them. So I will start the two largest pieces, 20 x 16, today, and intermix some small ones, 2 ½ x 3 ½. I don’t know if I will be able to stay on the plan, but at least I don’t feel paralyzed by a blank board.

The people here are incredibly nice, as are the couple of other artists I’ve met so far. Mary does watercolor, and Colleen does equine sculptures. Both are clearly talented, accomplished artists.

The one thing I am not used to yet is the overhead roar, and I do mean Roar, of planes from the nearby military base.

Arrival

We left Pittsburg just in time to miss the possible snow/ice weather and arrived at the sculpture gardens mid-day. Just enough time to meet some folks, get my bearings, and set up my encaustic stuff so I can get a good start tomorrow morning. Staying in their Artist House will be nicely different.

A New Challenge

I am now writing from the Courtyard just outside Pittsburg, PA, en route to Maryland for a 10 day artist residency at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden. After several days of packing up my art stuff, lining up the cat sitter and cat food, I am about to start a new experience.

Last November I submitted materials for this spot in the Living Gallery opportunity at the sculpture gardens, and was accepted! Over a 6 week period, accepted artists will come in for one or two weeks, work on their art and interact with visitors who come through the gallery.

My time slot is the 16th to the 25th. Afterward, there will be an exhibit of works by the participating artists completed at the Gallery. A pretty cool idea. Of the 18 or so involved, most are painters, a couple of sculptors—I will be the only one working with encaustic. I have also been given the chance to stay in their artist house on the garden property.

I am both excited by this, and anxious. To prepare, I have been doing thumbnails of possible works, then lining up the appropriate supports and images I might need. As I was talking with my friend Anne, it is one thing to jot down some ideas, but to be committed enough to follow through with them—well, I don’t know what things are going to be like a couple of days from now. More thoughts as I go along.

It’s been asked “why a residency?” After thinking about it, I’ve concluded there are two immediate benefits. First, meeting with other serious artists I would never have a chance to meet. Second, it is a chance to interact with the public in a different manner, encouraging me to articulate what I am doing and why. Ok, there is a third—it looks good on a resume.

2012 Starts with a Bang

First up, Eric and I were asked to be the award jurors for a photography competition at Duke’s Divinity School. What a wonderful challenge to start the year off!

Some background: Duke Divinity has an “Arts and Theology Program”, chaired by Jeremy Begbie, from Cambridge University, England. This photography event was designed to visually portray a piece of music by composer Olivier Messiaen. Entrants were invited to submit a photograph for each movement of this incredible work. Over Holy Week in April the music will be performed at Cambridge, the winning photographs exhibited there, and the overall winner invited to attend.

A committee was formed at Duke for the intake of all the entries. The two or three images in each movement they felt were the best were selected, then sent to us to pick the winners. Their thoughts during the first round of selections were included as a bit of context for each movement.

Our process was to listen to the music ourselves, while looking at the images for a movement. We each made our own selection and discussed the merits of each photo—both as a photograph and as it related to the music. It was after our discussion that we looked at the notes sent to us. The committee did a great job, and the whole process went smoothly. A slideshow with the Winners and the Honorable Mentions for each movement is included below.

Two things struck me: First, it is not so easy to set aside my own conceptions to view each entry with a neutral mind. Fortunately, but not surprising, the images we got were excellent. The intent of each one was clear, creative, and generally well executed. Second, how closely Eric and my aesthetics are aligned. Really cool for a left-brain Ford finance guy turned photographer and right-brain artist couple.

Being part of a jury process requires pulling yourself out of your own world and objectively look—really look—at someone else’s art; to be accountable and articulate for your reactions. It stresses to me how important it is to do this as I view other exhibits. It is too easy to make snap judgments and walk away. That is not what art is about.


Grand Prize winner:
Kate Roberts, MDiv ‘14
“The winning photograph is a dynamic composition in black and white that gives a strong sense of endless creation, showing the darkness punctuated by points of light flowing out from a white center. It also suggests the majesty of God with the single small figure in silhouette against the bright light. The energy conveyed by this superb photograph mirrors the overall impression on the listener of the music.”