Redefinition

originally published April 11, 2007

Sharing the View: Margie Spalding and Chris Wyrick began painting in the Plein Air style together about two years ago. Since that time, they have shared subject matter, both by setting up easels side by side at various spots around Charleston, SC, and by looking at the same arrangement in a studio. Although they look at the same subject, the artists, at times, have drastically different results. For instance, Spalding's “Stargazers” shows flowers from a distance; the view includes the vase and focuses on form. Wyrick’s version of the same arrangement captures color and line with a tightly-cropped view; shapes are accentuated. In Spalding’s “Cotton and Crabapples,” small red fruit with taunt skins are juxtaposed with fluffy cotton balls. The dark background of this painting, as with almost all of Spalding’s still-lifes, creates a luxurious atmosphere, bringing to mind the Baroque era. Spalding presents a cohesive body of work, never straying from the precise vocabulary of landscapes and still-lifes. Wyrick has multiple takes on art-making, experimenting with subject matter and media, demonstrating a joy in creating. “Walls of Charleston” is a wonderfully painted landscape, concentrating on light along a wall. Wyrick presents pencil drawings of bones and skulls and large abstract works, which activate the gallery space. Wyrick’s palette alternates between daring combinations of vibrant colors and subdued monochromes. One of his strongest pieces is “Allegory of Power,” a blue scene with a shark, which alludes to the element of fear that he feels pervades American life. Margie Spalding's and Chris Wyrick’s work will be on view through May 5 at Mercury Art Works, located in the Chase Park Warehouse Complex at 160 Tracy St. Mercury Art Works is open by appointment. Too shy to call the gallery up? There will be an open-to-the-public book-signing and cocktail party with Matt and Ted Lee (see feature here) on Saturday, Apr. 14, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. For directions, call 706-338-0548 or visit www.mercuryartworks.com.

New Work: TheMasters of Fine Arts (MFA) Degree Candidate Exhibition is on view at the Georgia Museum of Art (GMOA)until May 6. The exhibit includes 23 artists working in varying media, from painting and printmaking to sculpture and installation art, with selections for inclusion facilitated by Lenora Pierce. According to Curator Paul Manoguerra, it is the largest MFA exhibit in UGA’s history.

Austere and Decadent: Natasha Seedorf’s ritual adornments mounted on tall, slender posts greet viewers of the MFA exhibit like soldiers on duty at a palace. In contrast to the stark presence of Seedorf, Erin Burke’s purple satin chandelier with carousel horses, and Danielle Benson’s vibrant sculptures suspended from the ceiling create a rumpus room atmosphere. The bold colors of Benson and Burke are contrasted by the enormous unpainted wood sculpture by Andy Anzardo on the back wall of the gallery. Anzardo’s sculpture represents a wave, comprised of thin wooden slats. Amanda Jane Burk’s prints in this gallery re-compose yearbook pictures from the 1960s and 1970s with a contemporary aesthetic. Kate Windley’s black-and-white mixed-media collage is based on drawings with figurative references; Meghan Moser’s textural wall-coverings rely on a sensual interaction with wool and fibers. The materials of Windley and Moser differ drastically, yet the similarity of scale and adjacent placement of their works direct the viewer to find similarities. Brooke Reynolds uses titles like “Karma” and “Bodhi Tree” to direct the interpretation of her photograph of bamboo. In her artist statement, she writes that bamboo is “hollow inside, and in eastern religions the concept of emptiness is an awareness that involves observing and accepting reality, while simultaneously being open to change.” Nara Kim’s paper sculptures rise from the ground like formations on the sea floor, with small paper rocks at their feet.

