BTG Blog

BTG UPCOMING EVENTS

 

BEYOND THE GALLERY PRESENTS

HELEN DUCKWORTH : DREAMS & REFLECTIONS

Original Oils | Mixed Media Works on Paper | Limited Edition Prints

 Exhibition Opening & Artist Reception

Friday, July 29^th, 2011 6-9pm

Hosted by The Real Estate Studio

214 King Street | Charleston SC 29401

On View July 29 – September 6, 2011

Press Release on Dreams & Reflections

To kick off the new year, Josh James of Beyond The Gallery has united three of Charleston's premier and award winning artists, Chris Dotson, Joyce Hall and Martin Ahrens for the upcoming exhibition, “Collective | Eclectic,” an exhibit celebrating diversity in the creative process. Featuring small and large original works in a range of mediums from watercolors, pen & ink to oils, acrylics and pastels. Hosted by The Real Estate Studio, 214 King Street, in historic downtown Charleston, the exhibit will remain on view January 5 – February 15, 2011, with an opening- artist reception, free & open to the public, set for Friday, January 14, from 6-9 PM.

 

“Collective | Eclectic” has been developed to unite fellow artists and shed light into their imagination and distinctive personal approach. The exhibition unfolds with a general theme of diversity in the arts. Viewers can expect to encounter an eclectic selection of some of the artists finest works, inspired by life, their creative drive and everyday experiences. Works exhibited will further showcase the artists diversity of personality, style, subject matter, influences and artistic range.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:   

Chris Dotson, originally from Newport News, VA, and now residing in Charleston, SC, received his B.F.A. from Appalachian State University in 1996 and has been involved in the visual arts for over fifteen years. His latest work is composed of a wide variety of mediums and ranges from visual realism to imagined realism and abstract. “I look for something beyond the representation of a subject, attention is given only to each shape's interaction with surrounding shapes, and it's color in relation to the other colors within the image.”

 

Joyce Hall- (Member of OPA | An Associate signature member AAEA| Signature member NOAPS & SAA) grew up in the heart of Maryland horse country where at an early age she began observing and drawing horses. After teaching the equestrian program for Tulane University and establishing programs for the College of Charleston and the Citadel she retired, devoting all of her time to painting and teaching art. Her works, composed primarily of oils, have been featured in major art publications and have earned her an extensive list of national awards, museum tours and international exhibitions, too numerous to mention, as well as memberships in many prestigious organizations. More recently Joyce was selected as a finalist for the Blossom II, Art of Flowers, international Juried art competition and national museum tour exhibition, premiering at the Naples Museum of Art, February 4^th, 2011.

 

Born in 1933 in Louisiana, noted portrait artist,  Martin Ahrens began painting in the 1950s while attending Tulane University. He attended the Chicago Institute of Art and for over forty years has been painting, sculpting and teaching, winning awards in national shows. In the early 1980s Ahrens completed a painting of the America Silver Medal Winner in the International Ballet Competition and was later selected to paint the 25th Anniversary painting for the Meridian House International in Washington DC. In 1986 Ahrens moved to Northern Maryland and founded Everedy School of Art & the Everedy Gallery. In 1990 Ahrens sold the Gallery and School and returned to New Orleans to marry Joyce Hall, a noted artist and horsewoman. He currently makes his home in the South Carolina Lowcountry, and with his wife, owns The Studio, a multi-media school of fine art in the West Ashley area of Charleston.   

 

About The Real Estate Studio: The Real Estate Studio is the downtown office of Dunes Properties, a boutique real estate, vacation rental and property management company serving the Charleston area since 1989.

 

The Real Estate Studio
214 King Street, Charleston, SC 29401
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Out of the Box Art Marketing: The Buddy System

by Lori Woodward

What's really great about temporary shows is that artists get their unsold works back after the show ends. Then they can place these works elsewhere. Collectors won't be able to stop back indefinitely because the works will be available for a limited amount of time. If I really wanted to get creative - I could even offer one of my small works as a door prize at the opening night. Sure, I'd be willing to do that... I see it as inexpensive advertising. [...]

