Get a Jump on Spring with The Elements!

 BWAC is excited to open the Spring season with the juried show The Elements. Don’t delay, entry deadline is March 13.

Link to the prospectus for The Elements.

Submit your entries here.

 

BWAC is pleased to have Curatorial Fellow Scout Hutchinson of the Whitney Museum of American Art as the juror for this exhibition.

The theme of this juried show is the five elements. Many cultures and traditions have wanted to simplify the workings of the universe to five components/building blocks.  The different philosophies have their own unique lists but with much overlapping. This exhibit defines the five elements as wind, fire, earth, sky and air. 

This is the BWAC challenge: visualize what this ancient tradition means in our modern world. What can you add to this age old dialogue?

Prizes

What’s in it for you? First, second and third Best of Show winners will be featured on BWAC’s Artsy page. Every accepted entry will be on exhibit at the BWAC gallery space in Red Hook, Brooklyn from April 30th to June 5th, 2022 and on sale to gallery visitors. 

BWAC's Artsy gallery 

The prospectus for the show provides all the details about the submission process, please read it carefully.  Here are a few highlights. 

Submission is through SmarterEntry with online payment starting the process. The fee for three images is $35 and $5 for each additional image. There is a discount for BWAC members, be sure to check the BWAC newsletter for details. This show is open to all residents of the US and territories who are 18 years or older. 

Submitted images need to be JPG, TIF, or PNG files with the longest side 1,280 pixels or less, up to 2MB each. The image entry number is to be included in the filename when submitted.

This is a wonderful opportunity for BWAC members and artists all over the country to exhibit their work at our fabulous space in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Be sure to share this information with friends.

Link to the prospectus for The Elements.

Submit your entries here.

ChaShaMa Open Studios...Meet the BWAC Artists in Residence

 As a newbie to the multiverse that is Brooklyn, Open Studios are a great way to connect with artists. You have the opportunity to meet artists and see both their work and their working environment. So when BWAC co-president Alicia Degener suggested I visit the ChaShaMa Open Studio event at her studio complex in Sunset Park, I was pleased I could arrange my schedule to do it. My visit will be reported in two posts. The first about BWAC members with studios at this facility and the second about other artists I met on this adventure.

It turned out to be a pleasant 35 minute walk from my apartment. It is located in the Brooklyn Army Terminal which is not a warm and fuzzy place. It’s very large and a bit intimidating…even figuring out how to get in. Fortunately the wise ChaShaMa folks knew I was coming and put out a few signs at strategic locations. 

                     Maurya Brennan, Special Event & Cultivation Director for ChaShaMa

When I finally found the studios, with some help from other pilgrims, I was greeted by Maurya Brennan, Special Events & Cultivation Director for ChaShaMa. I was fascinated to learn ChaShaMa’s origin story. Founded by Anita Durst in 1995, it was dedicated to her mentor who was a filmmaker. In Farsi, ChaShaMa means “to have vision”.  Maurya informs me the ChaShaMa is a complex of over 50 studio facilities and galleries all over NYC. Lots of information on their website. https://chashama.org

There are 96 studios just in this complex at the Army Terminal. I stopped by Alicia Degener’s studio to check in. She has a great space with the coveted windows. I saw her tile prep process set up and a collection of paintings on the wall outside her studio space. She wasn’t there when I first arrived so this was a self-guided tour. I really enjoyed seeing the paintings and drawings on the wall outside her studio. I most frequently see her work on tiles and it's wonderful to see the originals full scale. You can see more of her work on her Etsy site. Or follow her on Instagram @adegener

Alicia Degener, work on paper ont the wall outside her studio

When I did connect with Alicia, she directed me to two fellow BWAC members who have studios at ChaShaMa.  My first stop was with Jonathan P Fischer. We have all seen his work because he has frequently provided graphic design services for BWAC.

                           Jonathan P Fischer, Ombra, 2020, paper collage, 62" x 39"

As a designer/collage artist  I was especially interested to see his work and learn about his process. As you might imagine, his studio was full of magazines and other images from various sources with samples of his work hanging from the wall.

