Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Student Spotlight: Erin Case

 Pillarist


Turn Shelter


Art student Erin Case has gained international recognition for her paper collages, exhibiting from Canada to Rome. She has been featured in magazines from Brazil and the United Kingdom, as well as in the United States.

Erin’s collages typically contain a figure within a landscape, disproportionally placed among a classical interpretation of space. Larger than life, the figures tower over mountains or cityscapes at a point of personal turmoil or reflection.

According to Erin, her collages are a commentary on the human condition. Although she has an idea what the image is about while she is creating it, Erin prefers to leave interpretation up to the viewer. Her titles are usually a play on words, giving a hint at interpretation on a basic level, but leaving deeper meaning instilled in the viewer. Erin commented on her subject matter saying: “I like to think that if an emotional cord is struck in the viewer, whether or not it is the same emotion I felt when creating it, that it’s done its job.”

Her piece Pillarist depicts a proportionally large figure clinging to a rock in water, while smaller figures work below. The large figures identity is hidden by a red barn over its head, which can be interpreted by the definition of pillarist, a person who chooses to live outside of society. However, the figure seems to be struggling to cling to the rock, isolating itself from help.

Erin makes her collages using appropriated, or borrowed, imagery from a large personal collection of magazines, or from digital versions of similar images. She typically makes the collages by hand, cutting and pasting the pieces.

Using this method, Erin creates an interesting and ambiguous space within her work. In her paper and ink collage, Turn Shelter, the forms of women wrapped in burqa like clothing can be paralleled to hills in a landscape, overlapping in a logical sense behind a more compositionally dominant male figure in the foreground.

The grayscale male figure has had his identity removed, and within the space of his face is instead an image of an actual landscape, including a figure emerging from a tent. This combination of spatial elements and scale change of figures creates an uncertainty of the position of the viewer in relation to the work.

Erin is currently an undergraduate earning credit from both Saginaw Valley State University and Delta College. She plans to graduate from Saginaw Valley State University with a Bachelors degree in Art, and attend SVSU’s teacher certification program. To see more of Erin's work, visit erincase.weebly.com.



Amy Gibas
Gallery Assistant
University Art Gallery
Saginaw Valley State University

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Rachel Stahl- News Flash


Rachel Stahl
News Flash
Newspaper, metal frame, wood, and paper mache
Fall, 2013
Current SVSU Art Student


Greek Cycladic


Stahl’s News Flash appears to forever be in motion, or just about to move. The metal frame reminiscent of the Greek Cycladic period (c. 2,700-2,300 BCE) with its geometric simplified form and long thin figure. 

The figure remains simple, with small hands and little roundness to the body, enhancing the sense of movement or even urgency. 
I had the chance to watch Stahl create this piece in my sculpture class and watch her process from beginning to end. She started by creating the metal frame and then used paper mache to attach the newspaper. 


After building up several layers, she added more form to the body and finally hands. Her last step was debating over holes, which really add to piece, so the viewer can look through parts of the body. Overall, Stahl has created a dynamic piece that captures viewer’s attention as it stands in the lobby of the Arbury Fine Arts Building.


Alison Bur
Gallery Assistant
University Art Gallery
Saginaw Valley State University

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The Life of An Art Student



The Life of an Art Student

My Dorm Studio Last Year

Thinking about becoming an art student at SVSU? Or want to learn more about what we do? Here are 10 things you should know.

 1.     As an art student at SVSU you have the ability to work with many different types of media (tools to create art, or art forms) such as
-       Photography, Drawing, Painting, Graphic Design, Printmaking, Ceramics, and Sculpture.
-     Also, what can you major in? At SVSU you can major in Art, (Bachelor of Arts), BFA, (Bachelor of Fine Arts), Visual Art Education, or Graphic Design. You can also minor in art or graphic design. So, what if you want to major in Photography, or Painting? You declare your major as Art, but you focus mainly in your desired medium. Or want to learn more about BFA? And see if it’s right for you? Talk to Hideki Kihata, at kihata@svsu.eud. (Art Department Head)

2.    As an art student you will make many trips to local craft stores including Hobby Lobby and Michaels, there is a debate on which one is cheaper! Also, Lowe’s and Home Depot if in sculpture or 3-Dimensional Design.

3.    Be prepared to spend some money on supplies, I usually spend about $100 on each studio class buying supplies, paint, paper, markers, etc. Sometimes I spend more depending on how much paper and other non-reusable supplies I need.
(Note: Studio, refers to a class where you are actually creating art, like Intro to Painting or 2-Dimensional Design. Art classes that are not studio classes would mostly include Art History)

4.    Many students believe that art is an easy discipline, it is not. We spend many hours sketching, creating, redesigning, and working to create a finished product.

5.    So, how is work graded? Artwork is graded through critique. Critiques are lead by the instructor who gives students helpful feedback via constructive criticism. In most cases other students also give feedback on how the piece could be stronger. As an artist you have to have thick skin when it comes to critique, (Don’t take it personally, it’s not a personal attack!) Ask yourself, Can I defend my idea? Because it’s very important to take something away from critique, what can you do to make your work even better?

6.   A few things that are good to have, that you will use over and over again:
   -    Sketchbook and China marker (almost like a black crayon, with a string to pull off paper, that reveals more of the china marker) for fast sketching
   -    Sketchbook and China marker (almost like a black crayon, with a string to pull off paper, that reveals more of the china marker) for fast sketching-       Tape and scissors, never know when you are going to need that!
-       Glue stick
-       X- Acto Knife and box cutter
-       Pack of good drawing pencils, I would suggest Prismacolor Turquoise, however professors will be more specific!
-       Bristol Board (like cardstock, so you can draw with markers and the ink won’t bleed through, also can be a good painting surface)
-       Portfolio, so all of your artwork stays safe and undamaged!
-       Tool box to carry supplies
-       Some safety equipment is also needed! Earplugs, gloves, and safety glasses are good starters! You may need other equipment depending on the media you are working with.