Read the rest of this article at:
http://fineartviews.com/blog/33555/out-of-the-box-art-marketing-the-buddy-system

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Don Localio | Op de Muur Group Exhibition | The Audley Society

 

Download Don Localio, La Prensa, San Antonio, TX 2011


Don Localio with Willem De Kooning

 

The Double Merits of the Final Varnish

by Clint Watson

This article is by Clint Watson,  former art gallery owner/director/salesperson and founder of FineArtViews. You should follow Clint on Twitter here.

 

I posted this as a comment on the Reddot Blog and expanded it a bit here.

 

One marketing idea you can utilize is to contact your customers periodically to provide cleaning and maintenance on past pieces that they've purchased from you.  This can often lead to another sales opportunity, but you don't have to make it into one, you can let that happen naturally.  This is also a great technique for those who are unsure or shy about being too "salesy."

 

Back when I owned an art gallery, I used to do a similar thing with great results:  Each time someone purchased a painting I would make a note to call them back in six months.  At that time, I would let them know that their painting needed to be brought in (or picked up by me, if feasible) for the final varnish.

This re-connection often led to a series of events that ended in another art sale.

It's also a great thing to do because it's not solely for marketing purposes, although that's a fantastic side-effect.

 
In fact, the final varnish is critical for oil paintings and often can't even be applied for six months after the painting is completed (or even a year in some cases).  In today's fast-paced world where everyone needs results and sales today, most artists can't afford to wait the six months, let alone a year, to apply the final varnish and then ship the painting to the gallery.  So lots of paintings end up being sold without the final varnish.  (Note: the final varnish is NOT the temporary liquin that CAN be applied immediately to give an oil painting that glossy, varnished look - that will wear off).

I may be telling you something you already know, but a quick story:  The varnish on an oil painting serves the same purpose as the glass on a watercolor - protection.  I became a full believer in this when one of our customers had a house fire which luckily was put out before the house burned to the ground, but it did cause a lot of smoke-damage to their extensive collection of oil paintings.  Out of desperation, they brought the paintings to the gallery - I would guess around 50 oil paintings - and the pieces looked like someone had framed 50 black canvases.

I didn't have high hopes.

 
We took the art to a local art restoration expert.  And amazingly, she was able to completely save every single painting.  And she told us why:  A few months earlier we had contacted this particular couple and offered to varnish all of their oil paintings.  The restoration expert told us that the varnish had saved the paintings.  All she had to do was strip the varnish off and the paintings themselves, perfectly protected, were in pristine condition.  All we had to do was apply a new coat of varnish.

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Warm Light Makes Cooler Shadows

 

Warm Light Makes Cooler Shadows

by Lori Woodward

Today's post is by Lori Woodward.  Lori earned a bachelor's degree in Art Education from the University of Arizona.  As a freelance writer for various art publications, she has written more than 60 published articles for  American Artist, Watercolor, Workshop, and International Artist Magazines since 1996. Her paintings, along with instructional articles, have been featured in Watercolor Magazine since 2007, and in American Artist's Highlights Issue, Step by Step 2011, with the article: "Moving into Acrylics".  Woodward has co-authored the book, "Watercolor Step by Step" a Walter Foster Publication, and authored a chapter for Calvin Goodman's "Art Marketing Handbook for the 21st Century".  She has been a member of the Putney Painters since 2004, a small invitational group of painters who are mentored by Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik.

 

Before I studied with Richard Schmid, I understood how to use color and value in my landscapes, but in a less scientific way than I do now. I knew that shadows are darker than the sunlit objects, and I even knew that the reflected light in the shadows was always darker than anything in the light.

 

Furthermore, I could match the local color of my objects fairly well, but that's about where my knowledge with color ended. I'm sure some of my instructors, along the line, explained the concept of: Warm Light = Cool Shadows, Cool Light = Warm Shadows, but when Richard explained how the temperature of light and shadow varies depending on the color of the light, my brain's light bulb finally lit up (pun intended).

