December 3, 2016
-
Looking Artsy
Last Friday was the opening for the Student/Faculty Art Show at the South Bend Museum of Art. As usual there were some excellent efforts from both the adult and children's classes. Each year the number of entries seems to dwindle. This year there were markedly fewer entries than last year. This year they posted the winners on the name tags for each piece resulting in several people (myself included) not feeling compelled to stand around and applaud the award winners. We ducked out as they were making the awards to the adults.
Here is a sampling of the artwork displayed and my little critique.
This piece was the first thing you saw as you entered. It is titled "The Great White Growler" It was nicely executed but was done in low fire clay and painted with underglazes. I suppose that makes it a little lighter to heft...
This bowl was done by a classmate. She was very unhappy with the glaze job. She complained that it looked sloppy and uneven. I thought it worked well with the texture. She was awarded an Honorable Mention!
This was a pen and ink drawing titled "Confused Dreams". Unlike so many pieces that were matted and framed, this one was held up with magnets. It was pretty obvious that it was entered in the show but there was no intention on the part of the artist to ever display it in their home. It was awarded an Honorable Mention.
This is a nice painting in acrylics as a tribute to a friend who had died. The painting was titled "Max and His Cat: 1948-2016" It was well done and the colors brought it to life. It didn't receive an award.
This was one of the better children's pieces titled "Luna and the Thestral" As a ceramic tile it was again in low fire clay thus the bright glaze colors that are much easier to achieve with greater color vibrancy than high fire glaze colors.
This is a photo of me (taken by saintvi) standing next to my piece. I titled it "Summer Sustained". Although it was not a winner I did get to hear several women commenting about it. They were very impressed and they liked it!But what you are all waiting for is the "Best in Show" prize winner. It was titled, "Main Coon Cat in Gold". Sparky was very impressed. I was less so. I think the execution was very good. The artist and her family were present and they posed for a picture next to her painting. It was obvious that it is a family portrait. Her daughter was even dragging around a stuffed panda bear though it was much dirtier than the bear in the painting. I just wish it hadn't been quite so derivative...
A painting by Gustave Klimt below, has almost the identical pattern and style... Her technique was excellent but I would have to mark her down in originality!
Comments (18)
The best in show was also the biggest in show. Maybe next year you should make something HUMONGOUS!!
I thought that as big as mine was that I had a chance. Maybe I should copy some one famous and just call it derivative...
What is the great white growler supposed to be used for I wonder? I can't imagine a mother filling it with kool-aid, or a man using it for his liquor. It looks like a shark stalled a ketchup bottle backwards. I wonder if they plan to fill it with ketchup?
Growlers are used as refillable beer jugs. A growler contains a specific volume - sort of like saying give me a pint... and it is designed to be closed to keep the beer from going flat. This is what happens when your son wants to become a brew master - you learn all sorts of useless information that on a fluke comes in handy.
I think the confused dreams has potential. I am sure it has personal meaning to the artist, but I like the way it flows, and the concept of the unique inserted smaller panels. I do think it would benefit from perhaps a bit of color, perhaps a light watercolor wash with stronger accents in certain areas, and yes, a frame does wonders, but I am guilty of having a painting of my own hanging in my living room that I have not yet got around to framing, and it badly needs one.
I wasn't impressed with that particular piece. I have seen much better executed pen and ink drawings... If you were going to enter your painting in a show I bet you'd have found a frame!
The last display indeed was inspired by Klimt. I wonder how the father feels though about half of his face being covered by the cat's tail.
And of course people made positive comments about your flower. We here at Xanga have also told you it is a good piece. I am glad SaintVi was able to be there with you and get your photo. I think you definitely look like an artist in your lovely long colorful scarf.
Thanks! I'm going to find a raspberry beret and really rock the outfit! The first impression was that the artist just couldn't get his face right so added the cat to sidestep the problem...
Best in show: Summer Sustained, and that's a great photo of the artiste! I do like Max and his cat, too, and the classmate's bowl.
Thanks Janet!! I appreciate the compliment. There was some thing about Max and his cat that captivated me.
Love that photo of you. I have my tree up..the family tree...for displaying photos and may use that one for you sometime so will download it. Oh, I like your ceramic art piece also. It should be a winner. The "white growler" artist could maybe make some $$ designing urinals for hospitals...would cheer everyone when nature calls.
Hahaha! I suppose the growler could be used that way but it is designed for beer before it traverses the liver and kidneys!!
Wonderful art and what a fun time
. peace to you
Hi there!!!!! I'm thrilled to see you in my comments! It is a nice sculpture even if it didn't win anything. Hope you are well and enjoying the changing seasons.
Don't like the Best in Show at all.
Nice to see you, by your work? My eye went straight to the windmill picture on the wall.
There were several very nice photographs and that one was black and white. It didn't get an award. I don't think any of the photographs got any awards.
The art work is you, Val .
Love
Michel
Thanks Michel!
Comments are closed.