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.

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