John McEnroe's Latest Creation

Studio Assisting For
John McEnroe
By Brittany Schall


When initially looking at John McEnroe’s work, the first two questions that crop up in ones mind are “how the?” closely followed by “what conceivable thought process brought this on?”. John McEnroe states that he is intrigued with the idea of utilizing multiple, individual components and brining them together to generate a larger unit. He was inspired to create his balloon works by looking at constructions executed out of bricks. Though singular, bricks can be amassed together to produce a chimney, wall, building, or more or less an entirely new entity. McEnroe thought it would be interesting to use this idea and manipulate the rigid format of it. What if he took an object that could be used to build something of a larger scale, but instead of adhering to a synthetic layout, he used a strategy that incorporated an organic edge? With this in mind, John started experimenting with new mediums, (a prevalent, if not dominate theme in his studio) which may possibly lend themselves to this concept.

John began conducting his experiments in an attempt to capture fluidity, mass, and volume within a unit. He wanted to be able to “freeze” these characteristics within in his works while maintaining a method that was cost effective. This led him to prosthetic panty hose, sand, and of course, McEnroe’s all familiar resin. The sand can exhibit the same visual properties of liquid while the resin is able to “fossilize” the water balloon shape. The approach is rather laborious and time intensive, but the end results are well worth it.


McEnroe starts off the process by cutting the sixteen-inch cotton panty hose in half, knotting the ends to form deflated lithe white sacs. Then McEnroe’s next phase is to “milk it” as he calls it. Decoded, this means that he takes a bendable plastic hose attached to a large funnel filled with sand, bends it just so to let the sand flow. The sac quickly engorges into a rather phallic form, it does not help that the panty hose is a medical white. Chuckling, John snickers out that this is animal husbandry at its finest. Once full, the plastic tube is kinked closed and the “balloon” is tied off and slumped into a pile with the rest.

This process continues for an hour or so until enough cycles have produced a sizable mound of balloons. This rudimentary, but relatively effect method, is not without a few flaws. Occasionally, “bleeders” as McEnroe refers to them, occur from time to time. This is when a run or a small whole in the panty hose is present, sand spurts out of this opening, deflating the bag. Before it completely empties, it is hoisted back over the funnel and the sand is emptied into it so it is not a complete waste of manpower. Outside of this refilling method, the funnel maintains its steady fill of sand by having bucket after bucket of sand poured into it. Needless to say, at the end of the day everyone in the studio has raw knuckles and rug burned fingertips.

After the process of filling the bags is complete, the amusing compositional phase begins. The bags are stacked and arranged on top of one another; both aesthetics and physics are employed to create both a functional and visually interesting assemblage. This process can pull the strings of everyone’s seventh grade humor as much as, or even more so, than the “milking” imagery of the sacs being filled. Not only can the bags summon phallic likenesses now; breasts, intestines, and feces can be added to the list as well. Thankfully, the bags positioning is reworked several times to edit out these uncouth visual parallels. Sometimes without warning, the bags chose to rearrange themselves. This leaves everyone dodging the raining array of hospital white prosthetic panty hose sacks. One of the main culprits to this catastrophe can be attributed to the “bleeders”. As the sand leaks out of one, the rest of the bags begin to resettle into an unstable construction around it. Occasionally, the antagonist sack(s) can be caught before it sends all of the rest toppling down. In the case where prevention fails, an entire days work can be easily lost and the “balloons” fall from their positions and gloriously exploded onto the floor several feet below.

After the bags are rearranged and the devistation of any of the disasters have been cleared away, the next stage commences: resin. Gloppy containers are mixed and the race to cover the bags with as much fiberglass possible before the resin sets begins. It is imperative to get the entire structure covered so it can support the next installment of “balloons” that will be placed on top. As it dries, the nylon is broken down and absorbed into the fiberglass along with a few millimeters of the sand. The end result is an incredibly sturdy foundation of biomorphic components where no two sacks are alike.

