Crossley Gallery 2009-2010

Just a Moment

2010-04-12T06:32:00.001-07:00

Senior Fine Artist, Josh Weinstein, showed his 25 minute film in the Judy Hughes Studio on Friday, April 2, 2010. The show was a huge success.

I started drawing because I am interested in the many different ways we can see. Recently, I have applied this interest to the objects I encounter on a daily basis through the act of physically manipulating what I find. This is one way of seeing. Presently, I am evaluating why I feel the need to go out of my way to reconfigure the interesting day-to-day objects and situations I encounter at all. This is another way of seeing. In the meantime, I have resigned to the somewhat less-intrusive approach of videotaping various moments in my day-to-day life. Through this mode of seeing I have discovered entirely new ways to be intrusive and manipulative (the simple act of holding a small electronic device is a very curious and powerful gesture.) This practice has also allowed me the opportunity to witness my life in action, so to speak.

-Joshua Weinstein

The Greatest Show on Earth

2010-04-12T06:21:00.001-07:00

This show was a collaboration between Senior Fine Artist, Wayne Levy, and Fine Artist, Jeremy Fisher.

Gallery Visitors were surprised to find theirselves entering the gallery into a large cage as "alien" creatures ridiculed them tirelessly.

My work is purely about telling stories from my imagination. Story telling is something I am very passionate about, and I have been telling stories through my art for a long time. My favorite stories to tell are the ones from my phantasmagorical dream world. These stories consist of mystical creatures that dwell in my mind and the fantastical adventures they have. All of my artwork is a first person view seen through the eyes of the deceased Dr. Z, the scientist/archeologist, who has transported through a gateway to another universe. As Dr. Z explores this universe he records everything he sees. What we see is everything he has recorded and brought back, which includes the origins and the fate of the human race. Installation is the biggest medium I am using, but not everything is limited to installation. There will be many colorful paintings, masks and an extensive journal.

-Wayne Levy

Ubiquitous

2010-03-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

UBIQUITOUS featured artwork by senior fine artists Tiffany Gosselin and Catherine Villeneuve.

I combine the human form with the natural shapes of trees. Borrowing from yoga with its natural balance, inner strength, and flexibility I use the postures and stances for my figures. Mangroves, also known as the walking tree, have a flexible stance and grow along coasts. They are a critical part of our ecosystem helping water be compatible with the land. I have blended the human form, the yoga postures and mangroves to create sculptures that speak of a balance.

In casting, rebirth or recycling is a part of the process. A block of metal is melted down and then reformed into a tree reflecting a metamorphosis process. The natural element we use to make or melt metal is fire. I use fire as a symbol for recycling and loss. (Even the original wax sculpture is lost because the mold is being made from it for the metal sculpture.) I demonstrate the recycling process by creating the same sculpture in recycled paper. Then I ignite it with fire. The paper mangrove person is reduced to ash, creating a sense of loss.

My art reflects my personal interest in nature conservation, science, spirituality, and enjoyment. I want the viewer to reflect on how they are interconnected with nature. How the disappearance of one species can eliminate others. There is a direct symbiotic relationship between man and nature. Disturbing this positive connection can result in the death of both.

-Catherine Villeneuve

My artwork represents the ongoing issues within the water crisis and the treatment of the planet as a whole. My process is related to the issues through its time-based set up, and the materials. I use ice because it talks about the many forms of water. First I start with an ice sphere, it melts into a liquid and then evaporates into a gas. There is a residue left behind on watercolor paper which for me represents the presence of water everywhere around us. It also represents the depletion of the fresh water supply throughout the world. My projections and installations use current environmental topics such as possible climate change, wars created over fresh water, and the mistreatment of the planet by humans in general. The work should bring the viewer to understand that these issues are real and they can (and will) continue to grow.

-Tiffany Gosselin

The Voyage of Infinite Parallels

2010-03-20T13:52:00.001-07:00

"The Voyage of Infinite Parallels" featured artwork by senior fine artists, Amanda Seckington and Mikaela Williams.

Artists Mikaela Raqueal Williams and Amanda Lee Seckington made the decision to have their senior thesis show together after fully realizing the naturally occurring dialogue that exists between the content of their work. Williams' imagery reflects her affinity for space, where Seckington's reflects the sea. For Williams this stems from growing up in Titusville, FL with parents working for the NASA program, while for Seckington it stems from growing up on military bases with parents enlisted in the US Navy.

