Studio visit - great way to spend a Sunday afternoon

I had the pleasure of visiting the shared studio space of two dear friends. I met Jean McClung when she was president of Group A, one of the artist support guilds here in Pittsburgh. We've shown together several times over the years, and through that long time we have become friends. John Morris was the director Digging Pitt Gallery, where I worked for a couple years. Since the gallery closed, we have maintained contact. They are both extraordinary artists.

I am sorry that it has taken me so long to post about this. The visit to my friends' studio actually took place on February 3, but with one thing and another, this post has just gotten away from me. And it was a lovely visit. It's always great to see friends, but it's an added bonus when you can see the germination of new work. This was a great time to see their shared space, too, since everything was arranged for a group studio visit.

It was my first visit, not only to their new studio but to the Mine Factory. Located on Braddock in Homewood, the building houses artists and other creatives as well as designers and other creative businesses.

Jean is continuing to produce both her illuminated works and her mixed works on paper. I was really taken with this piece.

Jean McClung

Do you remember hologram cards? I know that they've been produced for Pokemon cards, and the printing technique is used for security on credit cards and even PA driver's licenses. This piece had that affect on my vision, with the surface emerging and receding depending on the angle of the light. It was startling.

Jean's work is a dance of elements. Each piece is intricate, layered in a variety of medias. Diffuse clouds host a frenetic mark making, with extreme values ripping down the page. These are compact, breathless works.

John Morris had installed a wall for the open studio tour. I had seen a similar installation last April. but this one was larger and denser.

John Morris

Although he assured me that the penciled lines were a part of the last installation, they seemed more prominent in this one. The lines, although subtle, unified the work and reinforced a musical theme. These are small pieces, incorporated with real objects. Created from found bits of industrial detritus, the work sings a rough song.

John had a few containers of pieces that are new, and were larger and more opaque then the ones that are in this installation. I am looking forward to seeing how he will evolve his installation to include these new pieces.



It was a wonderful visit. And as this winter breaks it's grip on our city, I hope to get out more to the galleries, events and studios around town. I have been house bound for entirely too long this season. So, here's to warmer weather, and the fair art of our artists.

Four Suites: You're invited!

Opening night, April 5, 2013
I have been looking forward to working with the other artists in the Four Suites exhibit for months. Obviously, the others have too. The installation took a considerable amount of time, and showed a lot of detailed thought and sensitivity to the ModernFormation space.

Static images don't really do justice to the atmosphere of the exhibit. Each artists' work stands very well alone, while showing a sensitivity to the space as well as the works of the the others. I must say, the show blends very well.

I hope that doesn't sound too overly self congratulatory. I'm sure it sounds at least a little bit.

Jean McClung installed several of her light sculptures in the back room of MoernFormations. The works play well in the darkened space, providing a white light focus along one wall. Laurie Trok installed two cut paper pieces, in the front and back rooms, emphasizing a subtle shadowy calligraphy. John Morris composed interludes of his small medium-based work along one wall in the front room. My work? Oh, it was composed of works from my Earths and Detritus series of collages.

Did you miss the opening of Four Suites? You're in luck! There is a closing reception on Friday April 26, from 7-9PM.

Four Suites closing reception
Modernformations
4919 Penn Avenue. Pittsburgh PA 15224
412.362.0274


Four Suites Installation
Four Suites, installation (back room at ModernFormations)
Four Suites, installation (front room at ModernFormations)

Unblurred + GA/GI = Supersized First Friday

There's always a host of venues open and fun activities on First Fridays along Penn Ave for the monthly Unblurred series. April brings with it the GA/GI (Geek Art/Green Innovator) festival. In addition to the usual venues participating in Unblurred, Penn Ave will be amping it up with more presenters, activities and showcases.

GA/GI sets the tone for Unblurred with its central theme of green and renewable technologies. Some of the Galleries along the Penn Ave arts district feature artists that work with found materials and new technologies. For instance, Studio 5013 is featuring OZMA instruments: Guitars made of found and reclaimed materials by Jeffrey Schreckengost. At the other end of the spectrum, Edge Studios will present Robotics Artist, Donald Jones from CMU's High Point Project.

There's more than art happening during the festival. Optimus Technologies will be talking about how the next generation bio fuel systems actually works. Plumb Media is having a meet-and greet of some of the co-authors from Baker Leadership's latest book. Empowered in Pittsburgh encourages young adults to extend their handprint and get involved in their communities. Stop by to find out more!

April Unblurred also sees the return of The Clay Penn. Awesome Books, as you might know, is transforming to Amazing Books on April 3. The original location of Awesome Books on Penn Ave is already closed and is making its transformation to The Clay Penn. Stop in and reacquaint yourself with Laura McLaughlin's great ceramic works.



