VOL 03 ISSUE
21 
November 7, 2004
VOL 03 ISSUE
21 |
| NORTHERN LIGHT:BC ARTIST AT GRANT HALL CAPTURES ALASKA | ||||
 NORTHERN LIGHT is
authentically unique in a way that could be considered regionally circumpolar. It is a
light that often best suits a visual artist, raking in low and slow, with sharp definition
bearing the clarity of empty space in the shadows. Canadian painter Don Weir (seen
at right hosting an opening reception in Grant Hall at Alaska Pacific University) says in
his statement that "atmospheric light effects ... define the awe-inspiring beauty
of the Northern landscape". Weir brought a group of new works to
Anchorage that proved that luminous views of grand mountain landscapes with snow depend
less on the nationality of the painter and more on the quality of light. Weir
lives and works in a small town called Atlin in British Columbia Canada. The
cultural life in Whitehorse is sufficient on to the day and he describes his reception in
Fairbanks by Dave Mollett of the Well Street Art Company gallery as 'open-armed'. His work
will be exhibited there in May 2005. |
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COPPER RIVER AT DAWN: 1ST
LIGHT Weir's pallette leans more to the earth tones of creams and tans
than the Alaskan standard of violets and yellow-orange and his focus is more on the
features of the earth than on the sky or vegetation. In the large, 32"x86"
painting Copper River at Dawn, shown at left, his interest in the geological
forms is evident, while the trees in the foreground right of the painting (cf Index
graphic for this issue) are treated architectonically. Like many northern painters, Weir
accepts the challenge of the grand scale of the spaces. "I have moved from a
modified Impressionist technique to a much more flat design-oriented style," he
explains. "The broader areas of colour are a natural reaction to the expansive
and sometimes austere beauty tha now surrounds me." Snowstorms have accompanied the diminishing daylight hours of November and the culturados were packed into parkies and maneuvering through rush hour in the dark to come to the First Friday openings this month. The happy days of summer when the sun helps illuminate most galleries have passed and the quality of the overhead gallery lighting is more centrally obvious in the exhibitions. Irregular hot spots abound and often an observer at arm's length casts rude shadows on the work. |
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ICE FIELDS:COLLAGE TO
CANVAS Weir was enjoying his visit to Alaska and was friendly and
generous with his time during the opening reception. He shared part of his process,
offering four collaged studies at under $500 each, some of which mirrored the larger
paintings. The small 4"x6" collages may be built up over photographs, but the
colors are oil on prepared paper that is knife cut into shapes which organize the
otherwise overwhelming amount of information in a photo. The effect is that of using a
polarizing filter on a graphic file to reduce the number of colors and push areas of
similar hue into common gamuts. This technique is reminiscent of the 'Paint-by-Number'
schema, and artists employing it must be careful to add some painterly quality back into
the reduction in order to distinguish themselves. In Juneau Ice Fields at Dawn #3
(in series of 4) shown at left, the additive quality of the multiple cut-outs lends a very
modest relief that is interesting under glass. Because the presentation is attractive, the
risk Weir is running in exposing his process is alleviated somewhat. In the fully realized painting Juneau Ice Field Series #3, a 36"x54" oil on canvas shown at left, Weir succeeds at reducing the segmentation of the collage effect while staying true to his organizational regimen. He accomplishes this through contrasting areas of utterly smooth, flatly non-reflective background with almost fierce, sharply built up brushstrokes in the shadowy slopes of the foreground which gleam with darkness. Distant snowfields seem to unfurl like banners, and the arreté, or ridgeline brcomes an abstracted character in the painting. Ice Fields was priced at $3200, and Copper River at $4000. Several works sold at the opening, including one of the Ice Fields series of four. Smaller works are on canvas boards, and all are modestly framed. Sagaya Corporation is counted among those who own works by Weir. |
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MEN & THEIR LINES:MISSING FACULTY Perhaps as a foil to other gender centric exhibitions recently, curator Jannah Atkins invited a group of male artists to present a show of drawings. Artists Don Decker, Hugh McPeck, Gene Stotts, and Garry Kaulitz represented men who are professors of art at the University of Alaska. This seemed unfortunate and incongruous; APU does not have an art department, and the good professors at UAA have ample opportunity to show in their own campus venues. Worst, ArtSceneAK encountered an enthusiast who searched out the Carr-Gottstein gallery for the first time in hopes of meeting the faculty. Garry Mealor and Jim Dault were also invited, and Dault was the only individual who graced the opening exhibition with his presence. In the photo at left, showing from left Garry Mealor's $1700 Lines of Sight, a drawing of glass, Jim Dault's View of the Ricochet on a fir board in the center, and an abstract by Stotts show mute evidence of the haphazard lighting, off-center and unfiltered, referenced in an earlier article. Dault's work was popular and he sold the colorful and insinuating Aerial View of the Ricochet That Killed Dr. Jay. A red line and a faint smell of gunpowder connected several holes in the clear fir where fasteners had been pulled. Billowing representations of treetops appear like blithe clouds on the blue ground, but a man has been killed. | |||