Williams combines personal craft and technology, creating a rich dialogue between the hand-made and the machine object, and the often blurred line in between with a metaphysical viewpoint. Through self-portraiture she is using herself as a substitution for the human race and how we as individuals are affected by the increasing influx of information available through technology.

"Overall, the work is about the overwhelming sense of longing for a New World, and the silent haunting of the Old. Opposition plays a key role throughout my work. The natural landscape of the tropics in contrast to the fabricated, industrial aesthetic of the military is where most of my imagery and content originate. The constants throughout my work are personal symbolism and a polished level of technical craft." –Seckington

This interview was a bit longer than the rest, so in order to upload it to the blog I had to create 3
smaller videos. Enjoy! -Tiffany

Heaven or Hell

2010-03-07T16:49:00.000-08:00

SNG/VAK

2010-02-26T20:33:00.000-08:00

SNG/VAK featured artwork by senior fine artists, Sarah Graves and Victoria King.

Sarah Graves's work is constructed with screen printing, drawing, painting, and sculptural techniques. Her work is a portrayal of space and warping perspectives in abstract form that could be considered non-formal because the work itself reflects the speed, motion of youth culture and spontaneity.

Victoria King works with screen printing, creating an assembly line of generic images addressing issues of feminism, commercialism and commodity. The images express the nature of gender inequality, examining the women's social roles and relationships. Turing her prints into sculptures, she allows her viewers to interact with her work, projecting their personal feelings and experiences by altering the sculptures while maintaining their anonymity.

Unacknowledged Magic

2010-02-20T07:54:00.001-08:00

Unacknowledged Magic featured artwork by senior fine artists, Christine Pronkse and Sarah Valdez.

Christine Pronske's work is about recreating, constructing and deconstructing paths of self-discovery and guidance. She takes maps of a familiar place and portrays the paths that show the movement in that time and space. She feels that the places we are from and the routes we take influence who we become. We tend to appreciate a place a lot more after we are removed from it and we want to leave a mark on the places we experienced. She believes that her work has an endless process where she will constantly venture into environments and expeditions reflecting on her experiences from the past.

Sarah Valdez's paintings and featured film cherry_bomb are a reflection of the influence she has on others and the influence they have on her. The people she has chosen to paint attract her subconsciously through the way they affect their surroundings. Their energy is mysteriously altering the enviroment, and this moment strikes her as a pure reflection of their character. Her intent is to paint or film her sitters without a facade, whether they are showing one to her or not. She describes an anonymous presence that manifests from the physical body, changing her visual perception. This is the feeling she captures. She is providing a unique opportunity to reflect on the enigmatic moment now embedded in the painting or film.

Timely Episodes

2010-02-13T09:51:00.000-08:00

This show featured work by senior fine artists, Jessica Asp and Kristi Forbes.

Jessica Asp reflects and explores the environment and her connection to nature, capturing the atmosphere, mood and perspective of a specific place and time. She examines details closely such as the subject’s texture and tactile qualities and is intrigued by the intentional and unintentional patterns that emerge in her work. What she paints grows from the original subject so that the result is not just an identical copy; it has its own unique mood and style. The subject passes through her eye and hand, to emerge as a new entity. When she begins a painting her goal is to re-create the actual place and objects from her own perspective.

Kristi Forbes artwork is about the exploration of anger and depression as a result of a personal conflict with family that contributed to a great deal of stress and frustration. The imagery of a couch repeats itself in the work representing laziness, fear, safety and absolute boredom. Text is used to illustrate when and where certain actions and events had taken place, while having spent all of last summer living on a couch. She worked with simple materials exploring and experimenting with process. The work became a form of personal journals, and therapy helping to overcome the experience.

18637.9375ft3

2010-02-06T08:24:00.001-08:00

18637.9375ft3 is an exhibition featuring recent works by fine arts seniors, Joshua Fuller and George Retkes.

Joshua creates images that are made from small dioramas which he crafted. They include animal figurines with humanistic characteristics bestowed upon them, along with other various objects used to create a setting for them. Together with the juxtaposition of images he creates a narrative that is personal, yet open to the viewers interpretation.

George creates sculptures and prints that explore the organic and textural qualities of the natural world. His wooden sculptures come from branches which are sliced up and reassembled to create a new form. The bronze sculptures are cast directly from the center void of some branches where insects once lived. His prints are based on images taken with a microscope, then manipulated and transformed from digital data into a textured, tactile print.

"Blended"

2010-01-30T13:43:00.000-08:00

This show featured work by senior fine artists, Guy Abate and Allison Pineau.

