Petroleum Paradox Opening

Artist Opening for Petroleum Paradox at Denise Bibro Fine Art  Please Join Us! Thursday, May 24 6-8 p.m. 529 West 20th Street, NYC. Denise Bibro Fine Art is pleased to host the Women's Caucus for Art exhibition Petroleum Paradox: For Better or For Worse?, juried by Eleanor Heartney, on view May 24 through June 23, 2012. Opens Thursday, May 24 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at 529 West 20th Street, NYC. Co-President for New York WCA, Marcia Annenberg, states: "this exhibit seeks to raise awareness of the imminent danger of uncontrolled climate change, caused by an excessive dependency on fossil fuels... It is our generation that has been called to this task."  To paraphrase Eleanor Heartney, "... the thoughtful works that comprise this exhibit present questions, such as 'How do we balance economic development, environmental protection, and geopolitical stability in an ever more precarious world? What are we willing to give up today to avoid catastrophe tomorrow? Where should we commit our resources? How should we define our social and economic priorities?'" The variety of perspectives of the artists involved employ photography, video, painting, and sculpture. These artists reinforce the paradox at the center of our environmental predicament. Heartney notes, human creativity and innovation are at the root of our difficulties, but they are also the source of our potential salvation. Artists in the exhibition:  Elaine Alibrandi, Scott,Anderson, Marcia Annenberg, Krisanne Baker, Ulla Barr, Kristen Baumlier, Cheryl Bookout, Paul Bouchard, Tracy Brown, Lois Bryant, Allegra Burke, Donna Catanzaro, Rachel Clark, Janet Culbertson, Michael D'Antuono, Derek Decker, Sherri Denault and Margie Glass Sula, Liz Dodson, Alice Dubiel, Sally Edelstein, Johnny Everyman, Trish Foschi, Pam Foss, Terri Garland, Catherine Gilbert, Carla Goldberg, Maeve Grogan, Livia Gus, Karen Gutfreund, Andrew Hamill, Aimee Hertog, Suzanne Hodes, Roxane Hollosi, Shelah Horvitz, Patti Jordan, Robin M Jordan, Vesna Jovanovic, Noreen Larinde, Amy Larsen, Molly Magai, Paho Mann, Brandi Merolla, Barbara Milman, Mitzi Mize, Andrea Morganstern, Sandra Mueller, Rosa Naparstek, Patty Neal, Rob Neilson, Lynnda Pardoe, Bonnie Peterson, Sara Petitt, Roxanne Phillips, Stefani Rossi, Soledad Salame, Loredana Sangiuliano, Samuel Scharf, Debbie Schore, Manju Shandler, Lynnette Shelley, Katherine Sifers, Simone Spicer, Greg Stange, Deborah Mills Thackrey, Linnea Tober, Lucy Traeger, Michelle Waters, Margi Weir, Jenifer Wightman, Roscoe Wilson, Helen Zajkowski, Patrcia Zalisko.    Notes from Karen Gutfreund, Exhibition Director:  Art can be a powerful, productive force and instrumental in sparking change or critical thinking.  The Women's Caucus for Art is committed to supporting local, national, and global art activism.  Art can produce a visceral response and can provoke, inspire, or disturb, and opens your eyes to worlds other than your own. While the artist may not consider themselves to be a revolutionary, by bringing to light issues and concerns, art can effect change. We need of works that help us to understand what is happening in our society, who we are, where we come from and where we're going.   With Petroleum Paradox: For Better or For Worse, we asked for works that stir emotions, discussion and debate about our petroleum-dependent world. Examples include, but were not limited to, works that address the impact of collecting, processing and delivering fossil fuel on the environment; global warming; the power of big oil companies to control countries and governments; an imagined life without fossil fuel; and life forms that were the origins of fossil fuel. The discovery of oil, in 1859, in Pennsylvania, transformed our way of life; we are enveloped by petroleum products-from the shoes we wear, to the materials our clothes are made of, to the way we heat our houses, to our modes of transportation. Oil dependency pollutes the environment causing respiratory illness, endangers wildlife, and necessitates the large scale loss of life as we search to secure sources of oil overseas. How do we initiate change with this rush to grab dwindling non-renewable energy assets, instead of focusing on renewable energy and the prevention of global warming? This exhibition manifests the artists response to the Petroleum Paradox and what is happening in our oil dependent society and world.   Eleanor Heartney, Contributing Editor, Art in America and Artpress, chose 72 artists for Petroleum Paradox with 31 works in the gallery at Denise Bibro Fine Art and an additional 43 featured in the catalog. This show is in collaboration with Denise Bibro of Denise Bibro Fine Art.  We are honored to work with these artists and to showcase their work. We believe in the power of artists to create, connect, and change the world.        We hope that you will join us in our celebration of 40 years of women and the arts! Regards, Karen Gutfreund Vice President and National Exhibitions Director Women's Caucus for Art

Jack Hammer Finished!

