My Blog

It's in our hands

11/02/2011 22:34:00

Body language is by far the most ancient and widely “spoken” language of all times, with hand gestures at it's very core.

While some are more animated then others, emotional situations will evoke instinctive hand movement in all of us. With this is mind, it should be no surprise that these gestures occur involuntarily during telephone conversations, when speaking in the dark, and, who would assume - even when the speaker is blind.

Rodin's Hands - Paris

Some studies will propose that hands convey not only what we intend to say, but moreover what we choose to hide. In example, some believe that open palm gestures indicate candor whereas concealed hands are attributed to secrets and/or guilt.

While facial expressions convict our feelings, the intensity of emotions can be further extended through our hands. I am always fascinated with figurative artists who delineate emotions through a subject's hands.

(right pic- "The Awakening" - sculpture at Hains park, Washington DC).

Shortly after the new year commenced (2011), I created my first wiremesh “snapshot” of hands, a simple yet celebrative gesture , a toast.

While deprived in size (as I am used to somewhat of a larger scale), I was rewarded by the challenge of fine detail.

Motivated by the concept "less is more", I next moved on to a more emotional study of hands and their place in relationships. Welcomed by endless expressions and icons, I chose to focus on unity and bonds where so much can be said without uttering a single word - we can embrace, connect and commit, and it's all... In our hands.

"All it takes" "What it takes" "If we reach"

Visiting clay

06/30/2011 13:52:00

While the deviant medium of wire mesh has become the source from which all my sculptures stem, behind the busy scenes and screens of the mesh, I often indulge in the soft and smooth hobby of clay. Needless to say - the two mediums could not be further apart.

To begin with, when sculpting in wire mesh, by my rule of thumb, all details need be pre determined and thought through. Abiding to the principle of consumption - detailed areas require more material, thus the amount of mesh allocated for each segment must be carefully planned.

Once at work, unlike clay, no substance can be added, removed or reworked. Although both mediums are malleable in their own right, don’t let the mesh fool you – it has a memory, thus it will never resume form after embedding a crease or line. The price of a mistake is usually discarding the old and starting anew.

However, while clay may be more forgiving in it’s raw state… the consequences of its many variables - low fire, high fire, shrinkage, kiln placement, uncontrollable glazes… all these and more have the power to materialize both the best and worst of our anticipations. To be able to predict your final piece is near impossible and I am in awe of the masters that do so.

One of these fine artists is Renee Chase, who bravely puts her combined talent and professional experience to the mercy of clay. Albiet the odds, somehow Renee seems to effortlessly whisk through this trail of obstacles commanding the most mesmerizing sculptures of predesigned dresses and gowns.

While her online gallery speaks for itself, http://cloth2clay.com/ there is nothing like seeing her piece before you.

For any NJ shore travelers, make sure to visit her group exhibit this weekend n Brigantine, NJ.

In my last clay endeavor I joined Renee and my fellow clay mates in a raku firing, which despite the heat, dirt and tedious tasks, proved to be an amazing experience (so much so that I look forward to it again!).

Below are some pics from our Raku firing day...

(L) Some of our pieces waiting to be fired...

(R) pieces being loaded into kiln

Below -

(L) Preparing to fire; (center) The heat is on; (R) Digging holes to place for the fired pieces...

(L)uncovering fired pieces, the orange glow is non other than the heat contained within!

Below:

(L) placed in the hole for fast reduction;

(Center) dipping burning hot pieces in cold water;

(R) My fired torso, cooling down...

To follow my small piece through it’s phases from wet clay to a sizzling body of fire, was a process of time, patience and mostly, as for many of us, sheer luck.

Still, there is something therapeutic and addictive in this mass field of exploration which, for some, will always bring us back for more!

Social Art Gallery Exhibit - meet Ruxana Saifa

05/10/2011 17:16:00

There is no point in denying that as artists, participating in exhibits is an ambition highly regarded on our list of aspirations. For the most of us - we strive to share and offer our work to others, and yes, of course, we do hope to see profits from our efforts. But points of sales and exposure cannot be the drive alone. Art and the need to create do not transpire from commercial based perspectives… and it is not the exhibits, but the people we meet through them – that create some of the most interesting and rewarding chapters in our artistic paths.

. I was recently invited to exhibit in a two person show in the Social Art Gallery, Albany, NY.