Guy Abate works with acrylics on canvas and board to create interesting atmospheric images. Allison Pineau works with screen printing and deals with a large number of prints to create installations of brights colors. Their intermingled with each other to take on an expressive reality to uncover a vast range of feelings, emotions, and reaching into the unconscious psyche.

"Kill the Body and the Head will Follow"

2010-01-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

Featuring work from senior artists Lauren Nelson & Heather Jackson

These artists are both dealing with ideas about pain, hospitals, and medicine; However, they work in very different ways. Heather's work is dealing with the mind and how the world views mental illness through installation, video, and performance, while Lauren's work is about the body and how we experience pain through printmaking and other various techniques with paper.

Visitors arrive and are able to interact with Heather's entrance installation.

Adam Scott and Sarah Graves perform.

This patient has had a long day.

View of Lauren's work.

Lauren uses burning techniques on paper to create images of her brain scans.

Installment of Lauren's burned drawings.

This is one of Lauren's prints that depicts x-rays of her neck.

Viewers look at the installation after much action has taken place.

2010-01-18T20:25:00.001-08:00

The Spring 2010 Schedule has arrived!

Jan 22 Heather Jackson & Lauren Nelson "Kill the Body and the Head will Follow"
Jan 29 Allison Pineau & Guy Abate "Blended"
Feb 5 George Retkes & Josh Fuller "18637.9375ft3"
Feb 12 Jessica Asp & Kristi Forbes "Timely Episodes"
Feb 19 Sarah Valdez & Christine Pronske "Unacknowledged Magic"
Feb 26 Victoria King & Sarah Graves "SNG/VAK"
March 5 Jenny Vu & Aislinn Stone
March 19 Amanda Seckington & Mickaela Williams
March 26 Chatherine Villeneuve & Tiffany Gosselin
April 2 Josh Weinstein & Wayne Levy "The Wonderful World of Oddities and Commodities"

Crossley Review

2009-11-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

A Review of “Open” by Aislinn Stone

On November 6^th, 2009, a group show organized by Bradley Wester called “Open” opened in the Crossley Gallery. The exhibition included the seventeen fine arts juniors that make up Mr. Wester's Painting III class: Kris Brian, Justine Delman, Daniel Dias, Julienne Duverny, Jeffrey Heart, Brittney Hollinger, Georgie Landy, Paul Link, Therese Mcpherson, Max Moore, Cheryl Murphy, Alexandra Plemmons, Trisha Rampersad, Treavor Rennick, Rachel Robbins, Megan Scott and E. Danielle Slaughter. The show included sculptures, paintings and installations. There was a diverse range of art including: abstractions, self portraits, and political pieces (or so I thought, judging from a painting by Treavor Rennick).

The painting by Rennick was my favorite overall. My first impression was that the work referenced the war in Iraq, due to the desert colored sand and the images of a dead soldier, woman and ghost. When I asked the artist about the meaning behind the work, he told me it dealt with female first person shooters who were out to kill ghosts in a video game. This increased my interest in the work. The figures and the ghost were painted using a simple black outline. The shooter had fallen dead onto a wash of light orange ground meeting with a faded purple sky. The scale of the painting was appropriate, and the use of black outline and minimal use of faded color made for a very simplistic yet strong image.

Many artists have used subject matter from video games for their work. This is a way of working that is prevalent in the world today. Some of these artists include Damiano Colacito who has remade elements of the video game Halo into life size versions keeping the objects planer texture and visual appearance from in the game. Another artist Brody Condon has worked with first person shooter games documenting character suicides and in more recent work he has created projections one might assume is a scene from a video game that remake old religious paintings using elements from his own personal computer animations. Both these artists exhibit internationally and were part of a group show in Tampa, Florida titled Audience and Avatar. This new wave of video game artists is spreading worldwide. Art has gone from referencing video games to having a virtual art world within one such as in the game “Second Life”, which well known artists such as Cao Fei have chosen as their art medium. In Second Life players are encouraged to scan in art or create art works in game, and sell these to other players. There is even an art star in the game named StarAx Statovsky who has already had his work in a retrospective at the game's Aho Art Museum. Second Life even has its own art magazine called Slart that aims to bring real art world issues to the virtual world within the game.

