March 2019 - Text & Images

Text & Images 2019

Text & Images 2018, is a new exhibition category for Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery. It was implemented to provide a venue for artists who create art from the information society we live in. Some artist choose to represent it as they see it, others combined graphic images to send social messages while others use technology elements to create non-objective or abstract compositions.

Margaret Gaeddert was selected to jury this show based on her expertise as a graphic designer as well as being a Certified Adobe Trainer. These experiences allowed her to look at the art utilizing standard art and design concepts as well as to determine and appreciate the levels of mastery of digital art.

She closely examined each submission both visually and digitally to select the show. She was pleased with the range of creative designs and technical skill in the submissions.

Gaeddert selected the images she felt would make a good cohesive exhibition. She then narrowed her selection to what she deemed the top 20 and from there she laboriously narrowed the field to the top five awards plus 8 honorable mention. Below are the notes from this jury process. Gaeddert has not seen the text sent by the top winners to be published with their art.

Juror’s Notes

“Adrenalize”, Best of Show by Laurie Rosenberg, leaps out of the picture plane. It is a powerful piece about an adrenaline, gear-head speed junkie with a twist. One usually associates this subject with the male element but Rosenberg gaps the stereotype by making the car enthusiast female. Motor parts become an elaborate hair upsweep but make no mistake this female is ready to seriously compete. The composition of black and white utilizes diagonal elements to increase the dynamic tension while the red elements are a statement of speed. The collage is seamlessly executed to make it look as if the camera lens caught this moment in time.

Don Bergland’s, “Axiom,” receives the First Place Award. It is pure surrealism in design leaving the viewer to construct its meaning. It is hard to determine what the figures represent but united they either proclaim “GOD” or simple hold up the word for discussion. It has a feeling of classicism with a renaissance like background of trees and clouds but is ambiguous because it seems to be an interior scene in nature. The leg and feet elements are highly expressive in different stances on a rolling plank that stylistically hints at an illustration in a children’s book. The blocks resemble childhood building blocks but are not the expected wooden block but instead have a soft velvet texture. The mystery is complete when one tries to grasp the meaning of the headpieces on top of the blocks. The total composition is an enigma and draws in the viewer for interpretation.

“FullFillment,” the oil painting by Tobi Held was awarded Second Place in this exhibition. Held plays with individual letter to create an interesting composition in which the letters transform into objects rather than a message. The artist uses a descending color pallet from warm to cool drawing the eye from top to bottom or from bottom to top depending on the viewer (cup half empty or half full.) The artist inserts unexpected sub text, still life, and landscape as well as undulating patterns throughout to create visual movement that ties all elements together in a highly creating painting.

Gaylord Mink captures an amazing photo of a window with the word “CLOSe” and is the Third Place winner. There is so much more to this photo than a word in a window. The use of upper case letters and then the late addition of a lower case “e” create a mystery. The image becomes a self- portrait because the photographer is clearly reflected under the filmy plastic on which the word is written. Beyond the self-portrait layer is a world out of focus creating mystical depth of field for the viewer to contemplate.

Fourth Place honors go to “We Were Seeds” by Marin Burnett. The subject of this pastel and ink drawing immediately draws in the viewer. The little girl is floating in space with clouds and flower seeds drifting by. The artist uses monochromatic colors to incorporate the girl into the environment but her eyes speak softly but confidently to an unknown entity outside the picture plane. Burnett increases the need to understand what is before the viewer’s eye with the phrase: “When they buried us they didn’t know we were the seeds.” This could be a simple child’s story and yet it hints of some esoteric knowledge or communication between her eyes and that which lies beyond.

The Honorable Mention Awards were picked because they powerfully called to the juror. Take time to closely examine each of them and they will draw you in too. Text is a strong element in each of these pieces. “Home” by Kody Christiansen uses strong diagonal for emphasis to make the word “Home “ look like a protected space while Carrie Gary’s “Life in Text” elicits humor and a statement about our addiction to texting. “Endurance” by Mary-Ellen Latino is perfect word juxtaposed on top of a redwood giant that has stood the test of time. “Rocky Runners” by Lisa McGovern demonstrate the human desire to achieve against overwhelming odds. Undulating text and colors are used to create and amazing work, “Culture Clash” by Christine L. Satory. It’s hard to say the title of Les Schmidt’s photograph “Hello Tokyo” with out stringing the words out “HelloooooooooooooooTokyo,” reminiscent of Good Morning Viet Nam. Tina Ybarrow captures truth for today’s teachers in “Old School and the Entitled New.” Profound and sad, enough said! All three of Camile Zainos pieces in this exhibition demonstrate mastery of design theory using text as subject (her other pieces are in the noteworthy section.)

All artists in this show deserve congratulations for their creativity and vision.