Opening Reception Sunday November 10, 2019 12-5pm • Gallery Hours, Seven Days a Week 12-5pm
“First held in 1904, the Little Pictures Show & Sale is the oldest and largest exhibition of its kind in the United States. This year, the beloved tradition turns 115 and continues to be a strong source of pride for the historic Providence Art Club. The show will feature over 600 works of art sized at 16” x 16” or less and priced at no more than $300.”
Providence Art Club 11 Thomas St. Providence, RI 02903
I am so happy to be exhibiting at the Little Pictures Show again this year! Diverse media from over 100 artist members in media ranging from paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, hand-pulled prints, hand made artist books, along with sculpture, ceramics, glass, and jewelry. Cash and Carry. Don’t miss this event to help support the arts in Providence!
Triangle Sky: sterling with aquamarine ringPurple Rain: sterling with amethyst ringEternity Wrap/Choker with amethyst beadsAbstraction: sterling silver ring with white topazWeaving Comb: bronze with sterling plateBudded branch with aquamarine in sterling Vase of Flowers oil on masonite
The thing about chaos, is that while it disturbs us, it too, forces our hearts to roar in a way we secretly find magnificent.
Christopher Poindexter
Diary entries
After the workshop at the Providence Art Club on Diving into Abstraction with Karen Rand-Anderson, I started a new sketchbook. These early entries were done while listening to podcasts and/or just letting the mind go. It may not be great art, but it is certainly a great meditation practice!
Daddy’s pencils
Hurricane
Forbidden fruit
Reading the natural mind
River running
Another sunset
Imprint
The Fine Art of Chaos
In an age of global instability, the threat of chaos looms. Chaos and Awe demonstrates the aptness and relevance of painting as a medium for expressing the uncertainty of our era.
Edited by Mark W. Scala Essays by Media Farzin, Simon Morley and Matthew Ritchie
I would be remiss if I didn’t include in this post the recent publication from MIT Press “Chaos and Awe”. This catalogue of the major exhibition at the Frist Center for the Visual arts in Nashville represents a dialogue that has haunted me as a visual artist. Is painting dead? How do I create amidst the chaos and alienation of this world? This opens the door to seeing the deep existential necessity of expanding our “perceptions of knowledge, intuition and spirituality”. I highly recommend reading and perusing the beautiful images in this book as it explores painting as a relevant means of expression and cathartic experience in extreme times.
Code and Chaos
I discovered another aspect of chaos and abstraction while learning code. So much that is beyond me draws me in just the same. I remember the first time I discovered generative art and thought how can I do that? The basics are as follows from medium on generative art:
Randomness is crucial for creating generative art. The art should be different each time you run the generation script, so randomness is usually a large part of that.
Algorithms — Implementing an algorithm visually can often generate awesome art, for example, the binary tree above.
Geometry — Most generative art incorporates shapes, and the math from high school geometry class can aid in some really cool effects.
SVG Animation
We are biologically trained to notice motion: evolutionarily speaking, our survival depends on it
Sarah Drasner
SVG Animations by Sarah Drasner
This book was the next step for me to dive deeper into the possibilities of abstraction and animation. Vector art saved as an SVG opened the doors to my first animated logo!
I continue to research the link between chaos and art as it influences my work. There are so many links to share on this topic here’s just a few:
“Sunset I” airbrush – not photoshop 🙂 on paper 1980’s
Abstract drawings to limber up for lost wax casting
charcoal and conte crayon on newsprint
graphite on newsprint
graphite on newsprint
bronze brooch created from an exercise where I made a model derived from another student’s drawing 1994
Renderings as a Jewelry Designer for Precious Metal Manufacturer
Earrings and Pendants in 18k gold with diamond pave painted in gouache on paper. 1999
Fabricated Metals and lost wax castings – 2000 to 2017
Sea Pendant
Sterling Silver Earrings with Fluorite Drop
Abstract Ring
Freelance – Spinner Ring
Bell pendant
dot dot dash
Sinewy
Pinkie Ring/Pendant
Snake Ring
Snake Ring 3/4 View
Diving into Abstraction again . . .
