Dr. Seuss is an epic badass.

Kavanaugh Art Gallery, Spring Gallery Night in Valley Junction

April 12, 2012

Exterior of Kavanaugh Art Gallery. Photo: Kavanaugh

Response by guest contributor Holly Wist 

April 23, 2013

You didn’t know Dr. Seuss made taxidermy sculptures, did you? Me neither. Reproductions of Dr. Seuss’ Unorthodox Taxidermy are on display at the Kavanaugh Art Gallery in Valley Junction.

In the 1930’s Seuss used horns and beaks from the zoo where his father worked to make sculptural pieces. The creatures look like exotic game mounted and stuffed for a billiard room. (Maybe somebody’s smoking a cigar in there.) The appearance of them makes me wonder, who is shooting Dr. Seuss characters?

Dr. Seuss “Mulberry Street Unicorn” circa 1938, and reproduction

Seuss tackled racism, environmental concerns, and such in his storybooks. I think the confusing, unpleasant deadness of these creatures is intentional. Given the way we treat real animals, Dr. Seuss’ ought naught to be exempt.  Imaginary creatures are thrust into very real circumstances.   

Curiosity about Dr. Seuss’ Unorthodox Taxidermy prompted me to spend the better part of two days on a cyber adventure into the art of taxidermy. Robert Rauschenberg, Damien Hirst, and Berlinde De Bruyckere were noteworthy.

If you’re still hungry for more, “Taxidermy in Art” has a fantastic overview of contemporary artists working with taxidermy. See: http://taxidermy-in-art.tumblr.com/

Holly Wist is an artist working in Des Moines. Read about her recent exhibitions, Interjections and Viking Funeral.

23 April Permalink

A small yellow painting wears a bra.

Holly Wist’s Interjections, Scottish Rite Park

April 2 - 30, 2013

Wist’s “Interjection with Monogram” Photo: Jon Pearson

Review by Rachel Buse

April 12, 2013

In a small art gallery in the belly of Scottish Rite Park senior living, Holly Wist hosted a tea party and revealed her latest series of paintings, “Interjections”. The journey to this tiny room is littered in muted tones. In the gallery, Wist’s paintings are small and loud. Her colors are bright. The use of acidic yellow is particularly arresting. I asked Wist about the choice of color and she directed me to this video:

Many of the canvases are “wearing” bras. They are painted on. Some are of the backside, where you see the hook and eye closures. One is composed under the armpit, exposing a bit of hand embroidery. Flesh is implied through a plane of bright color being held by the structural personality of each brazier.

Wist’s “Interjection with lace” Photo: Jon Pearson

I saw these bras as having a caring and supportive relationship with the body they are intended to hold. Floral accents direct subtle attention and thoughtfulness to the individual bras. At the tea party, Wist recalled when her mother surprised her with a bit of embroidery on the cuff of her jacket. A simple gesture motivated by a powerful intention of caring. 

Wist’s statement Photo: Rachel Buse

Wist’s “Interjections” is both defiant and compassionate.  Her statement both acknowledges and reacts to assumed expectations tied to being an artist, a lady and a person. Even though you’ve missed the tea party, you can still have your interjection with the bras.

“Interjections” run through April 30th. Visit the Scottish Rite Park Art Gallery which is open Monday thru Friday 8 AM - 5 PM. Go in the front door walk down the hallway to the right, the gallery will be on your left hand side.

12 April 1 Permalink

CUT AND PASTE ZEN AT ZANZIBARS

Deb Anders-Bond, Zanzibars

March 2013

“Trees” by Deb Anders-Bond (image courtesy of the artist)

Review by Jon

Deb Anders-Bond is a collage maestro. From drawers and drawers of magazine snips, carefully chosen and archived, this wizard of the art of collage spins stories. For this showing at Zanzibars, the artist chose to hang exclusively digital collage work. Deb makes collages with narrative based imagery which are often infused with personal memories and inside jokes. Asking the artist about any one of the pieces yields a patient, and smiling account of the tales behind the work, and how the stories and careful selection of images were merged.

