Thursday, December 13, 2012

Happy Feast of St. Lucy!!! (Patron Saint of Eye Sight) Dec 13




For those of you who didn't know, the patron saint of eye sight is Saint Lucy. Every Dec 13 she is honored with a feast by hagiographiles, particularly in Italy, but probably far & wide. Any student who has ever paid a lick of attention to me is well aware of my comments about "sacrificing to the Photo Gods" and in this reference certainly Saint Lucy & Saint Veronica (Patron Saint of Photographers and Laundry Workers) are included. Here is a short snippet of her tale...


Click here for Saint Lucy's story...
And find out why she carries her eyeballs on a platter...



And for those of you that have asked about my necklace, this is what it is... given to me by one of my "photo parents". Many of my longtime advanced students have received a "St. Lucy" from me at the end of their time with me... 



Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Fall 2012 Digital Photo II Book Projects

For anyone interested in getting a sense of what we do in ART225 - Digital Photo II, here are our most recent editions to the collection of books that we have been creating over the last three semesters. I am really proud of all of the students and their hard work and enthusiasm that has gone into creating our books this semester. These are a real treat. We spend nearly 2/3's of the entire semester working on a body of work that investigates a topic of their choosing and then we work through the process of organizing and shaping our photographs into a book format. We then publish them through blurb.com. And sometimes we even get really lucky and have someone who hand-binds & painstakingly emulsion transfer prints their book images, as in the case of Jon Slade's Itinerant Encounters. Thanks for a great semester everyone! Big hugs all around, enjoy the books, and have a fantastic break! You soooo deserve it!!


Itinerant Encounters    by Jon Slade

Life on the Water    by Michael Randman

CERT   by April Stout

Living in a Box   by Elizabeth Ache

Preserving Our Past Through Photographs - Saint Charles County, Missouri    by Zac Hodges

The Faces of New Melle    by Connor Lockett



This is how they are printed...





Here are some links from Spring 2012...

Lena Wood, Metamorphose, 2012. 

Melisa Fielder-Spence, La Fleur, 2012. 

Mat Hoosier, Defying Gravity, 2012.


Phil Cary, MKT Line, 2012.

Megan Flattery, Familial, 2012. 

Raquel Engle, Half Closed Eyes, 2012.

Rachel Mitchell, Once Upon a Time, 2012.





& Fall 2011...


Debbie Bauer, Missouri Barns, 2011.

Joshua Evans, Idiosyncratic Reality, 2011. 

Kimberly Wall, tirer le portrait, de toute notre, 2011.

Rebecca Chapman, Nature Untouched, 2011. 

Natalie Armitstead, Hidden Ballerina, 2011.

Eric Wuestenberg, Canyons in Utah, 2011.

Jade Roch Van Rochsburg, Spheres, 2011.

Allen Wilberton, St. Louis Spouthwestern Freight Depot: Space in History, 2011.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Women and children hold up more than "Half the Sky"




I found out that I was awarded some grant $$ for a mini-grant that I wrote through the Foundation at SCC to show this on our campus during Women's History month, in March. It is even being talked about a campus book club choice. I am very excited! If anyone would like to get involved with me to make this a really cool event I would love it. It has literally become a global movement and awareness is key.

Take a second and view a clip or two on the site. Gender inequity is an extremely powerful & tough topic. Believe it or not some of these same kinds of issues still effect women in the US. In fact they effect women and families that are our very own. Or women who live right nextdoor, not just halfway around the world.



Everyone who reads this is the child of a woman. Please take a moment and watch this for that very reason. 

Friday, November 30, 2012

Proofing my Sheldon prints at Allied!

What a great Friday! I was greeted as I pulled up at the schoolhouse by one of my favorite campus talents, Mr. Dan Porter. I got a lovely walk in over to the FAB Gallery with Brian Alich where I voted on the student exhibition awards. Then off to Allied Photocolor in the gorgeous weather. Proofed out my prints for the show (opens feb 22). With Olivia, the Sheldon Gallery Director and intern Ryan's help we solved the presentation choices for the work. And then I got my hardrive back (very valuable little guy) as well as 2 free tickets to the Pokey LaFarge & Ryan Spearman duo tonight at the Sheldon. Fabulous seats I might add and always wonderful to see my dear friends makin' music. Now it is time for some sunshine and afternoon cocktails on the back porch with my pups while my little one is with her Paupau. Sigh! Then on to Taste for dinner. The good life,...it has taught me all I know...;)



Monday, November 19, 2012

Teaching America's Youth how to install a group exhibition

The Fall Student Exhibition is open for display. Please bring your students over to see the show and encourage them to bring friends and family! There is a surprisingly small amount of work compared to past fall exhibitions, but it is all quality work.