The freshly resined section of the sculpture is then hoisted off the completed stack and placed in another section of the studio. McEnroe crawls into the beehive like formation and cuts away at the remaining parts of the bags, leaving only a hollow half shell. Subsequent to this, he then resins weak spots on the inside of the sculpture for too reasons. To begin with, the most obvious reason for this is to reinforce the construction so it can support the next wave of sacks. Secondly, this “spot treatment” will prevent any awkward light peeping through the final internally lit sculpture. During this process, it is important to be wary of what John likes to call “meat hooks”. This is where pieces of stubborn fiberglass fail to lie flat, resulting in shards of glass poking outward. These meat hooks can then become problematic when you are shimming in and out of the narrow encasement. Suddenly shirts can be reduced to rags for the car and images of the iron maiden are summoned as you are unexpectedly gouged. McEnroe jokes that his process would make for a perfect submission for Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” hit television show.


Once this intense phase is concluded, the “shell” is hoisted back onto the completed sections of the sculpture. The whole cycle begins again, each time the bags are arranged to slowly converge into a point. The work will be finally topped off and painted a luscious, if not rouge red. An organic obelisk has materialized that conveys an in depth sense of space, weight, and movement. This splendid piece of conceptual art will be seen in full glory by being placed on a six feet tall pedestal on the Highlands Pedestrian Bridge walkway that crosses over I-25 and 16th Street. At night, the monolithic sculpture will serve as a visual beacon as the pulsing red “balloons” will be magnificently lit from the interior. One can only wait with anticipation for this public work to reach the end of its long road and it is displayed for the public’s enjoyment and amazement.

Charles DiJulio

The Presence of a Painter
By Brittany Schall

Charles DiJulio has fostered an extensive career that has not only included exhibiting works for over four decades, but also encompasses being a key member in several art organizations. The two most prominent associations have been Criss Cross and the avant- garde artist commune Drop City. He has shown his work across the nation and has held a strong presence in New York City since 1978. DiJulio’s work has evolved over time from loose action like paintings to his better-known style of systemic painting. Largely influenced by the dynamic relationship between structural patterning and the freedom vibrant color palettes offer, Charles DiJulio works have a commanding presence that is undeniable.

DiJulio’s background falls nothing short of intriguing, however most notable point of personal interest is his involvement with the creative commune Drop City. The artists Gene Bernofsky, JoAnn Bernofsky, Richard Kallweit and Clark Richert founded the site in 1965. The commune was formerly a goat pasture, which was located in southern Colorado just a few miles off from the city of Trinidad. The structures themselves originated from the conceptual and impromptu performances of Allan Kaprow, John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg and Buckminster Fuller at the Black Mountain College. Other influences of the "triacontahedron" and "zonohedra" geometric domes where gleaned from the architectural designs of Buckminster Fuller and Steve Baer.

The purpose of this isolated artisan community was to offer a creative sanctuary for individuals free from the constraints of structured society. Charles remained here for a short stint of a few months before moving on. His presence there was non- politically based and was geared more towards absorbing the ingenious creativity that surrounded him and the overall experience of communal living. After he left, Drop City’s original members drifted away with new generations taking their place. This led to the eventual decline of the fundamental spirit of the site, which in turn brought Drop City to its end in the early eighties.

Coinciding with this time frame, DiJulio was also an active member in the major abstractionist group Criss Cross. This artist collective’s platform was centered on the idea of creating synergy within works through systematic abstract patterning that was non- decorative. This definition precisely fit the format of DiJulio’s work and thought process, hence his heavy involvement from 1974 to 1981.

His works during the era of Criss Cross where specifically grounded in simple interwoven structures that were, in a sense, pure patterning. The compositional layout of these pieces can be somewhat ridged with DiJulio’s precision line work that visually alludes to his immense craftsmanship. However, this aspect is remedied and resolved by incorporating dramatic color shifts that explore the palettes of color field artists. The end result of using both these tactics is a massive work composed of bold ribbons of color which gracefully weave themselves across the canvas. Mesmerizing complementary colors compel any viewer to trace their path through the composition in a near hypnotic state. The vibrant hues reverberate against one another and cause a seemingly three dimensional twist to the flat surface. One motif that the artist has noted as a remerging characteristic within his pieces is the wave like movement. To explain this, DiJulio beautifully constructed a metaphor linking the similarities to his paintings and the structure of music. He notes that same keys are used again and again in music to create a melody; however instantaneous fluidity can emerge within the patterned set. Though restraints do exist within the patterns, they are far from total restriction. In fact, finding a way to work freely within the structure, be it either keys or paint, is were the soul of the creative endeavor lies.

