The three Rivers Arts Festival certainly warrants more time this year than I have been able to give it. I spent Friday afternoon at the Artists Market, and Tuesday I stopped in at the Cultural Trust's Education Center to see the Juried Visual Art Exhibit.
This is, by far, the best edition of this series that I've seen. Comprised of only fifty works in a generous space gives each piece breathing room, allowing contemplation without distraction. The installation really did justice to the work. There are more than several good works in the exhibit. For personal reasons, a handful really stood out for me.
Matty Davis
I would be very interested in seeing the above work by Matty Davis in strong and changing light. Not a rapidly changing light, but the natural light over the course of the day and the season. The potential for depth and the interplay of shadow is intriguing; I could see myself living with this piece, shifting it throughout my home and contemplating the changes of light that are possible from a deceptively static work. The layers of fingerprints are complex, with the vagaries of coverage from opaque to slightly faded, couple with expanses of completely clear glass. In the diffuse light of the gallery, the main interest of the work was in its subtle shifts of depth.
Seth Clark
Seth Clark creates his collages from found papers, as well as other media. The works are rich in surface texture and intricate in their observation of decay. The contrast between the floating constructions of dilapidated structures and the very clean expanse of the ground creates a dreamlike floating quality. The effect is disorienting, with uncertainty underpinning the perspective because there is no sure horizon or point of physical orientation.
Stephanie Armbruster
From the artist's site:
Stephanie Armbruster works primarily as an encaustic painter, creating luminous, translucent surfaces by suspending pigment, drawings and ephemera between layers of molten wax.
Ms. Armbruster's work is simply beautiful. The layers hold light just below the surface and color blooms across the substrate in gentle shadings, contrasting with stronger concentrations of pigment that provide a map across the surface. Definitely a work that would grow and transcend through multiple viewings.
Thomas Bigatel
There is a lot of controlled energy in Thomas Bigatel's work. Three of Mr. Bigatel's works are included in the exhibit on canvases that run from medium to large. The expansive gestures of the artist absolutely require the space. I got the feeling that the gestures extended way beyond the confines of the substrate, and that what I was viewing was a fraction of the full spectrum of the piece. The work is a balance blend of impulse and consideration.
The exhibit will be gone in a flash, in place only for the duration of the festival. Fortunately, the venue is open until 8PM for the festival. Please note that the above images are courtesy of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
It was a dark and rainy night. But that didn't deter Pittsburghers from making their way to the Cultural District for the Gallery Crawl.
Wonder of wonders, the most recent edition of the Gallery Crawl was not scheduled for the same Friday as Unblurred. Too often, I have had to make a choice on which to attend. Usually I end up on Penn Avenue in Friendship because the venues have much more limited hours and the exhibits have a shorter run. In case you have lost track, Unblurred is taking place on Friday, October 7.
Looped
You have probably seen Tom Mosser's work, walking down Smithfield Street in Downtown. His Two Andy's mural is located on the wall above Weiner World. This past month, Mosser's work has been displayed in the lobby of L'enfant Lofts.
In place are a few oil paintings, including the above work. There is a fine attention to color in these works, layered meticulously. On close examination, the canvas works have a low-relief of texture, heralding back to the concepts expressed by the Pointillist school. The over-blown depiction of the flower and the single eyes that comprise the paintings on exhibit allow for a lot of latitude in the color composition.
If you want to see Mr. Mosser's work, he has a very extensive website and his studio is at the Blackbird Lofts in Larryville. L'enfant Lofts, where he is exhibiting downtown, is a loft development in progress and does not has regular hours. You can, I'm sure, peek through the windows while you're walking on Penn Avenue.
Universal Expressions: Movement in Multiple Dimensions Thomas Bigatel Open Wound Healing
This is an aptly named exhibit: the works by Thomas Bigatel express gesture very well. His palette, while focused within individual works, is broadly employed in the presented in the exhibit. His color choices seem impulsive, but are definitely guided by an experienced eye. Coupled with the gestural quality of his mark-making, the works are intense and kinetic.