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GESSO BRUSH OF ARTIST: JIM DAULT Self trained and unadorned with art degrees, Jim Dault is Alaskan born and perhaps best known for his collaborations with Shala Dobson on art in public places. Their art partnership works because each also freely pursues their own individual directions in art as well. An accomplished painter as well as a sculptor, Dault's drawings are evidence of an almost clinical talent for observation, and his sense of irony and love of subject matter enlivens his work beyond some of the other less meaningful work included by the professors. The work shown at left is an excellent example of this that attracted collector attention early. The rather cumbersome full title of the work does some of Dault's talking for him: The Gesso Brush of the Artist Harold Wallin (Part of the Wrongfully Slighted Series). Dault disdains photography and digital technology as a rule of thumb, and this drawing in colored pencil on gessoed wood is drawn from the original. Because the brush is covered with gesso and drawn on gesso, a delicious figure/ground tension emanates from the drawing and the individual brush hairs are made to look simultaneously stiff and soft. The severe color field is enlivened by the glossy red of the brush handle marking, and Dault's talent is evident as he pencils in convincing representations of wood, hair, metal and plaster. He contemplated drilling out the hole in the brush and hanging the board over a nail to enhance the coup d'oeil effect. Sounds like a plan! Dault recently returned from a tour of Southeast Alaska in which he and Dobson installed their sculpture Top of the Class in Sitka, at the cadet's entrance to the Trooper Academy there. Already recruits are touching the bronze hat for luck. He mentioned that Sitka, a town with a population of over 8000 boasts many high end homes and the eminent regional Sheldon Jackson Museum. Their visit to Juneau and the Alaska State Museum left them less than enthusiastic. A curator could not meet with them to discuss an elephant ivory misattributed as walrus tusk, and an important second floor gallery was empty except for a letter-size notice mentioning that photographer Matt Johnson has a show scheduled next month. |
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LITTLE SKIPPY:
TRAPPER JIM AFIELD The Alaska State Museum recently announced
that it has selected 7 individuals from a field of less than fifty to be awarded a solo
show during the next two year period. Congratulations to photographers Hal Gage, Lisa
Grey, ceramicist Carla Potter, and painters Rie Munoz, Jane Terziz, James Orvik, and Wanda
Seamster. ARTIST'S MATH: There are 24 months in two years, apparently 17 months downtime
is scheduled to prepare the galleries in between. Unsettlingly, the prospectus did not
state that the Museum would pay to bring the selected artist to the opening
exhibitions. Is there a good reason for this? Under these dubious conditions, artists may feel relieved that they are not among the annointed. Beautiful on a resumé, the name of the venue is a little more grand than the audience that is reached, which is not developed by steady nourishment. Artists will still put their heads under the wire for cheesy opportunities, and Dault's Little Skippy Dipshit, a gruesome detail of which is shown at left, combines Gotcha with sympathy to make an interesting yet ultimately repellent image. Again, Dault's craft outdraws all of the others. Garry Mealor's Lines of Sight evidences skill and love of drawing combined with keen observation, as do Hugh McPeck's two contributions, a nude and a horse portrait not shown. Curiously, this professor understands intellectual property and copyright law so poorly that he presents his name followed by the copyright symbol (©) and no date. Students who wish to learn the proper form for establishment of copyright should seek other references. Dault, untroubled by even an intimation of copyright law, gives evidence with his pencil of the skewering eye of a hunter. It is his invenzione that elevates his work above the other pieces with either conventional or absent subject matter. |