Figurative Presence: Nicholas Gagliardi’s sardonic paintings in the MFA exhibit depict his family members as tourists with a twist, ironically placing a father figure in full tourist garb (lei included) in the foreground of a Pearl Harbor war scene. Gagliardi prevents confusion by placing the brightly colored tourist in the center of the canvas and using a muted blue palette on the historic war scenes. It’s hard not to laugh out loud at the ironically oblivious stances Gagliardi has captured. Theodore Johnson’s painting of a fireman rescuing a cat from a tree captures a tender moment. Susannah Zucker’s intuitively intimate life-size ceramic figurative sculptures are placed sporadically throughout the exhibit. One of her strongest pieces is a nude woman with resin and metal flakes over one eye, and a device in her ear that Zucker says distinguishes between that which is true and that which is false. Looking into this device, actual bones are visible, tiny bones taken from an animal’s ear. Shawn Eisenach offers his re-interpretation of stiff studio portraits, displaying the actual photographs next to his sophisticated intaglio caricatures.

Perfected Future: In the MFA exhibit, Rylan Steele’s photographs of ordinary scenes are charged with a life of their own, a hospital room curtain seems to breathe with light. Audrey Molinare has lined shelves ascending up a wall with her handmade objects. Deborah Ford’s impossibly futuristic resort (using past projections of the future, which is now the present) has a central atrium that she has designed to resemble a human vertebra. Jim Norton’s suspended forms resemble space stations, futuristic aircraft or satellites; and their miniature size contributes to a feeling that these enamel and metal objects should be floating in outer space. The viewer becomes an astronaut who has left the space ship. Zamila Karimi’s multi-media installation, located in the small theater on the second floor, creates an environment of fire and ice. Karimi has etched patterns found in Islamic cultures on granite and on ice, contrasting the permanent with the temporary. Chris Merz has re-defined florals, painting on multiple layers of mica to achieve a subtly three-dimensional painting. Krista M. Coleman-Silvers’ ornamental metal work is delicate and lace-like. Jennifer Manzella’s sewn and punctured handmade paper hangs over the back wall of the Decorative Arts Gallery. Susan Gunter’s work takes two different forms: a sepia path meanders through a series of gauze-covered panels, and figures are comprised of varying shades of white paper. Kathlene Moyer has focused on the re-development of Atlanta’s Cabbagetown Community. The opening reception for the MFA exhibition will be Friday, Apr. 13 at 7 p.m. Participating artists will present “MFA Speaks” on Apr. 11. Call 706-542-GMOA or click on www.uga.edu/gamuseum for more info.

Receptions: This is the week for receptions. Robin Fay will hold a reception at the Tate Center Gallery on Thursday, Apr. 12, 6–8:30 p.m., for her show titled “Wrapped.” Fay is a multi-media artist. See more of her work at www.robinart.com. Also on Apr. 12, Nick Helton will hold a reception at Walker’s Coffee Shop and Pub on College Square, 9–11 p.m., for his show titled “Live to Love.” Poetry by Isai will be featured as well. A new series of shows called “Volume” begins on Monday, Apr. 9, in UGA’s Visual Art Building Main Gallery on Jackson Street.John Power’s kinetic installation will begin the series; there will be a reception for his show titled “Remember” on Thursday, Apr. 12, 7–9 p.m. Upcoming artists included in the series are Katherine McGuire, Euni Figi, McDavid MooreandMotoko Inoue. The Photography BFA Exit Exhibit, titled “We Built this City,” is on view in the Visual Arts Building on Jackson Street from Apr. 12 until Apr. 18. There will be a reception on Saturday, Apr. 14, 7–9 p.m. Artists included in the exhibit are Kaitlin Boyer, Andrea Brown, Rebecca Greer, Chandler Leathers, Laura Myers, Kelly Simmons, Tony Smith, Mary Spurlock, Jenny WalkerandSteve Wang.

A Glimpse of Njambi: Njambi Okundaye has paintings on view at Jittery Joe's on the Eastside until Apr. 19. Her whimsical imagery has a somber tone; an ominous sky pervades her landscapes. Figures seem serene and powerful, with a magical air of mystery. Okundaye confidently mixes color directly on the painting surface, with a passionate brushwork calling back to the Fauves.

Beth Sale

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