MFA Thesis Exhibition

Press Release

University of the Arts

MFA Thesis Exhibition 2010

What: University of the Arts

MFA Program in Ceramics, Painting and

Sculpture

When: Opening Reception:

Saturday, December 18th, 2010

6:00‐9:00 PM

Exhibition continues: December 18‐21st

and January 3‐14th, 2011.

Where: University of the Arts‐ Rosenwald/ Wolf

Gallery, Hamilton Gallery, Arronson

Gallery, Gershman Y Gym, Open Lens

Gallery, Hamilton Hall Platforms‐‐ 333

S. Broad Street, 320 S. Broad Street, 401

S. Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19102

Details: Please join us on December 18, 2010

from 6‐9 p.m. for the Opening Reception of the

Thesis Exhibition of the MFA Ceramics, Painting and

Sculpture Program at the University of the Arts! The

exhibition will be located in the Rosenwald‐Wolf

Gallery, Hamilton Hall Gallery, Arronson Gallery,

Gershman Y Gymnasium, Open Lens Gallery and the

Hamilton Hall Platforms. All of the Galleries that will

be hosting artwork are located within walking

distance from Hamilton Hall at the University of the

Arts at 320 South Broad Street.

The Thesis Graduate Students in the MFA Exhibition

are Veronica Cianfrano, Jessie Clark, Jess Cohen,

Christine Colby, Renee Cortese, Martha Ferguson,

Marshall K. Harris, Andrew Heisey, Michele C.

Kishita, Sean Mattio, Lauren McCarty, Teresa Anna

Palmer, Nancy Gail Ring, Andrew R. Walker and

Matt Zigler.

For more information and for images please contact:

Joe Girandola, Director

MFA Program in Studio Art

(215) 717‐6299 jgirandola@uarts.edu

Fall News!

It's a busy busy busy busy time of year.  To sum it up, I'd like to highlight the following current and upcoming events:

Ceramics Monthly, October 2010 issue, page 18. Exhibition announcement for The Clay Studio graduate show.

Mackey, Maureen. Experience Clay (2nd Edition). Worcester: Davis Publications.

    Title page (frontspiece), and images throughout.  My students have several images throughout the book.  There's even a few pictures of students working in my classroom!

Volusia County Art Educators 

Opening reception: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 5-7 PM

Exhibit runs until October 1, 2010

ArtHaus

Port Orange, FL

This show is extended through October, closing date TBA.

Southeast College Art Conference

October 21-23, 2010

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, VA

I will be speaking as part of the group, "Gone but not forgotten: Recovering History in 21st Century Art."  I have also been awarded a Gulnar Bosch Travel Grant to help fund this event.

MFA Thesis Exhibition

Opening reception: Saturday, December 18, 2010, 5-8 PM

University of the Arts’ Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery

Philadelphia, PA

Here's the piece on the title page of Experience Clay.  Special thanks to Maureen Mackey & Davis Publications.

Studio Visit: Michele Kishita

Michele Kishita, painter
Philadelphia, PA
www.michelekishita.com


Michele Kishita’s pantings radiate with visual material; simultaneously, there is a sense of subdued tranquility that lures the viewer into her nuances of color and texture. Addressing properties of water, it is only appropos that Kishita’s body of work transform as well, maintaining interest and energy, and contain a continual flow of uniformity.

More than just literal landscape paintings, Kishita desires to “capture the memory or spirit of the landscape rather than render an objective depiction.”  Her recent work uses the pull of gravity to lead paint drips in an orderly way that builds on the composition.  Billowy cumulous clouds of bold hues perch inquisitively on a foggy horizon, partially concealing patterned collage, as well as delicate gold leaf.  In her work “Wildflower Gorge,” a dark charcoal valley twists through the image, while a torn floral collage of origami paper observes quietly on the side.

Kishita’s work, like nature changing throughout the seasons, has bloomed.  Previous investigations of paint marker on Bristol board have transitioned into dimensional cut shapes of wood panel, creating scenes and referencing dioramas or theatrical sets.  Special care is taken to the cut edges of wood; Kishita uses torn patterned paper and meticulously wraps the edge.  Thus creating a physical border that further defines her intentions of portraying perspective through her painting without the traditional use of a horizon line.

