Vessels, Myths & Muses at Jai Gallery

March's third thursday art stroll event in downtown Orlando was especially entertaining this month.  My particular favorite stop was Jai Gallery located in the Exchange Building on Garland Avenue.  Coralie Claeysen-Gleyzon, director of Jai, put together Vessels, an impressive solo exhibit of work by Barbara Sorensen.  Monumental sculptures, pedestal pieces and wall works of clay were assembled to showcase her talents.  She describes her work this way, "I build in layers, stacking and joining the clay as I move upward to create layers of antiquity, layers of time, and layers of myself. Petrified ghosts and seas of ancient years are recorded as the process drapes the landscape. I let the sculpture lead me where it should go."

The art and curiosity was too much for Pandora.
Photo Courtesy of Jai Gallery.

Those layers of antiquity and seas of ancient years also lead Coralie and Josh Garrick to be inspired by the collection.  They saw in them a chance to incorporate Sorensen's clay and metal sculptures into a retelling of one of histories most well known adventures in Homer's The Iliad and the Odyssey.  Like wily Odysseus, Garrick deftly navigated through the islands of geologic textured totems in the sea of the gallery floor and braved the trials of narrating the Homeric legends amidst the not so dangerous onlookers and art lovers all the while accompanied by the muses, sirens and goddesses from DiDonna Productions and Empty Spaces Theatre Co.

Experience a voyage through the showcase of sculpture on an odyssey of various Greek myths yourself this coming Saturday, April 6th at Jai Gallery, 101 S. Garland Ave, Suite 101, Orlando, Florida.  Josh will be narrating a family friendly performance of Myths and Muses at 1:00 pm.

Bodies in Motion: The Figure As Vehicle exhibition at Mount Dora Center for the Arts

Sir Isaac Newton's first law of motion, "A body in motion tends to stay in motion", has been creatively expressed by artists John Corollo & Marsha De Broske, in the exhibit The Figure as Vehicle.  It is described on the web site as "a gallery show of figurative art in both two and three dimensions ... infused with a sense of motion which appears to be captured for a split second".  That is quite an accurate description.  In addition, each piece has the ability to transport you to various moments in time or history or mythology.

The Rapture and Duality by John Corollo

For an artist to capture motion on film takes skill, but to capture it by way of sculpture, painting and mixed media assemblies takes an entirely different type of skill, imagination & ingenuity.  Like a waterfall in frigid winter air John Corollo has frozen moments of fluidity in his watercolor paintings.  And, like the American flag astronauts planted on the moon that appears to be waving in the breeze yet resides in the vacuum of space, his mixed media assemblies display dynamic qualities.  What is most impressive is how he translated the chaotic flow of his water color to his mixed media pieces.  

One of his newest works is Icarus Ascends.  This wind whirled weave of materials soars sun-ward as the light ignites the polychromasia of the hand painted silk and radiates off the polished aluminum to grab your attention as you await his fate.

A complimentary contradiction to John's prismatic works are the monochromatic sculptures of Marsha De Broske.  At first glance you will notice the solid bronze castings on marble foundations that dominate her portfolio.  Moments of self awareness and introspection are figuratively captured with all the qualities of human life.  However, upon closer inspection you begin to wonder if many of the figures are bronze at all.  This is the magic, the little something extra, that Marsha has developed.  Like John, Marsha is innovating new techniques into her skill set.  She combines wire and soft strips of cotton to mold her human forms and finishes them in such a way that they resemble the bronze patina.  It's a remarkable way of perceiving the softness of the cloth and the hardness of bronze in one form.

Marsha really nailed the "Figure as Vehicle" theme with her piece "War".  It truly moved me.  This composition morphs it's subject through a story of terror and destruction in much the same way that a stop motion film is created, by carefully contorting and modifying the figure and capturing each pose for a fraction of a second.  It screams heartache, fear, torture and pain while it disintegrates into eternal silence.

For this particular show, Marsha and John saw an opportunity to utilize the large picture window of the gallery.  They collaborated on a design that showcases both of their talents and visions.  You won't see it here though.  You will have to visit the Mount Dora Center for the Arts, in Mount Dora, where this traveling show has made a stop.  Mount Dora is a sleepy little burg rising from the hillside shores of Lake Dora.  Concentrated within three square blocks of the downtown area are a variety of galleries, shops and dining establishments which make for a wonderful leisurely day trip.  You can see "The Figure as Vehicle" now until March 2nd.

Critique Time

I imagined everyone in the room
would look like this.

