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#6 April AHA - The Wall @ Travessia ... "Jubilee"

4/30/2013

For those who may not know, AHA! Night is a FREE arts & culture event which
takes place the 2nd Thursday of every month in Downtown New Bedford MA from 5:00pm-9:00pm. AHA stands for: Art - History & Architecture.

Aha involves over 60 downtown partners consisting of museums, galleries, artists art organizations, merchants, restaurants, churches and schools etc. Each month's event is themed to keep every month fresh and creative and exciting- for example: "Summer Sounds", "Kids Rule", "Carnival", "Please be Seated" along with many more creative themes consistently draw upwards of 3,000 visitors to the city, from surrounding towns like Providence and Cape Cod. On AHA! Nights, Art and Culture is very alive with several art exhibits open, multiple live performances, theater skits and lectures. Aha night is known as one of the best times to experience New Bedford's cultural renaissance in its historic cobblestoned downtown.

So with that said it was crunch time for me to get my final pieces ready for my show at travessia Winery for April Aha Night. With hardly any breathing room between me finishing my Harbor piece and me getting my Travessia show together... I get a cold urgggg :-(( always something to keep you back ... if you let it)
BUT.... the show MUST go on - and so I work through the odds and put all the energy I can muster into finishing my works of art.
And without a doubt my finished exhibit goes up on THE WALL @ Travessia in time for April AHA night's festivities.

This mini show was very important to me as it was the first time in over a year that I actually painted. Since my collage show last year I have been focusing on the medium of paper collage and really enjoying it. Collage possesses such a free and versatile quality and its tactile nature relaxes me and takes me into a happy place where strangely enough don't take my self too seriously. ( very hard for a painter - in my opinion)
...However it was time for me to come back to my true love of painting and dust off the cobwebs from my paints and brushes...and Jubilee was thus born.

The title of my Show at Travessia is: "JUBILEE"

Artist Statement:

"This body of work discusses ideas of culture, identity and the role we play within our communities. It is an exploration into group relationships and cultural bonds which transcend historic and geographic differences, conveying a universal message.
I am interested in the who’s, what’s, how’s and why’s of human behavior especially in regards to culture and family. I translate these ideas in my Acrylic and mixed media paintings through juxtapositions of color, texture, figurative abstractions and visual movement.
In these works paint melts in and out of ambiguous space throughout the picture plane reminiscent to fragments of memories, constantly soaring between the conscious and subconscious mind."

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#5 On to the Next...

4/29/2013

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When my Harbor piece was finally done and off to the framers it was on to the next. First oder of things to do ...clean the studio as three months of non stop working on my offering "The Other Side of the Harbor" turned my studio into a crazy entanglement of paper collage strips; containers of paint; paintbrushes; magazines; notes; half worked canvases; watercolor studies; black and white studies; coffee to-go cups; water bottles, half eaten food :-( ewww) food wrappers; chocolate wrappers :-) everywhere.

After that was done my studio looked like brand new and it was onto my next venture...
THE WALL @ TRAVESSIA URBAN WINERY for April AHA night in downtown New Bedford.

Travessia is a micro-winery in downtown New Bedford, Massachusetts. They focus on making wine in small lots with primarily Massachusetts-grown grapes, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Vidal Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Travessia wines are an authentic reflection of this areas local soils and micro-climate. For the past 3 months Travessia has been spotlighting a different New Bedford artist on their featured WALL displayed in their tasting room and generously hosting an opening reception on the night of AHA.

My plan was to show new 8"x10" acrylic on canvas pieces that I did in the Fall 2012 however I also wanted to showcase 2 brand new 20"x 20" acrylic on canvas works that I was actually working on in between the harbor piece. Seems crazy right? the back and forth motion but that kind of shift in focus really helps me to enhance the quality of each individual piece - it allows me to work out issues I would have with one piece onto another. Crazy artists logic. However the colors were bright and energetic and really had that energy that I had while working on my Harbor piece- interesting indeed.

Some of the color combinations I chose for these two new pieces below. Stay tune to check out what the actual display looked like on tomorrow's blog.

