i just want to say...

that copy and pasting onto blogspot is a pain in the ass!

Recent Works by Laurie Lemmon (4 Dec 2007)

Review #1

Colorful chandeliers and Tiffany lamps. A circus. Hundreds of bright streamers at a child’s birthday party. The range of brilliant colors that swirl through Lemmon’s paintings put the 150 count Crayola® Crayon Tower to shame. Only Painter has a limited palette, depicting a distorted figure gripping a paint brush with both hands. The expression on the woman’s face is one of concentration, or perhaps anxiety, as if she is feeling pressured to produce. The tight hold on the brush heightens this feeling, as if she is frantically working. The piece is intriguing to me, and it made me think of the cover art for Joni Mitchell’s Blue, combined with Turbulent Indigo. Some of the paintings contain figures roughly sketched out over a color filled background, such as in Art Student, with a hand holding a brush that is reminiscent of Egon Schiele’s depiction of hands. A personal favorite of mine is Dream’s Beginnings, which looks like a whirlpool of rich and vibrant satin ribbons. Lemmon works better with larger canvases, as they allow her to fully explore the variations and shades of color. Definitely a show worth checking out.

-Susanna Tu

Review #2

When I first entered the Witt Gallery, I was immediately drawn to a blue and white flowing, abstract painting. I could slightly make out a figure that held a paint brush and it was a very warm welcome to the flowing colors and figures that I would soon discover. There were many paintings that were colorful, but I was disappointed that they did not have the element of mystery and configuration of the first that I had seen. They were colorful, but a bit empty. Overall I think that this showing was interesting and bright in contrast to the white walls that cover the gallery.

-Leah Jackson

Review #3

At first glance Laurie Lemon’s buttery and playful paintings are abstract. They are not just a play of colors though, they are like shifting clouds on an alien sky that continuously reveal different forms as you look at them. There are figures, figures within those figures and plenty of fodder for podiatrists and foot worshipers alike. Paintings like Untitled 5 recall the angelic elegance of an El Greco composition. Some of the smaller work is troublesome, with figures clumsily relying on line to create form. The richness of the paintings as a group make for an interesting visit. Will we ever see a Lemmon/ McGowan show? DON’T MISS IT.

-P. Castellanos

Review #4

Interview with viewer Claudia Castaneda

“I really enjoyed the colors, and the unplanned and organic aspect. Some people saw figures that others did not. The sketched out forms were not as pleasant (as in Morning Stretch). Art Student was my favorite. I would suggest music because the work has a musical and lyrical quality.”

“Identity” by Tanya Jenkins (27 Nov 2007)

Review #1

Tanya Jenkins uses intense contrasts, such as precision black and white in her ink drawings, and colors vs. black and white in her paintings. Design intuition is seen through superb arrangement such as the pairing of a large hot painting on one side and a cold painting on the other side of the second room. They are very personal, reflecting beauty in struggle and allusions to the concept of destiny. “Dramatic” is an interesting drawing in that when you cover up the mouth, the forehead is in anguish, yet when you cover the eyes, the mouth is undeniably a smile.

-Mel Netherwood

Review #2

Perhaps after last week’s wide range of artwork for “Art-o-Copia”, Tanya Jenkins’s exhibition, “Identity,” serves as a fresh contrast, with ink drawings and mixed media paintings in simple color schemes lining the walls. Nude female figures wrapped in tree branches or vines dominate Jenkins’s work, which seem to be explorations into the many faces and personalities of a girl- Jenkins herself, I imagine. Whether or not they are self-portraits is irrelevant to me; it is the variety of moods, emotions, and states of minds that the works display which I find intriguing. In Shame, the woman’s face is covered with vines. Cold Indifference has her sitting crossed legged and looking away, while in Unattainable, she wears a distant expression as she lifts her head, almost as if defiance, as vines swirl around her body. Some minor drawing technique flaws may be distracting, but do not take away from the overall impression of the work. “Identity” is a beautiful and intimate look into the intricate world of the female mind.

-Susanna Tu

Review #3

Arbol de la esperanza
mantante firme.

-Frida Kahlo

Tree of life, tree of knowledge, the tree has been a potent and universal image of many things. Importantly though the tree has always been associated with the woman. The late Ana Mendieta’s Tree Goddess (1977) draws upon an ancient and universal association between women and trees in one modern example. The commonness of this association is what makes Jenkins’ work so perplexing. In Unattainable, presumably a self-portrait, she stands nude, staring away with a wistful smirk at something we can’t see. Strangely though she is being caressed by branch like forms that either are restraining or embracing her in some bizarre symbiosis. These recurring entities could be veins or alien beings in their ambiguity since they lack leaves, trunks or even distinct bark texture. But the show’s title, Identity, and the fact that we know the artist’s gender, limits speculation. Always though they are acting upon the woman, never from her. Other portraits are seen through shattered pieces of paper that float over someone’s bad dream of Brice Marden paintings. Fracture, restraint, even death and domestic violence in Dramatic are prevalent. Technical difficulties abound however. In Unattainable, the woman’s left hand appears to be a right hand. Negative spaces won’t stay put and forms appear distorted in ways that don’t betray intention. Using red ribbon to border some of the drawings was interesting but matting them with construction paper was aggravating. SEE IT

-P. Castellanos

whoops

There are still a couple of shows with reviews that weren't posted, due to the end of semester mayhem. They'll still be posted, even though it was quite a while ago.

New semester starts in a little over a week- get ready for more posts and reviews!