Rethinking the way you learn...

Please watch this...  it is fascinating...  and true...!!!

RSA - RSA Animate - Changing Paradigms

Sunday, November 11, 2012

In honor of those who have served...

In order to give voice to the stories around me, I make photographs. One of my great loves is making portraits, giving voice to individuals, places, and life experience through visual stories. In honor of those who have or are currently serving our country, I will be collecting portraits to share and maybe with some luck, later to show publicly, tomorrow 11/12.  From 10am until 2pm, in SCC's College Center gymnasium, I will be set up with my portable studio and student assistants to make photographs of Veterans and military service members.  I intend to lend my skills as an artist, to add light, and awareness to those that have served their fellow man and whom deserve recognition, respect, gratitude, and beyond all else, our service in return. All past and present service members are welcome to participate.

Model releases will be provided and required for anyone interested in participating. Anyone who is willing to sit for my camera and sign my release will receive a digital file of their portrait. If participants would like to share their story in the written word in return, it would be a most welcome reply to my email/letter (although totally optional and not required).

A few semesters ago I had my first really up-close encounter with young veterans. Young folks that could have easily been my friends, or my husband, or my siblings. One of them had such immobilizing PTSD, substance abuse issues, and paranoia that he proceeded to misconstrue everything my previously innocuous intro to photography class could possibly ever be about. Although sadly, he was potentially a risk to my safety and the safety of my students, his story was one of opportunity and was ultimately epiphanic for me. It was here that I began to truly awakened to the residual emotional, physical, and social effects, if only at the surface level, of what our loyal service members might be facing on our behalves. My inability to fully understand or provide mechanisms for catharsis or growth in this situation with this individual was deeply disturbing and equally heart-inspiring.

During that same class I became fast friends with another student who also was a young veteran. He had recently returned from his own tours of service. He shared with me many thoughts especially in light of this classmate's aforementioned meltdown. Without his discussions I might have otherwise not had the tools to understand what had happened and what was so pervasive all around me. He shared with me in words, and in images, his humanity and his compassion. As seasons change so does the face of PTSD,  and that spring, after he had left my class, he had a particularly uneasy time. Dealing with the fast-forward and rewind of the human mind as it auto-pilots it's way through the lives that we inhabit and consume is a merciless process, particularly so when life & death holds us as visual,visceral hostages. We talked, and he talked, and I listened, and he talked some more--that was all I knew to do. We had a weekly pattern of discussions some more casual and some much more delicate. One morning he arrived at my office and he told me to hold out my hand. Curiously, and somewhat anxiously, I did. I had developed such a strong sense of respect for this person that I knew in my heart that this could only be a gesture of friendship. Into my hand he dropped the smoothest, most worn bullet I had ever set eyes on. It was the embodiment of all of the worries and the fears, the sorrows and the limitless capacity for the human mind to canabalize itself... And to the contrary it was the symbol of this bullet that with it  one might literally and metaphorically save oneself from torture or compromise, whatever form that might be. I didn't fully get it at the time, I probably will continue to make realizations as I grow in time, but as I reflect it all becomes so much more crystallized.

I am honored to put that bullet in a safe place so that my dear friend might someday see more light, less sadness, more love and gratitude, and less fear. May his heart, and those of other folks known and unknown, be just a little bit lighter and a little more open every moment of every day. May our compassion for one another and our humanity prevail, despite all else.

These portraits are in honor of you my friend.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Last chance to see "Transform" @ SCC Gallery

The art exhibition "Transform" is only up until November 2nd in the Fine Arts Building.  If you have not been over to see the show yet, please take the time out to check it out!  It is a wonderful grouping of artworks by regional artists.  This is also a wonderful exhibition to send your students over to see.  They may even find some inspiration!

Gallery Hours:
8am-8pm M-Th
8am-4pm F
10am-3pm Sat

Christine A. Holtz
SCC Art Gallery Coordinator

Benedict J. Fernandez: A Life's Work in Photography

From the May Gallery @ Webster University...

Our next exhibition, Benedict J. Fernandez: A Life's Work in Photography, will open with a reception from 5-7 pm on Friday, 26 October. Complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres are offered at the reception. The exhibition will be on view from 26 October through 21 November. Although Mr. Fernandez is unable to travel, we will have a conversation with Mr. Fernandez via teleconference on Friday, 26 October, at 3 pm in Sverdrup 101

The Wall Street journal wrote of this exhibition (which is currently also on view at the Robert Anderson Gallery in New York City), "(This is) a sampling of work from Benedict J. Fernandez's long career in photojournalism. Mr. Fernandez (b. 1936) does not belong to a photo agency and does not shoot on assignment. He self-selects his projects and, since he is not working against a deadline, works on them until he is satisfied; as a consequence, his pictures frequently have an art photography quality. Unlike much photojournalism that simply records an event, Mr. Fernandez creates images that distill its essence.