Alison

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#4 Sneak Peek for Harbor Show in May

4/28/2013

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So after planning my proposal since last summer and actually working on my final piece for 3 months straight without coming up for air - My piece for the "New Bedford Harbor in a New Light" show is finally completed - or as much as a work of art is ever completed in the artist's eyes.

As I mentioned in my previous blogs my work is a mixed media collage painting with a predominantly monochromatic color scheme (variations of one color) with insertions of photo montage (photographic images) and collaged pieces of related texts. My piece is entitled "The Other Side of the Harbor" which deals with a relevant and significant part of New Bedford's history. Can you figure out what my theme is just from the sneak peek strips above?

To see my entire piece in its entirety please attend this amazing show. There are two venues for this show - the first will be at:
The New Bedford Art Museum from May 9 through August 8, with an Opening Reception on Saturday, May 11th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

And the second venue will be at:
The University Art Gallery at UMass Dartmouth Star Store from May 21 through August 22 with an Opening Reception on Thursday, June 13th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

My work will be exhibited at the second venue, The UMass Dartmouth Star Store which is quite fitting as I spent three years as a grad student working at the star store studios with brilliant Professors and talented fellow artists.

So mark your calendars :-)

Alison

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#3 Mixed Media Collage Painting- A Good Combo

4/27/2013

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After a lot of thought and contemplation I decided a happy medium for my Harbor piece would be a collage painting. It would possess the versatility of acrylic paint, layering from thin to thick as well as the tactile quality of paper collage that builds the surface. In my collage series Collage 02740 the work consisted of pure paper collage works however there were a few pieces that had a combination of painting and collage techniques.

When making paper collages I paint with paper using the paper as if it was paint - separating tones and values in separate containers similar to arranging hues of paint on a palette when painting. I particularly enjoy doing mixed media collage paintings as they possess the best of both worlds. In a historical piece or a piece with social or political commentary I use collage elements not for color but for the powerful use of text inserts and photo imagery as in the above piece entitled " New Bedford Grit " from my collage show last year.

With that said I finally came to the conclusion that a mixed media collage painting was the way to go with this piece for "New Bedford Harbor in a New Light"

Alison

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#2 Collage Show Inspires Work for Harbor Piece

4/25/2013

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My Show entitled Collage 02740 exhibited at Colo Colo Gallery on Centre Street New Bedford last year 05/12 has served as a great inspiration and starting point for my Harbor show entry. After revisiting some of the pieces from that show I definitely realized that I wanted a major part of the piece done in paper collage- as it allowed me to create depth, layers and textures along with the ability to incorporate words and quotes and phrases.

Getting into that frame of mind to see New Bedford in a fresh new light came easy after working on that show and was a joy to develop. So the next step was - what aspect of NB and its harbor did I want to depict using the versatile medium of collage? And did I want to do the entire piece in paper collage or incorporate it with paint in a mixed media piece?

Downtown New Bedford has been my home away from home for the past 8 years. I wanted to depict it in a way that expressed the sweet and sometimes bittersweet facets of the things that make this quaint and quirky part of the city what it was yesterday and is today.

This area has and continues to serves as a major source of inspiration throughout my career in the United States, at first subconsciously and now quite consciously. I am influenced greatly by its rich architecture; its prolific fishing harbor; its fascinating whaling and textile histories; its multicultural backbone and of course the rich artistic veins that pump the city with life and vitality.

I manipulate the versatile medium of collage to transform my works into mesmerizing shifts in color, value and dimension by incorporating a wide variety of cut and torn papers to my palette. Each collage forms a bridge across time and culture to express my artistic vision and narrative about this unique city.

See what I finally decided on my next Blog.

Alison

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#1 One of 39 Artists to show in "NB Harbor in a New Light"

4/24/2013

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New Bedford Rising, Paper Collage on board, 30" x 46" 2012

Hello Everyone,

I am pleased to announce that I have been accepted to exhibit one piece at the " New Bedford Harbor in a New Light" Show. The show will be at two venues- The New Bedford Art Museum and The UMASS Star Store.

This exhibit showcases local artists sharing their own creative interpretations on New Bedford. It will be a unique exhibit because unlike many 'call for art' exhibitions the curators specifically asked artists to submit proposals for brand new work.