His well known large and untitled works from the sixties and mid- seventies were formulated, in some ways, in response to the prevalent abstract expressionism and action painting that was going on at this time. DiJulio’s earlier works were looser, and most were executed in a modest size on raw canvas. The first few pieces that DiJulio did after these were an investigation on how space can be systematically divided; the dominating motif was a wave like shape of course. To him, these works were more intimate, they communicated softly to the viewer with a deeper sensibility. The human hand was evident with organic strokes and the lax structure. Patterning was the focal point, but with these, the idea of it was far more important than precisely executing it. Following these, he then moved from a meek size onto an impressive scale of around 86 x 70 inches. DiJulio also shifted from the somewhat gestural approach to rendering techniques that exercised intense accuracy. To do this, the rough structure was laid out first usually in the form of preliminary drawings and small sketches. Following this, the ideas are transferred onto the canvas and are continually modified during the process in response to color fluxes, dimensional entanglements and overall aesthetics. This method could easily explain some of the entirely unique colors that he achieves in his works. A ribbon of color could be shifted a number of times from anything from black, to pink, to turquoise, to pink again. Layering these hues creates an unusual color saturation that could never be accomplished by simply mixing paint. When it comes to the inspiration for his work, DiJulio draws upon design elements from various objects such as fabrics from shirts or table clothes.

Presently, DiJulio’s works have returned to a smaller scale and he uses a more organic approach, much like the pieces he did in Boulder prior to Criss Cross. He states that these paintings are more real and are closer to what he is after. To explain the change in dimensions, he once again draws upon fantastic metaphors to help explain personal rationale. He argues that his massive works no longer satisfy him because they were a lot like large sculptures. The artist spends maybe ten minutes on the wax miniature, and then works for next eighteen months trying to replicate an original that was executed in less than an hour. It is illogical to lay aside the creative and conceptual process for the sake of reproducing it on a larger scale. Size cannot be interchanged with creative efforts and struggles, rationally; it should be the other way around so development is not inhibited. With this in mind, new works have return to an intimate size with flesher brush strokes that allude to the pattern within. DiJulio no longer hand feeds his viewers by immaculately rendering massive interwoven color strips, instead he leaves the door open for investigation by leaving ambiguity.

There is pattern, but the loose approach emphasizes that there is more to the work than just this. Color takes on new meaning in these pieces as it acts with more independence. Previously, its main role appeared as an assistant in articulating the pattern, it gave dimension and gave life to a repeating structure. Now, pigment is no longer just an intermediate, it has its own commanding presence based of color sensibility. It has the ability to interact with composition, not just facilitate it. With this, DiJulio’s current works now equally focus on all of the elements of composition, pattern, color, and line quality.

Charles DiJulio continues to exhibit regularly with his last show being at N.Y.C.’s 128 Gallery this past December. He has cultivated an uninterrupted and an extensive career that has a broad scope ranging outside of exhibitions and into the art world itself. DiJulio has been a key member in the non- decorative abstract art movement and has impacted classical perceptions of art through his innovative tactics. He has a true understanding of his work, which enables him to continue to grow and explore new ground. Few artists have the luxury of facilitating a lengthy career, even fewer foster one that is continually exciting from one passage from the next. Charles DiJulio can be noted within both realms, the only thing that may be more impressive than this are the works themselves.

Interview With Current Exhibiting Artist John Hull

Brittany: The content of your work seems to be a snapshot of the few pinnacle moments before a climatic out burst. This creates an undeniable tension for the viewer as they stare at the work almost anticipating the crack of a gunshot, the shouts from couple’s escalated argument, or the sound of a fist connecting with tense flesh. This mesmeric apprehension is only furthered by the apathetic composure of the individuals captured within the scene. My question for you is why do you depict these intense and largely intimate settings with the figures maintaining a somewhat indifferent pose?


John: I think the main think about painting is that it is concrete – you have to give the viewer all the information at one time. Unlike most time based art forms – film, music, theatre, literature – you can’t withhold information and deliver it in increments as work moves forward, everything has to happen at the very beginning. As a result while painting is not great at depicting motion or movement, it’s strength is presenting a dramatic moment that leads the viewer to anticipate activity – ultimately, there is an atmosphere that a painting needs to create that will carry the viewer along and engage them over time. As far the intimate settings – I’m just trying to tell stories that take place in the world I live in – let’s face it – most people don’t live their lives on a grand stage. I think that’s why I needed the intimate pictures to go along with the boxing paintings in “Man’s Adventure.”