"The top half of "Wall Street, New York City" (1970) is dominated by a fluttering American flag, but the scene beneath Old Glory is one of strenuous conflict as hard-hat construction workers battle police during a demonstration in support of U.S. involvement in the war in Vietnam. The flag is backlit and light glances off the police helmets and the demonstrators' hard hats, charging the image with vitality. Mr. Fernandez shot both pro- and antiwar demonstrations, as well as actions in favor of, and against, the civil-rights movement." (22 Sept 2012, p. A-20)

May Gallery events are free and open to the public. (Free) parking in the university garage, Garden Park Plaza, is suggested, #23 on the map at <http://www.webster.edu/campusmap> (near the top). The Sverdrup building is #7 on the map.

The May Gallery is located on the second floor, west wing, of the Sverdrup Building on the home campus of Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9 am to 9 pm, and Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 pm. We hope to see you.


Bill Barrett, Director
The May Gallery
A place for photography at Webster University
8300 Big Bend Blvd.
St. Louis MO 63119
1-314-246-7673
http://www.webster.edu/maygalleryhttp://stlopenings.blogspot.com
We're now a Facebook Group. Come join us there!

Kansas City Art Institute Presentation & Portfolio Reviews

Julia Welles from The Kansas City Art Institute will be here to give a presentation on the KCAI programs and do portfolio critiques on Wednesday, October 31 at 2p.m.  Location as yet to be determined.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

If you think you can't make it to the polls on Election Day...

If you think you can't make it to the polls on Election Day...   Here is a link to the absentee voter form.

http://www.sos.mo.gov/forms/elections/absentee.pdf

Don't forget to bring me your sticker or some kind of proof that you voted...  whatever ephemera you may pick up when you are at the polls will suffice.

Just think how luxurious this process is for you all! Some of my friends have to worry about being shot in their home countries in order to vote--I bet none of us could truly imagine that!! We are spoiled brats!

Go vote! Exercise your freedom!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

SHORT: Catherine Opie: Cleveland Clinic

SHORT: Catherine Opie: Cleveland Clinic


This short video is about one of my mentors, Catherine Opie, from graduate school. She now happens to be one of the most important contemporary artists of our times. Cathy was a Freund Fellow through the Saint Louis Art Museum and Washington University. She lived and worked here in Saint Louis during my first year at Washington University. She was making work about the uniqueness of the decaying landscape in the city proper as well as panoramas of the highways in the metro area. Her work is about many things other than what is shown in this clip, although this is truly great to see. Cathy is by far one of my favorite artists and is a truly genuine and deeply interesting person. She had such a great impact on my formation as an artist during that time.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Teaching America's youth about studio lighting

Digital Photo II class Fall 2012

Main light with softbox
Main light with softbox & reflector opposite
Kate's favorite lighting set-up...





Nothing better...


photograph by Mr. Kathleen M. Sanker aka the "good" Colonel
I just couldn't resist. Sometimes it is important to rest, to enjoy the moment, to let things soak in, and to make a puppy pile. Contrary to rumors, no my daughter is not being raised by wolves, and yes, this is my most important job, my family, including the photographer who is not shown in this photograph.

And YES, this image is noisy and blurry, and NO, that is NOT the point.  thanks.


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Coming soon! SPE Midwest Conference Oct 11-13 in Cincinatti,OH

If you are a serious photography student and you want to take things to the next level. This is the organization for you. Every fall there are intimate regional conferences and every spring there are huge national ones. Network with folks about transfer schools, other students, fellowships, grants, residencies, teaching positions, exhibitions, you name it.  

There are ways to defray the costs. Click on the link and find out for yourself!

https://midwest.spenational.org/conference

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Art21 News: Sarah Sze Improvises, Diana Al-Hadid Balances Work and Play, and More


http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Art21-News--Sarah-Sze-Improvises--Diana-Al-Hadid-Balances-Work-and-Play--and-More.html?soid=1102056357892&aid=ynryOxoqpEA

Oil

http://www.americanphotomag.com/photo-gallery/2012/07/otw-edward-burtynskys-oil


Hmmm?? What is the value of your college education?

Students, friends, colleagues,
What is the value of a college education? What about YOUR education?
Listen.


Freakonomics Goes to College, Part 1 & 2: A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast




...better late than never, WELCOME! to a new semester!

Here is a short reading to help us challenge ourselves into living & thinking in the moment, hence making great work...


