Altered Target Project & Other Studio News

I just signed up to do the Altered Target Project
@ University Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I am very excited about this!



Info as follows:

The Altered Target Project is a juried exhibition where all the artists begin with identical authentic paper rifle targets, and alter them as they wish. The finished work must remain, in some way, a useable target.

We will provide each entrant with three official law enforcement silhouette targets (model B-27M, size 23 x 35 in.) to work from. Artists may paint, draw, print on, collage, cut, sew, project video, shoot at, or make any other creative alteration to the target.
Since the targets are not archival, framing is not essential, binder clips and pins will accommodate most installations. However, heavier finished work or sculptural work will require the usual support considerations.

It has been over fifty years since Jasper Johns presented his first target paintings. His rendition of the iconic circle target greatly influenced the Pop artists that followed. The human silhouette target was chosen for our exhibition because it has a versatile design with a bold central figure and ample margins. The B-27M should prove to be the perfect image to revisit the target in the 21st century.

There has already been overwhelming interest in the Altered Target Project on a local and national level....There are only 500 targets and they are getting claimed fast...

Exhibition plans include a large show with a national call for artists in the summer.
Please send me an email at ajavery@uwm.edu if you are interested in the project.



OTHER STUDIO NEWS:

My current focus is working as a photographer/graphic designer with the Belly dance community.......I have also been taking belly dance classes with Attar (Whitney Suter) and have been enjoying the physicality. The next show I will be shooting at is the Valentine's Day show on the 14th @ the Northampton Center for the Arts.

Upcoming/ possible projects include:

~A Chicago art leasing company would like to try my paintings...I am exploring this option!

~A featured artist profile on www.healingwheel.com

Progress........

So Life has been crazy of late........so many unexpected "new" experiences, connections, goals, and work. I feel that the universe has opened to show me many possibilities and paths.........and I have not quite been able to decide on a focus......except for the necessities! Winter's natural inward focus has also been powerful this year.


This is a new image that I am playing with (in progress) in my Eye explorations and my body mapping work within the Inherent Divinity series. It is a Maori Tattoo........they would map their life experiences with symbols tattooed on the face.

I am also working on several paintings and my figurative commission.




Tonight I will again be photographing a belly dance performance at the Northampton Center for the Arts. The performance starts a 7:30 and is open to the public. More info at http://www.attarbellydance.yolasite.com/



In the same vein I have been enjoying Belly dance classes with Attar and her class schedule can also be found at the previous link.



I want to welcome my new blog followers!......and thank you all for your continued support!

This is a photo I took of dancer Elise Hayden-Ferdman

Marcia Wise at Jones Library : Opening Reception, Thursday Jan. 7th

I will be attending the opening reception of my artist friend
Marcia Wise at the Jones Library in Amherst this Thursday, Jan 7th from 5 to 8 pm.

The beauty and mystery of Nature are at the core of my work. Whether working en plein air or in the studio, I am aware of the connection between art, spirit, and life. My focus is on color. I create visual brilliance by allowing the drama of light and color to shape my compositions while I experiment with color placement and color relationships. I begin with a sketch on prepared hardboard panels, and I apply the first layer of paint with brushes, creating a cohesive value study under-painting that serves as a value skeleton for successive applications of color. With a palette knife I apply one layer of paint at a time, while also scraping paint away, letting each layer dry between applications. I work toward a smooth finish on my surfaces, yet I want them to visually appear textured. Each layer of color is allowed to show through in the finished piece.

In my portrait work I crop the face closely with little or no background, often excluding the top of the head, hair, parts of chins, ears. I focus on the language of the eyes and the emotion they show. Sometimes the eyes pose a question or cause one to wonder what is being seen, thought, felt, or said. I love a deep, direct gaze. As I add and subtract paint, this process takes me out of time and deep within. It is there that I discover some part of myself within the intimate landscape of the other. This is the discovery that holds me captivated. Here I find glimpses of spirit within where any feelings of being separate fade into a sense of connection.

When I am painting landscapes and seascapes in oil, my process is the same as with the portraits. I am presently experimenting with bringing these subjects, as well as still life objects, into a closer cropped format as with the portraits. I also work in many layers of color when painting with pastels, but I do not scrape any color away. Pastel painting is a quicker process for me than oil painting so I enjoy this faster approach. I often take a pastel painting back to the studio and rework it into an oil painting.

I find the same mystery and self-discovery while painting the landscape, and most always work en plein air so I can experience a connection with the spirit of the land. It is this process, this inner journey that speaks to me. As I recreate Nature's beauty and mystery, I too, am recreated

Marcia Wise Images:

Vermont Barns
Pastel - Pastel on Sandpaper
10.5 by 16 inches

Relationships I - Two Vases
Still Life - Oil on Board
30 by 24 inches

First Night Celebration 2010

I went out for New Year's Eve this year with my dancer friend Whitney Suter who hired me to do some photos of her belly dance troupe Tiamat. They danced at the Academy of Music in Northampton with lots and lots of other dancers and troupes. It was an interesting experience to be a fly on the wall (with a camera) behind the scenes with all the dancers getting ready to perform......for all non-professional dancers we've only seen scenes like that it in the movies (he,he). I took this photo, one of my favorites of the evening, of a hula hoop dance performance. After the show a few of the dancers and I went to an amazing restaurant Paul and Elizabeth's and enjoyed a spectacular Lobster Scallop Bisque!....along with vegetarian and seafood main courses. We walked the main streets following dinner and then went over to The Northampton Center for the Arts where we danced up a storm......rocking out to The Alchemystics, whose music is described as ......