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MOOSE FOREST:DOT AESTHETIC Invenzione never troubled the commissioners and creators of these cutout sillouhettes of Alaskana gracing the ramp walls of the new intersection of the Glen and Parks Highway. The tableau shown at left is a detail of the larger piece, seen by drivers heading from Palmer to Wasilla, which is composed of the sillouhette of a bull moose, some calves, an eagle, and s number of stunted tundra spruce. ArtSceneAK regrets not being able to attribute the anonymous sculptor, but suspects that this project was a 'baked cake'. The ludicrous multiple salmon cutouts under the bridge could have been designed by committee from clip-art and been more creative. This opportunity was not widely advertised by State employees with the Department of Transportation nor by the Alaska State Council of the Arts. The steel used is left with raw welder cuts and is already discoloring from rust, which should eventually show stains descending from every point of attachment. Visitors to our state driving up the AlCan highway will not be overwhelmed by their first encounter with our public art program, and they can expect better by the time they reach Chugiak, where Ray King's giant oculus (cf Issue #316) is looming large in views from the Glen now that the leaves are off the trees. | |||
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USA:FLAG IS STILL THERE Alaska made it through the November elections without serious bloodshed in spite of the sometimes rather virulent political intercourse suffered here and across America. Art Critical's David Cohen reported on the activities of a group of Artists Coming Together, called Act4Victory, who contributed work to raise money to help unseat the current president. One of the names stood out among the others; Ed Ruscha has recently been selected to represent the US at the Venice Biennale. The US State Department so far is the only reliable source of funding to send Ruscha to represent US, at $170,000. ArtSceneAK wrote Cohen, wondering aloud if Ruscha’s worldview will be the Sheite-Democrat sky-is-falling-on-America POV often recently expressed. Surely Italians, among our staunchest allies in the world, will indulge a little towel-snapping in the guise of Art! Mr Cohen admitted that "it is complicated, by the way, for collectors and tax, as there has to be a gap between the gift and the sale. Ruscha i'm sure would be happy to join the whole pantheon of hand that feed biters among "radical" American artists." | |||
- ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES- 11/16/04 deadline extended MOA EAGLE RIVER HIGH SCHOOL open to proposals. $300,000 budget for three areas Details contact Jocelyn Young 907-343-6473 11/19/04 deadline ANCHORAGE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND ART CHILDRENS GALLERY exhibit organizers seek submissions on the subject of DOGS from artists nationwide. No fees, yearlong exhibit, contact Julie Decker, P.O. Box 101403 Anchorage, AK 99510 for prospectus. 11/24/04 deadline MV CHENEGA seeks to purchase 2D art for 31 interior locations and 3 3D spots on ferry. Size matters. Slides and slide list with prices and proposed location to Ginger Johnson 6860 Glacier Highway Juneau AK 99801. 11/30/04 deadline INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL ART AWARDS Prizes and entry guidelines can be found online. 12/3/04 deadline OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY IN CORVALLIS RESER STADIUM seeks qualified artists for $300,000 budget, proposals will be commissioned from the qualifications. RFQ. 12/10/04 deadline EL PASO TEXAS TECH CENTER PLAZA seeks artist
qualifications for a $650,000 budget. Artists shall incorporate durable, low maintenance
materials and design sites for public presentations, seating, shade, and quiet study or
contemplation. RFQ Contact Cecelia Carter Brown 806-742-1170 12/19/04 deadline VALDEZ FERRY TERMINAL seeks price quotes for existing work or site-specific proposals for any of 4 areas in new building. Budget $30,000. Info to ALASKA STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS 411 West 4th Avenue, #1E Anchorage AK 99501-2343
NEXT: THANKS GIVING FEEDBACK Aggravated again?! Get a NO Prize for proving us wrong. Let us know you love us or hate us and tell us about your upcoming event or opportunity and get a No, Thank YOU. Help correct attribution errors you suspect. SHORTCUTS: When we use your 100 word reviews of any show you've seen recently, sweet and sour, you'll earn a free limo ride some First Friday. Form makes it easy. cf also ART IN ALASKA |
THUMBNAIL SKETCHES:PROPOSALS
DUE Anchorage School Board member Macon Roberts is an art enthusiast
frequently encountered at First Friday openings and other arts events. In conversation
this month, he voiced an innocent question about % for Art commissions: "Is the
process political?" Each opportunity for commissions is a fresh chance to form a
panel to choose the artwork, and every panel is different although similar roles are held
on each panel, such as architect, school principal, school art teacher, local parents, and
an artist. All are volunteers, and Municipal employee Jocelyn Young administrates
and supervises each panels' progress. Artists whose proposals include evidence of prior
commissions are given strong priority and proposals that appeal to key panel members are
favorably considered. Large budgets like the $300,000 available for Eagle River High
School are disposed of in lump sums, limiting the field of qualified proposals and the
numbers of those who benefit. The vast space of the library walls shown in the photo at
right seem to demand a grand conception. The panel wants something that hangs from the
ceiling. Concept proposals from all competitors will be considered, and the most
interesting proposals will be rewarded with a commission to further develop their
'gestures'.Subdivide your share of 1% of $30 million in the BACK ISSUE Index.
