Artmelt Missoula: UM Grad Students - Rebecca Weed & Cathryn Sugg

Friday, May 14, 2010

UM Grad Students - Rebecca Weed & Cathryn Sugg

"Non-typical Inheritor" - Cathryn Sugg

University of Montana Grad Students Rebecca Weed & Cathryn Sugg exhibited their MFA thesis work at The Gallery of Visual Arts on the UM campus. Sadly this show comes down today, so to all of those who missed it here is a : ( for you. I have been somewhat following these two talented ladies for a little a while, and highly anticipated this exhibit.

Sugg's combination of elk, doilies, sewn fabric canvases, wicked drawing/painting skills, irony, masculinity vs femininity, and humor has always engaged me. Her use of opposing concepts and dualities, highlighted by the title of her exhibit "Inbetween" is something that I have always explored in my own artwork. In this body of work she included a new fabric pattern containing muscular men posing as lumber jacks, hikers, farmers. Either way one is left oscillating between the thoughts of their manliness vs there feminine-ness. This in-between-ness of her work really engages my thoughts pushing them into a creative process that attempts to transcend such duality.

Rebecca Weed's drawing style has always captivated me (to see some of her drawings, click here). Her ephemeral style of drawing really crept into these paintings, and are by far some of the most successful paintings I have seen her produce. I really enjoy how the whimsical lines and shadows surrounding her figures create a sense movement that emerges in and out of the background. These works also contain a lot of bold patterns and open space that in contrast to the flow and emergent quality of the figures make for some great paintings.

Once again less chat more pictures