Brittany: Your works seem to carry heavy nostalgic undertones that reverberate from iconic American landscapes or pastimes. However, instead of portraying brassy smiles and wholesome fun, it appears as if you show the seedy or despairing side to these environments. Obviously this aspect creates emotionally charged pieces that make you stand out from your contemporaries especially with you rendering your works in a more traditional and painterly manner. I’m curious, why do you choose to portray this subject matter from these viewpoints?

John: The short answer is that I’m a painter and if you’re a painter you paint. Ultimately I think every artist has to find a way to engage himself with the world. For me it’s painting. G.K. Chesterton, the catholic writer and critic wrote,“…In the back of every artist’s mind something like a pattern or a type of architecture. The original quality in any man of imagination is imagery. It is a thing like the landscape of his dreams; the sort of world he would like to make or in which he would wish to wander.”


Brittany: Following along the theme of nostalgia, is this an influence for you to create some of works with a predominately sepia tone or black and white palette?

John: I pick colors that create a kind of emotional atmosphere. There is a warmth in the sepia tones which lends a certain atmosphere to those drawings. In “Man’s Adventure” I intersperse black and white paintings with color paintings. I was initially concerned that the color painting would dominate the wall so I decided to limit my palette – using five colors; white, black, yellow ochre, cadmium red, and ultramarine blue. The result is that the strong value contrast in the boxing pictures stands out and the intimate color paintings sit back creating separate viewing distances for the two types of pieces. All the works, both the drawings and paintings, have to do with memory and as a result I think I use color to support that idea of things remembered. If you look at my baseball paintings Ivar has – the palette for those is completely different from this work and as a result the meaning of those paintings is altogether different.


Brittany: Your smaller works have been metaphorically describes as short poems, they can stand-alone but they all interact under the same umbrella. Do you feel this statement to be true? In addition to this, what is your strong connection to creating a number of smaller works and assembling them into as narratives?

John: Assembling small works to create narratives is an idea I’ve been increasingly interested in. I’ve always been a narrative painter and for the most part I’ve dealt with the idea of a “still” – an image that encodes the meaning of a greater work. I don’t know. I’ve always worked cyclically, creating series of paintings. More recently I’ve looked for ways to combine pictures – linearly or in grid form to create a more extended narrative idea. It seems to me this new work is to some extent a logical extension of my serial work but I’m still thinking about it.


Brittany: When I was looking over you résumé I noted that you had gone to Yale and had received an English degree. With your writing background, do you feel as though you are inspired by stories then create visual works in response to them, or do you create narratives loosely based off personal experiences/ and or/ literature and then let a story evolve during the process of creating works?

John: Well, I think I’ve always been a storyteller or a liar if you prefer. What I found, however, is that as a writer I tend to be pretty didactic and as a result my writing can be a bit limited. I’ve found with painting I can be as didactic as a I want to be and the image remains mysterious and sensuous and ultimately meaningful in ways that interest me. As far as borrowing from literary sources goes – it seems to me that if I can do something different than what the writer did then it’s a worthwhile activity. I also borrow constantly from painting and films and probably would from music except music is completely abstract. Painting is a cultural activity. It’s not created in a vacuum. I make use of whatever interests me in the world.

Brittany: Is there any particular reason why you choose to execute your works in acrylic (the reason that I ask is because I feel close connections to traditional styles in your pieces, but your works seems to contrast these "classic" painting techniques due to the acrylic medium used)?


