Art Notes

Unique Visions

originally published February 8, 2006

One of the qualities that make for a truly great artist is uniqueness of vision. There is a sense of individual personality in the work of several artists exhibiting in Athens this month. These artists have created a world, or a perception of the world, that they are eager to share.

Tales of the Sasquatch: Rizzie Gallego, an art student at UGA, has work on the walls of bob (SALON), located at 398 Foundry St., until mid-February. Gallego’s delicate works use a combination of digital prints and watercolor lithographs to create wonderfully crafted dioramas. The subject of many of these works is a humanized Sasquatch, the mythical Bigfoot. “Where is My True Love?” shows Sasquatch wandering the woods, holding a bouquet, singing in Spanish. (This piece is in the bathroom.) Sasquatch starts a family, as seen in “Mama and Baby Sasquatch.” The artist utilizes the three-dimensional aspect of the diorama to the utmost in “Sasquatch Mexican Wrestler Family Portrait.” A miniature globe, guitar, sculptural bust and picture frames seem to be literally taken out of a dollhouse, while the background of the family portrait is derived from a digitally manipulated vintage photograph. On top of this assortment is the Sasquatch family, obviously drawn in Gallego’s unique hand. (This one is in the salon’s hair drying room.) The subject matter is not limited to Sasquatch, however. Gallego has a full cast of sad, dreamy characters in comic environments. If you can’t make it down to bob (SALON) before Feb. 15, you can see other examples of Gallego’s work every first Saturday of the month at Little Kings on the corner of Hancock and Hull. Rizzie Gallego is part of the Soup Art Collective which sells an assortment of handmade merchandise.

Complex Simplicity: The work of Matt Blanks, currently on display at The Grit, may appear at first glance to be simply bold, eye-catching compositions. But take a closer look and you will see painstaking detail, tiny squares and circles that make up a vast ocean. His “Island and Sea” displays his obsessive orientation towards detail, which he says keeps him safe and sane. “Tree and Barrels” is another example of this complex simplicity. A tree’s branches and leaves are reduced to a large circle against a blue sky. But within the simple shape of the tree are endless worlds of pattern. Blanks says he is interested in breaking things down into smaller detail, getting closer to one thing, like the building blocks of cells. The result of this complex simplicity is the perfect combination of freedom and control. After a childhood in Auburn, AL, Blanks moved to Athens in 2000, and has been developing his artistic vision within the arts community. His show at The Grit will be up until Feb. 19. See more at www.mattblanksart.com.

Organic Mystery: Nena Allen, whose work is on display in the Myers Gallery at Athens Academy, writes that her work “begins in an expansive understanding of wilderness and its evocation of fear, solace, entanglement, dark transition and the quest for personal enlightenment.” This description fits the work perfectly. Her organic shapes, drawn from natural settings, create compositions that mystify placement in reality. They seem to be abstract imaginary scenes. Two long panels, “Deep Woods” and “Fork in the Path,” have the feeling of a forest enchanted by fairies, with branches that appear to intertwine as in an embrace. The paintings are executed in dark luscious oils on panel or canvas. There are also three charcoals on embossing paper. Christine Shockley, who studied under Lamar Dodd while completing her masters degree at UGA, shares the gallery space at Athens Academy with Allen. The simplicity of her rural farm scenes ispartly inspired by a trip to an Amish farm. The majority of her work is in pastels, some of which were included in last year’s Southworks exhibit at OCAF in Watkinsville. Shockley repeatedly uses chickens as subject matter in the works on display at Athens Academy. The show comes down on Feb. 17. Coming up next is work by UGA graduate students.

73 Miles of Three-Layer Cake: Installation artists Danielle Benson, Erin Burke and Audrey Molinare have a show called “Manyblinds” at Eyedrum in Atlanta, through Feb. 25. In the tradition of the trio’s past installations, the artists continue to attempt “to break down the boundaries between art and life, turning the installations into stage sets that are completed when the audience members interact with the space and with each other.” After receiving a grant through the 2005–2006 ICE project, the three UGA graduate students are looking for residents in the Athens area to host a temporary art installation as a part of the “Three-Layer Cake Tour.” Contact threelayercaketour@greenblanky.com before Mar. 1 for more information, or to have your home considered as a venue. In addition to her work with the “Three-Layer Cake,” Erin Burke has put together a joint exhibition with UGA students and students from Georgia State University. The show, titled “73 Miles,” will be on display at the Thompson Street Sculpture Complex at UGA until Feb. 17. There will be a reception on Friday, Feb. 10 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Clayton Street Gallery and Refuses: The most recent show at Clayton Street Gallery, “Athens: An Artist’s Perspective,” included artists’ renditions of local scenes. Greg Benson, John Ahee, Stephen Humphreys, James Dean, Antoon Speers, Anne Yarbrough, Andre Price, Molly Vass, Robin Fay and Dana Jo Cooley were among those included in the show. Humphreys’ photograph of “Barnett Shoals Road Landscape” typified the construction in the area by dwarfing a bulldozer with mounds of dirt and an expansive blue sky. The upcoming show at Clayton Street is “Salon des Refuses,” comprised of works not selected for inclusion in the Lyndon House Arts Center juried exhibit. Judging from the volume of entries received by the Lyndon House this year, this show is promising.

LHAC Gala Opening: Don’t forget the “Lyndon House Arts Center 31st Juried Exhibit” opening on Sunday, Feb. 12 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The show was judged by William Fagaly, curator of the New Orleans Museum of Art. This yearly competition is open to Athens area artists working in all visual media, so don’t miss some of the best art Athens has to offer. The show will be up through Apr. 22. Call 613-3623 for more info.

Beth Sale Send art news to outthere@flagpole.com, and put “Art Notes” in the subject line.

Beth Sale

Send art news to outthere@flagpole.com, and put “Art Notes” in the subject line.