Everything you take for granted is a blessing. 
Everything you fear is a friend in disguise. 
Everything you want is a part of you. 
Everything you hate you hate about yourself. 
Everything you own does not define you. 
Everything you feel is the only Truth there is to know.
Everything you wish for is already on its way to you. 
Everything you think creates your life. 
Everything you seek for you will find. 
Everything you resist will stick around. 
Everything you let go of stays if it’s supposed to. 
Everything you need is right where you are.

Every time you bless another your bless yourself. 
Every time you blame another you lose your power. 
Every time you think you can, you can. 
Every time you fall you must get up and try again. 
Every time you cry you’re one tear closer to joy. 
Every time you ask for forgiveness, all you have to do is forgive yourself.

Everyone you see is your reflection. 
Everyone you know mirrors you. 
Everyone wants to be happy. 
Everyone wants to live in joy. 
Everyone seeks a higher purpose. 
Everyone breathes the same breath. 
Everyone needs love to survive. 
Everyone has a purpose to fulfill.

Everyone’s the same as everyone else. 
We just get caught up in labels, names, skin color and religion. 
Everyone’s the same as everyone else. 
No one wants to feel the pain. 
Everyone’s the same as everyone else. 
Everyone is dying for love to remain.


- Jackson Kiddard



 (this post was borrowed from a weekly reading post @ Dhristi Yoga) 

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Way to go Virginia!

Here is one of my very own students from a few years back, Virginia Harold. So proud of this gal. She is such a hard worker.

Shooting The Shooter Series, Vol. XIII: Virginia Harold



Monday, June 25, 2012

Photo updates to SPE posts...

Just found some photographs from the photo booth at the conference I attended in San Francisco back in March. The Society of Photographic Education always ends with a really rowdy party and our parties always either have a polaroid photo booth or something the like.  This year it was sponsored by the folks at Capture Integration.

Anyhow, here are some of the fam that attended this year...








Left to right...Susan Moore - Indiana University South Bend, myself, Stan Strembicki - Washington University, Dave Johnson - Saint Louis University & Washington University...

Saturday, June 2, 2012

FREE!!! and terribly USEFUL!!!

I usually hate it when people ask me to buy useless stuff that I don't need. I am about to do the same, but the difference is that it is FREE! and very useful!!


Hey everyone! If you don't already use this, it is such a convenient thing to have. I am using it like crazy for my commission for the Sheldon's 100yr Anniversary. Accept my referral and get a free 2GB space for yourselves while helping me acquire some much needed space to use for my big project.  


For those of you who are wondering, this is such a good way to post folders for folks you might be collaborating with, or for family/friends/clients you want to give files to, or to share with yourself between computers, and for back-up.


The site is called dropbox.com and it integrates well with Apples and PC.


To accept my invite Follow my link here!

Thursday, May 31, 2012

SCC Photo Department Blurb Books READY!!!

Here it is folks! This is time well spent. Take a look at the latest out of the SCC Photo Department from the spring semester! Please take a look, share with friends, and order one if you'd like.


Also, try "UNIVERSITY25" for 25% off as a promo code at checkout.


Pixels & Grain: Vol. 3 - Spring 2012


http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3287734

Saturday, May 19, 2012

In another life Francesca Woodman was my long lost sister...

Francesca Woodman


I am not sure when or where my fascination with Francesca began... I know it must have been close to my grad school days at Wash U. My studio-mate Lila Hays had studied under Francesca's brother Charlie at OU and I am certain that we must have mused over her work quite frequently. Nonetheless my own personal work had long since unknowingly shown undertones of so many of the things that I had come to later find so effortlessly depicted in this fragile young woman's images. I am riveted any time that her work is present in a discussion and I cannot completely identify why. Frozen in time, her issues are like so many that young and creative individuals' psychic landscapes that remain unresolved. Hers was particularly due to the fact that she tragically removed herself from this world at a very early age. Every time I engross myself in her work I see it as if it was made just last week instead of 30 years ago... an undeniably admirable quality in a photograph... but at what cost?

Interestingly enough, I just saw that the show of her work, which I narrowly missed at SFMOMA this past spring, has traveled to the Guggenheim in NY until June 13. I am actually having fleeting thoughts of hopping on a plane with my best little gal and going just for the show, if that tells you anything about my minor obsession here... Hmmm, how can I get out of surgery to go to NY???

More on the topic...

Exposures(Aperture's blog) previewing the Guggenheim exhibition, Art in the 1970's: Through the lens of Francesca Woodman

Exposing the Body, Barring the Soul, an article from the NYTimes

The Woodmans

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Bon Anniversaire a moi!

