VOL 05 ISSUE
1 
January 10, 2006
BACK ISSUES | ° | ¤ | CURRENT ISSUE
VOL 05 ISSUE
1 BACK ISSUES | ° | ¤ | CURRENT ISSUE |
| INTERNATIONAL GALLERY OF CONTEMPORARY ART:GROUP SHOW | ||||
 MEMBER ARTISTS ANNUAL EXHIBITION
is an open invitational to artists who support the not-for-profit International Gallery of
Contemporary Art with various levels of contributions. Egalitarian in nature, the
show in Anchorage attracts work from artists around the state and at various levels in
their development. The gallery is packed with people at the opening reception, and
with over 70 works of art during normal open hours most afternoons. Nested,
a bronze and wood sculpture by Brenda Roper in the foreground of the picture at right is
elbow to elbow with a planter and paintings by Graham Nash at left and Julie Decker at
right background. The charm of the open invitation is evident throughout, with
generally smaller works offered by the artists, understanding that there will be room for
more participants thereby. |
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UNTITLED (AGAIN):BLANKENSHIP The trident shaped gallery featured any number of delightful small sculptures, presented on white bases ready for a fresh coat of paint. The white is still bright enough to show off Beth Blankenship's quirky Untitled (Again) shown at left. A burled wooden bowl with forks for feet stands with a very feminine and stylish boa wrapped around its rim, like some troll doll from the future. Priced at less than $100, this endearing piece sold early and probably could sell often. It continues a series of similarly shaped and sized standing characters made with contrastingly soft and spiky materials. that Blankenship has delighted her admirers with recently. | |||
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MESMER's JOURNEY:ILGEN LICKA University of Alaska Anchorage professors of art Sean Licka and Jeanne Ilgen collaborated on Mesmer's Journey, pictured at left with a truncated title. The sweep of a pendulum, or plumb bob, is associated with hypnotism, or animal magnetism as Mesmer referred to it. The canoe model full of gravel mounted on chopsticks above a steel plate with a small serpent. Gravity looms as a player in this desk-top size piece, which was accompanied with an illustrated explanation seemingly designed to increase the mystery of the piece. | |||
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DEW BOX: MATZ INVENTION Anchorage School District instructor in the arts Leslie Matz prepared a delicate piece of metalworking as part of a series on early designs for human flight. Bergerac's Dew Box, shown in the photo at left, seems at first to be a small cabinet with legs. On closer inspection, the legs turn out to be cables holding the box from flying up and away with the lighter than air qualities once thought to be associated with dew. Small boxes and containers like Dew Box and Blankenship's Untitled (Again) promise the collector a measure of practicality, a place to put other small treasures. This witty and almost alchemical sculpture may well have a destiny including necklaces spilling out over the sides of the open box. For now, it shares a purity of intention with its generous measure of invention. It will always represent the straining of improbable ideas to get off of the ground. | |||
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NAKED: MUNOZ PERCEPTION eFollowing a show of mostly non objective work at the IGCA last month, Marcello Muñoz elected to present Naked, a drawing from among his collection of nudes. The figure's stance suggests that the work was made from the model, rapidly building the contours with line and shading in flesh tones with color washes. Intentionally or not, the red seems to have shown a presence of its own, rouging the nipples and lips but also the nose, arms and hands. The drawing has been spattered judiciously with specks of red which have been allowed to drip. The association of blood with the color red is a danger for abstractions and expressive color handling in this area. A sinister quality is inevitably suggested that can be misinterpreted as misogony. As in all portraits, the eyes are the window of the soul, and the golden eyed subject of Muñoz depiction is no exception. Naked reveals the attraction of golden skin and ageless curves that informs and inspires Muñoz' creative efforts. | |||
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MORNING COFFEE:DeROUX
ALERT A modern still life includes objects far beyond the
traditional vases of fruit and flowers favored by instructors and collectors in the past.
Ken DeRoux's small canvas Morning Coffee, shown at left, is typical of the new
objects in the nature morte, including an open magazine with a cup of coffee and a saucer.
The magazine is tilted away from the viewer as though it were someone else's
coffee, and a depiction of a photo of the awful fireball of a nuclear bomb accompanies an
article about the 'football' or briefcase with the codes required to launch a nuclear
missile. This fear of nuclear war has haunted many artists and non-artists, and yet
it is as much a part of the second half of the twentieth century and as familiar as cream
in your coffee. Tiny Armadillo Guards My Keys, by Carole Lambert, is another example of the still life of modern everyday objects. A detail of this drawing is the index image for this issue. |
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GATEKEEPER EFFECT:DAULT ANALYSIS Some artists work on different projects as they appear before them, some create work in an arc, and some discern patterns in their production as they work. For Jim Dault, The Effect of the Gatekeeper, shown at left, is a part of a continuing group of work he thinks of as "The Wrongfully Slighted Series". Painted on an old cabinet panel with a vintage housepaint patina, this closely observent black and white rendering of a cut off section of willow with a wire-link fence embedded in it is of interest as a record of an object of curiousity alone. The title, and placement in a series, reflects thoughts Dault developed in the meticulous work, seeing the organic overgrowth as the will of life in the face of blind, inert containment. Other subjects Dault has considered under this rubric are an artist's paintbrush, and a screwdriver covered in many colored paint Dault also shows a piece at the APU Gallery show of Plein Air Artists this month as a substitute for a larger show delayed by family matters. | |||
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BIPOLAR:HUGI-LEWIS
Several pieces were wall mounted sculptures, and Bipolar, shown at left, by
Margret Hugi-Lewis combined a mobile and a painting on three connected canvases.