Karen Rand-Anderson “Diving into Abstraction Workshop” Demo
In 2017, I had the pleasure of taking a workshop at the Providence Art Club with painter Karen Rand-Anderson titled “Diving into Abstraction”. Eyes closed drawings were part of the direct response to the media and paper close at hand. It reminded me of the sketches I did a long time ago when learning model making. Seemed like a full circle back to this class and I was very grateful for the trip!
“FIRE” mixed media on paper One of the first exercises I did in Karen’s class.
Part two follows with more about the role of abstraction in fine art, design and technology where 3D software and animation is an essential tool as a graphic artist and chaos is happening with JavaScript!
“Metamorphosis has always been the greatest symbol of change for poets and artists. Imagine that you could be a caterpillar one moment and a butterfly the next.”
Louie Schwartzberg
Butterfly Box Top View
Bottom View
Freshwater Pearl Necklaces
Top View
Dragonfly Stretch Bracelet with Vintage beads
Bottom View
Turtle Love Set
“Try to be like the turtle – at ease in your own shell.”
Bill Copeland
Turtle Love Box
Sterling Silver and Aventurine Necklace sterling silver tag and glass teardrop beads
Back View of Box
Tiny Boxes
“A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark.”
Dante Alighieri
Tiny World Top
Open Box
Tiny World Bottom
“Angelus Novas” hand painted box
Box constructions from canvas, hardware and acrylic paint. Jewelry styled to fit the theme.
“A woman is like a ghost without jewelry.” Indian Proverb
“The Little Pictures Show will take place throughout the Art Club’s three historic gallery spaces located on Providence’s charming College Hill steps from the First Baptist Church in America. Over 100 artists, all members of the Providence Art Club, will take part. Works on view will include paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, hand-pulled prints, hand made artist books, along with sculpture, ceramics, glass, and jewelry. All works are sized at 16” x 16” or less and priced at no more than $300. With such a breadth and diversity of styles and media present, there is truly something for everyone. “
Opening Reception on Sunday, November 11, 2018; gallery hours 12pm – 5pm. Support the arts in Providence!
Crescent Moon Sterling Silver
Distressed Dragonfly Cuff Sterling Silver with Brass Motif
” A Celebration of the Providence Art Club as a cultural force for women artists.”
First Impressions
After having viewed the exhibition of Making Her Mark at the Providence Art Club in Providence, Rhode Island, and attending the symposium, I felt compelled to write some of the immediate impressions I felt in regard to this event.
As an exhibiting artist member of the Providence Art Club, I have never thought much about the cultural aspect of my being a “woman” artist in the club, as I had when starting my studies in art over thirty years ago and reading The Obstacle Race by Germaine Greer. It appeared to me that there were many woman artists in the club so I didn’t feel like I do in technology, clearly a minority. What has crossed my mind in regard to a club membership of any kind was more about the cultural diversity of race and social class even though I had learned early on that Edward Bannister was one of the original founders of the Providence Art Club and had a gallery named after him at Rhode Island College in 1978. You can visit wikipedia to learn more about Edward Bannister (ca. 1828 – January 9, 1901) who was a Black Canadian-American Tonalist painter.
But in regard to the history of the Providence Art Club and the “extraordinary contributions of women artists”, it wasn’t until I walked through the exhibit and viewed the paintings of the founding woman of the club along with the text accompanying the work, was I struck by my affinity toward these pioneers. I started to feel an indescribable elation to see such a passion and commitment to art and the artistic community. Their journey was clearly outlined by Co-Curators Catherine Little Bert and Nancy Whipple Grinnell.
During the symposium, I learned more about the leadership and transformation by women artists who founded the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence Art Club and Wheeler School. While listening to a panel discussion of collectors one particular story stood out for me in regard to Ellen Day Hale, who’s work was found at an estate sale. Had it not been for this happenstance, these remaining works of art could easily have been lost in obscurity.
Making Your Mark
Following the exhibit of these amazing women artists of their time, was a national juried exhibit titled Making Your Mark. This show was juried by Kathryn Wat, PdD, Chief Curator of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. Over 950 artworks were submitted for consideration and 65 were selected by the juror, five of whom were Providence Art Club members. I was truly honored and at the same time humbled to be part of this tribute to women who continue to make their mark regardless of the obstacles.
Georgia graphite on paper Making Your Mark National Juried Exhibition 2017 x
LLabrie 