Jonathan P Fischer in his studio

The components of his work I found the most interesting were from movie billboards and posters.  He referenced his days in Rome and finding movie posters he incorporated in his work. We talked a little bit about how copyright issues impact/or don’t impact on his work and collage in general. We had a very pleasant visit. Learn more about his work on Artsy.

                             

Geuryung Lee in her studio

Geuryung Lee was my second stop. She is a very active BWAC member currently curating an upcoming exhibit. As described on the BWAC website:  Brooklyn Seoul presents a fresh variety of art with an emphasis on the world as we know it now from a distinctly Korean point of view. Emerging and mid-career (and under-represented) artists are highly encouraged to apply.

Anticipated Opening is November 13, 2021. All disciplines are welcome. Application fee: $35 (U.S.)Enter at Smarter Entry

  Geuryung Lee, The Rain Coat, mixed media on canvas

This large painting welcomed me into her space. I was immediately drawn to a series of large lithographs Geuryung had on the wall of her studio. They consisted of black brush strokes and one color creating a bold, fluid statment, strong and fluid simultaneously.

                   
Geuryung Lee, the Gratitude series, lithographs

                               

Learn more about her work on her website and Instagram @geuryunglee. I am looking forward to the opening of Brooklyn Seoul that will celebrate art from Korean artists, national artists and Asian culture. See you there. 

I was sorry to miss connecting with BWAC artists also in residence at ChaShaMa Stephanie Norberg and James Rose. 

Stay turned for my next installment about the other artists I met at the ChaShaMa Open Studios.

This blog is produced and written by BWAC board member Kristin Reiber Harris.                You can contact me at krharris46ATgmail.com.

Meet BWAC Artist: Brooke Lambert

 

Brooke Lambert, Blossoms, 8"x10", collograph and gauche

I recently met Brooke because her wonderful prints are on the panel next to mine in the Hello, Brooklyn show now hanging at BWAC. I was immediately attracted to her palette and the joyful nature of her work. As a fellow printmaker, I appreciate her dedication to the process and the unique results it produces.

1. Why do you make art?

I make art to express and communicate my feelings about my surroundings

in nature and to share beauty. I believe it’s important to share beauty in the

world and be a source of positivity in people’s living and working

environments. Art for me is about taking something that’s important to me

and making it visible and more beautiful to other people. I’ve always

thought that the best songs are personal to the person who wrote them but

relatable to anyone who listens to them. My goal for my art is similar: to

make something with deep meaning for myself but also something that

translates to the viewer.

2. What tools/materials do you find essential in your studio?

    My works are primarily collagraphs because I’m drawn to the sculptural

qualities and rich range of color I can achieve in this way of working. To

build a collagraph plate, I first take a piece of matboard and cut it down to

my desired print size. I cover the plate with materials I’ve collected,

including string, netting, and pieces of fabric.

After I arrange my materials on the plate, I use a staple gun to attach

them to the plate while using a brush to cover them with gesso, creating a

sculptural, low-relief surface. I take that plate to my printmaking studio

and cover it with ink using a large brush. When it is completely covered

with ink, I use balled-up tarleton to wipe the ink off most of the plate, so it

sticks only in the crevices in my design.

    I put my plate on my printing press and cover it with wet 100 percent

cotton rag paper. I cover that with newsprint, then run it through the press

to make a print. The enormous pressure of the press drum and press

blanket push materials on my plate into the cotton rag paper to create an

embossed print.

    I take my print and go back to my home studio, where I paint with

gouache to add luminosity and color to my pieces. The results are original

painted collagraph prints.

Wood Engraving/Paintings by Rosemary Feit Covey

A friend of mine who is a collector told me today that he and his wife recently purchased a new print for their home.  They called it a "woodcut painting". As a printmaker I was intrigued by this description and wanted to learn more. I was so impressed with what I learned about Rosemary Feit Covey, I wanted to share it with the BWAC community. 

Crossing the Line

Wood engraving and painting

72 x 60 inches

My friends bought a print from Covey very much like the one above.

This is from her website:

Rosemary Feit Covey was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her work is housed in more than forty major museum and library collections worldwide, including the original collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the New York Public Library Print Collection, the National Museum of American History, Harvard University, and the Papyrus Institute in Cairo, Egypt.