Of special note, I want to mention that I, along with Jean McClung, John Morris and Laurie Trok, will be exhibiting at ModernFormations. An extra special note: the opening reception is on Friday, April 5 from 7-10PM.

This is far, far from a comprehensive list of what is happening on April's first Friday, nor is it meant to be a Best of... preview. A list of events for Unblurred is available on their page and GA/GI's two-day calendar is posted here.

Play @Panza

I loved Tim Fabian's statement about his curatorial intentions for the Play exhibit:

"In one way or another each of the people in this show evidence play in their work. I think of this show as my loose group of playmates."

His caliber of playmates is extraordinary. There is a lot of good work in the Play exhibit, and some artists used this opportunity to step out and present work that is new and exploratory.

Bill Wade at Panza

Bill Wade had several abstract pieces, focused on vibrant color and pure shape. The works are created on photographic paper, using objects and light. Although Mr. Wade is best known for his documentary style of work, it is obvious that these works are something that he has been exploring for awhile.

Jean McClung

Oh now, this was just a wonderful piece. Ms. McClung has been blending transparencies and light into small sculptures for several years. This permutation of the idea is wonderfully freash, and does embody the concept of play quite well. FYI, Jean McClung is in an upcoming exhibit in April at ModernFormations.

David Grim

Okay, so this was like striptease meets art. David Grim's work usually draws a lot from distorted images and surreal concepts. For Play, Mr. Grim covered his work with small photos. The artist was selling each of these small photos for one thin sawbuck, gradually unveiling the work that was actually what he was presenting. When I was at the opening, the above was all that you could see of the collage underneath. Here's the final reveal.

George Kollar

The works presented by George Kollar were so very expressive. At first glance, I assumed that they were traditional drawing materials. But these works were created directly on photographic paper. The non-traditional format made the works even more compelling. Photographic paper, worked with the chemicals used in darkroom work lend the pieces some interesting qualities.

The exhibit is up through February 16 and is well worth the trip over to Millvale. While you're there, stop by Pamela's Diner, right around the corner from Panza. If it's good enough for our First Lady... Honestly, it's great diner food.

Play
Jan. 19, to Feb. 16, 2013.
Panza's image album
Panza Gallery
412.821.0959
panzagallery@mac.com
www.panzagallery.com

gallery hours:
wd.thur.fri 10-5
& sat 10-3

Carrie Furnace Project Opening Reception October 1st, Thursday 6-9

I'm gonna hype this show a bit more than usual because it's very likely you haven't heard of it or possibly of the venue it's in and also because it looks like a very, very good show.A combination of good artists dealing with a great subject and exhibiting in a great space.

The general theme of the show, is four artist's response to the amazing, Pittsburgh relic Carrie Furnace with work ranging from photography to sculpture.


Photo by George Mendel

George Thomas Mendel

"George Mendel is a freelance photographer with over 20 years of experience specializing in architectural and corporate event and location photography. His images have appeared in Architectural Lighting, Western Pennsylvania History, Pittsburgh Metropolitan, Pittsburgh Professional, and Mt. Lebanon magazines, to name a few. Mendel's images featured in the book "Death by Renaissance" and shown at The Silver Eye Gallery are now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution's affiliate museum/library, the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center."

George will be exhibiting a series of large scale panoramic photo works taken at the Carrie Furnace site.





"Jean McClung is an artist who lives and works in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She has exhibited extensively and was recently featured in a group exhibit at Agni Gallery in N.Y.C. Jean had a one-person exhibit at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in 2006. While she is primarily a painter, her work since 2001 has mainly involved photographing street art and graffiti in urban areas. These photographs are then combined with painting and drawing, and used to create illuminated "paintings" and sculptures. These works are intended to celebrate the complexity, spontaneity, intensity and individuality of the urban world."

All of the exhibited works are derived from photo's taken at the Carrie Furnace site.





"Norman W. Schumm started photography as a freshman in high school and estimates that, since 1946, he has taken over 100,000 pictures. Since moving to Pittsburgh in 1959, he has spent many hours photographing the different moods of the city itself. Many of his Pittsburgh pictures grace the walls of Pittsburgh homes, offices, and distant cities where former Pittsburghers now live. His pictures have been published in books, posters, calendars, and post cares. Stefan Lorant, noted author and pioneer photojournalist, chose Norman to take photographs for three different editions of his book: "Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City."

Norman photographs primarily with a 4x5 view camera and uses both color and black & white film. He personally controls each step of the photographic process from the initial exposure to the developing and making of both color and black & white prints in his darkroom. Norman's personal preference is for the full tone, expressive black and white prints such as those taken by Ansel Adams."