In order to make the rounds through the Orlando art world there are some necessary tasks to perform. One of the first I undertook was to attend a critique group.  I expected to witness the display and critical assessments of individual art pieces by some very well established and well trained artists from the Orlando area and I was right.  However, I was also surprised to see a good number of artists, with little to no training, get in front of a group numbering nearly twenty five people and discuss the work they chose to bring that evening like lambs to the slaughter.  Some only had sketch books, others just pieces of paper and a few had full size paintings.  It was interesting to watch the different behaviors of each person as they explained their pieces and sought advice.  They had to deal with the pressure of standing in

front of strangers, advocating their own art, explaining what their piece meant or didn't mean, defending their choices, and above all, listen to criticism and comments without taking them personally.  A very difficult task for the non-initiated.  Some were comfortable and handled themselves confidently.  Some were shrinking violets who had a difficult time articulating their ideas.  And some were so self assured they came off as cocky braggarts.  In all instances those new artists were encouraged or humbled and given constructive suggestions to help them improve their talents.  It was fun to watch.  Enlightening and encouraging.  There was a lot of talent on display and various styles of art.  I learned that I need to see things more figuratively and not so literal.  I also learned that there is more to see in a painting or piece of work than what initially hits the eye.  For anyone who claims that they "don't get" art I suggest finding an opportunity like this one and see what the other eyes in the room see.

The learning and knowledge that we have, is, at the most, but little compared with that of which we are ignorant.
Plato

A Universal Language

I find it amazing that art existed before written language.  We must try to remember that before there was ever an alphabet there were pictographs.









And when most of the human population could not read there were pictures and art to tell the story.  We even rely on pictures to talk to intelligent beings from other solar systems.









 Soon people from various cultures with multiple languages and numerous alphabets from all over the globe will come together for the Olympics.  And even though we now have the internet and translation apps we still rely on universal symbols to communicate. 

This is what makes art a truly universal language

WoodGrain Gallery Grand Opening - Review by M.W.Kimmel

Featuring "My Family Album" by Stephanie Wood

Also sharing works from Hellbrand Leather, J Bon Clothing, 3R Customs, Drew Mcguckin & Chris Glen

 

NACHO MAMA'S GALLERY

Walking into the Exchange building after not doing so for years was a little surreal.  It is obviously still trying to shake off the same dust I am. The few spaces utilized were all galleries and only one drew your attention on this night.  How could it not?  Chill hip-hop music was spun from steel wheels inside the WoodGrain Gallery and wound its way out into the central hall where it gently grabbed you by the ear and pulled you closer.  Chatter and laughter came from multitudes of hip, stylish, tattooed, pierced, friendly, fashionably yet comfortably dressed Orlando urbanites, that poured into and spilled out of the gallery.  Obviously this was the place to be tonight.  What was more obvious upon entering was that this gallery is not your mother's gallery.

Hitchcock - By Stephanie Wood

Stephanie Wood wanted to showcase the likenesses and talents of the people in her life she considers her family.  To do that she brought together an eclectic mix of styles and art forms because she sees art as more than just paint on canvas.  On the walls hung digitally altered photography from Chris Glen and Steph's own pop-art.  Iconic personalities, retro movie characters, and figures from her personal life make up her subject matter for this show.  Arranged atop shelves and animal hides, occupying a prime piece of real estate in the Pine Street window, were leather accessories such as shoes, handbags and wallets by Hellbrand Leather which added a scent to the room that you could not mistake.  Hanging in racks were counter culture tee shirts exhibiting the sense of humor and screen printing skills of J Bon Clothing while custom kicks stitched by 3R Customs were kept under glass like the Hope Diamond and secured by the relaxed if not diligent presence of security personnel.  Metal sculptures of various sizes, shapes, themes and even personalities, constructed by Drew Mcguckin, were displayed on tables in multiple locations throughout and continuously grabbed your attention with their forms.

Wavelength - by Drew Mcguckin

So, was this an art gallery, a clothing store, a leather accessories workshop, a studio?  The answer to those questions is YES!  You need to go by and visit during operating hours.  Stephanie is very approachable and does her work from the studio she has there.

WoodGrain Gallery on Pine St.
101 S. Garland Ave.

Orlando, FL 32801

Open to the public : Monday - Thursday; 1pm - 7pm

Mike Kimmel is hard to define.  He buried his dream to be an artist many years ago and has just recently exhumed it to pursue the art world in central Florida and devour its fleshy offerings.  You can experience his broad insatiable appetite by visiting the M.W. Kimmel blog or liking his Facebook Page.  You can also see his posts as a contributing writer on the Orlando Art Review blog.

IT'S ALIVE!!

      Recently, while rummaging through some of my mother’s mementos from my childhood, I came across a letter written to me from my youngest brother.  It reads:

Dear M.W.,

Thanks for the two dollar bill.  I Like it a lot.  I still do art because I look up to you.  You are one of my best heroes til you quit art.

Your Brother,

B

He was one week shy of his ninth birthday when he wrote that. I was nearly 20 and had just dropped out of college after pursuing a drunkology major instead of the commercial art degree I was paying for.  That letter, as well as a few other items I found inside a lidless plastic storage bin, deeply affected me.  My passion for art and architecture had died. I buried my dreams and eulogized on my past.  Now I want to exhume it.  I want that dream to claw its way to the surface, brush of the dust, dirt and decay and perform a choreographed number with a lycanthropic Michael Jackson.  Hello.  I am an Art Zombie.