John: I started out as an oil painter and worked in oil for at least my first 4 or 5 years as a painter. After my first year of graduate school I was really discouraged with my work. I felt like I wasn’t making the kind of pictures I wanted to make. I decided I needed to really learn how to paint – you know, go back to the basics – paint something simple like a landscape. Anyhow, as part of this project I decided that I should change my paint as well – figuring it would be easier to transport my paintings to and from the field if they were dry, I switched to acrylic. I just painted landscapes everyday for about 7 or 8 months – going out everyday – if it was raining I’d paint in my car. Anyhow, one day I was sitting around my studio and I was looking at one of my landscapes and I started thinking about what it would be like to put figures into it. Anyhow, I started putting figures into it and changed it into a night scene and that was the first painting that I made that was my painting instead of a student work or something that relied heavily on someone else’s work. In any case, I never went back to oil. I’m not really big on planning – you know how Ingres plans out everything in a drawing or study before he paints it – I’m not like that. I have some idea that I’m going after that comes from drawing but when I’m on the painting I’m searching for a meaning – one that I haven’t planned on – one that I’m trying to find. Sometimes I find it and sometimes I don’t but basically I need to be able to move figures around a lot and if you try that with oil it will screw up your color.

For information regarding the images posted with this interview or on this site, please visit plusgallery.com

July Exhibition at Plus Gallery

July’s exhibition at Plus Gallery fully immerses itself into cutting edge conceptual artwork with Tsehai Johnson’s Disorderly and Andy Miller’s Flat and Empty. The gallery space has been opened up to allow these powerful pieces to unfold from the walls and floor. Both artists have chosen to show sprawling ground pieces that effectively give the show an undeniable kinetic energy. In addition to the layout of sculptural works supplying vigor to the exhibition, saturated hues also elevate the shows presence. Andy’s subdued red, yellow, and orange intensify Tsehai’s bold palette. The juxtaposition of Tsehai’s highly articulated forms are strengthened against Andy’s large bulky biomorphic shapes. Additionally, the motives in creating the art sharply contrast one another as well. Andy is driven by material and his personal perception of ambiguous organic shapes. Tsehai uses her art to create tension through personal responses from her audiences by presenting seemingly identifiable forms in asymmetrical patterns. The two shows crescendo each other wonderfully and create a powerful exhibition.
When looking at Tsehai Johnson’s pieces, one can see her demonstrate an impeccable skill with working porcelain. The layouts of the pieces illustrate an amazing sensibility in creating interesting compositions that allow for “discovery”. Her inspiration sites her intellectual insight to personal discourses as she teases out individualized reactions through loosely identifiably objects. Her wall shifts draw from Baroque wallpaper and organic forms pulled from chaotic instances that occur within nature. By creating a hybridization of these two ideas, Tsehai calls to question where the fine line lies between organized beauty and anarchic occurrences. At first glance, her wall shifts appear to be somewhat symmetrical; upon closer inspection one can find each individual piece is actually asymmetrical. It is only through visual balance and subtle similarities that these pieces appear to be a set pattern.


Tsehai choose shapes that can distantly be affiliated with actual objects pending on the viewer. This creates a dynamic tension through utilizing shapes that fall just short of something actual and something imagined. In turn, each individual is forced to carve out his or her own understanding to the piece and how the series relates as a whole.
The color palette, placement of components, as well as the organization of the pieces has evolved in this series in comparison to previous bodies of works. Tsehai states that these aesthetic choices are meant to illustrate the playfulness of these wall shifts. The magnetic bright colors are used to highlight how these works draw from a childlike imagination. The hues also helps generate visual interest by making the viewer question what mediums where employed to create the pieces. Another intriguing aspect to these works are the “floating” components which hang from fishing wire and hover above Exploding Carpet.

The surreal effect is somewhat nerve racking as these obviously weighty pieces of porcelain are suspended above the cement floor. By employing these approaches, disorderly creates a deeply personal experience that leads to endless exploration.
Andy Miller’s current show Flat and Empty is by far the artists most conceptual body of work to date. A divergence from his prior exhibitions is evident as hard edges and industrial materials give way to biomorphic shapes rendered in a muted organic palette. The majority of the pieces hang from the walls in large drooping sweeps that allow light to play on the surface to create intriguing curvaceous shadows.