“Birds” by Deb Anders-Bond (image courtesy of the artist)

In “Birds” the artist is hearkening back to a childhood of wonder, color, and mystery. Many of the works evoke those feelings of childhood wonderment and play. The love of the matriarchs in the artist’s life are displayed in this piece, where a culture of reading and investigation of the natural world melded into a wonderful soup.

“Proved by the Highest Scientific Authority!” by Deborah Des Moines (image courtesy of the artist)

The image above has an almost fauvist sensibility in it’s color melange. The primary colors are all represented in strength and tertiary colors bind the piece together. One added bonus of this piece is in how it is presented and hung with brass holes in each corner and mounted on double-thick foam core, almost posing as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the circus posters of yesterday. An audacious claim in grammatically incorrect language travels around the border; the text serving to frame the work and supplying context for the spectacle taking place.

“In the grand spectacle of Charlemagne!” by Deb Anders-Bond(image courtesy of the artist)

The picture above seems to dwell in the land of twilight. We see the “lifer,” the entertainer, dwelling in the right handed portion of the composition. The face is skeletal, eyes hollowed; “The circus life aint easy,” could be tattooed across his chest. The totemic presence to the left of the composition relays a sense of separation between the performer and stage life which may allude to the consumptive nature of performance; the audience always demanding more of the spectacle and the spectacular.

I am struck by the fluidity of Deb’s collage work achieved by the computer. The digital realm allows for much freedom making the re-sizing of imagery and playing with text, color, and opacity much easier. The result yields a much more “painterly” use of space, where blending can supplant the hard edges and 100% opacity of traditional collage methods. I think it works for this artist in ways that the old exacto and glue stick can’t.

This show will be on display at Zanzibar’s coffee shop on Ingersoll Ave. and 28th through April 7th.

2 April 1 Permalink

Kaloyan Ivanov found SOMATOTOPIA

SOMATOTOPIA, Public One Space, Iowa City

December 7, 2012

Response by Rachel

February 11, 2013

The video above brings us back to an evening last December where I ventured to Iowa City to join forces with Kaloyan Ivanov to perfom “Void Simulacrum”. He brought this piece from Brooklyn for the opening of Public One Space’s opening of SOMATOTOPIA, an international, touchable art show. Relive my experience in the void and enjoy a conversation with K himself. The following photos give you a peak into the other pieces on display that evening. Some failed while others enticed. Texture, taste, smell and skill were used to promote interaction with the objects displayed.  

Book-form paintings by Josh Doster. The board with the inset circles had some squishy moments. Photo: Rachel Buse

Photo: Rachel Buse

Matt Steele’s “that you always feel happy & bright” Photo: Rachel Buse

Photo: Rachel Buse

Tiberiu Chelcea made prints from the opening attendees footsteps. Photo: Rachel Buse

Suckle warm milk from eye droppers while watching Tiffany Sinnott’s “Oxy suckle rock 2” Photo: Rachel Buse

 Video from the opening. Posted by Public One Space.

Those headphones on the right hand side gave you a feeling of a spider tickling your ear. They were made by Irina Danilova she calls them “Tactile Sonata”. Photo: Rachel Buse

Final display of Void Simulacrum. Rock texture a brilliant addition by show curator, Kalmia Strong. Photo: Rachel Buse

11 February Permalink

Drawing Through to the Other Side

Sarah Napier, Mars Cafe

December 2012

Excerpt from Napier’s installation of drawings. Photo: Tim Mitchard

Interview from contributor Jennifer Mitchard

December 13, 2012

Sarah Napier is a 26 year old Iowa native. She primarily works in colored pencil and pen on paper creating innocent, bright, and hallucinogenic illustrations. Her work is currently being shown at Mars Cafe where I sat down with her to talk about her new collection.

A quote from her Artist’s Statement:

Much of the influence for this body of work is from her bipolar disorder. …. Many of the pieces in this set were created as therapeutic works meant to help her express herself through the manic and depressive waves of her bipolar. 

Excerpt from Napier’s installation of drawings. Photo: Tim Mitchard

Jennifer: Tell me a little about your work.

Sarah: My work is therapy on paper, it’s what I did to keep the crazy under control.

How long have you been working on the pieces in this show?

About 6 months but the bulk of it was created over the last 3 months.

What are your ideal working conditions?

