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"Carousel" by Joe Mayes |
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"8mm" by Kendall Roudebush |
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"Traveling Memories" by Carol Blundell |
Gallery 6000 has returned! A new and improved space welcomes it
first show “Moms Like It!” I have quoted
the show announcement from the http://artwach.blogspot.com
site to save time. Tom Wachunas curated the show so he says it best.
(Quote) Located in the Conference Center Dining Room on the Kent
State University at Stark campus (6000 Frank Avenue NW, North Canton), Gallery
6000 is pleased to announce “Mom Likes It!” This exhibit, on
view through Friday, June 9, 2017, features an eclectic gathering of new works
by seven Kent Stark Fine Arts students working in Painting III and Painting IV.
These artists have been developing their aesthetic concepts and techniques under
the steady guidance of Associate Professor of Painting, Jack McWhorter, who
writes:
“Building on the technical, formal, and conceptual
abilities students have accumulated in previous classes, Painting III & IV
aims to assist students in developing strategies required to begin making work
independently. Students are expected to participate in an extremely ambitious
and self-directed manner, working on projects outside of class more than they
do during scheduled class times. Painting concepts are developed through the
practice of consistently gathering source materials and recording personal
observations. This includes literal collection through sketchbooks,
photographs, journals, and found objects in addition to less tangible resources
such as dreams and memories. Students are required to work longer on
each project, allowing their ideas and interests to fully develop through the
process of painting.”
The participating artists are: Carol Blundell, Mitch Bonifay, Noah
DiRuzza, Samuel Dorando, Joe Mayes, Kendall Roudebush, and Robert Shultz. (End
Quote)
Okay, my turn. The show has 22 pieces overall and the first
impression is big, bright and beautiful as the space is well suited to
showcasing larger, bold pieces. Since there are 7 artists with anywhere from 1
to 8 entries each, I chose one from each person about which to say a few words.
I must admit I am not sure why the show has the title it does, but fortunately
it dovetails with a Mother’s Day posting!
8mm by
Kendall Roudebush greets you first if one walks the perimeter of the room. This
acrylic on canvas work is comprised of layers of marks in blues, grays and
black that overlap and overlay each other creating a surprising depth of field
not appreciated with a quick look. You need to consider the marks (probably doodles
to some folks) and the order in which they appear. They do not necessarily connect
but rather build up a surface, one that would make a dynamic fabric print.
Carousel
by Joe Mayes is an oil of bright colored shapes that do connect and entwine and
merge from one to another. Don’t look for horses or other animals per the title
however. Think movement, mechanics and perhaps a bird’s eye view of the energy
produced by a carousel. Yellow halos and actions marks aid the visual
vibration. The more I looked at this piece, a feeling of carousel music also emanated
from the canvas.
Traveling
Memories by Carol Blundell is reminiscent of surrealism in
that seemingly unrelated images work together as a dreamlike landscape. Within
this piece I found the corners of papers tacked to the surface, stacks of boxes
that hold mementoes, items collected as souvenirs, parts of landscape photographs
and a complex but well balanced composition. She could have lost control of this
image if not for the smart placement of shapes and colors held together by the
use of proper scale.
Mitch Bonifay has 4 pieces in the show. Not
traditional paint on stretched canvas per say, but canvas fabric stretched
within frames by use of cording. The technique is well suited to his imagery,
which is somewhat “dark”, upon closer inspection. This method of presentation
could veer towards Pinterest if not for what he depicts and the rather haphazard
(but obviously thought out) use of the cording to weave the frame and content
together both literally and figuratively. Crystalline
Serpent was my pick because of how the sinuous serpent echoes the cording
and his use of light, shadow and semi translucent painting technique make this
a very powerful image.
Robert Shultz has 8 works on the walls showing a wide
range of techniques exploring the placement of shapes in space. Precipice is a study in blacks, whites
and grays, incorporating volume studies, cut and layered areas and the
juxtaposition of curves to angles. It becomes more complex the longer one
studies the piece. I viewed all of his works carefully before selecting this
one because it had the greatest contrast but also there was something…….which I
only realized now when reviewing the image on my phone. Turn it 90 degrees to
the left and the whole piece suddenly becomes figurative.
Black
X Confronts Freak Show by Samuel Dorando is one of two he
has in the show. Being on the older side, I had difficulty relating to the
imagery, but artistically, he works well with the elements of composition.
Repetition of shape, use of scale, eye direction, depiction of volume and form,
are all found in this work. The more he works in this genre the more comfortable
he will become with the placement of figures to tell the story as shown by the comparison
of his two pieces already.
Noah DiRuzza has the most developed voice of the
group. His vision and style is well formed and all 5 of his entries are sophisticated
indicators of where is his work will go as he continues on with this series. I
chose Acid Precipitation to highlight
because it just yells out from across the room. All the pieces are both atmospheric
and liquid at the same time allowing the viewer to ignore the title and decide
where to go and what to see. To me, Acid
Precipitation felt like the view from our explorer satellite as it plunged
between the rings of Saturn. I am sure we will see more of his pieces in
upcoming shows around our area.
Gallery hours vary but best to avoid the lunch times.
Mornings and afternoons are usually fine, just stop at the desk and let them
know you are there to see the Gallery 6000 show.