CLAY!

Two Clay Studio resident artists, Danny Clump and Lauren Sandler, throw down some clay this March. Clump at The Brink and Sandler at The Clay Studio. You won't find any cups or bowls as both artists are presenting large sculptural works.

Clump's show is titled Seeing Constructs. I like Clump's tangled, wood-fired constructs. The structural forms appear strong and sturdy but at the same time vulnerable as if they could collapse at any moment  The shows up for the month so stop by the Brink and see it.

Danny Clump

Temenos by Sandler, a clay studio artists-residence, is elegant display of clay meeting other materials.  The scupltures are made from materials ranging from wire, rubber, clay and paper. These works intimately invite you to move around and witness them from all vantages.  In the small space these large works really meet you face to face. Temenos  is up at the Clay Studio throughout the month...go witness it.

Lauren Sandler

Find a bunch more photos after the jump

And we're back

Having taken a nice long respite from the online world, which I highly recommend, Artmelt is back.  We are looking forward to focusing on one artists, theme or show a month.  We are going to keep the work load down for our unpaid and overworked contributors, and maybe, just maybe they will be able to make some of their own artwork.  But let us not get our hopes up as the next ice age could happen at any moment and there will no longer be a reason for art blogs.

We will also be releasing a one-of-a-kind print edition in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled for more about that.

Anyway...

Cheers to you - keep supporting your local artists and community!

Thank you for gorilla-ing with us

Creatively,
Jonathan Marquis

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

Apparently I didn't get the names to all the pieces...oh well

"B for Best?" Cathryn Sugg

Detail "Non-typical Inheritor" - Cathryn Sugg

Detail "Non-typical Inheritor" - Cathryn Sugg

"Kept Awake by the Scent of Bubble-yum" - Rebecca Weed

"Triage" - Rebecca Weed

Detail "Triage" - Rebecca Weed

"Self Portrait: Waking up" - Rebecca Weed

Detail "Self Portrait: Waking up" - Rebecca Weed

Another First Friday - May 2010

 This First Friday was pretty big for the University of Montana.  The National Western Cast Iron Art Conference was brought to UM with the aid of sculpture professor Brad Allen.  A number of Missoula galleries also hosted cast iron artworks in correlation with the conference, including the Missoula Art Museum.  Right out of the BFA exhibition, The UM undergrad art students threw down with a showing at a temporary space dubbed "Gallery 48" denoting the 48 hrs of its existence.  It really excites me when I see students working hard and making art happen.  This town certainly lacks adequate exhibition space for younger artists, so mad props to the BFA'ers for fearlessly making it happen.  Not to mention, a hand full of UM ceramic students displayed their work in the alley next to New West...damn it is good to see energized and prolific young artists making strong & engaging work.  I think students are often thought of as simply "students" but from my experience they make some of the most engaging artwork.  Also the newly founded and fabulous Brink Gallery hosted artworks by, adjunct UM art professor, Edgar Smith.  His works are bold, simple, yet conceptually complex with a natural elegance.  As usual there was a lot of other great art, like the fifth annual installment of "On Deck" at the Badlander.  And for the most creative & ephemeral gallery space I vote for the guy who pulled up in a Budget moving van out front of the Dana Gallery.  Great work Missoula, and now for less chatter and more pictures.

National Iron Exhibit at the Missoula Art Museum

More from the National Iron exhibit at the MAM

2007 UM MFA Sculpture Graduate Kendall Mingey, graced us with her artwork and presence over the weekend.

BOAT LOAD OF MORE PICS AFTER THE JUMP

Kathy Rodriguez

Bunny Baby Meets the Cousins Oil on panel 48" x 72"

2008 University of Montana graduate, Kathy Rodriguez, makes awesomely fun and engaging paintings (at least in my opinion...most people that walk into my house and see the giant cake and turkey flying off the wall may question such statements, but I just laugh because having a giant cake and turkey on the wall is really funny).   Why a cake and a turkey? Why is that guy dressed in a giraffe suit?  All these questions leave you somewhat stupefied, thrusting you into a space of liminality between understanding and confusion.   Her MFA thesis show "The Extravaganza Awaits" was an epic and rich artistic circus full of games, costumes, prizes, suprises, videos, installations, rooms, white buffalo, elephants, giraffes, babys, and more.  "The Extravaganza Awaits" was by far one of my favorite exhibtions I have seen Missoula.  I like it so much I bought 4x8 foot painting of a cake and a turkey!

Visit her website and there you can see all of her work.  Her most recent paintings of ducks are also great, not as stupefying, but still make you ask why ducks....cause there awesome...duh
 

 Turkey Escapes Oil on canvas

(this is the painting that graces my living room)

 Coming to the Table oil on canvas 70”x96”

MORE ART AFTER THE JUMP

Teaching in the Congo

 

Missoula multi-media journalist and educator, Anne Medley, is in the Congo teaching multi-media journalism to young, Congolese students.  The project titled, Congo In Focus, is a project...

to teach students in the Democratic Republic of Congo about digital media and online journalism. By utilizing the tools of the 21st century, these Congolese students will have a chance to tell their story and the story of their people to the rest of the world.

She has also been taking some amazing photos giving us a little window into a world much different from ours in America. Visit her blog to see her photos and to learn more about the program visit www.congoinfocus.com

The Creative Moment

I had the pleasure to attend Katie Ludwig's, also known as Lady Pajama, super fun Creative Moment class at the Zootown Arts & Community Center.  As a typical artists I showed up late and got distracted by all the the great art and artists at the ZACC.  Nonetheless, as I made it into the classroom I found Katie and piles of supplies on the table.  This class is about opening up to art where a synthesis of writing, drawing, object exploration, and works on paper will boost your creative potential.  The only thing you need to bring is a sketch book and yourself as Katie and the ZACC provide all the other materials.  After a brief warm up, we moved into the main project of the night.  The project took up 3 pages of your sketchbook and started with creating a horizon line on each of the pages.  Then we broke off into pairs and began interviewing our partners while drawing their portrait and writing words from the interview.  It was really amazing watching each person get to know the other while seeing a drawing emerge from the page.  Katie instructed us that this drawing is not about making the person look correct, but is more based on feeling, having fun and being in the moment with your mark making device. After everyone had interviewed each other, filling up their three pages we finished by drawing, stamping or transferring the name of the person onto the portrait. Katie then ended the class by reading to us... alls I needed was my onsie, some milk and I would have been a kid again.

The people who have been going regularly to the class have already filled up a large portion of their sketchbooks.  For example, Bruce who does not call himself an artists, especially not a drawer, has a great looking sketchbook.  When asked what his inspiration was for attending this class he responded by saying that " as a woodworker he was often told that his work was creative, so he thought that this class would be a great opportunity to further develop his creativeness."

If you want to attend this class show up to the ZACC at 6pm on the LAST thursday of the month.  And don't worry if you haven't been to one yet, as this was my first time and with the warmth and acceptance of Katie and the ZACC you'll fit right into "The Creative Moment".