7.    So, where else do art students work? We spend many hours on campus in the studio, the darkroom, the computer lab, the lighting studio, the ceramics studio, or working with the printing press, perfecting our work. Sometimes we are also drawing or painting outside around campus or in the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum.  

8.   So, how can you get involved? SVSU currently has a Graphic Design club as well as a Photography club that you can get involved in. Both plan on taking trips to conferences and exhibits to learn more about their craft.
-       CPSA- Cardinal Photography Student Association
-       AIGA- Graphic Design Student Group

9.   What else can you do? You can also experience our two on campus art galleries, Including The University Art Gallery, which hosts exhibits from artists all over the state, hosts 2 student shows for graduating BFA majors, one in the Fall and one in the Winter, and also hosts a show for all art majors to enter at the end of winter semester.
    You can also visit the Marshall M Fredericks Sculpture Museum, that features plaster casts created by the artist as well as a few of his finished bronze pieces that are located around campus. The Museum also features a changing gallery, with new exhibitions 3 to 4 times a semester.
    10.   One last thing you should know is how important it is as an art student, to go to exhibits, shows, festivals, and lectures to broaden your perspective on what kind of art other artists are making and to get inspiration for your own work!

 

Alison Bur
Gallery Assistant
University Art Gallery
Saginaw Valley State University

Monday, October 21, 2013

Student work on campus: Katie Stanton, Untitled



 Katie Stanton
Untitled
Ink on canvas, acrylic on wood

Student artwork is popping up in the Arbury lobby again, like the series of paintings by BFA candidate Katie Stanton. Each of twelve squares is filled with a texture made of dyed, torn canvas, featuring bright and saturated colors.  The wooden frames are painted as complimentary colors to the interiors, enhancing the colors chosen. The heavy texture of the pieces is an interesting focal point, contained and contrasted by the smooth wooden frames. Although the pieces are small, the repetition creates a larger composition spanning all twelve pieces.

To see this and other student work, stop in the Arbury Fine Arts building lobby, just outside of University Art Gallery.


Amy Gibas
Gallery Assistant
University Art Gallery
Saginaw Valley State University

Lucy (Bryce) Kolka, Dance Recital






Lucy (Bryce) Kolka

Dance Recital
Oil
BFA, Art 2002

I was immediately drawn to Kolka’s piece Dance Recital, because of her use of color and the emotion her piece conveys. Kolka creates a bold contrast between the dark background and the stark white she uses for the piece of paper the girl is holding, as well as her gloves. The painting is dark and moody, especially with the low light on the girl’s face and the blank piece of paper. I love the expressive quality of this panting as well as the technique that creates an overall softness. I also love the mystery of this image as I try to piece a story together, or find some meaning behind the work. However, what I like most about this image is that the meaning remains elusive.
To see this piece as well as another by Kolka, titled, Scotty, please visit our SVSU Art Alumni Exhibit, that is open until November 8th, with an artist reception on Oct. 24th, 4:30 to 6:30. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.


Alison Bur
University Gallery Assistant
University Art Gallery
Saginaw Valley State University

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Peter Clouse: Grandma's Cookie Jar

Peter Clouse
Grandma's Cookie Jar
woven electrical cords

As the sun was setting on the Gallery on Monday, I could not help but notice the spectacular display of light and shadow on Peter Clouse's piece, Grandma's Cookie Jar. This enormous blanket of woven electrical cords hangs from ceiling to floor in our gallery, with the bottom portion dangling loosely onto the floor. The artist uses a variety of widths and colors of wire, as well as a variety of techniques to weave the cords together.  These variations combined create interest and movement within the piece, and emphasize the technique of hand weaving used to create it.


Weaving with different sizes and shapes of wires and cords also created a variation of gaps and spaces between each element. This, combined with perfect time of day, creates a shadow that seems to be an extension of the weaving itself. The shadow cascades carelessly onto the floor just as much as the wires themselves, and transforms the singular sculpture into an installation that encompasses the space around it.



Peter Clouse is a 2010 graduate of Saginaw Valley State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design. His work is included in the Art Alumni Exhibit, on display now through November 8th, 2013. Opening reception is October 24th, 2013 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm.


Amy Gibas
Art Gallery Assistant
University Art Gallery
Saginaw Valley State University


Wednesday, October 2, 2013

A. Elisabeth Hogh's Untitled abstraction

A. Elisabeth Hogh, Untitled

A hidden gem in the back of University Art Gallery, an untitled abstract painting by Elisabeth Hogh is small yet captivating. Working intuitively, Hogh is inspired by the vibrant colors from the coastal region of Denmark where she lived during her childhood. The vibrant color in this untitled piece are reminiscent of what could be a coastal sunset landscape. The thick surface texture seems to record her actions as she pushes paint across the surface of the canvas, reflective of her intuitive process. Contrasting the organic movements of her composition, the canvas is stretched to fit within an industrial style metal frame. The canvas is attached by looping string around the metal pipes, a process that seems to be done by hand. The balance between factory-made and industrial to hand-crafted and organic is well played out between the frame and painted surface.

Artwork from Saints, Sinners & '63 will be auctioned off this Friday, October 4th to benefit the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum here at Saginaw Valley State University. For more information, Visit Marshallfredericks.org.


Amy Gibas
Gallery Assistant, University Art Gallery
Saginaw Valley State University