 

 

The Golden Season (Branch Creek) - by Michael Godfrey oil 8x8

Notice in Michael Godfrey's painting above how the foreground rocks and shore in the light are warmer (more orange) than the same objects in the shadow (where they're more blue/gray)

 

For this post, I'll use the artwork of Micheal Godfrey and Lisa Mitchell to demonstrate this first segment where I'll discuss - warm light, means cool hued shadows. I could paint my own examples, but that would take me too long; I'd never get this post finished, and besides, these artists visually articulate these concepts so well that it doesn't make sense to look any further. Yes, I do have permission from the artists to use their images!

 

To begin, let's talk about the color of sunlight on a sunny day. Near dawn and dusk, the light is very warm (you knew that, eh?). Without going into talking about how prisms work and a lot of other scientific facts (which my husband would love to discuss), I'll just say that early/late day sunlight is warm because red light waves are longer and can pass through a lot of atmosphere. When the sun is straight overhead, there is a thinner amount of atmosphere, so we see the shorter, bluer waves of light.

 

 

Moving On, by Lisa Mitchell Pastel 18x24

In the painting above, the areas of grass in the shadows takes on a bluer hue, while the areas in the warm sunlight show some orange and yellow.

 

You're probably wondering why in the world I'm making such a simple concept sound so complex... because the color of light is complex.  I'll explain why... When light is warm, the shadows are cooler in color - slightly bluer and often grayer.  BUT! You can't just paint all the light areas orange and the shadows blue. We still have to take into account the local color of the object. So when a green tree is lit by the setting sun, the part of that green foliage in the shadow is bluer while the green in the late day sunlight has touches of warm yellow and orange in the green. If the grass in the landscape is partly in light and partly in shadow, the part in the light will show orange and warm yellow tones, while the shadow areas show more blue/green.

 

Take a good look at the images I've provided, and you'll see what I'm describing.

 

Room To Breathe - by Lisa Mitchell pastel 18x24

In Lisa's painting, the foreground grass in the shadow is blue/green while in the sunlight, this same grass contains warmer yellows and orange.

 

Likewise, if an autumn tree (rust colored) is lit by the warm morning or evening light, the part in the sunlight is a definite orange/red - a clean clear color, while its shadow counterpart is slightly bluer and grayer, yet still retains the color of autumn foliage.

 

 

Shenandoah River Shadows - by Micheal Godfrey 24x36

In Michael's painting above, the season is autumn, and where the warm sunlight passes along the tree foliage, the leaves tend toward orange... which would be expected since their local color is yellow/orange. However, where these same trees are in shadow, the foliage is darker, grayer and slightly bluer... meaning cooler in hue.

 

In later posts, I'll talk about the color of light and shadow on a sunny mid-day scene and on an overcast/gray day. Now here's something else I learned from Richard. The darkest darks are always "hot"... and although I've tried to observe this in the landscape,  it's not apparent to me. One thing I do know: When I paint my darkest areas warm (instead of a dark blue) they look much darker. I'm not talking about using red, but a very warm brown or a bit of alizarin crimson to warm the darkest areas in foliage or at the base of a nearby stand of trees, or even the cracks between rocks.  As I said, that'll be explained on a later post.

 

Please don't hesitate to ask for clarification if any of this seems confusing. I'm happy to share and explain. For those of you who already understand these concepts, I hope you enjoyed looking at the lovely paintings. For others, some of whom may be struggling with painting believable color relationships, I hope this gave you a greater understanding.

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Facebook Reality is a Myth

Facebook Reality is a Myth

by Carolyn Henderson

This article is by Carolyn Henderson, the managing half of Steve Henderson Fine Art. She is a Regular contributing writer for FineArtViews and her  freelance writing appears in regional newspapers, online magazines, and her humor blog, Middle-Aged Plague.

 

I know someone whose father just died. Ten hours after it happened, she found herself in the grocery store, picking up food for the family.

 

"And how are you today?" the clerk asked.