Paired with an artist I had yet to meet, I could only be intrigued, as her medium is as unique, if not more, than my own. Inspired by her own journey and principles, Ruxana Saifa, teaches us once again that the means to convey the importance of relationships and humanity are simply endless. By using address mailing labels, which would otherwise turn to waste, Ruxana creates human scenes that portray us and embrace us.

Once you meet Ruxana, you will know why she is capable of such an accomplishment. Humble, kind, talented and genuinely sincere, there is no misreading her authenticity.

Needless to say our opening night was another heartening chapter. Thanks to all the supporting visitors and “re-visitors” (yes, you Wendy!!) as well as the welcoming staff members leading the Social Art Gallery project. Most of all, a huge thanks to Janet Tanguay, who knows how to make anything happen, works hard and although known by the company name of “Art n Soul”, she is to me – “Heart n Soul”.

The secret was in the wine

04/11/2011 13:07:00

Invited to entertain the walls of a wine cellar, I decided to create a few pieces which would answer to the specific theme. There is something about a glass of wine that seems to offer more than just its tasteful content – there is an alluring ambiance and a concealed consensus appreciating all good things matured.

With this in mind, I decided to out-step the boundaries of my usually strict "all-figurative" approach, and incorporate a wine glass into a new piece.Albeit my apprehensions, as the piece took form I was pleased to have succumbed.

Slender, feminine, petite yet fully matured, I chose to name this piece “Petite Syrah” – a wine described by the experts as “full bodied, while baring a very mellow structure”.

To fully satisfy the theme the next two pieces were created together, back to front images, each offering the viewer an intimate invitation - respectively assuming the titles “A Toast” and “A Night Cap”.

Last I’m sharing a picture taken at the opening night, April 1st, at Harmony House, Cohoes, NY,

with the wine series in full.

Here I am surrounded by my family also known as -"amazing support team" /"logistics"/ "art managers" and "advisory board", as well as Janet Tanguay and new local friends.

Janet (to my son's immediate right), is not only the diligent angel-agent responsible for this and many other shows, but also a huge inspiration for some of my recent pieces.

For anyone visiting/living in the area, the exhibit is showing through April 30th. If visiting on Friday evenings you can also enjoy wine tasting - to inquire check - http://www.harmonyhousemarketplace.com/wine.html.

Next door is also a great bake shop & restaurant, where more of my larger pieces are on display.

As for me... on to more pieces for my next show!

New works

03/31/2011 13:51:00

While racing to keep up with all my commitments and shows (and if that sounded like a complaint, it was not… keep it coming, it’s wonderful!), I take on yet but another “assignment” - to create a piece to hang in the Entrepreneurship Department within the offices of a Chamber of Commerce.

I admit, I always love a good challenge (I rarely deny one), and timing is never an issue but rather a component. But I’m not alone in this… how many of us are most creative when we have no free time, and most productive when we have hungry deadlines to feed? So, yes, I’m in.

My challenge? – keeping true to the figurative work I love, driven by capturing personal moments we can intimately identify with, while creating something which is suitable for an office in a corporate setting.

My theme? Well… Entrepreneurship – and thankfully, a subject conveniently saturated with ideologies and instructive quotes to lean into.

With an understanding that this piece would be visited by an audience of newborn risk-takers, viewers who have outgrown their security blankets and are seeking to realize their dreams, this piece needed to deliver a message - Do it! Take the plunge! Leap!

Sure enough, I’m offered the quote “Leap, and the net will appear”, John Burroughs – which is a guiding phrase and even a motto in this office.

Excellent. With a clear concept in hand, and with much thanks to a very open minded and not to mention, a very creative initiator - thank you Janet Tanguay, I had set out to work.

Here are some snapshots from the process and the final result....

Our version of “Leap, an the net will appear” is now complete and being delivered tomorrow!

surprising myself - dancer series

03/18/2011 07:23:00

I particularly enjoy creating dancers, which is why I proposed this as the theme for my work when chosen to participate in an invitational exhibition in Lancaster County Arts Association.

With only nine available pieces currently in my studio, I needed to expand. So, haunted by previews and publicity over the new Black Swan film, I found myself compelled to revisit the classic ballet dancer.

