Graduating Seniors Show

It seems that the painting I'm most drawn to, recently, is of the drippy, messy abstract expressionist variety. I stopped by the Else Gallery this week to take in the work of the graduating seniors. I've seen Sarah Dutra working behind the ASL frequently when working there and I really enjoy what she does. I find inspiration from these paintings, and am happier with my own drawing final because of it. The thin washes and drippy white acrylic overlaid on the more vibrant colors underneath give an entrancing feeling of depth, creating a three dimensionality inside a 2D space. The subtle pops of yellow and blue below reinforce the feeling of mood.

Sarah Dutra
Last Minute
Multi-Media on Canvas
2014

 I don't think it would be fair if, as a sculptor, I didn't include at least one 3D piece. I really enjoy ceramics, the practicality of it, the dual nature of having an inherent use despite a need for visual aesthetics that are pleasing. This work by Nicholas Sullivan doesn't appear to have a specific use like a teapot or a cup and saucer might, but it is beautiful all the same. I enjoy the coarseness of the building methods and the glazing as well.  Instead of using neat slabs of clay, each plane was creating by throwing the material on the table at an angle, allowing inertia to work on it, expanding the clay and picking up the imprint of the table and canvas board below. Constructed as it is, it has a vibe of a precarious structure, a previously tall tower that has buckled under it's own weight.

Nicholas Sullivan
Fountain #1
Ceramic
2013

Last is a piece by Mary May-Yuarn Fong, something truly atmospheric and haunting. Again with the drips, too. Wisps of color and line create a feeling of circular movement throughout the piece, manufacturing an environment for its contents to inhabit. The quality of paint is smoother than that of Dutra's, seen above, with a more subtle creation of space and form and a more "real" environment. I love the feeling of being in a fantastical realm, looking out on a great valley with a small city sprouting up beside a large cliff, like I'm leaving on a grand journey, not sure when I will return.

Mary May-Yuarn Fong
The Parting
Acrylic on Canvas
2014