All of these young artists mentioned above along with Treavor Rennick raise common issues that come with being part of Generations Y and Z, generations characterized by being highly connected to video games, computer games, media technologies, the World Wide Web and cell phones. Those of us born in the 80's and beyond have been nicknamed the “digital natives” by theorists and scientists. I expect we shall see an increased number of artists who use video games as a medium for their work as the playing of such games increases within the general public. The difference between the artists listed above and Rennick's work is that he doesn't use elements or story lines of video games already in existence, but refers to a video game he himself made up. Rennick also holds onto the tradition of painting in his narratives taken from his video game world.

Looking at the show as a whole I could not help but notice the color scheme throughout the gallery. Primary colors were everywhere and a good portion of the work was abstract. It was a pleasure to see a strong group of artists in a painting class in the fine arts department that is actually painting. I was impressed with the professional level of presentation that far exceeded what I have come to expect judging from past shows in the Crossley Gallery. The juniors did an excellent job in organizing the event.

"Turn into Something" Nov 13

2009-11-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

Featuring all new works by Ashly Lovett and Daniel Dias including small and large scale oil paintings, acrylic paintings and large scale pastels.

"We have known each other since the beginning of freshman year. For three years we have shared many ambitions and pushed one another as far as possible in our art and as people. We've both developed together by learning, sharing and talking about art. We can both agree that we owe a lot of our success as students to that relationship which has now set us both on a strong path to becoming professionals with a clearer knowledge of who we are, what we want and what we need from our work. We have almost come to the end of our journey together here at Ringling and soon we will have to embrace our futures separately. However, we are confident we will continue on to discover and share with each other as we always have.

For years we have said that by our senior year we would have this joint show to celebrate this relationship that we cherish greatly. We did not want a theme to describe our show, but rather we wanted to display a collection of works which represent our personal skills and interests as of now. I hope everyone can attend and give us their support."

-Ashly Lovett and Daniel Dias

"Open" November 6

2009-11-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

Open is an exhibition of works by the Fine Arts Junior Painting Class, under the instruction of visiting artist, Bradley Wester. Each artist exhibited the results of their first completely OPEN assignment. The work may or may not enlist the medium of paint. Nothing, other than the fact that each artist shares the same class and instructor, was meant to hold this work together.

Participating artists:

Justine Delman, Daniel Dias, Julienne Duverny, Brittney Hollinger, Georgie Landy, Paul Link, Therese Mcpherson, Max Moore, Cheryl Murphy, Kristopher Phillips, Alexandra Plemmons, Trisha Rampersad, Treavor Rennick Rachel Robbins, Megan Scott, Jeffery Heart, and Dannielle Slaughter

ADVANCED DRAWING

2009-11-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

Crossley Gallery is pleased to present “Advanced Drawing”: a collaborative exhibition featuring works from Ringling College of Art and Design’s Advanced Drawing students. This show forges 23 artist’s work coming from two separate classes with a common goal of exploring drawing as an engaging, malleable, and resourceful tool of expression.

A mattress and a bed sheet, masking tape, egg shells, sharpie markers, Jello, graphite, computer programming, glass bottles, laminate, basswood, cut paper, charcoal and magnets are the materials that the artists have employed to convey their personal approach to drawing. In Advanced Drawing the boundaries are blurred between the precious and the expendable, the overlooked and the conspicuous, the generic and the personal.

Works from:

William Robert Ball IV, Arun Balmick, Justine Delman, Julienne Duverny, Jerermy Fisher, Steven Gonzales, Sandra Kurzban, Paul Link, Therese McPherson, Alexandra Plemmons, Trisha Rampersad, Shellie Riffe, Megan Scott, Rachel Robbins, Treavor Rennick, Lauren Alley, Brittney Hollinger, Georgie Landy, Jeffrey Scudder, E. Dannielle Slaughter, Max Moore, Ginger Waugh, Kris Phillips.

"We've Got Game" October 23, 2009

2009-10-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

A call was sent out to all Ringling Students to submit work about games, any kind of games - head games, video games, internet games, board games, sports games, etc. Students answered back with a variety of artwork, everything from a sports performance to traditional illustrations. The work was judged by Wendy Wischer, Ann Albritton, Tiffany Gosselin, and Heather Jackson. The result - "We've Got Game."