I totally watch Rosanne or some other 90’s sitcom and make stuff on my couch. I’m usually by myself…. watching Rosanne.

I’ve noticed an interesting progression from your older, more innocent pieces compared to these. Can you explain this evolution?

6 months ago I had a manic episode and drew throughout the whole thing. My art evolved quickly over that time. You can still see the old stuff in it but it’s darker and has more depth now. My collages are new and were brought on by a project I was working on before the manic episode.

Napier’s “Pixelated Girl Face (self portrait)” Photo: Tim Mitchard

Which piece is your favorite and why?

Pixelated Girl Face, self portrait. I don’t know where I got the energy to do that one. I haven’t been able to do a piece like that again. It was a piece that was how I felt when I made it. I felt like it represented what I was feeling.

What do you want people to take away from your work?

I want to make people happy and have fun with mental disorders.

Do you have any major influences? Now or past?

My bipolar definitely affects my work. Being raised in a bible camp, it is hard to break away from happy things and present something to the public that isn’t all butterflies.

I wouldn’t want my family to come and see this. My grandma is not allowed.

What do you feel like your work is about?

Memories and feelings about them. Trying to recall childhood feelings of discomfort. You know when you’re little and you feel awkward in a situation? Like that.

How do you see your work evolving?

That’s the problem with bipolar. I’m sure it will, but I have no idea how or why. I can’t plan it.

I’ve noticed that your work has a lot of repeated imagery. What do these images represent?

The arrows are the flow of emotion, they direct you up and down, like the polarization of my disorder, they are pixelated and not smooth. I like to break things apart.

The girls were different versions of me on different days… However the little girl inside of me wanted to dress up.

Space is everything. It’s the most imaginative thing I can think of, there are so many possibilities out there that we don’t even know about yet.

Excerpt from Napier’s installation of drawings. Photo: Tim Mitchard

What are your plans for tonight?

Writing my artist statement and I need to make dinner, I bought macaroni and cheese. I’m lazy.

Meet the artist from 6-8pm on Friday Dec. 14 at Mars Cafe for her opening reception.

Jennifer Mitchard is an artist, photographer, graphic designer, and writer, living and working in downtown Des Moines. She is the co-owner of JeTim Art Photography and a designer at RAYGUN. She studied Art and Writing in Central Iowa and Northern California. Find her work at www.jenmitchard.com.

13 December Permalink

Saying Goodbye to the Giant

Benjamin Entner’s Ego Sum, Fluxx Gallery

November 2012

Experimental video response from Rachel

6 December Permalink

Studio hopping during Art 316’s Open House

Art 316 Open House

November 2, 2012

This was found in the Chadwick and Bergstrom Furniture workshop.   Photo: Jennifer Mitchard

Review by guest contributor Jennifer Mitchard

November 20, 2012

Art 316’s Annual Open House is a dizzyingly busy event. The five story building is full of artist studios of all varieties; painters, sculptures, graphic designers, architects, potters, and furniture makers are among those who work at Art 316. Many of the artists working in the building are among the most successful in Des Moines, Alex Brown and Ron Wagner being the most familiar to me.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the event was that I couldn’t see very many finished pieces on display. I quickly felt reminded that it was not an art show but simply an open studio. Initially I felt at loss but as I moved through the building, I found more and more great work on display.

Joseph Hansen’s paintings hung in his studio during the opening   Photo: Jennifer Mitchard

Joseph Hansen, an oil painter, had a full display of his work hung on the walls of his studio. Joe grew up in Iowa but relocated to Los Angeles for 11 years (painting the whole time) before moving back to Des Moines a couple years ago. His abstract color paintings are layered with texture. They reminded me of old concrete walls that have been painted over and over again but the paint keeps chipping. Subtle and stark color shifts intermingle on his canvases creating an interesting and safe composition.

Illustration by Ron Wagner   Photo: Jennifer Mitchard

The studio of Ron Wagner hosted more than just his wonderful illustrations. In addition to his hand drawn storyboards, there were other artists on display. Like Tyler Walpole’s realistic illustrations and Adam Van Wyk’s digital work. Adam was also giving a demonstration of digital storyboarding by drawing on a Wacom monitor.