What more could a girl ask for,... 
photographing at the Sheldon with one of my best!! 
                    ...Tom Bremer!!



Monday, May 7, 2012

SCC Photo Department Blurb Book from SP2011 & FA2011

Wheewww!  Finally!!!
Our past semesters' Photo Department blurb books are ready!  

Please spread the word!  

I have uploaded both the SP2011 & the FA2011 volumes. 
Here are the permalinks for you to visit in order to purchase a copy for yourselves:



SP2011   $24.95

FA2011   $28.69

Let me know if you have any problems.
Hope you enjoy.

Stay tuned for the current semester book coming shortly after grades are in!!! 



Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Great Rivers Biennial 2012 | Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

For anyone who has not heard me talk about him or who has not met him, David Johnson is Photo Brother Dave.  He is making us all so proud in his upcoming exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum opening May 11.  You should go.  Check out the details below.

Great Rivers Biennial 2012 | Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

Sunday, April 29, 2012

It is all about being there--UPDATED!!


Whew! Now that the student exhibition is up and juried we should take a moment to pat all of ourselves on the back for participating (whether you were juried in or out) and to the winners chosen by the juror and the for the boardroom. I think you should also take a second to think about this... to everyone that participated, you have my highest regards, win or lose, in or out. It is all about being there. Thanks folks. Successes and so-called mistakes, it requires brave souls to put yourselves out there. You all make me super proud. Can't wait to see your final portfolios!


Awards seen in image may or may not be real  ;)



Boardroom Awards...


Category 1 – Drawing I
C.J. Canter, “Floating Still Life” (DaVania)

Category 2 – Drawing II
Aaron Ivie, “Still Life with Fruit and Such (Smith)

Category 3 – Advanced Drawing
Angie Meyers, “Repose” (Smith)

Category 4 – Figure Drawing
Janice Flagg, “And So I Stand” (Smith)

Category 5 – Graphic Design
Vance Perkins, “The Adventures of Skunky Squirrel” (Mogerman)

Category 6 – Sculpture
Steve Hackmann, “Butterflies in the Stomach” (Ouellette-Kirby)

Category 7 – Black & White Photography I
Vincent Dyer, “White Noise” (Fisher)

Category 8 – Digital Photography I
Darin Mlady, ‘Perfect 32” (Ouellette-Kirby)

Category 9 – Advanced Black & White Photography
Elizabeth Sheck, “The One That Reminds Me of Man Ray” (Fisher)

Category 10 – Advanced Digital Photography
Kimberly Mae Wall, “Lost and Found” ”(Sanker)

Category 11 – Design I
Carl Cassidy, “Four Seasons” ”(Robinson)

Category 12 – Illustration & Design II
Janice M. Flagg, ‘Simply Black and White” (Reidel)

Category13 – Ceramics
Laura Lloyd, “Sticks and Stones” (Meeks)

Category 14 – Jewelry
Elizabeth Sheck, “Adeline’s Locket” (Ouellette-Kirby)

Category 15 – Painting I
Marlena Speraneo, “Still Life 3” (Smith)

Category 16 – Painting 2 & Advanced Painting
Terri Berg, “Self-Portrait with Microwave”  (Smith)

Category 17 - Printmaking
Eric Zimmer, “Anticipation” (Russell)

ADDITIONAL AWARD WINNERS
1. Terri Berg, “You Didn’t”  (Smith)__________________________category: Painting II
2. Lu Cross, Industrial Strength” (Ouellette-Kirby)________________category: Ceramics
3. Rick Spriggs, “Bright Eyes” (Ouellette-Kirby) __________________category: Jewelry
4. Jan Slade, “Apples in a Bowl” (Smith) _____________________category: Drawing II
5. Rachel Mitchell, “Once Upon a Time” (Sanker)__________category: Adv Digital Photography
6. Amy Stadler, “Maps of Symmetry” (Russell)__________________category: Design I
7. Taylor Clark-Jones, “Night Scene 1” (Smith)_________________category: Advanced Painting




Read this!!  Juror's Statement & Awards...

SCC Student Art Exhibition
April 20, 2012

Juror Awards
Ken Wood, Juror

It was a pleasure to jury this show, and I was as impressed by the effort and talent of the students as I was by the rigor of the program here. 
Selecting which works to include is always a difficult process, as every project has something unique and special about it.  But because there were so many works, I had to narrow it down.  Some works were chosen because they explored some aspect of the medium that none of the others did;  some were chosen because they went well with others in their category (either thematically or visually).  And sometimes when a number of projects were similar (ie, they came from the same assignment), I chose two or three to represent the whole group so as to avoid repetition. 
If your work was not chosen to be in the show or to receive an award, please don’t lose hope in that work.  I encourage you to submit it to other venues;  each juror has different things that he or she is looking for, and the more people you show your work to, the more likely you are to find a juror (or gallery, or client) who’s looking for exactly what you have. 

