I have just returned from two weeks in an open studio with my art mentor Katherine Chang Liu. We were a group of twenty-six artists, each developing her/his own work in dialogue with our common mentor. I have been forced by time and photo availability to present just a smattering of artists' work. As you view the following recent work by a few of my companions, you can get a feel for the unique artistic sensibility each of us has developed.
Sand Poland is both a painter and an assemblage artist. Her current work with masks bridges these approaches and showcases her incredible use of line drawing and collage, along with a refined sense of social commentary.
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| Sand Poland |
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| Sand Poland |
Freda McCann studied many years with a Chinese master painter and calligrapher. Her work integrates eastern and western artistic expressions. She continues to refine her mastery of the brush by doing one hour of calligraphy every day.
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| Freda McCann |
Open Studio Dynamics
The mood at the start of each open studio is both high and hectic. Beginning to work in a different environment activates a frenetic search for resources artists suddenly realize they did not bring, especially assemblage artists who work with found materials. Then, since artists are all "loners" in a sense, reconnecting with or becoming acquainted with twenty artists from across North America is unsettling. It takes a while to adjust to the rhythm and process of one's table mates.
Canadian Janet Baker creates small-scale assemblages. Her work reflects a wonderful sense of design and shape as well as a playful imagination. She refuses to allow arthritis in her hands to get in the way of expressing her creative spirit.
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| Janet Baker - An incidence of which I know nothing. |
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| Janet Baker - This much I know is true. |
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| Janet Baker - Almost like something I once heard. |
Our mentor's daily presentations on contemporary art and artists engender reflection on our own work. During the first two days our mentor is having one-on-one sessions with each artist to see where he/she is in their work. No artist can really settle down until after this "assessment or taking stock" has occurred. By the third day, people have stopped scurrying hither and thither, have set up their work space, and are, one by one, getting down to work. By the end of the first week a creative hum has settled over the studio, only to be interrupted by the weekend break and the anxiety some artists feel about whether or not or with whom they will join for various social outings.
New, "every two years" or shy artists are at a social disadvantage when it comes to evening and weekend activities. However, that exclusion presents a wonderful opportunity to continue uninterrupted work in the much quieter studio space. Not being a social butterfly, I find the calmer evening and weekend studio mood conducive to refining my direction and doing my most detailed work. I also find that during these times the connections I make with other artists working in the studio are deeper and more art-related.
Judy Levinson's outsider art reveals her unique ability to transform found objects into unforgettable characters. In viewing her work, one is filled with joy, humor, and a sense that anything is possible.
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| Judy Levinson |
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| Judy Levinson |
Do you suppose that Judy could be "privately" depicting the artist personalities she finds in our open studio?
Paula Lantz is a portrait and abstract collage artist with a "painterly" style that reveals her trail of marks and drips. Her quirky characterizations and collage areas require the viewer to take a second look.
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| Paula Lantz |
By the end of our two weeks, we are all in awe of the originality and power of each of our fellow and sister artists. It takes courage to expose oneself to the scrutiny of such amazing masters, but the inspiration and encouragement one receives from both one's colleagues and from our mentor are definitely worth it.