When I first saw the Call for Artist - I immediately thought "Wow my paper collage piece of the NB harbor entitled "New Bedford Rising" would be perfect for this show, but unfortunately the curators were looking for new work, work that was thoughtfully and intently made for that show and ONLY that show. At first it was daunting because all I could imagine was how perfect my collage piece would be and what would I do if I didnt show my collage piece??? YIKES!!!! But after brainstorming and dreaming and procrastinating and sketching and scribbling and splashing watercolors on tons of paper floating all over the studio, I eventually started to have a couple ideas. This led to more ideas which then led to a flood of ideas swirling in my head and keeping me up at night.

Doing this piece presented a lot of challenges and questions and decisions:

- What materials should I use?
- Should I do another collage since I have been working for a full year straight on collages? and I haven't touched any paint since?
- Should I do a painting? since after all... I am a Painter!! and I do miss the feel of paint on my brushes as they press against the soft resist of a freshly stretched canvas?
- Should I propose multiple small works that read as 1?
- Should I propose one large work? In fact... I have not worked on large scale paintings since my Thesis show at UMASS in 2007.
- Should I do a mixed media collage piece?
Should I? Should I? Should I?

For this show there were two juried periods- one for the proposal outlining full concepts and intentions and another for the final work produced. So after presenting my final concept which was accepted -yah!!- I was ready to lock myself in my studio for the next three months, for the Magical Maddness to begin.

Stay tune for further updates on the process and progress of my piece that took many forms and stages.

Alison

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The New Bedford Art Museum & UMASS Star Store to showcase local art in NB Harbor Show.

4/22/2013

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3 Curators. 39 Artists.
2 Venues.
1 Amazing Showcase!

(NEW BEDFORD, MA)–– The New Bedford Art Museum is pleased to announce the exhibition,
“New Bedford Harbor in a New Light,”
featuring recent work by more than thirty artists working within a range of different media.
The artwork will be on display concurrently at two venues:

The New Bedford Art Museum from May 9 through August 8, with an Opening Reception on Saturday, May 11th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The University Art Gallery at UMass Dartmouth Star Store from May 21 through August 22 with an Opening Reception on Thursday, June 13th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

This all encompassing exhibition is curated by Kim Barry, Willoughby Elliott, and Lasse Antonsen.

In an open call, the three curators invited artists to create work inspired by the New Bedford harbor, history and culture. The works on display range widely in terms of subject matter, referencing ocean eddies, acidification, the fishing industry, pollution, immigration and personal history. Stylistically the exhibition spans from gestural mark making in oil painting, through photography and sculpture, to meditative video work exploring the many sources of water that feed into the harbor.

The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive catalog featuring work by each artist with a statement abouttheir work. The catalog also includes essays by noted scholars, historians, and researchers from
the South Coast.

The University Art Gallery is located at 715 Purchase Street in New Bedford. Contact information: Viera Levitt, 508.999.8555, HYPERLINK "mailto:gallery@umassd.edu" mailto:gallery@umassd.edu. The University Art Gallery is open daily Monday thru Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., admission is free. For more information visit: HYPERLINK "http://www.umassd.edu/universityartgallery" http://www.umassd.edu/universityartgallery or HYPERLINK "http://www.facebook.com/UMassDartmouthGalleries" http://www.facebook.com/UMassDartmouthGalleries.

The New Bedford Art Museum, located at 608 Pleasant Street, is open from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday thru Sunday through Memorial Day. Summer hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission to the museum is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors or students, and free to members. Admission is free the second Thursday of every month from 5pm to 9pm for AHA! Nights. Visit HYPERLINK "http://www.newbedfordartmuseum.org" www.newbedfordartmuseum.org for details.

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#6 April AHA - The Wall @ Travessia ... "Jubilee"

#5 On to the Next...

#4 Sneak Peek for Harbor Show in May

#3 Mixed Media Collage Painting- A Good Combo

#2 Collage Show Inspires Work for Harbor Piece

#1 One of 39 Artists to show in "NB Harbor in a New Light"

The New Bedford Art Museum & UMASS Star Store to showcase local art in NB Harbor Show.

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