Along with the work itself, the process used to execute it has undergone a transformation as well. Similarly to the pieces, ridged formatting such as intense preliminary sketches and blue prints have been abandoned for an intuitive methodology. With these incorporations, the pieces move into a naturalistic fluidity which creates an in depth dialogue between the audience and the work.
Organic shapes and hues have always been a focal interest for Andy Miller; however, they have not been fully expressed until now. All aspects of life have the capacity to bleed into an artist’s artwork and frequently do. This statement holds true for Andy as his fabrication and design work has visibly taken root within his pieces prior to this July’s exhibition. He sites his strong architectural design; sheen industrial materials and the symbolic references where derived from his fabrication work and had been subconsciously interjected into his pieces. This seemingly deviating exploration of biomorphic shapes was spurred to center stage by a recent proposal devised by Andy for a public sculpture. He made it a point to gravitate away from precise angles and highly saturated colors and towards macrobiotic allusion. This conceptual design subsequently then segwayed Andy into the current series Flat and Empty. Andy’s concerted efforts to maintain to naturalistic attributes found within the environment can be considered successful ones. However, structural motifs seem to inherently emerge in the diptych piece Flat and Empty #4 (green and yellow). Andy stated that these where the last pieces to be created within the series and his will to create strictly organic designs must have began to wane.
With out a doubt Flat and Empty exercises Andy Miller’s ability to manipulate unusual materials that create ominous forms that weld a commanding presence. This series has certainly opened doors to new ideas for the future not only with the process and installation but with the media as well. However, Andy states that he never feels truly finished with any series and always has the intentions of revisiting past series to expand upon them. On this note, it will be beyond interesting to see what is on the horizon for this exceptional conceptual artist.
Both shows will run from July 18th through August 23rd and are must to see in person to experience the full impact the exhibition.

Robin Schaefer Interview

Robin Schaefer



Brittany: You stated at your artist talk that you paint both from life and photo references. As you are executing your works, are there stages where one is used more than the other?

Robin Schaefer: While I am painting I use photo references. This is partly because my paintings develop slowly over time and the subjects I like to paint would decompose. I also like to capture a certain quality of light in my paintings and by taking photographs of the object I can capture that moment.

Brittany: Why do you choose to work using both of these approaches?

Robin Schaefer: I think both are helpful and challenging in different ways. I appreciate the spontaneity that comes from working from life. It is important to change your approach at times and experiment as an artist.

Brittany: Light seems to be another heavy factor within your works as well. Do you see the reflective images that have emerged within your recent pieces as being an extension of this fascination with light?

Robin Schaefer: Light is important in my paintings and I feel it is still a factor in the reflection pieces. I am continuously fascinated with how light can evoke emotion and the reflections add a new element to that. The type of light I use in the reflection pieces is actually very specific. It is from an exact time of day just before sunset and it created this really beautiful ghost like reflection. I studied the way the reflections changed through out the day in various sources of light until I found the right time and effect that I wanted.

Brittany: A large number of your pieces have a very dark if not black background. Do you do this as a stylistic choice, a tool to emphasize your highly saturated hues, or is it apart of a symbolic reference?

Robin Schaefer: The black background is a stylistic choice. It emphasizes the object in the painting and intensifies the fact that the object is isolated. It is dramatic and it makes the space feel infinite. It recedes back. As if you could reach your hand into it. It also references Dutch still life, which use primarily black backgrounds.

Brittany: Predominately in historic still life paintings the viewer is placed a good distance above the objects and looks down upon them. In contrast, your works seem to move the viewer right at or ever so slightly below or above eye level. Is this motif an intentional one? If so, what are you trying to evoke from your audience when you place them at this viewpoint.

Robin Schaefer: I choose a viewpoint that is meant to be engaging and somewhat unsettling. The subject matter is always blown up to be much larger than life and tends to dominate the space on the canvas. I also really want the viewer to notice the details of the subject and its unusual characteristics so I tend to place the object more at eye level.

Brittany: When looking at your body of works as a whole, it is clear that you are continuing with more or less solid thematic ideas that involve organic items and the play of light. The bottle cap paintings appear to be a slight divergence from this due to their synthetic makeup and their reflections that make them a little ambiguous to the viewer. Do you possibly see these as opening a new door to your next series?

Robin Schaefer: I definitely feel that the bottle caps opened up a new door for me and I intend to use them in my next series. I like the ambiguity that they evoke and it is interesting that they still have an organic feel to them. I am also really intrigued with how they seem to fuse realism and abstraction.

Brittany: When choosing your subject matter, are you more interested in the significance that the object can carry or the color and surface quality of the item?

