The Greek aphorism “Know thyself” has been attributed to numerous ancient Greek sages, but probably most often to Socrates and Plato. In more recent history, such luminaries as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Samuel Coleridge, Ralph Waldo Emerson and others have incorporated it into various dissertations of their work on self-examination and the exploration of wisdom. Westbrook, Maine (near Portland), encaustic artist, Dietlind Vander Schaaf, has followed her own path and adopted the enlightened understanding the sages embrace — totally in her own way. She’s effectively married her love of yoga — she’s a trained Kripalu instructor — with her studio work. She strives to “render ‘quiet’ visible.” And hence has embodied her own version of “Know thyself.” Vander Schaaf, who earned an MFA from the University of San Francisco and an MA from the University of Southern Maine, has immersed herself … [Read more...] about GIVING PAUSE: VANDER SCHAAF’S VISUAL POEMS AT BROMFIELD
encaustic
ENCAUSTIC CROSSROADS: ADDRESSING ECOLOGICAL CONCERNS THROUGH WAX AT WSU
One of the highlights of any group exhibition opening reception is the taking of a photograph of all the participants together. When “Crossroads: 4 Perspectives,” opened on October 10 at the Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery at Worcester State University, Patricia Gerkin was in Italy on a short vacation with her husband. A few days later, Debra Claffey would be in New Orleans attending Golden Paint’s Artist Educator Training Program, learning about their paints, grounds and mediums, Donna Hamil Talman in Marseille, France, and only Charyl Weissbach was at her normal workspace in Boston. The four make up the Elemental artist collaborative, the members of which first met through New England Wax, a group started in 2006 for New England artists working with wax. Finding a commonality, they set out to find opportunities for exhibitions for just the four of them. “We spent a good deal of time, … [Read more...] about ENCAUSTIC CROSSROADS: ADDRESSING ECOLOGICAL CONCERNS THROUGH WAX AT WSU
TASTEFUL CONFRONTATION IN THE NATIONAL OPEN JURIED EXHIBITION AT PROVIDENCE ART CLUB
On view now through July 19, this year’s National Open Juried Exhibition (NOJE) offers a satisfying view of contemporary voices ranging, as expected from Providence Art Club (PAC), from the traditional to the experimental. There is only one problem, which hopefully Michael Rose and this team will correct next year: the NOJE needs examples of new media including digital and video/film and installation within the mixed-media and new technology formats. This year’s presentation is slightly smaller in the number of works, more manageable, and is less aggressive concerning subject matter with overt political and cultural commentary. Unlike last year in which the feeling of political activism was obvious, this year, the works on view offer more subtle and elegant visual remarks about ongoing relevant social and cultural concerns. The work that marks the exhibition with the tone of tasteful … [Read more...] about TASTEFUL CONFRONTATION IN THE NATIONAL OPEN JURIED EXHIBITION AT PROVIDENCE ART CLUB