 

"I'm fine," she answered. ("My father just died," she said to herself. "I'm not fine.")

 

"Oh, good. Good. That's quite a nice roast chicken. It smells delicious."

 

"Yes it does," she answered. ("It wasn't unexpected, but it was sudden. I'm in shock.")

 

"Add a salad and some bread, and you've got a meal!"

 

"The white wine will complete it." ("Actually, I don't feel like eating at all.")

 

"Have a nice day!"

 

"You too." ("Thank God that's over.")

 

I imagine that the clerk had no idea of the actual state of his customer's mind or being, which isn't surprising since the main clues available to him would have been the woman's words, demeanor, and body language -- all well under control.

 

Most of us who are grownups have learned that, when someone asks, "How are you?" the standard and acceptable response is "Fine, just fine," since general acquaintances and daily contacts aren't looking to hear about the perforated ulcer, the messy divorce, or the child on drugs.

 

Translate this into the art world, where chicken by-products come in the form of depressed art sales (or none at all), galleries closing, lack of inspiration, creditors knocking, canceled shows, rejection letters, dried-up publicity, and general discouragement.

 

Seriously, is this the kind of stuff that artists post on their website or Facebook page?

 

"No sales in three months, and a backlog of 48 paintings. Turned in my application to Burger Babe today!"

 

"Spent more on cookies and chocolate nuts for the reception than we'll ever see in sales!"

 

"Wii came out with a new painting exercise game -- have been at it for hours!"

 

One of my favorite comments was actually a real one, uttered in a moment of absolute honesty from the curator of a non-profit art association:

 

"I don't know why we bother with insuring the work in this building. I mean, if we can't sell it, how would the thieves do it?"

 

Okay, this all sounds bad, real bad, so before you get depressed, remind yourself that life has its ups and downs, and both bad things and good things happen, generally concurrently. The important thing is this: when things are good, people talk about them; when things are bad, people keep quiet.

 

Remind yourself of this, as you read about or attend other artists' shows, look through other artists' sites, glance at other artists' hoots and Tweets and Facebook bleats.

 

"Despair!" -- such is the Facebook post of high school drama divas who precede it by "He loves me!" and follow by, "It's complicated." Professional artists, however, are not of this caliber, and they refrain from cataloging every emotion in the public sector.

 

Whether the times are bad or good, they post their new paintings, provide information about upcoming shows, report on recent publicity, showcase their artwork in a positive light and encourage communication and dialogue. They look like what they are: adult businesspeople who conduct themselves with propriety and maturity in the public marketplace; their actual affairs are personal, shared with only a few close friends or family members, probably not you or me.

 

Tired-of-Being-Youngest, our youngest progeny, offers these words of advice about Facebook, but they can be interpolated to a broader spectrum of all human interaction, be it face to face or social media, written or spoken, direct or indirect:

 

"It's not like you post anything personal on Facebook, and only a few people really get into splattering their lives and their feelings there. I usually block them.

 

"You post news -- what you're doing, where you're going, what book you just read, the movie you've seen. You keep things positive, because you're updating people, and they want information, not drama."

 

Let me summarize this: Do Not Covet.

 

In the same way that we do not look at the neighbor's car, dog, house, job, spouse or waist measurement and compare it to our own -- wish it were our own -- we do not look at other artists' information, guesstimate how they are doing, and slink to a dark corner where we uncontrollably weep.

 

Good times and bad will be had for all. We all walk our own path. It is easier to do so when we keep our eyes on the road in front of us, and don't let them wander in every direction but forward.

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Beyond the Gallery resurfaces with a well-crafted show

Beyond the Gallery resurfaces with a well-crafted show 

Art Squatters

by Nick Smith

Photos Courtesy of Beyond The Gallery, Copyright 2011 Beyond The Gallery, LLC

Martin Ahrens' light-filled, Classic works are paired with more progressive pieces from Joyce Hall and Chris Dotson in Collective | Eclectic

Josh James is a young, determined, and dedicated Charleston art advocate. He represents a baker's dozen of talented artists, from traditional painters to sculptors to abstract dabblers. He's devoted to selling their work and building his reputation as a gallery manager. But he has no permanent space to show the art.

