Drawing Archives - Art Galleries

Miel y Petróleo – Jonathan Herrera

wheatley — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 16:04:28 +0000

Miel y Petróleo / Honey & Gasoline – Jonathan Herrera Soto

October 24–December 18

Reception: October 24, 6-8 p.m.

Herrera Soto explores various relationships between collective memory and historical instances of state-sponsored violence and trauma inflicted on politicized bodies. He constructs print-based objects, installations, and environments that echo lived experiences of those who are no longer with us. Print-based processes translate the content through symbolically revealing the act of remembering in producing tracings and impressions.

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Miel y Petróleo / Honey & Gasoline is a collection “Love Poems.” The project in the exhibition consists of a daily exercise in analyzing and questioning notions of love in relation to political violence. As a work of para-fiction, “Love Poem” series shifts between various narratives, jumping to and from various forms of visual languages such as abstract rubbings, text, and images. Herrera Soto uses these compositions to work through his own notions of love in his personal life with family members, romantic partners, beloved friends, and the trauma he observes in his subject matter. The work crystallizes his perception of being intertwined and bound to his subject matter, unable to discern where the work starts and he begins.

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TERRA FIRMA by Megan Vossler

wheatley — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 19:12:35 +0000

TErra Firma

August 29 – October 27, 2016

Reception: September 16, 6-8 p.m.

In this exhibition of new drawings and sculpture, Vossler reflects on the narrative of Dante’s Inferno, specifically exploring how the metaphor of water functions as both a connective element and a source of danger.

Artist statement

Dante’s epic poem Inferno is an allegorical account of the weight of human transgression, and its complex metaphorical richness has enduring resonance. Nine “circles” of hell are described, each corresponding with sins of escalating consequence. In Dante’s story, the circles occupy distinct physical terrain, and the landscape itself is presented as vividly as the human and mythical characters are. Physical forces—the effects of rain, wind, and sleet, the perilous nature of mud and ice, and the pull of gravity—all become part of the narrative. Water, especially, functions as both a connective element and a source of mortal danger, exemplified by the treacherous swamps, marshes and depths of the river Styx. My work in Terra Firma explores these metaphors and dissonances through a contemporary lens.

Bio

Megan Vossler received her BA from Brown University and her MFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Her work has been exhibited nationwide, including shows at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Megan has been a recipient of several prestigious awards, including a Jerome Foundation Fellowship for Emerging Artists, a McKnight Artists Fellowship for Visual Artists, a Jerome Foundation Travel and Study grant, and two Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grants. She currently serves on the curatorial panel at Soo Visual Arts Center, and teaches drawing at Macalester College.

TERRA FIRMA – q/a with artist

What lessons did you take from��Dante’s Inferno, and how do those themes play throughout your artwork in this show?

I read Mary Jo Bang’s translation of��Inferno��(Graywolf Press: 2013), and I was struck by how she brought the narrative into the present day. Her translation is full of references to current events and popular culture. This really brought the story to life and emphasized the timelessness of the human behaviors that Dante classified as “sins” — even the specific characters in his story (especially certain politicians and the like) have their counterparts in today’s world. But what interested me even more than the characters and their transgressions were the landscapes that Dante invented for each of the nine circles of Hell. Each circle has its own distinct terrain, climate, and weather that is perfectly tailored to the punishments that occur there. For example, the second circle is characterized by a ferocious wind that tosses about the bodies of those who are punished for sins related to “Lust”: the way that their bodies were out of control in real life is re-created eternally in the afterlife.

So each circle is a different microcosm and a different landscape. In the narrative, the circles are loosely connected by a network of rivers, swamps and waterfalls. In the large drawing, titled��Geothermia, I tried to stay faithful to these different landscapes, while avoiding directly illustrating very many literal scenes from the text. I think, in the end, that piece becomes less about divine punishment and more about the earth itself — the earth is buckling under the weight of human transgression. It’s almost as if the earth is being punished.