I know it has been awhile since I've posted new images and update what I've been up to.  I can assure everyone that I have been busier than a bee in spring.  At the moment my thesis show is up at the Bruce Gallery here at Edinboro University.  I know I have a lot to post to catch everyone up on the happenings in the studio and upcoming shows I will be in so let me post this image of the jackhammer and continue the other posts as well.

This piece took me awhile due to the fact that I was trying to get it done in time for my thesis exhibition, as well as other work for the show.  I ran into a problem due to me rushing the work and not taking the necessary steps to make sure it was structurally made well, so I had to cut it apart and reinforce a few areas within the form.  I recalled my first fears as an undergraduate when I first encountered problems on a sculpture I had been working on.  Now I know that it's all about mistakes and learning from those lessons that one really makes strides in any material an artist is working with.  With that being said the jackhammer turned out fine.  The jackhammer is hand built using terra cotta (slabs, pinch, and coil), as well as press molded additions.  The bit was originally clay, but I had a warping issue, due to misplacing the lower part of the hammer up against the inside of the kiln, but I adapted and used mixed media to make it work out.

Progress of Jack Hammer

It has been a while since I've posted some images.  I have bisque fired the jack hammer and fired my first glaze on the piece last week.  I have tapped off some areas and applied tool dip to the handle grips and the rubber protective piece of the hammer.  The other picture is another piece I am working on as well for my thesis exhibition.  With NCECA coming up in just a few days, I'm trying to get to a nice stopping point before the conference starts this week in Seattle. 

Jackhammer in progress

As usual there is always work going on in the studio.  I have started another sculpture to go along with my thesis exhibition.  It will be a life-size replica of a air powered jackhammer.  The industrial reference is apparent with the form and questions the "object/artifact" aspect within my research and theme for my installation.  I plan on finishing the surface with multiple glazes, some of which I developed in my glaze and calculation class from last semester.  The end result will be a trompe l'oeil piece. 
I am hand building this piece and it's been a blast!  I really love pushing myself with the technical aspects of building hollow and creating a sculpture from multiple forms by hand.  Even though I enjoy working with molds as well, in my slip-cast work, I feel a connection with the material through the whole process of building by hand.  I have been using slabs, pinch pot method, coil, and press molds (bolts and screws).  Due to the size I have had some set backs, but I've reinforced areas where it was essential for the structural integrity I needed due to the scale.  I'll be posting the other half of the piece by the end of the week if not sooner.

Slip-Casting and Hand Building in February

The last couple of weeks have been filled with slip-casting and while I am still involved heavily with it, I felt it was time to get back to hand building some new work.  I really enjoy both processes, but with hand building I feel I have a more personal touch with the material.  Pictured first are some slip-cast bottles that I am making to go with a wall piece (the gears, not pictured), and the other photographs show the earthenware "Jackhammer", that I am building with slabs, pinch-pot method, and press-molds.  I know traditionally sculptures are made from the ground up, but in some cases I have found it to be easier to build upside down for certain sculptures due to scale and weight issues.  This is the case with this sculpture, so i thought I would post some pictures to better illustrate this.

Slip-Casting in February

Recently I've been trying to finish up a wall piece that I've been working on and off for about a year.  I also have been slip-casting a couple of forms for two other pieces that I am working on as well.  I'm hoping to load up a bisque firing this weekend, and hopefully I will get some more forms slip-cast.  I also will have to finish up weathering the other forms I'm still working on.  Pictured are some of the forms for the wall piece, which are undergoing the "weathering" process, as well as a bottle form to go along with another wall piece, and finally the other slip-cast parts to create a small sculpture, which I plan on creating multiples of, for a different piece.

New Sculptures 2012

I just wanted to post a few pictures of some of my new work, that I've been working on for my Thesis.  I had been really busy trying to finish up these pieces, so I could add them to my portfolio.  I'm still working on two other larger pieces for my thesis work and still have some new work to create this semester as well.  At the moment I have a kiln firing some of the pieces I will need for both of those pieces, that are still in progress.  I hopefully will one of those pieces finished in a week or two. 

I developed the glazes for the "track" part and the respirator mask when I was taking glaze calculation last semester.  The glazes are all low-fire (cone 06).  The blue and orange piece was finished with cold glazes.