In an environment where book and electronics chains are suffering because more people shop online, James seems to be one step ahead of conventional galleries. Beyond the Gallery is a virtual space where he can display a practically unlimited amount of work, save thousands of dollars in rent, reach clients instantly, and expand his market far beyond French Quarter browsers.

"I've been trying to organize fine art exhibitions in different places," he says. "I've been having a tough time getting the word out." For James, temporary physical spaces are an important part of marketing his artists — collectors get to see the work in the flesh, which has far more impact than a JPEG thumbnail. He's tested alternate venues like Tides on Charleston Harbor

The Collective, May, 2009

 

 

 

 

and pushed hard for a pop-up gallery during Spoleto.  "A company tried to charge us $2,000 for rent and charge us for utilities," says the Indiana University graduate, "plus 30 percent commission on anything we sold, and they wanted us to clean the place up — this was a boarded-up building. I would have had to sell several thousand dollars' worth of art in three weeks to cover the costs." Undaunted, James continues to look for properties with subsidized rent. In the meantime, he's put up a small but intriguing temporary exhibition in the Real Estate Studio, showcasing Chris Dotson, Joyce Hall, and Martin Ahrens.

Dotson provides an eclectic mix of paintings and media. His pieces read like a wall-length retrospective, from experimental abstracts and standard still lifes to colorful cubist riffs. But this is only a mere hint of Dotson's output. The Virginia native works with acrylics, ceramics, pen and ink, and graphite; at this show, oils predominate.

One of his most striking paintings is near the studio entrance. "The Social Lite" is an acrylic and oil diptych of a wistful-looking woman, patterns scratched into her brightly painted dress. Split over two canvases, she's like a blueblood volunteer sawn in half by a deft illusionist.

Dotson works more magic in "Interval I" and "Interval II," two playful mixed-media pieces that intertwine figures with subtle circles. He refines this idea in a larger, 36" x 24" painting, "The Bridge." A female form is surrounded by delightful circles and colors, suggesting different moods and attitudes.

The most accomplished paintings are the compact, realist "Blue Hand" and "Calcified Mind," which wouldn't look out of place in one of Robert Lange's better shows. Not all of Dotson's paintings are as successful — some, like "Canned Fish," look rushed and simplistic. But there are enough vibrant ideas here to stand out from his diverse collection.

 

The other two contributors to the show are married artists Hall and Ahrens. They give Collective | Eclectic its strongest thread with depictions of dancers. Hall leads the line with a warm-hued, rose-tinted series of figureworks. In "One Little Dancer," the subject's face is in shadow, but her poise is incredibly expressive.

 

Hall has studied and painted dogs, horses, and humans throughout her distinguished career; she founded the riding programs for the College of Charleston and the Citadel, eventually retiring to devote her time to art. It's been time well spent. She shows a mastery of shadow, reflections, and color in paintings like "Dancers in the Kitchen" and "Dancers and Flamingos." 

  

Ahrens channels Edgar Degas with his oil-on-canvas "Dancer," which is accompanied by a charcoal study of the same female figure. Some of his work has a nostalgic, 1920s feel, such as "Yellow Hat" (pastel on paper), in which a woman's sharp features jut against her soft, feminine clothing and pastoral surroundings. "Park Bench" shimmers with fall colors of brown and pale yellow. Juxtaposed with Dotson's progressive 

art, Ahrens proudly represents a statelier age of dependable painting. He knows what works, and he's sticking with it.

So does James. Focused on establishing a foothold in our fickle market, he relies heavily on conservative art for this show. However, he includes enough variety to hook viewers. Like any good businessman, he's used a small opportunity to get people clamoring for more. He's also succeeded in showing some high-quality pieces by three of his most talented artists. Maybe he doesn't need a permanent gallery after all.