A few things that stood out in this show:
There were some very inventive approaches in the foundation courses, such as the fractured graphite drawings of Drawing I, or the blending of genres in Design II/Illustration.  These kinds of projects are especially important at the beginning of a curriculum, because they help draw out the possibilities of a non-conventional approach, something every artist should nurture.  There seems to be a concerted effort in all of the 2D courses to show that context is just as important a part of a composition as subject matter – this led to some very coherent and resolved images.  Color theory is another strength in the program, not just in Design II but also in the painting and digital photography courses;   I especially liked the way that Drawing II was so focused on color theory.  The theme of narrative, including not just story but also characters and set,  plays a large part in the best works from the photography courses (and also in some ceramics, jewelry, and painting projects).  And an emphasis on adaptive reuse in Sculpture (as well as in some jewelry projects) proved to be excellent start to some very inventive and unique student work.  


1. Drawing I
Still life drawing is the staple crop of Drawing I courses – or so I thought before seeing the selection of drawings here. This display makes a good argument for teaching beginning drawing with a more diverse subject matter and more invention.  Some images distinguish themselves with strong composition, others with a deft use of light and shade, and some with sheer creativity. 
Amy Stadler gets first place with her very inventive “Seven years of bad luck”;  she proves here that she has the patience required to transform graphite into a complexity of different textures and shapes, all in a dynamic fractured space.   Aaron Ivie gets second place with “Frank,” and Julie Han gets third with “Fly Fish Salon”;  each of these drawings displays great control of the medium to create texture and likeness. 

2. Drawing II
The explosion of color in this category can barely be contained on this wall, and made this class one of my favorites. 
As it was so hard to pick just three,  I decided to make first place a tie:  Jon Slade and Aaron Ivie share first place with “Apples in a Bowl” (Slade) and “Still Life with Fruit and Such” (Ivie).  The rendering of surfaces and transformation of black paper to a space filled with light make these very strong images.  Marisa Pope takes second place, giving the viewer a window into how the drawing is constructed (while still maintaining an integrity of surface, space and light).  Tim Connors’ drawing of a black vase with red cloth, while less refined in some ways, shows a great sensitivity to color and its use as a foil to create contrast and focus.  Even his greys and blacks are colorful.

3. Advanced Drawing
Angie Myers takes first and second place with her two enigmatic renderings of models seen from behind:  one male, done in pastel, and the other female, painted with acrylic.  In each, the mark-making is spare, yet developed enough to transform the color paper (and chipboard?!) into flesh, light, and space (hard to do that with chipboard!). 

4. Figure Drawing
Janice Flagg takes first place here; her delicate modeling of form creates a suppleness of texture, transforming the charcoal into something that has life.  She is able to describe the figure almost entirely with shapes, allowing line to act as an accent that provides movement and focus.  Aaron Ivie takes second place with “Kate.”

5. Graphic Design
The web design and box kite projects show how diverse and eclectic the application of graphic design can be.  First place goes to Demi George’s box kite, and second to Alfredo Carbojal’s.  Third goes to Vance Perkins for his web design “The Adventures of Skunky Squirrel,” as creative in its title as it is in its execution.

6. Sculpture
Adaptive reuse is a good way to prolong an object’s usefulness.  It’s also a good way to trigger the imagination of the person doing the adapting.  Desiree Cabell and Ralph Rollins use creativity and ingenuity in adapting their found objects into volumetric sculptures that give their objects a second life;  they tie for first place.  Second place goes to Sonny Hartman for “You Play, You Pay,” his enormous relief sculpture reminiscent of a slice of a Roman Sarcophagus carving.

7. Black and White Photography
Vincent Dyer gets first and Dalton Smith gets second place in this, the smallest of the categories.  Both show a strong grip on composition, tone and texture, and each photo, though black and white, seems rich with color;  they are able to stretch the medium to make us imagine the things we can’t see.

8. Digital Photography
First place goes to Michael Randman’s “Strange Destination.”  This reveals nothing at first glance;  it is only upon deeper inspection that the viewer begins to see forms emerging from the wilderness.  The image conceals in order to reveal, and an ordinary scene is transformed into something ominous in the process.  Connor Lockett gets second for the simply composed yet richly textured “As dead as the Enemy.”  Third goes to Heather Bradley’s “Outside In,” a small gem that doesn’t show its splendor until seen up close, at which point the artist’s mastery of color and contrast is revealed.