The use of painted tar paper is a staple for Hugi-Lewis, and large areas of dark
background help keep her colors luminous. Sheila Wyne continues to use hands cast from life, shown in the background at left two samples from her Sub Rosa series. Roses made of wire screen on barbed wire stems are handled with care. The exuberance of the community of artists represented in the member-based 'coop' IGCA annual is a succession of fresh visual treats, each just a step away from the last. In May, the directors plan a statewide juried exhibition for the same space. |
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- ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES- 1/30/06 deadline DENALI NATIONAL PARK ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE program offers use of cabin in park, wants a work of art and a lecture, and pays no stipend.details online. 1/31/06 deadline ANCHORAGE MUSEUM GALA ART AUCTION seeking response to invitations to provide original art to raise money 'to fund new art acquisitions'. A cut rate on gala tickets and a mention of your name is thanks enough, and artists are permitted to require 25% of the selling price up to 25% of the stated value not to exceed $500. The auction last year raised $125,000. Contact Lise Hoffman 345-0645 2/3/06 deadline MAYORS AWARDS FOR THE ARTS accepting nominations for individual artist, arts group, arts philanthropy, and other categories. Nominate a visual artist today! Details online. 2/15/06 deadline PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT TERMINAL E EXPANSION competition for two site specific commissions 2D elevator walls $250,000 and 2or3D $350,000 for rotunda. Call for Entry online. 3/1/06 deadline RASMUSON FOUNDATION Arts Initiative PROJECT AWARDS applications accepted .Details online. Contact Victoria Lord 907.297.2827 or 877.366.2700 toll free in Alaska 3/8/06 deadline ALASKA STATE MUSEUM SOLO EXHIBITION review slide submissions for exhibition at 395 Whittier Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801-1718
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS IN CHRISTIAN ART:WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PAINTINGS FROM THE RENAISSANCE by George Ferguson More than 350 illustrations develop the scholarly theme Ferguson explores in this book.... NEXT: TWO FACES SHORTCUTS: Aggravated again?! Ecstatic?! Let us know you love us or hate us. Help correct attribution errors that you suspect. Tell us about your upcoming event or artist opportunity. Let us know about your website. Form makes it easy to try your hand at pumping or dumping. cf also ART IN ALASKA
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NUDE EXCUSE:RICKER SALON
STYLE 
The Nude Excuse series of paintings by Donald R Ricker began in 1993 with Change
of Seasons, shown at the top center of the photo at right, which includes the artist.
The ensuing paintings are presented en masse at the OUT NORTH Theater Gallery from January
4 - February 15. The gallery is open before performances and during intermissions, and by
appointment weekday afternoons. Ricker packs the space with more than a dozen pictures of
the size shown. Anchorage Daily News correspondent Don Decker takes Ricker to task
for his shortcomings in a thorough review in
the January 12, 2006 paper under the headline VISUAL: Lack of clear intent mars show of Ricker worksLIMBO: Retrospective displays no apparent artistic progression. Turnabout is certainly fair play; Decker's own work and various solo shows have been subject to review in ArtSceneAK, published by Ricker (cf #423, #417, #318, #114 among others). Stick darts in the bull who gored you in the BACK ISSUE Index.
Thanks and farewell to a number of non-renewing subscribers. No, Thank You to a reader who wrote:"Just wanted to compliment you on the current issue (#424). Great coverage of the Biennale, thanks for being there and taking the time to bring back photos and personal commentary. Just the kind of international exposure and connections Alaska needs!" and to another who wrote: "Thanks for the issue. Pretty cool event. Even if some of the judging was questionable". A writer in New York sends: "I hope all is well with you. I read your Biennale coverage and enjoyed the hell out of it." Rob Roy sends word that his own work is featured at the Two Crows Studio and Gallery this month in downtown Juneau above Paradise Lunch across from Marine Park. Come in the door to your left as you face Paradise". Valley Fine Arts Association, Inc. showing at Bagel’s Alaska (Palmer-Wasilla Hwy in front of the Bus Barn) first time ever . . . opening night Second Saturday January 14, 2006 5:30-8 p.m. 2 fine artists Peggy ‘Tessema’ Compton and Karen Crandall. the artists will be present. Refreshments . . . Public Invited Homer Council on the Arts annual meeting and local art awards at 6 pm Jan 20. Kenai River Council on the Arts hs merged with the Peninsula Art Guild, gallery closed January for remodeling with an emerging artist exhibition February 3. Happy New Year 2006 from Sukothai, Thailand.--- Katherine Coons
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text & photos © 2006 Donald R Ricker; artist's works pictured ©2006 to artists credited.
ArtSceneAK is published by Donald R Ricker and sponsored by
BETTER LETTERS, PO Box 103554, Anchorage AK 99510-3554
, a partial listing of links to Museums,
Galleries, and individual Artists around the state.
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