Tags: Joyce Hall, Chris Dotson, Martin Ahrens, Real Estate Studio

JEFF ZIMMERMANN | "THE GOD PARTICLE"

Installation at the Chicago Cultural Center

Oct. 8 - Jan. 2, 2011

Throughout the month of October Jeff Zimmermann will be creating an installation in the CCC galleries. The main focus of the work will be large scale portraits of pedestrians along with charged imagery painted directly on the gallery walls. Objects collected throughout the year will be presented in a way so as to compliment and elucidate these paintings creating one experience filled with symbolic meaning and open to some interpretation.

  This artwork will be less about finding the zietgiest present in society and be more of an attempt to flush out and create dialogue around ideas and themes derived from contemporary life. Large scale figurative work based on random encounters with pedestrians will find a place in the artwork supported by dynamic color, puzzling juxtapositions of symbolic imagery and highly rendered technique all realized on a super large scale.

  The artwork has as a starting point "The God Particle." From there the installation as a whole will grow daily over the course of 4 weeks with new imagery being included and deleted throughout resulting in a final piece of artwork that functions as a whole and is best understood through its title. Political topics such as religion and economic equality are an important element of the artists inspiration.

 

For More Information Visit: www.jazim.com

 

Jeff Zimmermann | ArtPr|ze 2010 Updates+

Artist Jeff Zimmermann, Art Prize 2010, Kendall College of Art & Design

Grand Rapids, Michigan, September 05, 2010, Photos By: Terry Johnston

 

DAY 25: The artists began the day fixing troubled areas on the wall...Due to age and weathering, areas in the brick where mortar had become weak had to be fixed... Some areas literally crumbled when touched! Just one more way Jeff has prepared to take the necessary measures to preserve the mural.

Jeff Zimmermann Art Prize - Brendan Hudson from laura caprara on Vimeo.

Jeff Zimmermann, Art Prize 2010 Teams Second live interview, this time with Chicago, IL artist, Brendan Hudson. Brendan shares his role in the mural project. He mentions that about 90% of the work that goes into a public piece is about the "PROCESS" of creating a path for the mural to exist. It's about getting to know the city, those you are working with and around and meeting the people within the community. Videography: Tommy Valdez #ArtPrize2010 #Grand Rapids, MI

Related Photos from Past Weeks Progress of the Mural...

Great Picture for showing the scale of this project....

Great picture to show composition and color quality on this mural...

Attention to detail magnified...

Jeff Zimmermann- ArtPr|ze 2010

ARTIST BIO:

A native of Chicago, Jeff Zimmermann has achieved national and international recognition for his large scale murals featuring painted images of contemporary pop culture and sensitively rendered portraits. Zimmermann’s pop-culture references range from innocuous consumer products such as beer cans, hard candy rings, and high healed shoes, to more symbolically charged images like pistols and portraits of political figures. The images are discrete and floating, knitted together by geometric areas of flat color. The overall aesthetic is smooth and sensual: shiny metal and glossy surfaces, rendered in saturated colors. Zimmermann’s paintings have the sex appeal of commercial art, and any irony surrounding that connection is light and playful. The artist’s background as a graphic designer explains his shrewd use of flashy and graphic forms which also permeate the mass media (Zimmermann’s self-proclaimed competition), operating on the theory that we all deeply love flashy stuff.
While rooted in contemporary life and consumer culture, Zimmermann’s work also reveals a sympathetic affinity for everyday people. And though he carefully avoids didacticism, instead playing the role of objective visual journalist, viewers may get the sense that he has reached his own conclusions. The portraits Zimmermann renders on such enormous scale enact a specific agenda in his work. In an effort to subvert the notion of what corporate and entertainment culture considers newsworthy, Zimmermann incorporates into his murals a diversity of people who live and work in the communities he visits—these are not the faces we know from the news, magazines, and television, or those whose historical or political status already qualifies them as subjects for public art. Incorporating into his works people excluded from the aforementioned categories—what he calls real people—Zimmermann familiarizes himself with a community while allowing its members to breathe authenticity and life into his paintings. The portraits in Zimmermann’s artwork are dignified and attractive, directing the viewer conversation toward a democratic humanitarian dialog, while giving the work an emotional depth that complements the polished context of his product-based world.