I was particularly drawn to Open Wound Healing (pictured above). The subtle transitions of yellow to yellow-green is a calming counter to the contrasting blood-reds of the central motif. My sense of the piece was that it pulsated to the beat of a heart.
Universal Expressions has just recently opened and will remain on display through November 13.
Universal Expressions: Movement in Multiple Dimensions Painting and Sculptures by Thomas Bigatel and Peter Johnson Friday, September 23 - Sunday, November 13, 2011 709 Penn Gallery 709 Penn Ave Gallery hours Wednesday through Thursday, 11 Am to 6 PM, Friday-Saturday 11Am to 8 PM, Sunday 11 to 5 PM. till 5 PM
Progression 707 Penn Gallery Progression
Harish Saluja includes painting in his many artistic passions. The Progression exhibit includes works from various series, showcasing Saluja's range of expression. The works are layered with detailed texture and shift between figurative and abstract. I was drawn very much to the interpretative Mandalas that were included in the exhibit.
Harish Saluja Mandala #4
From Mr. Saluja's site --
In his Mandala Series, his latest set of paintings, he has started incorporating figurative and semi-abstract images with abstraction. The result is a sumptuous, almost erotic celebration of joy. Mandala is Sanskrit for circle, polygon, community, and connection. It is a symbol of man or woman in the world, a support for the meditating person. The Mandala is often illustrated as a palace with four gates, facing the four corners of the Earth. Before the meditating person arrives at the gates, he/she must, however, pass the four outer circles: the purifying fire of wisdom, the vajra circle, and the circle with the eight tombs and the lotus circle.
I would further add that Mandala #4 has a quality of controlled danger to it, with its central circle of slashed red and the overlapping textures that demonstrate an intrusion of one circle into the next.
Harish Saluja - Progression 707 Penn Gallery 707 Penn Ave Gallery hours Wednesday through Thursday, 11 Am to 6 PM, Friday-Saturday 11Am to 8 PM, Sunday 11 to 5 PM. till 5 PM
Shake It & Make It with Handmade Arcade!
The last Gallery Crawl saw a pop-up exhibit of Jason Sauer's work at 929 Liberty Avenue; this month, the lovely people of Handmade Arcade took over for an evening of DIY crafting and making. Tables were ranged around the room, a DJ was spinning some great tunes, and the space was packed with dozens of people. A continuous stream kept the Handmade Arcadians hopping, helping with making buttons, postcards and flowers. You could also leave a message for anyone that came in about the things you love to make.
The projects underway last evening --
"Greetings from Pittsburgh" (handmade postcards); "Say you, Say me" (personalized pin-back buttons); "ReFab & ReFunk" (junk flowers and mini sculptures).
Handmade Arcadians are gearing up for their big holiday show, coming in November. Hands on activities are part of the fair, so while you're doing your gift shopping, you can also plan on making a little something. I'm sure they will be posting a vendor list on their site, but in the meantime, put this on your calendar.
HANDMADE ARCADE FOR THE HOLIDAYS SATURDAY, NOV. 12, 2011 11 AM - 7 PM EARLY BIRDIE ENTRANCE AT 10 AM David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown • Free admission • Over 150 vendors, local and from out-of-state • Early Birdie passes • Refreshments on-site • Hands-on Handmade activities
Your Place at the Banquet
Rose Clancy Food For Thought Table
Your Place at the Banquet, curated by Rose Clancy, attempts to engage its audience in the poltics of sustenance. The exhibit extends beyond the gallery walls to include screenings and performances in satellite locations. From the exhibition site --
Your Place at the Banquet is a visual art exhibition and public awareness initiative that critically examines the mechanisms of our industrial food system and aims to empower people to sow the seeds of change through their daily choices and actions.
The exhibition features new work by Rose Clancy, H.E.A.P. HQ (Kevin Clancy, Dan Mooradian, Ali Reid), David Pohl, Tom Sarver, and Zayde Buti that seek to generate public awareness, critical discussion, and collective action around issues of food politics.
Curated by Rose Clancy. Participating artists include: Rose Clancy, David Pohl, Tom Sarver, H.E.A.P. HQ and Zayde Buti.
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