Water is a strong theme within your show; could you tell us more about what it means to you and its influence in this work?

Water functions as a connective element between the circles of Hell in��Inferno, but it is also treacherous: at the fifth circle, for example,��Dante and Virgil are ferried safely across the river Acheron, but it is filled with the souls of the sullen, who are choking on mud.��Bodies of water in both the narrative and in real life have a dual nature as both conduits of passage and a source of danger, and this informs all of the work in the show.

Could you tell us more about the life jackets? What is the symbolism behind them and the paper, bronze, or moss that they are made of?

The life jacket is a small object with very large connotations and symbolism. Their inclusion in this show came initially from the conflation of water and danger in Dante’s narrative. But the forms of life vests and rescue boats take on a more immediate urgency with the refugee crisis in Syria, which has left more than 10 million people displaced. Almost half of those have fled across the Mediterranean in often deadly conditions. The lack of safe passage across the sea is only the beginning of their dangerous journey.

The cast paper and the bronze are each extreme examples of materials that cause the life vest to lose its ability to function. The arrangement of the paper life vests on the floor is meant to have a certain immediacy, as though they just washed ashore — and the translucent paper makes them almost ghostlike. The moss life vest is titled “Ruin,” evoking a sense that it has been abandoned and eventually overgrown.

What are some of your biggest challenges to overcome during the creation process?

In general, I would say my biggest challenges usually center around the question of what to include and what to leave out. In��Geothermia, I had to continue to remind myself that I was not illustrating the book. There are so many vividly detailed scenes in��Inferno��that would be so great to draw, but I had a goal to make a piece that would stand on its own, so I had to scale back on the direct references. I also found the composition pretty challenging, to figure out a way to link the different scenes together without resorting to a simple cone shape with concentric circles in it. Then, there are always technical challenges — in this case, this is the first time that I’ve made works in bronze and cast paper, so there was a steep learning curve there.

What words of wisdom would you pass along to aspiring artists?

Just to start. Beginning is the hardest part. If you have an idea that nags at you, no matter how ridiculous it might seem, you should try it. I talk a lot about the importance of failure with students, and it’s just a fact that not everything you attempt will succeed — and that can feel very intimidating at first. And failure is incredibly uncomfortable at times. It sucks. But if you get good at starting things, you’ll always have another project to jump into. It’s easy to finish something that’s going well — it’s a lot harder to start something new that is a risk. So I think cultivating the ability to start is almost more important than cultivating the ability to finish.

Questions by Gallery Assistant Katie Smith

TERRA FIRMA – images

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DECIPHERING NEBULAS by Jeanine Hill

wheatley — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 19:55:47 +0000

Deciphering Nebulas

January 12 – March 26, 2015

Jeanine Hill presents various works including drawings, ceramics, and an installation. These works are inspired by the transformations of line into form, land into sky, and stars and planets into universes. This collection depicts a state of constant becoming.

Artist Statement

The works that I am currently making are three-dimensional maps of the literal and metaphoric terrains that I have traveled.�� Within my work, form stands with purpose and content lies within the context of my life experiences.�� It is through the examination of personal history and the construction and reconstruction of this history’s landscape that I am able to��decipher��my own mysteries through the morphology of clay.

Artist Bio

Jeanine Hill was born in Alcalde, New Mexico on a Pueblo reservation where she and her family were surrounded by vast orchards and high canyon walls. Her first exposure to the arts was early on when her father began taking photographs of the traditional Pueblo ceremonies by day and working with wood by night. She was taught the value of storytelling by her mother, who used words to shape the world. Jeanine’s��own making and storytelling practices were forged out of hours of being lost in the woods of Vermont, and sharing stories with her siblings.

Q&A with Jeanine Hill

What is the main focus of inspiration��for the pieces included in this exhibition?

I have spent the last two years working on the pieces for this show. In this time I have traveled quite a bit, and the extensive traveling has been an inspiration. But I would have to say that the greatest influence or inspiration for the work is the experience of landscape, the role it plays in our lives, and the way in which place enables us to not only understand who and where we are but also to navigate our world in a more grounded way.

