Some Favorites from 100 Artists

POAC's Celebrating 100 Artists exhibit was/is a great success and particularly interesting because each of the around 80 artists who participated was allowed to submit only one piece. What would familiar artists choose to represent themselves? What opinion would I form of the artists for whom I was seeing their work for the first time? On this wall alone you see acrylic, glass sculpture, photography, and oil presented in different ways. Imagine viewing the variety on two levels surrounding the atrium of the bank building, natural light filtering down from the ceiling.

The Letting Go by Brian Sostrom

That first painting on the left in the top photo not only captivated me in its simplicity in creating a mood and allowing me to put my own story on it (click on the photo above to read the artist's statement), it also intrigued me by its use of acrylic painted on plexiglass which gives quite a different look. Can't really capture in my photo the fine detail in the water that contrasts with the ethereal nature of the rest of the painting.

Tree of the Fae by Clint Crawford

On the other end of that wall, second from the right, is a long-time favorite photographer, Clint Crawford, whose beautiful photographs become even more beautiful in the printing on metal. Again, difficult to get a decent photograph of this but I did find it rather breathtaking, partly because of its size, partly because of the perspective which has you looking down into the rich autumn colors.

I didn't take a full photo of the painting to the left of Clint's piece - just another waterfall that didn't particularly say anything to me, but I was rather intrigued with the way it was presented. Rather than being matted before being put behind glass in the frame, it was mounted with its soft and uneven edges in full view. I've seen this done once before and in both cases, I found it surprisingly effective.

Lovely on the Water by Lisa Cirac

Another example of unexpected presentation was this beautiful photograph by Lisa Cirac. The person I was viewing this with wondered if the first mat in this double-matted frame had slipped down, and then noted it wasn't centered horizontally either. At this point, Lisa stepped up behind us and explained that she'd been experimenting with different ways of matting her work and that what we were seeing was intentional. She admitted that the offsetting to one side was not working well, needed to be more exaggerated so it wouldn't look like a mistake. This is one of the things I really like about the opening receptions, this interaction between artist and viewer, and a somewhat safe place to try things out and actually get honest feedback about how they are working.

Hippy Truck by Lisa Turner

There was quite a bit of photography, both mediocre and exceptional. In the exceptional category may be this photo of a local "attraction". I failed to work around the reflection on the glass so you can't really see how impressive this composition is, to the point that I kept wanting to insist it must be a painting. Lisa caught the truck parked just so with the red house and red berries of the mountain ash echoing the red along the back of the truck. See a much better representation of it on her website here.

Pink Q-Tips by Christina Taylor

One last photograph, perhaps my favorite piece in the exhibit. I gauge these things by if they stop me in my tracks, hold my interest, get my mind trying to figure out just what it is that makes me want to take it home with me. I'm still having a hard time putting my finger on just what it is that, even on repeat visits, has me repeating my first reactions. I think it is the composition, the rise and fall of the peony buds against that softly blurred gray vertical lines of the fence background, and the burgundy and grey double matting. It all works so perfectly and gives off a peaceful but not boring vibe. I may indeed end up purchasing this one.

F.I.D.O. by Barry Burgess

How about some levity? I've shared this artist before, who delights in recycling computer parts to make his three-dimensional art. Look closely at the details. In this case, the computer keys used on the dog's collar spell out FIDO.

Sneaky Loki by Jeremy Holzapfel

And be sure to read the artist statement that goes with this one that made me laugh.

Eyes of Nature by Leata Judd

Another one to bring a smile to my face, as Leata Judd's work often does. She works in many mediums but this one is acrylic.

Take Flight by Steve Gevurtz

I was pleased to see a new sculpture by Steve Gevurtz and that he was demoing his technique at the reception. His female figures just fly!

What also pleased me was to see so many of my small art group represented in this exhibit too. Here's Terrie Kremer with the rain piece she was still working on at our February meeting. I failed to get the title but did note that she had added some clear beads that looked like drops of water on the panes of glass.

Cycle de Luxe by Vickie Edwards

Vickie Edwards also hustled to complete her gold-leafed bicycle piece that she shared at the February meeting. You may remember that the next step was to be running a brayer with white paint over the entire piece. You can see that she did that, but she said it covered up the gold leaf too much and she had to redo it. Live and learn, she said.

And Rebecca True (on the left) used one of the snow-dyes she showed off in February as inspiration and background for her entry. I didn't get the name of this one either, but the theme was about the flowers that will soon be blooming once the snow has melted, just like the patterns that appeared on her fabric once the dye-covered snow melted away. She also said that if she were a painter, this still would have been wet when she dropped it off! Yes, we work right up to our deadlines! See this blog post about our February meeting to see these quilts in process.

The Unforgettable Tree by Meg Marchiando

Meg Marchiando, who is standing next to Rebecca, continues to make changes on her big tree. For this exhibit, the snow is gone off the limbs and leaves are starting to appear. There's a bird and a squirrel in those branches and below, a dog chases a kid.

Here's a closer view - check out the fabric she used for the soles!

I hope you will follow the links to many of the artists' website. Then you too can compare the rest of their work with how they presented themselves for this exhibit. You may find some surprises.