Adam Van Wyk demonstrating digital storyboarding   Photo: Jennifer Mitchard

Chad Owen’s graphic design studio had a great catalog of his designs cleanly displayed. He told me that the work he was showing that night was part of a design a day project he publishes on his blog. One of many that caught my eye was a two color print with a photo of an old dilapidated house with a yellow typeface overlay reading “Bless This Meth”. This piece in particular brought some unwanted attention online he told me. All of his pieces were clean and interesting. They presented a wide variety of subject matter from innocent child-friendly to corporate to dark and snarky.

Excerpt from Chad Owen’s Design a Day project   Photo: Jennifer Mitchard

The large range of work at the Art 316 Open House made it a great event and I look forward to attending in the future to see what these great Des Moines artists are up to.

Jennifer Mitchard is an artist, photographer, graphic designer, and writer, living and working in downtown Des Moines. She is the co-owner of JeTim Art Photography and a designer at RAYGUN. She studied Art and Writing in Central Iowa and Northern California. Find her work at www.jenmitchard.com.

20 November 1 Permalink

Painting the bold and delicate Bald Faced Hornet

Curtis Poortinga’s Strange Invasion, Thee Eye

November 2012

“Bald Faced Hornet” painting by Curtis Poortinga

Response from guest contributor Megan Cohen

November 6, 2012

Walking into Thee Eye’s current exhibition “Strange Invasion”, I became thoroughly confused.  What was with the furniture?  Pee colored couches, vintage Coke machines, a record player, and an over the top ash tray littered the gallery space.  Each painting was accompanied by what I can only describe as a seventies version of an Ashley’s Furniture Store showroom display.  Was the gallery presenting this furniture as works of art?  Or was this perhaps a statement to make fun of people who buy artwork to match their furniture?  Whatever statement was trying to be made, it unfortunately took away from the real artwork of Curtis Poortinga’s paintings and I will go as far as to say that it degraded them.  Furniture belongs in furniture stores and if you want something to go over your fireplace that will match your couch, I suggest cruising the “art” isle in Target.

With that said, I do feel that Curtis Poortinga deserves recognition for his paintings. “Bald Faced Hornet” echoes several different mediums into one unique painting style.   The wings, composed of sharp straight lines creating perfectly delicate geometrical shapes like a tessellation, resemble a stained glass window.  The dark black body of the hornet contrasted with the light yellow background shows similarities of a wood block print.  But the shine and delicate outlining with attention to detail around the hornet’s legs show us Poortinga is in fact, a bold painter.   Maybe if M.C. Escher illustrated science text books, we might have seen something similar, but he didn’t so we can call it original. The use of dark reds and yellows against the body reads “Warning: I sting!” yet the delicacy emphasized in the wings reads “But I’m still fragile”.  I wasn’t sure what an actual bald faced hornet looked like, so I looked it up when I got home.  Poortinga stayed true to the insect’s colors and anatomy and opted to give us movement in more expressive ways by abstracting the wings and zig-zagging around the legs to promote a buzz.  “Bald Faced Hornet” is a nice composition and at $350 probably under-priced.   But seriously, what was with the furniture?

6 November 1 Permalink

Art without a Voice

Janet Hart Heinicke’s “Derivatives, Examining Ideas Found in the Natural World” 

Michael Wilson’s “The Horreum, ut Sacellum” (The Barn, as a Chapel)

Ankney Art Center

October 3 - November 29, 2012

Heinicke’s “Sunshine Through the Trees by the water hole” (detail)

Review by Chad

October 9, 2012

            The Ankeny art scene can only be described with one word: anemic. Unfortunately, the Ankeny Art Center has done little to change this reality, refusing to take advantage of the documented momentum in the Greater Des Moines Art Scene. For example, instead of aligning themselves with First Fridays, The Ankeny Art Center chose to open their newest exhibit on a Thursday evening, Janet Hart Heinicke – “Derivatives, examining ideas found in the natural world” & Michael Wilson – “The Horreum, ut Sacellum” (The Barn, as a Chapel) on display through November 29, 2012. Because of this, my daughter and I pulled into an empty parking lot on Friday night, discovered a dark building, and were forced to make a second trip on a Saturday morning just to view the exhibit. Umm…thanks for making it easy AAC!

9 October Permalink