Newspaper Page Text
soGinrCfes
LANDSCAPES. LOVE AND LOOMS
"Electric Landscapes": A group of paintings by Mary Porter
on view at White Tiger Gourmet depicts generic scenes such
as woods, gardens and neighborhood streets. All are rendered
in a loose, suggestive manner that relies on the tradition of
Impressionism: light plays a central role and color is subtly
exaggerated. Sometimes Porter's use of color, as well as her
use of bold, black outlines, takes on an Expressionistic qual
ity, as in a painting of a densely wooded forest that gives
way to an open field. In images such as this one, darks and
lights are heightened and color takes on an almost Fauvist,
Matisse-like intensity that I think serves her well. But most
landscapes by Porter in this show, such as a picture of a local
site, "Boulevard Overlooking Nacoochee," favor a comfortable
and serene palette. Though there is nothing particularly inno
vative about Porter's work, the paintings are as pleasant as the
well groomed, tree-lined paths they depict and work well in the
White Tiger space—a site just around the corner from the gar
dens and shady streets showcased on her canvases.
Local Color: Just as local scenery appears in Porter's work,
recent paintings by Jennifer Hartley feature familiar local
faces. The work that makes up "Embraces and Other Short
Stories" on display at Flicker Bar & Theatre shows a variation
of the same motif—two figures, most embracing, against a
solid-colored background. Some are couples, some friends,
but the emphasis in all is the relationship between the two.
Painted with an Expressionistic looseness, Hartley's figures
have an intentional awkwardness akin to Eric Fischl's figural
paintings, though Hartley's have a warmth antithetical to his
aloof and often dark vision of humanity. Her strongest works
are located toward the front of the bar; a few toward the
back feel less finished and less compelling in the relationship
between the two figures. Overall, Hartley seems to successfully
convey the complex continuum of love—both platonic and
romantic—that binds people together.
Speaking of Binding...: The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center's
"hand.craft.it" exhibition is devoted to the increasing trendi
ness of crocheting, knitting, sewing, ceramics and other forms
of craft-making. Of course, these are means of making every
day objects such as dishware and scarves, and for that reason
crafts have been excluded—or at least given inferior status—
from conventional hierarchies of art. Also, there are messy
associations with which to contend: femininity (traditionally
women made household objects; men made Art with a capital
A) and functionality—since many of these objects have every
day uses, and in the West, we don't like our Art to be very use
ful. These are issues that have been addressed since at least
the turn of the 20th century, but crafting is an arena that has
once again gained a lot of attention recently, and "hand.craft.
it" is a prime example of this phenomenon, featuring local art
ists alongside artists from as far away as Sweden.
Most of the work in "hand.craft.it" seems recognizable
in one way or another, not only because of the ubiquity of
these types of objects, but also because some of the artists
represented do design work for the likes of Urban Outfitters:
crocheted cupcakes, tiny watercolors of dresses hanging off
of free-floating hangers, hand-stitched clothing made from
recycled garments, and decorated cups and plates make up a
majority of the show. But "hand.craft.it" also includes a fair
share of painting, drawing and printmaking that is included for
its kitsch-embracing, creepy-cute imagery and DIY aesthetic,
rather, I suppose, than because of its means of production.
Athens' Rizzie Gallego's work is a good example. A series of
small paintings on raw wood each features an anthropomorphic
animal persona in a minimal but character-defining setting.
"Coffee" shows a rodent-like creature in a blue turtleneck sip
ping coffee standing in front of a blazing fireplace that is
decorated with a mounted deer head. Another strange crea
ture, the hirsute "Wolfman," looks like Cousin It transplanted
to a path in a forest of leafless trees. Gallego also includes
two handcrafted purses—also featuring animal motifs—in
the show, but the majority of her work in the gallery quali
fies as painting though its subject matter seems intention
ally low-brow. Also from Athens and working in a mode that
seems to belong to conventional art-making, Megan Boling's
"Antecedent Salve for the Bread and Butter," consists of large,
almost life-size relief prints hanging from the ceiling. Each
is cut into the shape
of a man or a woman
in clothing from the
1930s or '40s. Behind
the two color prints are
black and white replicas
that serve as doubles or
shadows of the hanging
couple. As suggested
by Gallego's or Boling's
work, the inclusion of
paintings and prints
attests to the all-inclu
sive impulse that drives
craft-making artists to
push the boundaries of
fine art to include tradi
tional crafts.
Perhaps the stron
gest work in "hand.
crafc.it" (or, at least my
personal favorites) are
Megan Bogonovich's
ceramic sculptures. At
first glance, the white
ceramic objects look like
slip-mold trinkets—min
iature lambs and angels
that someone's grand
mother threw away—
that you could find on the shelves of The Potter's House. But
Bogonovich's animals are all hybrid creatures—to name a few:
"Chipmunk Lady," "Squirrel Gal" and "Reclining Deer Man."
Her "Six-Legged Lamb" seems to bear the imprint of genetic
engineering and is, tellingly, the same species as the infamous
cloned sheep, Dolly. To her advantage Bogonovich doesn't get
didactic with her sculptures, rather she simply creates seem
ingly innocuous forms that are pretty and innocent as well as
creepy and scary. The hybridity of Bogonovich's work ultimately
reflects the inherent dual nature of the show, not only the
merging of art and craft, but also the relationship of handmade
objects to an increasingly digital culture. As suggested by the
show's title, "hand.craft.it," which looks like the link to a web
site, the relationship is complicated: a revival of interest seems
to come from a rejection of technology and mass-production,
but crafts are often sold online through Etsy's website and, like
the artists that do commission work for Urban Outfitters, these
mass-produced objects court a hand-crafted aesthetic.
Rebecca Brantley
Megan Bogonovich’s work, “Reclining Deer Man,” is on display at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center’s “hand.craft.it”
exhibition.
A 1 *
Shop Your Local Artists
From Home on Etsy!
or go to www.etsy.com, scroll down to
Shop Local and type in Athens, CA
Check us out
on My Space!
www.myspace.com/craftathens
YOUR USED COMPUTER HEADQUARTERS
SERVI
ON sr
KPs Music
MAC / PC UPGRADES,
REPAIR & CONSULTING
Our Techs have 10+ years experience
serving the Athens area.
www.kpsmusic.com
706-353-0802 OPEN
8849 Macon Hwy weekdays 11-6
Athens/Oconee Saturdays 11 - 5
FLICKER
XMAS
FESTIVAL
Saturday December 20
Flicker Crafts Market
11am- 5pm
Free Music Show
6-9pm
with Ham1. Liz Durrett,
Patrick Carey and Jacob Morris
263 W. Washington St. Athens, Georgia
e
DECEMBER 17, 2008 • FLAGPOLE.COM 15