http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog The St Claude Collective is a culmination of artwork by New Orleans artists for the Prospect.1 biennial. The vision is from Andy Antippas of Barrister's Gallery who worked tirelessly to bring everyone together. This blog is an extension of the website providing reviews from the students of Simeon Hunter from Loyola. The precision of these essays are both enlightening and refreshing. Enjoy! Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:55:53 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Dan's work Camelot After The Deluge, (Series of 12 Photographs) Dan Tague's series of photographs Camelot after the Deluge consists of twelve photographs of the artist as model. He has replaced his head with a cardboard cutout of various pop culture figures. These figures include: • Napoeloen Bonepart • Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) from The Shining (Stanley ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/dan-tague/ Malcom's work (Interactive Installation) The eight years of the Bush Administration has seen the growth of two wildly different phenomena. The first is the erosion of civil liberties, noteably including increased surveillance and torture, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the ensuing 'War on Terror.' The second is the rise ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/malcom-mcclay/ Michael's work Badlands, Computer Animation Badlands is the only video art on display at the St. Claude Collective. Artist Greathouse describes his animated work on his website (http://www.michaelgreathouse.com) as: “Inspired by film noir and [sic] b/w Hollywood horror films, my most recent work is a series of short video loops produced exclusively with ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/michael-greathouse/ Douglas' work (Welcome to the Gulf, Acrylic and Mixed Media. 6 panels, fused into three. ) “Looking at a map can give you all sorts of feelings.” Douglas Brewster's Welcome to the Gulf is a fascinating narrative of the artist’s own personal history, meteorological disturbances, and a sociological map of the Southern ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/douglas-brewster/ Ron's work Ron Bechet’s contribution to the Saint Claude collective exhibition is typical of his recent practice. It is a figurative painting of the lower portion of a large tree, probably a great oak, and its roots. This natural scene appears drawn from the southern Louisiana landscape. It was painted with ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/ron-bechet/ Mary Jane's work Mary Jane Parker’s piece Camouflaged consists of 35 similar panels (encaustic on wood, each roughly one foot square). The color scheme is an attractive green and pink. Each panel is covered in a random, organic camouflage pattern somehow suggestive of leopard print. Key panels contain line drawings of ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/mary-jane-parker/ Jeffrey Cook’s contribution to the collective consists of five Xeroxed collages. Each image is a combination of a photograph of an elderly slave combined with one or two monuments to African Americans. They are copied onto marbled yellow paper and matted in green and brown to suggest age. Despite the ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/jeffrey-cook/ Chicory's work Chicory Miles offers two cast-bronze pieces in this show. Her Churning of the Milk hangs from the ceiling. It appears to be a pod-like vessel, though the opening is too high to be in sight. The pod is composed of bulbous organic forms which resemble hanging breasts, as the ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/chicory-miles/ Robin' work Robin Levy shows us an image of a long horizontal white & red banded strand: LIFELINE #3 (umbilical cord), which is a C print edition (1 of 3). Almost completely abstract at first glance, two thick red bands are stretched over a strand, winding around it like stripes on ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/robin-levy/ Michelle's work At first glance these drawings appear to be randomly, if obsessively, scribbled. Similar to a quick figure drawing, a Cy Twombly rethought as a directional map, or a drawing done with a magical Scribble Pen toy for children. Upon further investigation it reveals itself as a drawing but not, ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/michelle-dussault/ Lory's work This triptych is of an impressive scale, measuring six feet tall and eight feet wide. The three seascape panels are separated horizontally and are titled Chrome and Blue Skies #1, #2, and #3 starting from the top. The images are painted in oil on manipulated digital print. Each image ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/lory-lockwood/ Jessica's work At the end of the first hallway on the right on either side of an arched doorway rest two cold cast steel skulls: Cornu Sapiens & Monu Sapiens. They sit on top of black fabric, bordered in lace which hangs over a black pedestal, about three and a half ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/jessica-goldfinch/ Alex's work Alex Podesta presents The Hero. Two boys ride a stuffed rabbit: SUPERSIZED. The giant stuffed animal has the scale of a baby elephant with white fur so soft it could be manufactured by Ty Inc. The rabbit's extra-long ears are reminiscent of the Disney character Dumbo and hang to ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/alex-podesta/ Sean Star Wars describes himself as an “outlaw printmaker” and that is precisely what his addition to the St. Claude Collective show calls to mind. As an outlaw, he has created a wall of massive woodcuts of all shapes, sizes, and colors and created the most wonderful relief print collage. ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/sean-star-wars/ John's work John Greco’s beautifully crafted group of copper assemblages brings a much-welcomed appreciation for well-made objects to the St. Claude Collective show. Greco has nine such objects on display, several of which are urns bearing distinctly New Orleans street names. The acid-etched surfaces do not betray the time that the ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/john-greco/ Frahn's work Frahn Koerner’s contribution to the St. Claude Collective is one which is rooted in her methodical approach to her work which brings her paintings a finish that has been thoroughly contemplated and explored. The subtle textures of these paintings provide an extra layer of depth which the artist notes ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/frahn-koerner/ Christopher's work Christopher Saucedo’s current installation at the St. Claude Collective is an intensely personal investigation into identity and how it relates to space, or in this case and appropriately enough for a sculptor, volume. Saucedo offers us a traditional family portrait photograph and, placed on the floor in front of ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/christopher-saucedo/ Hurricane Katrina ravaged the entire city of New Orleans. The torrential rain and flooding left many homes and structures devastated. Following the destruction, erosion and decay set in as mold and mildew began to overwhelm what was left of the entirety of this city. Dawn Dedeaux’s work ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/dawn-dedeaux/ Scott's work Scott Guion’s two works, Through the Looking Glass and The Lawn Jockey’s Revenge, 2008, are photo-realistically painted representations of New Orleans scenes with very loaded imagery and subject matter. Through the Looking Glass is set at Club Fabulous, a bar on Claiborne Avenue. In this piece we see a ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/scott-guion/ Sallie's work Sallie Anne Glassman creates rich, vibrant oil paintings that draw the viewer in immediately. Extensive use of New Orleans imagery and an intensely emotional treatment give her pieces an undeniable character. Glassman draws upon line and bright splashes of color to give her works a sensual flow and direction. ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/sallie-anne-glassman/ Doyle's work Longitude/Latitude, 2008, is an imposing abstraction painted by Doyle Gertjejansen. It was created using two canvases and multiple layers of imagery. Overlying everything are large non-referential shapes in individual, vibrant colors some with brushed black detailing, others expressed as color gradients. Underneath these are expressive gestural lines, in varying ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/doyle-gertjejansen/ Adam Farrington has created for our delectation a large steel sculpture titled Monster with Possession, 2008. It stands on multiple legs, with pod-like segmented sections. Standing about 7 feet tall, it is insect-like with many threateningly protruding pieces. The torso of the monster has multiple insets in various uncomfortable looking ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/adam-farrington/ David's work David Buckingham’s work is arresting. The thick, bold typeface in coexistence with the harsh, eroded metal exoskeleton, accurately brings one of the most memorable lines in American cinema to life. Straight out of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Buckingham presents ENGLISH, MOTHER FUCKER! DO YOU SPEAK IT? The ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/david-buckingham/ Tim's work The life of corporate America is indisputably boring for the average American. With the routine life, dull workspace, long hours - amongst other irritations - it is difficult to see why most people who find themselves trapped into such a lifestyle are not registered as clinically insane. ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/tim-best/ Tina's work Tina Girouard’s work combines a mixture of New Orleans Mardi Gras themes with Voodoo images and Mexican Day of the Dead symbolism. Figures (hand sewn glass beads, sequins, acrylic and other media on canvas) is a colorful cornucopia of ideas. The piece includes dancing female figures, fetal babies, skulls, ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/tina-girouard/ Myrtle's work Myrtle von Damitz’s work brings to the table at once a sense of playfulness and of the macabre. Her offerings here seem simultaneously unalike and yet somewhat related. Her piece Sitting on the Levee, Watching the Ships, (ink and acrylic on Masonite) shows distorted figures reclining. She uses very ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/myrtle-von-damitz/ Mike's work Mike Fedor presents four pieces, all very different yet displaying noticeable similarities. Each uses bright colors to suggest themes which are at once oblique and macabre. Pumpkin shows a human-like creature with a pumpkin head riding a mermaid as though it were a horse (18x24 mix media on watercolor ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/mike-fedor/ Gary's work Gary Oaks’ piece “Zarathustra (Friedrich Nietzsche)” is an extremely tall, elongated sculpture made from cast aluminum, wood and lead. The work depicts a man with a small body and very long legs, constricted and bound. Gary Oaks’ works have a consistently philosophical engagement. Nietzsche’s work about Zarathustra investigates ideas ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/gary-oaks/ Shawn's work Random Nature Random Nature is a 4 by 4 grid of 16 acrylic paintings on