Intricate wordplay, soulful roots, memorable hooks, old-school vocal harmonies and intense passion are but a few of the elements which combine to form the powerful and unmistakable sound of the Alchemystics. Fueled by the belief that music can expand beyond the boundaries of style and categories, the Alchemystics create a sound that reflects their love of heavy rhythms, reggae, hip hop, soul and dub, while also infusing earthy vocal harmonies. The band features the vocal stylings of Ras Jahn and Ian-I, the intricate lyrics of emcee Force, and the deep groove of drummer Demse Zullo, world-traveled bassist Garrett Sawyer and keyboardist Jay Metcalf.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing all my Friends & Family
a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

New Photography and Design Work

I will again be offering mini photo shoots for the dancers in this show at Northampton Center for the Arts on Jan 17th.

I designed this flyer from photos I took at the last show....this one is of Attar aka Whitney Suter a dancer who also organizes these events.

North Star Bellydance Show: Alicia Hunsicker Photography

So once again I am moon lighting as a belly dance photographer (I Love It!!)

Working within the Belly dance community reflects my desire to capture a moment of feminine beauty, elegance, and sensuality.

Who could ask for a better job.....These women are Gorgeous!! This is one of my favorite photos that I shot of Elise....simple and beautiful!

I will be doing Mini Portrait Shoots for $25. at the North Star shows for the next 6 months or so........Its a great deal! I will announce the next date when I know it.

I'll be posting more photos as I go through them.

Vermont Studio Center, Partial Fellowship Residency & Artists Grant Award Recipient, July 2010

Selected through a rigorous jury process, I am excited to announce that I have been awarded a partial fellowship residency and a VSC grant award for a one month stay (July 2010) at the Vermont Studio Center. I am really looking forward to this experience! I am also pleased to say that one of my most inspiring artists of 2009...for me, Leslie Dill, will also be there as a visiting artist that month....I cant wait to meet/ talk with her!

The Vermont Studio Center is a prestigious international residency program open to all artists and writers. Year-round, VSC hosts 40 artists and 10 writers per month, each of whom receives an individual studio, private room, and all meals. Residencies last from 2-12 weeks and provide uninterrupted time to work, a community of creative peers, and a beautiful village setting in northern Vermont. In addition, VSC's program includes a roster of Visiting Artists and Writers (2 painters, 2 sculptors and 2 writers per month) who offer slide talks/readings and individual studio visits/conferences.

Located in the northern Vermont mill village of Johnson, (pop. 3,450), the Vermont Studio Center resides in the heart of the Green Mountains, a beautiful and pastoral region in the northeastern United States.

The Center’s 30 historic buildings (studios, housing, lecture hall, dining hall, meditation house, yoga studio, studio store and gardens) are all situated along the banks of the Gihon River. VSC buildings are within walking distance of each other and the center of the village.

Founders Blog

http://foundersblog.vermontstudiocenter.org/2009/07/30/vermont-studio-center/

Bellydance Graphics for Whitney Suter aka Attar

This is a flyer I designed for Whitney Suter from a photograph I took of her last weekend.
I had the idea for the flyer before the shoot so I had her pose specifically for this.

She hasn't done the final approval ...there may be spelling errors...etc....but this is a proof for her performance and new North Star venue on Dec 12th.

I find it interesting that the color and subject of my painting work has shown up in my photography! but then again I started taking photos when I was doing a lot of figurative paintings as a reference tool. So I guess the going back and forth between the two mediums now is a natural exploration.

Bellydance Photography

I am putting my photographers hat back on for the next 6 months or so.... and I am looking forward to working with Belly dancers again!
I did a mini-shoot with Whitney Suter (Attar) yesterday to come up with ideas for a flyer I am designing for her new dancing venue. Where, I too, will be set up to photograph the dancers and the performance.
Here are the details for the first date..........

The North Star Cabaret, Fusion and Folkloric Venue.
Featuring Belly(Balady) Dances of the Pioneer Valley and beyond.

Performers include musicians and dancers such as.....
Marishka, Almasa Durriyah, Donna Mejia and her dance company from Smith College, Attar, Mahasti Dance Company, Tegan, Crystal, Shandra, Asia, and Elise

December 12, 2009
Door open at 6:30 pm
Belly Dance Venue at North Star
135 Russel St (rt 9), Hadley MA

Contact Whitney Suter 413-367-2036
www.attarbellydance.yolasite.com
email zhagareeter@yahoo.com

H1N1 is in the House

I am sorry to be away from my blog for so long!

My son, then me, and now his daddy have all had the flu.........Its been a long 2 weeks!

Feeling sad that I had to cancel so many plans, I had some studio visits planned last weekend, and this weekend I was going to the Call and Response Show to meet artist, Diana Simard and NY Curator, David Gibson.......Also happening was Print Far North where I was looking forward to seeing the work of print maker's Lillianna Pereira and Anita Hunt ........The Pine Street Open Studios in Florence, The North Star Belly dance show with dancer, Whitney Suter, and finally my monthly crit group!...........That is a lot to miss!

I do have some important news that I will share soon! I just need to figure out some of the details still....stay tuned.