Fall 2010 Faculty Art Exhibition

Glenn Edwards

"Getting a Handle on It #1, #1, #3" and "End Game"; ceramics

The handles are the focus of the pieces; creating a visual dominance in the handle to define the character of the form.

 Malinda Wright

"Flight Tea"; clay cone 6

I work through certain shapes and forms, the content grows, blends, and sometimes circles around. Working from a woman's point of view, in a surrealist manner, my hand- built artworks are aimed at the human situation. The characters in my work, whether literal or symbolic, are reflective of my friends, my family, or me. My throwing on the wheel is an important clay tool and I strive to improve. To share with others is an important part of art making.

 Malinda Wright

"Dragonfly 2 Dragonfly"; clay cone 6

 Chuck Schwarz

"Bird Feeder"; pewter, plastic, bronze, canvas

I find the inherent visual and structural quality of different materials and processes opens up a broad range of compositional possibilities. My work becomes lyrical and whimsical in nature and I find this to be an enjoyable and positive divergence from the continuum of negativity that is ever present in our world. Art happens in the action and process of manipulating and organizing ideas and materials. Working through the process fosters new ideas.

 Chuck Schwarz

"Mad Dog"; pewter, brass, bronze, micarta

 Chuck Schwarz

"Stop Dragging My Heart Around"; oak, fabricated steel, wheels

 Martonette Q. Borromeo

"Sprouts", "Way Out of Line"; ink on paper

My work is inspired by my observations of the architectural surroundings, a scenic view from a window, and the colorful lives of people from different walks of life. My life and various significant events become the reality of my artwork.

Walter Wagner

"der abend"; oil on paper

Part of a large series of monotypes, der abend refers to prayers of dusk one would give in obligation of one's faith. The name not only implies multicultural references to this practice, but also implies a linguistic diversity. The image itself acts not only as a result of the artist in meditation, but also acts as a point of reference for others to pray and meditate.

Matt Backer

"Portrait"; ink jet photo

Portrait, two digital photographs combined and manipulated. This piece suggests the inability of portraiture to fully capture a subject. It does so by representing a single person several times and in several media; each representation obscures rather than magnifies the clarity of the subject.

Suzanne Shield-Polk

"Rachel Carson's Dream"; stoneware, encaustic wax, mixed media

My work deals with social, environmental, and metaphysical issues.  My art is influenced by a passionate study of  non-Western Art, Primitive Art, Surrealism, Dada, and Outsider Art and Eastern philosophy.  I employ mid-range stoneware in conjunction with low-fire alternative firing practices and mixed-media.  Recently, I have started to include the ancient painting medium of Encaustic wax into my gallery pieces.

Suzanne Shield-Polk

"Vessel"; stoneware, mixed media

The'dra Cullar-Ledford

"Big Head Dude"; oil on canvas

This painting is one of a series of 50 "disturbed dollies" I have been working on since returning to painting after more than 15 years as a conceptual sculptor.

Anne Engerrand

"Gargoyle"; oil on canvas

I prefer to paint with oils, but I experiment with encaustic techniques. I was inspired to paint gargoyles and grotesques after an in-depth study of Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

Renee Ciampi

"Absolution"; oil

The animals resonate with me because of the mysticism that binds them to my creativity, which is ultimately an inexplicable natural phenomenon. I believe this phenomenon to be true of individuals, because it is why we are motivated to do anything. We are connected to nature, greater than oneself. Therefore, when confronted with the question "Why do I paint horses?" my inclinations respond, "Why do artists create anything?" I value possibility. In a life filled with art (passion) there cannot be room for fear. These sources, whether simple or complex, are why I paint horses.

 Renee Ciampi

"Phadeus Quoted"; oil on canvas

 Julie Barnofski

"Bedscape #4"; archival ink jet on cotton with hand embroidery

 Julie Barnofski

"The Hough Boys"; handmade artist book

 Laura Fisher

"The Ephipany"; charcoal on paper

My current interest lies in deliberately abandoning preconceived ideas about content. I am interested in the use of mixed media techniques and processes as a springboard for the finished product.  The chance combination of techniques, elements, and discoveries of intermixed processes create an interesting challenge to resolve, a puzzle to be solved.  Reliance on intuitive choices and creative exploration eventually lead me to resolution of the overall image, as well as the underlying content in the work. My intuition and my interests are always present...leading me on at a subliminal level.

 Laura Fisher

"End Game"; mixed media on canvas

 Gwen Plunkett

"Slow Burn/Tall and Tan"; encaustic, various Asian handmade papers, oil bar on birch plywood panel

Age, race and health can often be determined by the appearance or condition of the skin. Skin color, more often than not, has been an indicator of status and privilege. These are visual responses to my continuing interest in things to do with skin, in relation to the passage of time, the aging process and ritual. The repetitive mark (holes burned into the surface) used in these works is made with a wood-burning tool. Handmade Japanese and Thai papers are torn, burned and painted with encaustic wax (molten beeswax and Damar resin) and then fused to a wood panel with the heating tool. The surface is worked further with additional burn marks, melted wax and oil bar. The organic translucent nature of the medium, the layering of materials and the repetitive process of burning in the marks, together create tactile skin-like surfaces that suggest and exaggerate, repel or seduce.

Melanie Loew

"Prince of the Prickly Pear"; oil on canvas

No other subject expresses the power that the human figure can import to a painting. My portraits often share an intimacy that exceeds original intent. I strive for visual tension by rendering the flesh with realistic tones and exaggerations of temperature in the light and shadows. Each painting or drawing grows within the process of its own execution.

Carol Schwartz

I use humor as a key element in addressing serious issues of love, desire, and ambition in interpersonal relationships. For the past several years, I have focused my work on narrative sculptures of the human figure. Drawn in part from real life, and in part from fantasies, my work addresses issues that contemporary women face concerning love, desire, ambition, and angst.

Nancy Stombaugh

"Time"; digital photography

In "The Healing Collection", and particularly "Time", I incorporated my own photographs with appropriate ones to investigate the various aspects of my (our) personalities that create a seemingly seamless whole. Finding my purpose, questioning my identity and gaining a stronger sense of spirituality were all concerns I dealt with during a prolonged illness a few years ago. My work intends for the viewer to interrogate their own beliefs and assumptions creating a dialogue between the image and its audience.