canvas (24” x 24” x 1.5” each). These are arranged approximately an inch apart, making a slightly larger than 8 foot square, covering almost an entire wall. Colorful washes of organic shapes and tantalizing lines ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/shawn-hall/ Kyle's work Kyle Bravo’s work stands as a reminder of the all-too-familiar guerilla signage that has proliferated along our city streets since Katrina rendered all New Orleans telephone directories irrelevant. Signs advertising services or materials to assist in our recovery are here printed in large numbers on square sheets of unfinished ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/kyle-bravo/ Jenny's work A doctor’s visit that seems not to have gone so well can be observed in Jenny LeBlanc’s installation. The work, though, may be less of an installation and rather the physical trace of a documented event or process that occurred previously. A typical doctor’s office, with its institutional blue ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/jenny-leblanc/ Dennis' work These photographs provoke curiosity about their subjects. They seem to contain untold narratives that beg permission to be spoken. There are seven black and white inkjet prints (12”x18”) created from 35mm film, the first row of four photos is laid out vertically above the second row of three horizontally ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/dennis-couvillion/ Maxx's work In a duet of pieces dealing entirely with gender, its differentiations, and their acquisition, Artist Maxx Sizeler offers an unusual interpretation. Gender characteristics begin to manifest themselves at an early age through both learned behaviors. These learned behaviors are often unconsciously or knowingly imposed upon the child by ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/maxx-sizeler/ Natalie Sciortino & Jeff Rinehart's work In a piece titled Conglomerate, artists Natalie Sciortino and Jeff Rinehart have collaborated to produce a pair of still-life photographs. There are two large prints, both of which are displayed upside-down with one placed directly above the other. The top photograph, depicting a ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/natalie-sciortino-jeff-rinehart/ Owen's work Murphy's photographic series captures the essence of light and water where Bayou St. John meets lake Ponchatrain. He captures the geometry of the overhead bridges, some flowing in a perfectly straight continuum while others shift shades from light to dark, as they hit the water. These black ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/owen-murphy/ José's work In a departure from his customary practice as a painter, Jose Maria Cundin recontextualizes the obelisk in this series of sculptures. Each piece has a touch of humor within a political and social statement. Structures that are most often used to convey status and position have been altered ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/jose-maria-cundin/ David's work Sullivan's “Sunset Refinery” meets its viewers in a room filled with sound and video wrapped within a space floor-to-ceiling with grocery bags. The intriguing drone that populates the room with sounds resembling crickets and barges falls in line with the screen as orb after orb transforms into calligraphic ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/28/ Bradshaw's “Ponchatrain Hurricane Series” installs rustic exploded aluminum, mangled beyond utility, upon the gallery wall. These remnants of staple building materials appear to be fleeing from their surfaces half way between decay and repair. Each of the pieces has arrived in a unique state. Within the fabric-like folds ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/david-bradshaw/ Ryan's work Ryan Burns’ large tree stump rubbings in this series, titled ‘Biodiscourse’, deals specifically with deforestation and the resulting harmful affects to our planet. The series documents “the felling of Pacific Northwest Old Growth Forests” which are falling victim to the world’s growing demand for paper. In his statement ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/ryan-burns/ Extremely narrative and political, Peter Wood’s series of paintings speak of a dualistic perspective on society as specifically understood in New Orleans. Images of a divided man, a man in “two-face”, smash together separate groups of people: those who prioritize wealth and those who value honest living. This painting ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/peter-wood/ Patrick's work Peering through the small entryway to look into Patrick Lichty’s installation Duchamp Goes to Fema (A Mile of Red Tape) one notices the disarray, the randomness, the haphazard placement and chaotic state of this inaccessible space. Red and yellow caution tape is strewn around the room, pinned tight to ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/patrick-lichty/ Hasmig's work “Running through my veins” is a translation of Hayeren or the Armenian passage written along the bottom of Hasmig Vartanian’s large construction-type painting. It serves well in summarizing the theme of this very human piece. Canvas, torn into strips and painted red, creates a surface texture resembling the ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/hasmig-vartanian/ Elizabeth's Work In a tiny nook, old doors, yellowed newspapers, broken plantation shutters encase the tight confines of Elizabeth Shannon's tightly packed installation. New Orleans Jazz escapes from the installation luring viewers into her space. Leaning forward, looking through the muddy windows of what appears to be an old front ... http://www.stclaudecollective.org/blog/elizabeth-shannon/