As an artist, Kishita embraces her life experiences and allows for her thoughts and interests to be reflected in her work.  The influence of her time spent in Japan is depicted in her paintings in several ways.  Formal characteristics found in Katushika Hokusai’s prints can be interpreted in Kishita’s work.  Crisply painted edges, looming foggy skies, and towering mountain ranges have left a lasting impact on both artists’ work.  However, Asian influence is not the only cultural reference found in Kishita’s paintings.  She alludes to heavy patterning of Gustav Klimt, whose trademark style incorporates repetition of rhythmic shapes and is also known for an affinity of using gold in his paintings.  Kishita’s ability to capture gentle atmospheric landscapes evoke tones from American painter Milton Avery.  His paintings of broad shapes of color have a representational sensibility to them, yet they can be described as abstracted due to the flatness of areas.  His ability to capture a sense of space within the layers of paint has defined him as a quintessential American painter in twentieth century art history.

By building layers of paint and collage and working them on the surface, Kishita is able to capture a topographical depiction of an environment through a two-dimensional media.  Works in progress allude to a change in thought and experimentation; wood panels have begun to warp and curve away from the wall.  One can only imagine the spirit of the landscape beckoning to the panels; therefore enticing us for what is yet to come.  Pondering the principles of change in the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, Kishita’s work leaves the viewer reflecting upon their own personal experiences: to cherish what is impermanent, simple, and imperfect. 

Photos of summer work

Here are a couple of detail shots from work produced this summer.

Philadelphia Art Alliance's Vanitas Exhibit

  “Vanitas”

Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 South 18th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

May 27-August 12, 2010

Long gone are the scenes of pastoral morbidity; the archetypal arrangement of overripe fruit and freshly hunted game are nowhere to be found in the exhibition “Vanitas” at the Philadelphia Art Alliance.  The linking theme of the show is interpreted and represented differently by each artist, presenting a captivating experience throughout the dignified rooms of the PAA.

The staircase leading to the second floor galleries guides you with a velvet-sleeved banister, while an oversized crystal chandelier haloed by a Tiffany-ish shade of blue observes your arrival from above.  Immediately, a baby-grand piano greets the viewer.  Seductively perched on the lid of the piano is an altered chafing dish by metal sculptor Myra Mimlitsch-Gray; its peculiar form alludes to the show’s exuberance.

Beyond the prim landing an emerald green glow emits from the gallery featuring the work of Gae Savannah.  Described as a sculptor that works in “new materials,” Savannah’s work is colorful, loud, and clamors for attention.  She makes totemic assemblages of plastic found objects and veils of iridescent fabric.  Themes of femininity, beauty, and physical appearance are prevalent; the collaged objects range from strands of beads, colorful hair clips, and child-size vanity tables.  At first glance, Savannah’s work could be cast aside as a gaudy cacophony.  What lies within the tiny caves and crevices of the work is what really matters.  In her Vanitas, cascading trellises of jewel-toned plastic beads seduce and draw in the viewer to the beauty created by simple materials.  Savannah’s ability to persuade the viewer to take a second look is what makes her work successful as well as a complimentary addition to the exhibit.

Myra Mimilitsch-Gray’s work takes an abrupt change from the lush decoration of Savannah’s.  Her work is a unique hybrid--a sort of Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast-meets-Terminator 2.  Domestic silver and copper objects take on a metamorphic form as they appear to melt under the weight of their own actuality. Her display room is presented in more of a traditional manner; works are secured under plexiglass to prevent unsightly fingerprints from curious gallery goers.  Gray’s work exudes a strength in craftsmanship and skill, in addition to tiptoeing the omnipresent fine line of art versus craft.  Gray’s work appears more subdued and serious than if it was shown in a different setting; surrounded by exuberant work, her transformation of objects occupies the back burner.

Candy Depew’s installation, Stilled Life, looks like a bicycle collided into skateboarders--in a diamond encrusted Koi pond.  Skulls--direct iconography from the Vanitas tradition--appear throughout the installation, but appear fresh from a Mexican Dia de los Muertos parade float.  Indicative of Depew’s aesthetic viewpoint is the practice of decoration beyond oversaturation.  Depew describes her work as “mystical portrayal of feminine beauty,” however, the common references to mainstream fashion trends (Orientalism, splashy ambiguous shapes, gigantic diamonds, skulls) depict more of an Ed Hardy t-shirt factory explosion than feminine beauty.