How would you describe your creative process?

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I usually work in shifts. Because my studio practice involves a wide variety of materials, I rarely work with multiple materials at the same time. Working this way allows me to deeply focus on the material at hand and the processes required. A year of my artistic life will often involve six to eight months of working in clay, three months of drawing, and perhaps a month or two working with textiles. That being said, there could be a year that doesn’t look like this at all and I spend the whole year throwing pots or drawing. It all depends on where I am emotionally and physically at the time.

Where did your initial attraction to examining your path in life as a visual record stem from?

I come from a long line of storytellers and within this history there are diverse ethnic backgrounds that come into play. Storytelling and the making of artwork have played a tremendous role in my family’s history. I think that coming from such a diverse background as I do, as well as all of the moving and traveling I have done in my life, have required me to be constantly reflective. The consistent examination of who I am as a human being allows who I am to remain in a state of constant flux, which I suppose in some ways allows the change to not be so difficult.

What��message do��you want to get across to viewers through your art?

I don’t know that there is a specific message I am hoping to get across. I simply hope that in the telling of my story, it enables the viewers to see their own story within the work as well, that perhaps my work is simply a window or door into their own lives.

What are some of your artistic influences?

I am drawn to well-crafted, process oriented work that shows the presence of the hand in the work. So within this realm I would say that one of my biggest influences is Lee Bontecou. As an artist she possesses a strong integrity to craft and content, and it shows in the work. I am also deeply influenced by the work of Georgia O’Keefe. I find it refreshing to look at works of art that speak of beauty. Lastly, I would have to say I am heavily inspired by Karen Karnes. Her later, more sculptural works possess a strong sense of the unknown, while still trying to name the mystery of existence through the use of the hands.

You describe your work as “relics of visually constructed memory.” What influence does this kind of recordkeeping have in your day-to-day life?

I believe strongly in the recording of life so I carry a pen and journal wherever I go. There is something deeply personal about writing down notes that document your life, not so much so that you can go back and read it but to simply become acquainted with pausing throughout your day to witness and reflect. By witnessing and reflecting on my life through the written work and other materials such as clay, I am able to put it outside of myself and move on.

Would you say you are striving to create a visual diary?

No, not a diary, a visual landscape yes. A few years back I read this amazing book called the “Anatomy of the Spirit.” In the book the author talks a lot about how our bodies become a biological landscape of both our physical and emotional lives and that everything we go through both physically and emotionally affects our physiology. In essence we become a walking landscape. When I think of the work I am making, I suppose I think of it in a similar way. It is a visual landscape of my work, and one piece could be based on one particular moment or nine years of my life.

What are some of the reactions you have received from people viewing your work?

I have heard from quite a few people that they see my work as being fairly poetic and quiet.��

What is one thing you have learned about yourself as an artist in creating these works?

I have learned that it is helpful if I have time and space to slowly create the work, one piece after another. If I am able to sit with all of the work for a prolonged period, slowly, I am able to see how the pieces should fit together, who are the characters, and what the story is that needs to be told.

What kind of experiences do you draw��from for inspiration?

I draw from all of my experiences, both the good and the bad. All of it is meaty and offers substance that can be used as inspiration.

How long did it take you to develop your own style?

I am still creating it.

Most of your ceramic pieces are rounded, organic, and flowing shapes. Is there a specific meaning behind this?

I suppose when I think of the human body and the movement of landscapes, I think of soft, organic shapes.

Does your work on one project often lead to the inspiration of your next endeavor?

I do my best to not take too much down time in between projects, so the short answer is yes. But I would also like to believe that because it is my hand that is making the work, there will always be a consistent line of thought between the vast expanses.

What’s next?

Keep making, making, making. It is all in the work.

Questions by gallery intern Johanna Goggins.

DECIPHERING NEBULAS Images

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There’s Only One by Richard Barlow

wheatley — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:00:51 +0000

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