No, Thank You and Welcome to a new subscriber nice enough to include a note: "Thanks Don, for ALL the wonderful things you do ... ArtSceneAK included". Aw geez. The Director of the Contemporary Art Museum St Louis, Paul Ha, surfed by the AMHA Expansion web site at our request. His gracious commentary: "The web site is very impressive. Congratulations on moving forward with the new building. Let me know if I can help in any way." Steve Danzig sends details: "The submission deadline for the 2005 International Digital Art Awards closes 30 November 2004 (4 weeks).Here is a quick check list for what you must include on your CD/DVD.2D/Still:1. high resolution files 2. low resolution files 3. bio/artist statement/descriptions and contact details as a word/text file New media entries are either online or projected/installation presentation.1.If you're entering work that is centric to online presentation then you need to send a dedicated URL via email - include bio etc.2. projected work eg video etc must be sent on CD or DVD - include bio etc.3. new media installation - you must contact the IDAA director to discuss * Your work will not be accepted if you fail to include the above items." 20,000 Prize list for 5th year of this unique event Syracuse University has established the nation's first Master's Degree program in Arts Journalism, created with a generous gift from Lola and Alan Goldring. The SI Newhouse School of Public Communications professor Johanna Keller will direct the program. which begins July 2005. Newhouse Dean David Rubin was quoted in the Syracuse Alumni magazine: "By writing about the arts, a journalist can address concerns that are aesthetic, historical, economic, social, and political in nature. Arts writing includes some of the most important and pertinent journalism today." Bombastics away! An anonymous NYTimes Visual Art Forum correspondent declaimed ArtSceneAK publisher Donald R Ricker's 'holy than thou' attitude recently: "Look, living in the outback of Alaska any room, icebox or church auditorium could be called a major art gallery according to your standards, but in most major urban centers where there are major art galleries and museums the prespective is different as to art and artists. Maybe you should visit the lower states to get a better prespective before commenting with such anger and resentment in being the Joan of Arc sacrificing for the dignity of Amateur art. Here here!!" --- Datsmi2. Oy. Our perception of perspective has got to be different from 'prespective', whatever that is! Hear, hear! The GSA Art in Architecture program's National Artist Registry is renewing its files and sent word that they would like fresh qualifications and slides before December 20th of this year. Margaret Morse sends firm word: "If I do not hear from you by the deadline, I will delete your file." Enuff said. Contact her at 202.219.0411 or send slides or digitals to AIAP Office of the Chief Architect-PMB, GSA 1800 F Street, NW #3341, Washington DC 20405. Get Form 7437 by typing National Artist Registry in the search field at GSA's website. Katie Bell still wants to hear from you to update the Municipality of
Anchorage's Registry under the same threat. Contact her at AMHA, 121 West 7th Avenue,
Anchorage AK 99501 with your slides and resumes. |
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text & photos © 2004 Donald R Ricker; artist's works pictured ©2004 to artists credited.
ArtSceneAK is published by Donald R Ricker and sponsored by
BETTER LETTERS, PO Box 103554, Anchorage AK 99510-3554
