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Art RoundUp: Sept. 30 – Oct. 6
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Art RoundUp: Sept. 23 – 29
Help Art Rise Savannah paint some signs for the upcoming...
Art RoundUp: Sept. 16 – 22
The Mystical Arts of Tibet as rendered by the Tibetan Monks. Buy testosterone online and save...
Art RoundUp: September 9 – 15
Location Gallery (417 Whitaker St.) will host an opening...
Art RoundUp: Sept. 2 – 8
*Due to the high likelihood of inclement weather during Friday, Sept....
Disparity: Q&A with Jeremiah Jossim
Local painter, sculptor and conceptual artist Jeremiah Jossim recently sat...
Popular Posts All Time
- Collaborating with an eight-year-old: “Welcome to the Jungle Gym” brings surrealism and wonder to Savannah
- Artists on Art: Painter Heather MacRae visits sculptor Stephen Angell’s home studio
- Review: Sidney Davidson’s “An American Hero”
- Artists on Art: Lisa D. Watson on the magic and business of folk art
- F/5 Visual Impact show lives up to its name
- Figuring the Self: A Conversation with Adam Winnie
Collaborating with an eight-year-old: “Welcome to the Jungle Gym” brings surrealism and wonder to Savannah
Art can be frustrating when taken too seriously. It’s easy to lose inspiration and be overly self-critical. Sometimes, the reinstatement of childlike wonder is just what an artist needs to fall in love with art again. That’s the gist of Welcome to the Jungle Gym, a collaborative exhibit between SCAD professor Dick Bjornseth and eight-year-old Porter Stromberg. Bjornseth and Porter’s dad, fellow SCAD professor Matt Stromberg, are close friends and used to share an office. The idea for the collaboration began when Bjornseth saw a Youtube video where an adult artist worked with a child to create a unique piece. Then six years old, Porter was the perfect choice to take on the project. “Porter showed interest in art pretty early,” Matt says, “and Dick has really taken her under his wing. My daughter doesn’t listen to me when I talk about art, but she listens to Dick.” At first, Bjornseth provided Porter with a cutout photograph on a piece of paper, and she completed the drawing. Then Bjornseth added some color-rendering and other finishing touches, resulting in a truly unique and playful piece. “Porter likes to draw a lot. We started with her face, and she finished the body. After a few drawings, I thought, let’s use a...
Artists on Art: Painter Heather MacRae visits sculptor Stephen Angell’s home studio
The trees loomed, arching over the car, and as we got farther from the highway the dense green of the flora began to obscure our view of the morning’s low grey sky. We turned down a pebbled road, driving slowly, checking each mailbox’s number. Suddenly we realized we were right near the water. As we approached the house, the dense greenery parted and a small one story home came into view. Our anticipation sat with us like another passenger in the car. The screen door opened and out strode Stephen Angell. Crisp clean jeans and a button down shirt tucked in; he walked briskly, grinning wide, to meet us. After formal introductions and a brief explanation of the property, we were welcomed inside to meet Mia, Angell’s 15-year-old dog, and to see Angell’s work. Just inside the entryway on a pedestal was a sculpture made of black Italian marble which Angell had entitled Contrapasto.. The curvature and smoothed surface pushing back against the rough nature of the stone, the supple movement of the form in contrast to the natural cleave of the stone was breathtaking–and we were only getting started. An offer of mint...
Review: Sidney Davidson’s “An American Hero”
Sidney Davidson has no intention of being an American hero. You will not find any capes, kitsch, self portraits, or American flags at this Friday’s exhibition, An American Hero. If this feels misleading, it’s meant to. The show’s poster, inspired by times the artist received uncomfortable responses regarding his work, sets the viewer up to experience his exhibition with a bit of humor, an acceptable level of uneasiness, and a few unanswered questions. The show’s statement reads, “An illustration exhibition that uses visual metaphors to communicate ideas,” yet there is much more to be taken from this MFA thesis show. Spanning a wide range of political and social issues, Davidson’s subject matter isn’t meant to be revolutionary but relevant. The majority of his works carry elements of darkness, tension, humor and something unexpected. In his piece “Interception of Resources”, the artist uses the familiar imagery of a garden hose to confront viewers with our own disillusionment around our natural resources as the hose bursts in a background of dying foliage. Davidson illustrates a visual in Judge that could accompany any number of current commentaries on corruption and social injustice but also inspires thoughts of a...
Artists on Art: Lisa D. Watson on the magic and business of folk art
I was a foreigner to steamy Georgia when my friend drove me a few hours to Rabbittown, Georgia from Atlanta. The perspiration was worth it as we approached a hill of awe-inspiring whirligigs. It was 1994 and folk art was hot in the South. I was an outlander to the southern trend but soon appreciated its charm and especially the artist R. A. Miller (1912 – 2006). My whirligig broke down in sunny California, but I still have the devils that made it spin. Twelve years passed until I found myself living in Georgia and looking for more of Miller’s work to add to my collection. I purchased a painted tin chicken of Miller’s that was 3 times as much as the whirligig. It’s worth it though. Folk art took on a whole new persona for me after some searching. I explained this change to my best friend and fellow R. A. Miller collector in Los Angeles. “For example, a young woman with a Bachelor’s degree in fine art went to Mexico and spent 6 months painting angels. Now she is considered a folk artist and has a solo show in Asheville. I’m confused. I thought it was self-taught....
F/5 Visual Impact show lives up to its name
On Friday, March 7, dozens of people elbowed their way into Ashmore Gallery for the F/5 Visual Impact opening reception. The exhibit featured the capstone work of five Armstrong seniors: Margie “M.A.” Bach, Jenny Fitch, Rachel Greneker, Jennifer Hardee and Rachel Sawyer. Each of the artists wore black dresses and red heels to show solidarity and support for each other. The girls, all seniors graduating in the spring, brought a variety of pieces to the gallery, each strong enough to stand alone but still blending seamlessly. Rachel Greneker showed intricately cut paper pieces layered on colorful backgrounds. She included a piece of cork that had small blades pressed into it, along with a note that read, “This display is a collection of all the X-acto blades used to create this exhibit.” Jennifer Hardee, focusing on graphic design, presented branding interpretations for local companies. Fellow graphic design student Rachel Sawyer also brought brand designs, including elements of a magazine and a T-shirt logo as well as a poster series for fonts. Jenny Fitch, a photographer, showed a variety of photographs from color to black and white. She brought a huge photo of an American flag, reflecting her military...
Figuring the Self: A Conversation with Adam Winnie
Photographs by Peterson Worrell, Staff Photographer In the days leading up to the opening of his new show Figuring the Self at Desotorow Gallery, Savannah artist Adam Winnie sat down with SAI Editor-in-chief Kayla Goggin in his home studio for a conversation about process, method, identity, the nature of violence, and the importance of experimentation. [Adam and I began our conversation with a brief tour of the home he shares with his fiance, photographer Stacy Diehl, and a look at some of his recent and past works. We jumped right into a discussion of his choice in materials and techniques.] Adam Winnie: My fiance Stacy has been teaching me a little bit of encaustic. Kayla Goggin: Could you see yourself incorporating encaustic into your works? AW: Maybe. I’m such a slow drawer and painter – that’s why I work in oils when I do paint – encaustic just dries so quickly. The initial drawing or painting of things – I’m just really.. I don’t know if detailed is the word – I guess part of it is just really trying to hone in on the craft of it. I don’t leave a lot to chance. I make sure there’s...