This show features work by artists:

Jordie Bellaire, Illustration
Tiffany Gosselin, Fine Arts
Jeremy Griffith, Game Art and Design
Kirk Hughes, Interior Design
Heather Jackson, Fine Arts
Noah Ortega, Game Art and Design
Kris Phillips, Fine Arts
Rachel Saffold, Illustration

"Stuff" October 16

2009-10-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

Paintings By:

Paul Beima, Melanie Chatot, James DeL'Etoile, Kat Fong, Brian Harries, Liz Jaite, Chip Johnson, Sookie Kim, Alyse Miller, Sean Pearson, Alicia Stein

"BOO!" October 9, 2009

2009-10-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

Artists: Michelle Fisher, Stead Thomas and Alex Wallis

BOO! is a show consisting of video installation, a series of drawings, photography and painting. The overall theme of the show is a fun play on halloween themes and topics such as ghosts, witches, black cats and goblins.

Photography senior Michelle Fisher displayed large prints of images where she has attempted to capture ghosts through out the parks of Sarasota, 2009 Ringling College graduate, Alex Wallis captured the grimmer side of Tamiami Trail’s night life through dozens of drawings and water colors, and 2006 Ringling College graduate and current USF graduate student Stead Thomas included a series of video installations, including the filming of ghosts.

"Intensified Sensory Perception" October 2, 2009

2009-10-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Artwork by: Wesley Bayard, Stead Thomas, Alex Shear, William Ball, Alex Wallis, Michelle Fisher, Cody Defranco, Phil Harmon, Nicky Larson, Dane Overton, Sebastian Georgalides, Sam Limbaugh, and Max Roseglass

Intensified Sensory Perception is an exhibition featuring artists that have a similar perception of life portrayed through their work. The show will feature several video installations, as well as various hand printed works. The overall theme of the show will portray a depraved, lascivious, and suggestive mood.

"N x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x fL = N" September 18, 2009

2009-09-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Artwork by John Mack

N x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x fL = N is better know as Drake's Equation. It is famous for it's results in the search for extraterestrial intelligence. The main purpose of the equation is to allow scientists to quantify the uncertainty of the factors that determine the number of such extraterrestrial civilizations.

John's artwork deals with the search for other forms of life in an interesting way. The gallery was dimly lit. One flashing orange light shown over the "UFO." About every 3-4 minutes, the space ship would start to rumble as if it was about to take flight.

John graduated from the Fine Arts program at Ringling College in 2007. Since then he has been working as the technician for the Fine Arts department at Ringling College. He has exhibited his work at the Mack B Gallery and Greene Contemporary in Sarasota, and more recently at the Chelsea Gallery in the Wynwood district of Miami.

"Figures and Landscapes" September 11, 2009

2009-09-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

Senior illustrator, Jacob Neagle, showed us his work in the Crossley Gallery.

“I love everything about life, people, landscapes, cultures and everything in between. My love for life gives me motivation to create art, which I hope will inspire the world with joy.”
- Jacob Neagle

Jacob James Neagle is a motivated young man native to New England. The exhibition will consisted of recent original oil paintings on canvas and masonite. These paintings are portraits and landscapes that have a beautiful plein-air quality that could be categorized as impressionistic realism.

"Vernissage" September 4, 2009

2009-09-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

Josh Weinstein and Jessica Asp traveled to Pont-Aven, France this year and have shown their work in the Crossley Gallery.

"I adjusted fast to Pont-Aven’s simple lifestyle and found myself more focused in my work then I had ever been. Biking in the cold rain to get food or to go home after a long day in my studio became a normal part in my life. The French country lifestyle is a big contrast to America’s fast paced and materialistic culture. The experience I had here in Pont-Aven is one I will not forget and will stay with me for a long time. My work has just begun to express the many experiences of cultural differences I have learned and had here. My appreciation of the small things in life and the experience of living with less are two things I will always remember of my experience in France. Sometimes a simpler way of life is better."

-Jessica Asp

"Pont-Aven was my very first experience in Europe. The whole atmosphere affected me; the colors, people, weather, food. The Plaid Pantings are a systematic investigation of color and harmony. My intention is to evoke the certain emotions if felt while immersed in France through the use of color and line. Shape and pictorial depth are more of a by-product of this linear process."

-Josh Weinstein

Paintings by Jessica Asp

Paintings by Josh Weistein

"No Ones Little Grrr..." August 28, 2009

2009-08-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

Jeffery Heart, Jennifer Vu, and Sarah Valdez show work made in the New York Studio Program last Spring.

"The New York Studio Program was a wonderful experience for me. My favorite part of the program was the freedom. Having an open schedule allowed me to learn more about my own work ethic, and gave me the opportunity to work uninterrupted. My favorite part of living in the city was experiencing all the cultural diversity. Being exposed to so many new people and new ideas really broadened my perspective in a way I'll never forget."
-Jenny Vu