9. Advanced Black and White Photography
Sonny Hartman gets first place for his photo of a contemporary couple’s embrace in the midst of a scene that could be of another time and place.  Elizabeth Sheck’s “The One that Reminds them of Man Ray,” a photograph that is strangely reminiscent of Man Ray, comes in second for its rich metallic tones and enigmatic image of a woman that is part machine. 
Photography has always been a good medium for revealing the beauty in the unexpected;  Alyson Wittich does this in the rich tones of her silver gelatin print of an industrial doorway, which gets third place.

10. Advanced Digital Photography
There is a strong theme of allegory running through these images, and they reveal that the photographer can also act as a cinematographer.  Rachel Mitchell takes first with her six images from fairy tales.  These are very timeless, but have just enough contemporary  detail to set them apart from the original.  They show an understanding of costume, set design and lighting as much as they do of color and composition.   Kimberly Mae Wall comes in second with “Lost and Found.”  And third place is a tie between two images that provide stage and character for a modern myth:  Philip Cary’s “Lock and Dam” and Josuha Evans’ “Lucent.”

11.  Design I
Synthesis of pattern seems to be a theme and a strength in this category. 
It isn’t easy to integrate painting, drawing, drafting, stenciling, collage, photography and even sewing into a seamless, coherent design, but that is exactly what Samuel Reynolds has done with his fold out book “Sick Cities,” which was awarded first place.   Amy Stadler gets second with her “Maps of Symmetry,” an intricately painted study of bilateral symmetry, quadrilateral symmetry, and some other kind of symmetry I’ve never heard of before.  And  Cynthia Fyfe comes in third with her “Zebra”:  simple and to the point, it is still a very satisfying blending of pattern into a balanced composition that has movement and focus. 

12.  Illustration and Design II
Superimposition and juxtaposition are themes here, with the “Old Masters meet Modern Packaging” project and the multi-layered still life project.   Janet Flagg’s Bezold Effect project does a great job showing how much our perception of the same colors changes when seen against different backgrounds (black and white outlines in this case).  This is a classic design 2 project but never gets old;  this example is very satisfying to look at.  Design and Illustration often involve problem-solving, and the next two projects do that very well:  Thao Truong’s “Camo,” in which in which the artist has seamlessly matched the color and pattern of a collage swath;  and Jon Slade’s double still life of fruit and skulls, which shows two versions of the same superimposed images, each with a different palette, ambiance and emphasis. 

13. Ceramics
I’ve always been amazed at the ability of clay to transform itself into so many different things, from monumental sculpture, to image, to relief print;  from solid to liquid;  and from ordinary vessel to cultural vessel.   The pieces I chose represent three of these very different iterations of clay.  First place goes to the Laura Lloyd’s poetic and ambitious “Sticks and Stones,” which part portrait, part symbol, and part story.   Second place goes to Sandy Chan for a very convincing transformation of clay from solid to liquid (by way of a couple thousand degrees of heat).  Third goes to Eric Brooman for his blending of graffiti tags with a classically shaped and colored urn. 

14. Jewelry
A tie for first place reveals two very different aspects of jewelry and of design in general.  Elizabeth Sheck does a lot with a little:  with just two silhouetted  planes of copper, one convex, the other concave, she is able to incorporate portrait, landscape, atmospheric perspective, figure-ground and story in a beautifully synthesized and crafted pendant.  Conversely, Rick Spriggs does a lot with a lot:  his kinetic “Bright Eyes” brings together symbolism, caricature and mechanics in a playful and transparent creature.  Angie Colbrath takes second place with “Home Sweet Home,” and Elizabeth Sheck reappears for third with “Adeline’s Locket.”

15. Painting I
The still life studies of Painting One show the importance of context in perceiving color, and they are a good reminder of the fact that every square inch in a painting is valuable real estate.   Jazmine Poblette takes first place with her tightly cropped still life done in muted colors and chromatic greys;  edges help to frame the central elements, and warm plays off of cool to maintain a sense of motion throughout the piece.   Marlena Speraneo takes second place with the most primary palette of this trio.  Her prismatic colors jump forward, but not too much;  the muted and tinted colors around them help to pull them back into the painting.  The almost overbearing red at the top is cut into by the transparent blue bottle, which helps keep the balance of power in check.  David Fisher’s third place still life “White Lady” is the most daring in its use of shaded tones and earthy ochre colors to counteract the prismatic colors of the still life. 

16.  Painting II and Advanced Painting
First place goes to Terri Berg for her “Self-Portrait with Microwave,” a rich composition of colored greys that reveals the eerie and the supernatural in the everyday.    Second goes to Taylor Clark-Son’s (sp?) “Night Scene,” a depiction of a desolate landscape reminiscent of Edward Hopper.  Third place goes to Janice Flagg’s “Through the Looking Glass” with its strong contrast between a geometric, bejeweled border and the fleshy, modeled figure within.