Why had I neglected this category? Is it only my perception, or have we undeservingly pushed these elegant creatures to the back row while favoring the contemporary and modern dancers over the years?

To begin my process I searched for inspiring models – sketches, pictures, material that depicts not just dancers' unique moments, but ones distinctive to ballet … Soon enough, I found myself lost in a treasure of eloquent gestures and undeniable grace, I begin.

My first piece, Allegro – (although at the time I did not know there would be more), is taken from the Ballet glossary meaning brisk; lively; a term applied to all bright, fast, or brisk movements.

With so many ideas, I couldn’t possibly be satisfied with just one pc… so...

On to the second, Avant - moving forward (often used when the dancer is moving towards the audience).

And last, for now, Adagio – at ease; (also known as a sequence of well-controlled, graceful movements performed as a display of skill;).

The exhibit at Lancaster County Arts Association opens next weekend at

149 Precision Ave, Strasburg, PA

Opening reception - March 27th, 1-5 pm.

I’ll be showing there with four fellow artists, Denny Bond, Rosanne Colvard, Con Karlson, Bob Madden, (all participants selected from the 2010 annual LCAA exhibit)

Hope to see some familiar faces!

http://www.lcaaonline.org/exhibits.html

"Together"

02/26/2011 23:04:00

Beginning March I will be exhibiting in “Together” – a group show taking place at New Century Gallery, in Chelsea, New York city.

For me, this title takes on multilevel meanings. It’s not just a theme.

We are 15 artists, 3 of which exhibiting works created in wire mesh.

“Do you mind?” a friend has just recently asked me. I’m not surprised by the question, I’ve been asked before. But, the answer is the same. Do potters mind that they share clay as their prime medium? Do painters mind that they share oil?

True, there is often an advantage in introducing new mediums as the public eye searches for things they haven’t seen before. But can any artist actually claim his way just through the exclusivity of his medium? I would like to think not.

Wire mesh is not common, but it’s not my invention either. I can claim rights on my concepts and their execution, but not on my choice of medium. Nor do I want to.

A flat sheet of wire mesh is no more than an empty canvas, a lump of clay. It’s what it is for all artists – a medium. What will evolve from it, the varying forms it will assume when deriving from different hands, hearts and minds – that is each artist’s uniqueness.

So, do I mind?

No. I’m happy to share the stage with other wire mesh artists, or should I say, other artists using wire mesh.

“The American Woman (in art) – who is she?”

02/17/2011 13:44:00

“The American Woman (in art) – who is she?” – Yesterday I attended a gallery tour at the Philadelphia Museum of Art addressing the role of American Women in art. Evolving from subject to artist, I am reminded how lucky I am to be born into a time where the starting line for emerging artists is no longer gender bias.

I take it all for granted as many of us do, but some of the most significant changes in the art world for women took place as recent as the late 1960’s and 1970’s. Just as I’m born, other mothers are creating a foundation where women not only learn art, but practice and teach, develop and discover. And I thought - it was so obvious.

Little did I know that as I struggle to survive my teen years... women of direction such as the “Guerilla Girls” are in combat, paving paths I did not even know I would aspire to reach. “In 1985 The Museum of Modern Art in New York opened an exhibition titled It was supposed to be an up-to-the minute summary of the most significant contemporary art in the world. Out of 169 artists, only 13 were women.” From this note they emerged and with much thanks to their outrage and fearless creativity, the same signs that carried their protest now compose an exhibit on the same walls they contested, and not at all in vain, as they entertain alongside the works and achievements of many women artists, certainly much more than 13.

With no intent to size down any of these achievements by women of joined forces, this tour took me back to a time where there was no unity. To explore the works and life of someone as daring as Mary Cassatt, I am truly inspired. With no female comradeship or allies she took them all on, rebelling the deprivations she faced, all on her own, for most of her life, for art.

And, she did it. She delivered. Not only did she become one of the most famous female artists of her time, she was recognized, she delivered her perspectives on relationships, on women, like few before.

So with a reinforced awareness and new appreciation of this legacy as well as the journey through which it’s evolved, I’m back home, sleeves rolled back, as inspired as ever to create, create, create.

Welcome to my new blog

01/20/2011 12:37:00

Welcome to my blog...

I'd love to share news and thoughts and would love to hear from my site visitors...

Have a great day!

Bonnie