What is in a Title?

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so it is said, still many works are briefly titled. To learn the titles often times one must look to the description of the piece, but on occasion there is no further investigation needed than the painting itself. Many of Shaun Richards works feature the title of the piece prominently within the image.

Words provide information, often direction. Images provide a window, a limited view of something specific. Either can launch our minds to ponder concepts, however, pair them together, and there is less wondering through mental ramblings. The focus becomes more acutely directed.

Here the words are not separate from the work, but part of it. They add depth and definition. In some pieces it is as if the words answer the question of what happened without robbing the image of the story it offers, or it tells what is lacking without lessening the curiosity. Why does that helicopter seem to be leaving the beautiful, smiling woman on her motorcycle? Why does the image of the man looking through a camera lens leave me looking for something? What happened to make that car flip upside down? The words across the paintings, slightly obscured by the images, offer some answer to these questions. Just a little nudge to ask more questions. I want to know more.

The Green Hill Center in Greensboro, NC is currently displaying works by Shaun Richards along with another local artist. Shaun Richards will also be available for an artist talk on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

-Veronica Monique Ibarra

http://shaunrichardsart.com/home.html

http://www.greenhillcenter.org/

Where Does the Journey of an Artist Begin?

The journey of an artist begins differently for each one you ask.  Though there may be some commonalities, each artist is unique.  Artists are shaped and molded by their experiences, but exposure to art is key.

When schools cut funding to programs it is usually the arts that suffer.  Art is often times thought of as a luxury to those that merely enjoy its aesthetic quality, but for those that engage in the passion to express and create through art, it is essential.  Sharing that with the young is a good way to help them begin their journey.

The Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art in Greensboro features Art Quest as a hands-on art studio for all.  It is a welcoming environment for kids to learn firsthand about the various materials and how they can be combined to create their own expressions.  One of the truly magnificent aspects of Art Quest is that each of the twelve hands-on art stations was designed by local artists.

Watching the children can also be inspirational as they push up their sleeves and dive in to play.  They ask questions, and try to emulate the styles and techniques they are shown.  Anyone of them can be an artist in the making, and it’s thanks to artists today getting involved.
 

-Veronica Monique Ibarra 

http://www.greenhillcenter.org/

A Thousand Word Commentary in a Composed Image

Wandering through the art exhibit (Dream Team | Works from 1995 to 2011) featuring the work of the photographer, Fatimah Tuggar, utilizing photo collages to juxtapose Western and West African cultures can impress upon one the stark contrast of perceived beauty and wealth, and how both are associated with power.  Seeing a rail thin model in a gorgeous dress next to a bone thin starving child is a harsh dose of reality: one working so hard to achieve an idealized state of beauty while the other works diligently to earn enough sustenance to survive.  What power does the wealth of jewels and gold hold when placed next to smiling family and friends?
 
These images are meant to make one think, but how do they make one feel?

Perspective of the viewer is just as much at play as the perspective of the artist, and even the perspective of the subject.  The pictures featuring predominant images from one culture and only a few images from the other provide a heightened contrast of disparity.  However, the images that seemed to balance the two showed similarities that one might not otherwise consider.  For instance, just as some Western children see sports as their way to a better life, so do some West African children. While there seemed to be some elements of the ridiculous to the combinations, that only served to emphasize the influence of technology on life, as the artist intended.  Every image with its placement in space has meaning.  

In art, there are no accidents.

-Veronica Ibarra

http://www.greenhillcenter.org/