17.  Printmaking
The four prints described here share a story line which is familiar but always interesting:  within a chaotic rumbling of frantic and sometimes grotesque marks, a lone figure emerges into clarity amidst its murky surroundings.  Dylan Kughn does this in blood red and black with his first place “Death Knell.”  Second place is shared by Eric Zimmer (“Anticipation”) and Emily Simmons (“Freaks”).  And Kimberly Duncan gets third place with her dragon that evolves from stick figure to realized form as it sheds transparency and comes to life.


BEST OF SHOW
As hard as it was to choose from the many excellent works in each category, it was even harder to determine the winners in this last category.   After much internal debate, I came up with the following for the top three works:

First Place:
Michael Randman’s “Strange Destination,” a color digital photograph that is contemporary while also having a timeless quality to it, gets first place.  With very little information, and a lot of concealing, a scene is presented that has beauty, mystery, and, just slightly, danger.

Second Place:
Angie Myers gets second in show with her very spare pastel drawing of a male figure.  Her mastery of the medium gives just enough information to show flesh, light, shade, shadow and background, while still revealing the texture and color of the paper over large parts of the page. 

Third Place:
Laura Lloyd, “Sticks and Stones.“  This genre-defying piece brings many materials and ideas together, such as found objects, ceramics, pedagogy, poetry, childhood, and story, yet it still remains a singular and integrated piece.



Drawing I: 
1st: Amy Stadler, "Seven years of bad luck"
2nd: Aaron Ivie, "Frank"
3rd: Julie Han, "Fly Fish Salon"


Drawing II:
    (tie)1st: Jon Slade, "Apples in a Bowl"
          Aaron Ivie, "Still Life with Fruit and Such"
2nd: Marissa Pope
3rd: Tim Connors 


Advanced Drawing:
   1st: Angie Myers
    2nd: Angie Myers


Figure Drawing: 
   1st: Janice Flagg
    2nd: Aaron Ivie, "Kate"


Graphic Design: 
   1st: Demi George
    2nd: Alfredo Carbajal
    3rd: Vance Perkins, "The Adventures of Skunky Squirrel,"


Sculpture:
     (tie)1st: Desiree Cabell
           Ralph Rollins
    2nd: Sonny Hartman, "You Play, You Pay,"


Black and White Photography:
   1st: Vincent Dyer
    2nd: Dalton Smith


Digital Photography: 
   1st: Michael Randman, "Strange Destination"
    2nd: Connor Lockett, "As dead as the Enemy"
    3rd: Heather Bradley, "Outside In"


Advanced Black and White Photography:
   1st: Sonny Hartman
    2nd: Elizabeth Sheck, "The One that Reminds them of Man Ray"
    3rd: Alyson Wittich


Advanced Digital Photography: 
   1st: Rachel Mitchell
    2nd: Kimberly Mae Wall, "Lost and Found"
      (tie)3rd: Philip Cary, "Lock and Dam"
           Josuha Evans, "Lucent"


Design I:
   1st: Samuel Reynolds, "Sick Cities"
    2nd: Amy Stadler, "Maps of Symmetry"
    3rd: Cynthia Fyfe, "Zebra"


Illustration and Design II
   1st: Janet Flagg, Bezold Effect
    2nd: Thao Truong, "Camo"
    3rd: Jon Slade


Ceramics:
   1st: Laura Lloyd, "Sticks and Stones"
    2nd: Sandy Chan
    3rd: Eric Brooman


Jewelry: 
      (tie)1st: Elizabeth Sheck
            Rick Spriggs, "Bright Eyes"
    2nd: Angie Colbrath, "Home Sweet Home"
    3rd: Elizabeth Sheck, "Adeline's Locket"


Painting:
   1st: Jazmine Poblette
    2nd: Marlena Speraneo
    3rd: David Fisher, "White Lady"


Painting II and Advanced Painting:
   1st: Terri Berg, "Self-Portrait with Microwave"
    2nd: Taylor Clark-Jones, "Night Scene,"
    3rd: Janice Flagg, "Through the Looking Glass"


Printmaking:
   1st: Dylan Kughn, "Death Knell"
     (tie)2nd: Eric Zimmer, "Anticipation"
           Emily Simmons, "Freaks"
    3rd: Kimberly Duncan


BEST OF SHOW:
   1st: Michael Randman "Strange Destination"
    2nd: Angie Myers, (male figure)
    3rd: Laura Lloyd, "Sticks and Stones"