Dee Briggs is a sculptor currently living and working between New York and Pittsburgh. Born in 1968 near Pittsburgh in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, and raised in Wellsburg, West Virginia, Briggs moved to New York in 1986, and has recently returned to Western Pennsylvania. Briggs has two degrees in architecture from the City College of New York (BA '97) and Yale University (M.Arch '02), and has worked with several leading architecture firms in New York . After 15 years in architecture, Briggs began making sculpture full time in 2002. Most recently, she has been teaching in the Schools of Art and Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University.

Briggs works mostly in steel and bronze at various scales, and does all fabrication work herself. Currently, her work is rooted in the exploration of chirality, or 3 dimensional handedness, pursued through the study of basic principles of geometry and symmetry.I am very interested in the resulting relationships of line and plane, and the way in which each composition describes or implies space. Although my work often appears chaotic and whimsical, it is, in fact, highly ordered.

Really a whole bunch of reasons to see this show if you can. Dee Briggs and George Mendel are showing works of a size not easily shown in a lot of Pittsburgh venues; Jean hasn't shown in a while and is exhibiting new works inspired by Carrie furnace and I think Norman is showing a considerable body of amazing photos of the region's steel heritage.

More info and images can be found on Pittsburgh Grapevine

More info about Carrie Furnace and Steel Heritage can be found on Rivers Of Steel.

Open Gallery Hours:
October 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 &17 from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm
& by Appointment through www.RiversofSteel.com 412.464.4020

Pump House & Water Tower
880 East Waterfront Drive
Homestead, PA 15120


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Closing reception 10/27 - Same Frequency

Join us on Saturday, October 27, for a closing reception for --

Same Frequency - Side II

An exhibit of paintings and mixed media works by three very different artists...who are nonetheless on the Same Frequency. More information

Jon Anderson - Paintings on Paper
Jean McClung - Mixed media on Paper and Illuminated Sculptures.
Sherry Rusinack- Mixed Media on Canvas

As an aside, Jean McClung's work will be included in the upcoming Blogger Shows at Agni and Digging Pitt Gallleries. So, join us for those receptions in November and December.

Opening Saturday September 8 @Digging Pitt

Save the Date!
Opening: September 8, 6-9PM

Conceived Bully - Side I

The raw installment and tough works of urban design.
Featuring the works of --

EVIL DESIGN - Boston MA
I've heard some of the kids talkin' on the bus an' I just wanna set the record straight. Evil Design is not a band of Blood Sucking Son-Of-A-Guns that like to make babies cry, they're just some kids that like to draw pictures is all.

ExperiBreed - NYC/PGH
Cultures come and cultures go. Some we remember and some we don't know.

MAGMO - The Destroyer - Rhode Island
Magmo is here to help. Magmo is here to destroy.

More information

Same Frequency - Side II

An exhibit of paintings and mixed media works by three very different artists...who are nonetheless on the Same Frequency. More information

Jon Anderson - Paintings on Paper
Jean McClung - Mixed media on Paper and Illuminated Sculptures.
Sherry Rusinack- Mixed Media on Canvas

ExperiBreed @Digging Pitt Too

In his exhibit at Digging Pitt Too, JC one will present works from ExperiBreed, his most recent cycle of expression. Join us in September in welcoming JC one to the walls at Digging Pitt Too. More information

Creeps I Know Was Creepy

Well, not that many people showed up for creeps I know, but we had quality time and some really good creep stories. Merge, had a few real life personal ones that were first class. Also, a guy called the dirty poet was there with his mom ( wow being a creep in front of your mom! ) and had a fun little one. He also left us with a print out with some little poem gems that I wished he had read.

Here's one that fits my brain.

Halloween Parties are the best

mmmm
women dressed up like sluts
or witches---
magic sluts

or heres punchline

Punchline

the 20th century
a hundred years of surreal slauter and systematic savagery
from mustard gas trenches of world war one to neighbor-on-neighbor machetes of Rwanda
with Nazi bake offs and Hiroshima in between
remember the 60's? body counts on TV every night?
more people murdered per decade
than breathing in previous centuries
the 20th century
has for a punchline a simple question
put by a man famous for being a televised punching bag
cant we all just get along?

tell me Rodney-- what do you think?

(thank god we got our shit together in the 21st century )

Jean McClung told a scary family story that goes back to West Virginia
One of Merge's two is told on his blog and is the kind of story that should come with a description and APB.

One reason, i think hearing about other people's creepy or bad behavior is too get that feeling of-- ( wow, I'm not as bad as that ) and that was the rush I got. It was a kind of literate and facinating version of Jerry Springer and it was great.

Swoon vandalism in Garfield

Here's another Swoon piece in Garfield. Ongoing coverage is assured on this station. This shot is courtesy of Jean McClung.