Robin Schaefer: Both of these are a factor in the subjects I choose. However, initially I am drawn to the texture and color of the object. I like to choose subjects that are sensual but also unusual and a lot of that has to do with their texture and color. The white asparagus is a good example.

Brittany: Within your pieces it seems fairly evident that you are attracted to organic forms and the symbolic connotations that they can carry. Can you elaborate how you draw this connection between the chosen imagery and the thoughts, feelings, and ideas that you are trying to convey?

Robin Schaefer: I often start with an emotion I want to convey and then I search for imagery that I feel will fit with that. The potato paintings, for example are about shyness. I new I wanted to do a series on the subject of shyness and insecurity but it took me months to find the right subject matter. In fact I stumbled upon the potatoes one day when my friend was cleaning out her cupboard. They were so shocking and bizarre and they had this quality of being extremely ugly and yet beautiful. The fact that they were growing in the dark was also very symbolic to me. This seemed to parallel the feeling of being shy. Wanting to hide but also wanting to break out and transform. I feel it is very provoking to use organic subject matter to convey my ideas and feelings because that are around us and sustain us on a daily basis. So in a way it is more engaging to see them isolated in a space and blown up larger than life. They become very monumental.

Brittany: What is your favorite fruit?

Robin Schaefer: Lychee

Brittany: What is your favorite color?

Robin Schaefer: Red

Collaboration Works By Morgan and Mramor

The two latest pieces that have emerged from an artist collaboration between Jenny Morgan and David Mramor are extraordinarily powerful. The artist’s two polarized techniques crescendo one another not only through paint application but in the eccentric color palette as well. Morgan loosens her tight rendering of the figure in response to Mramor’s broad and bold mark making. A carnal red emerges in the pieces and devours hands, arms, necks, and sections of the torso. The saturated red then morphs itself into accenting spray paint motifs and illusory line work. Thick viscous paint materializes on the canvas, echoing the brash spray paint and gestural marks. Mramor’s strokes seem to resonate the movement of the figure, accentuating it a curvilinear manner. Both of these works can function individually or as a starting point to an exciting and thought provoking series.

The piece She’s Alive is quite remarkable in the entrancing gaze offered by the portrait and in the placement of dynamic color swatches. The figure gives a soul-penetrating stare with her mouth sensually open as she leans forward as if to speak. Diffused florescent pinks and yellows spread themselves over her hair and neck, giving an odd feeling of paranormal luminosity. The larger color sections appear active as they engulf the lower half of the chest region. Bands of vivid blue paint slip in and out of the forefront leaving resonating afterimages. Vibrantly colored lines oriented in reference to the figure gracefully contour the body and convey a sense of movement. The technical execution of this work in conjunction with the unique subject matter makes it an incredible piece of work.


The second painting Enid Ellen is intriguing due to its gender ambiguity, incandescent pink background, and brazen line work that punctuates the piece. The male figure is the focal point as he gingerly caresses his chest while maintaining a highly feminized contra postal stance. His jeans are slung low on his hips and seductively accentuate the s- curve of the spine. The figure fades in and out of a flat red silhouette into a voluminous hyperrealism form. Arching streaks of spray paint create an aura that encompasses the upper divisions of the body. The hair takes on the elements of the abstract gestural marks as it swells, flowing off to the left. Thick medium creeps into the semi circular spray marks, casting a shadow with heavy matte medium. The utilization of the opposing painting methods along with the unusual portrayal of the male figure produces a truly formidable painting.


The imagery and varying treatment of material in these two pieces develop a captivating relationship that translates into remarkable compositions. Both of these works will be on display at Object and Thought for the Visa- A –Visage show. Opening night is June 27th at seven pm.

Visa- A- Visage Press Release

Object + Thought and Plus Gallery present

VIS-A-VISAGE

A group exhibition featuring Sandra Fettingis, Micki Tschur, Jenny Morgan, Douglas Walker and Danielle Zimmerman.

Curated by Plus gallery owner Ivar Zeile and intern Jessica Zewe

JUNE 27 – AUGUST 16, 2008
Opening Reception Friday, June 27 at 7pm


Plus Gallery is delighted to present the intern curated exhibition Vis-A-Visage this upcoming June 27th at the project space Object + Thought. This collaborative effort between interns Jessica Zewe and Brittany Schall under the guidance of owner Ivar Zeile illustrates the various conceptual forms of the female visage within a contemporary context.