But despite rendering real people, Zimmermann refuses to allow prospective models’ real-life stories of success and struggle to compel him to select them; instead, he chooses subjects according to the conceptual and aesthetic dictates of his paintings. His models at first only serve the visual narrative of his paintings. Reluctant to state conclusively the significance of the personalities in his murals, Zimmermann prefers viewers to make their own discoveries. But when community members, who are often familiar with the faces represented, engage the works personally, interpretations may arise that even Zimmermann cannot foresee. Presenting his subjects with something that borders on reverence, their humanity remains intact. In the end, the artist’s process of culling the communities surrounding the sites for his public artworks communicates ideas that are bigger than any one person.

About ArtPrize 2010:

Title: Mural for Grand Rapids
Location: Kendall College of Art and Design, 17 Fountain St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Art form: 2-D
Medium: Acrylic

Description of work: Create a contemporary mural that presents engaging ideas and dynamic color. I hope to do this on a grand scale, and seek out a large unbroken wall in the city.

I will go prospecting in the streets around the area of the work site and take photos of locals to later use as references in the finished artwork. The immediate environment and its inhabitants help bring gestalten to my murals. This is key to the artistic process and, for me, creates legitimacy. It’s nice to ponder things with the community, over time, through a work of art.

If a mural is successful, the public will share ideas and discoveries they’ve made with others around them, or an idea will stick in their mind. Public art already has an advantage as it’s understood to be “of the community” and therefore it’s perception comes democratically. My artwork is intended to be neutral. I do not wish to provide answers, but rather attempt to spark dialogue.

Technical details:
Linear wall space needed: 50 ft.

Total square feet needed: 200 sq. ft.

ARTPRIZE2010

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Art For A Cause, Works By Olga Stamatiou

Olga Stamatiou was born in New York City in 1946. She began painting in 1967, at the age of twenty-one. This relatively late start to her artistic career followed the discovery of painting as a vehicle for cathartic personal expression. At the age of eighteen, she went to live with relatives in Athens, Greece and it was there in the heady, intellectually charged, artistically-vibrant atmosphere of mid-1960’s that she was stirred to begin her formal artistic education, studying with the painter Ilias Dekoulakos.  She remained in Greece until 1976, when she returned to the United States and embarked on further studies at Boston University’s School of Fine Arts, where she received her BFA and MFA degree in painting. She also completed a graduate program in Art Therapy at the Metropolitan College of Boston University. She lived in America for the next 20 years, exhibiting and working in the United States. In 1997, she returned once again to Greece with her husband where they lived for five years. During that time, she had exhibitions in Athens, Greece and Nice, France. They are currently residing in Beaufort, South Carolina.  In 2004 she started a non-profit company called Seewall Child which builds and installs interactive art based displays free of charge in crisis centers for children. Funds are raised through the making and selling of a variety of products. Olga and her company has won a 2007 Society in Arts in Healthcare Blair Sadler Award. It was said to be one of the most innovative arts projects demonstrating compelling impact on the quality of the healthcare experience for patients, their families and care givers.   

"I approach my work in an intuitive, direct, honest, brave way, always mindful of formal concerns. If I have a definite idea, I quickly put it down on canvas in a sketchy broad manner and proceed from there. If I have no idea of what I want to paint, I begin by painting broad masses of color and lines on canvas until something curious emerges from within. I go back and forth, in and out. I scrub, scrape, paint, and wipe with rags. I constantly stir up the bottom bringing up life from under the surfaces.

Currently exciting about my work is the new format of using small canvases and linking them together through the use of patterns, lines, broad color masses, and repetitive motifs thus allowing for a much broader, contemplative and rhythmic vision to emerge. The process of painting excites me the most, not the outcome. While clarity is important, I love the sense of power that comes from the unrefined nature of things."

 

-Olga Stamatiou