The exhibit takes another contrasting direction in the neighboring gallery occupied by sculptors Katherine Kaminski and Audrey Hasen Russell.  Visually, the mood is quieter, more sentimental and personal.  Structurally, the room is divided in half, each artist displaying work on opposing sides.  Kaminski’s combination of drawings and sculptures depict dream-like narratives, often literally sugar coated with a thick crystal crust.  A blossoming romance between a woman and a deer are juxtaposed with floral arrangements and deer anatomy.  Her work, I keep you here to stare at you when no one is looking, has the style of a funeral-home florist.  A plaster Corinthian-style pillar maintains posture while a sumptuous silk flower arrangement cherishes a tiny deer figurine protected under a glass bell jar.  Without her rock candy surface technique found on other pieces, I keep you here to stare at you when no one is looking reminds us too much of the arrangements sitting in our grandmother’s living room, perched on crocheted doilies.

Still life arrangements by Russell evoke remembrance through objects.  Delicately balanced vintage glass mingles with blown glass orbs, expressing a yearning for the past.  Stacked glass vessels adorned with plastic grass sprouts are sandwiched between clear plexi circles. Her works utilizing branches are the most emotionally delicate and personal, demonstrating process and the artist’s hand involved the in the creation of the object.  The branches reach out from their bases, fragile tendrils traveling forward, balancing the personal dichotomy of maintaining one’s roots and traditions while acknowledging the independence of moving forward.

Vanitas does exactly that--it remind us of our past, our mortality--nevertheless, it celebrates living in the present as well.  Each artist independently conveys the enjoyment of life, the pleasure in our earthly encounters, and the sentimentality of memory.  However, for an exhibition with such creativity, personal history, and overflowing visual stimuli, it can hardly be regarded as the Latin translation of vanitas: “emptiness.”

Christine Colby

Last week.

No update/post for the week yet. Last week I was frantically firing and I have been painting and gluing this week (aka what us clay folk call "cold finishing").  I have presentations and studio wrap up this week.  I finished my website:

www.christinecolby.com

yeah!

I am leaving Philadelphia Saturday morning!  I am really nervous about driving back to Fl, just because of the lack of time.  We won't be stopping for the evening, as I have the rental car due back Sunday PM and I have to work Monday AM.  Aghh.  I can't believe it is time for pre-planning already!

Sneak peek!

Here's a fun little stacked guy.  The majority of my positive feedback from profs & visiting artists is my ability to make surface not appear too ceramic-y.  It's interesting b/c I really enjoy the manipulation of surfaces through multiple firings, but at the same time I really enjoy luscious-jolly rancher-juicy glazes like this banana yellow.  Actually, it reminds me a lot of banana laffy taffy.

Gotta get back to work.

Weekly update

It's been a busy week in the studio, in addition to all of the other summer responsibilities.  I had a couple "epic fails" as my students would say, with things falling apart in the kiln, so let's hope I have better luck this week.  Here's a couple photos to keep ya'll up to date.

Here's a piece I built in the kiln, with a combination of green and already glazed parts.  Notice the wall bricks at the bottom of the kiln forming a gentle halo of support for those orange tentacles in case they shifted.  Guess what?  They didn't, and after 2 more firings, here's the result:

No, I'm not done with it.  I think I want to make tiny little textured barnacles/scales over the pink.  And something at the ends of each tentacle part.  And maybe re-glaze the curlicues to add more blue.  And I think I want to paint the little wedge on the right a magenta instead of that "blah" blue it is now.



This is why it takes me so long to make work.  It's hard to decide when something is actually finished.  complete.  a done deal.








omg omg omg.  Went to the Philadelphia Art Alliance with Jess & Andy to see the Vanitas show that I am reviewing for Criticism Seminar class.  Loved it all.  Most of it.  The majority of it.  It was majorly inspiring to me and I want to let go of a few inhibitions I have been holding onto.  Watch out, world (not really).

This week is officially "Freak Out Time."  Actually, it started last week, Friday morning, around 12:17 AM.  Stay tuned for binge eating and under eye dark circles.