The works chosen for this exhibition are meant to exemplify how the fundamental roots of historic female portraiture have evolved over time in response to new mediums, medias, and cultural phenomenon. These attributes are all evident in the works with the incorporation of man made materials, visual commentaries on consumerism, and the exploration of new rendering techniques. The artist’s offer a wide range of styles that integrate everything from pop culture icons to design elements on plexi- glass.

The individuals selected for this exhibition compose an assortment of diversity both in their works and in their backgrounds as well. The performer/ pop artisan Danielle Zimmermann gives a German take to pop art with “Homage to Andy Warhol”. The multi piece installation incorporates pornographic imagery, glorified American icons, all amusingly juxtaposed with the German equivalent to Wal-Mart shopping bags. Her work threads between the lines of fine art and mass reproduction for consumer consumption. Drawn to this through seductive imagery and alluring colors found in advertisements, Danielle is fascinated how these attributes influence individuals consuming patterns. The prevalent female imagery is then used to illustrate the assortment of roles women are expected to juggle ranging from nurturer to sexual fantasy. This graduate of Stuttgart’s Academy for Fine Arts delivers a fresh approach to the female portrait with the voice of existing media.

The other artist exhibiting who shares a German background both in origin and academics is Colorado Springs resident Micki Tschur. She also addresses female roles though more specifically in relation to motherhood. Her unique, economized, and childlike rendered paintings are a satirical portrayal of the contemporary mother. The pieces epitomize the numerous and demanding facets of a mother through double meanings within a pluralistic society. This is a continuing theme for Micki as her body of work has utilized everything from traditional media to offbeat taxidermy sculptures. The paintings for Vis-A-Visage are more formally driven as they explore the relationships between varying geometric and organic forms rendered in structured color schemes. It is a treat for Plus Gallery to exhibit this ever evolving and promising artist who has had her works displayed everywhere from London, Italy, to Germany.

Sandra Fettingis, a recent transplant to Denver from Chicago, contributes her “Laser and Pattern Heads” which add a chic design quality to Vis-A-Visage. The innovative works are reminiscent of traditional female cameos but employ graphic motifs inspired by ’60’s and ’70’s consumer packaging. Though her works reflect obvious contemporary elements, they draw upon “quiet” historic portraiture mannerisms. This enables a shift in the focus to the elaborate patterning and ornamental aspects versus personal narratives. Her progressive approach to articulating graphic influences through acrylic paints on plexi- glas shows this Columbia College graduate a promising future within the contemporary art realm.

An artist who is personally redefining the traditional techniques of painting is Toronto artist Douglas Walker. For over 20 years Walker has fostered an impressive career that has visually reinvented itself several times and remains ever impressive. Though he has explored various mediums such as photography, etchings, and diverse approaches to painting, his works have has transitioned with fluidity in their conceptualization. Always inspired by the beauty of ambiguity, his works reverberate “pretty” aesthetics with eerie undertones. This exceptional artist has been exhibited in such places as ICA in London and the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art. He will show his distinctive minimal blue palate female portraitures that resonate with Victorian and calligraphy elements.

Plus Gallery is also thrilled to have the pleasure of unveiling a new painting by long-time favorite Jenny Morgan, as well as a recent collaborative piece with fellow NY artist David Mramor. Fresh from completing her graduate studies at New York Cities premier School of Visual Arts, Morgan has delved into works that dismantle the process of historic female portraiture by allowing the startlingly fleshy red under painting to “bleed” through. These paintings illustrate the artists heavily invested relationship and response to the “conventional” painting process, successfully raising the question “when is a painting complete” while challenging the success of her own previous works. Her collaboration piece also presents a fascinating divergence from her preceding paintings by the unique reactions that take place between the two artists. Mramor’s heavy abstract treatment of paint beautifully accentuates Morgan’s tight rendering techniques. Together, the polarization creates a dynamic energy that can only be felt in person.

With the return of one of Denver’s most successful artists of the past decade and the inclusion of talented international artists, Vis-A-Visage is easily one of the hallmark events for the gallery and the art-scene this year.

Object + Thought
3559 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80205
Hours: Monday through Friday, 10am - 5pm

www.plusgallery.com
www.objectandthought.com