24 Works on Paper Artists M.J. Alexander, Oklahoma City Marilyn Artus, Oklahoma City Deborah Burian, Oklahoma City Zach Burns, Oklahoma City Marsha Gulick, Hominy Eyakem Gulilat, Norman Jeff Hogue, Bartlesville Marcus Kesler, Edmond David Knox, Oklahoma City Michael Litzau, Edmond Traci Martin, Ardmore Bobby C. Martin, Tahlequah Brandon Mitts, Stillwater Eric Piper, Norman Saumo Puapuaga, Oklahoma City Laura Reese, Norman Amy Rockett-Todd, Tulsa Clarissa Sharp, Oklahoma City Cathryn Wallace Thomas, Tulsa Thomas Tucker, Edmond Elizabeth Vuong, Tulsa Crystal Walters, Pryor Blair Waltman, Oklahoma City Betty Wood, Norman
Exhibition Schedule Through September 27, 2013: Redlands Community College, El Reno September 27-November 25, 2013: Goddard Center, Ardmore November 25, 2013-January 4, 2014: Ponca City Art Center, Ponca City January 4-February 9, 2014: Northern Oklahoma College, Tonkawa February 9-March 21, 2014: East Central University, Ada March 28-April 28, 2014: Graceful Arts Gallery and Studios, Alva May 31-June 28, 2014: Tulsa Artists’ Coalition, Tulsa June 28-August 25, 2014: Oklahoma State University Gardiner Gallery, Stillwater
Paper as Medium Remains Timeless in 24 Works on Paper by Sasha Spielman
Our imagination develops from the moment we are born. Shapes, colors, objects, sounds and other stimuli help us learn about the ever changing world around us. In the next stage of our development someone puts a blank piece of paper and a crayon in front of us and the rest is magic. Though the development method is rather complicated the end result remains similar – drawings. Masterpieces our parents and teachers display to a crowd. Later in life we choose who we want to be – a fireman, an engineer, or an artist. Regardless, we continue to create. A collaborative project from Individual Artists of Oklahoma (IAO) and Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC), titled 24 Works on Paper showcases some of the most engaging art techniques on paper in Oklahoma today. Only 24 works are selected for inclusion in this biennial exhibition which began in 1985. Curator Kristen Fleur Olds said, “The many submissions to 24 Works on Paper attest to the richness and resurgence of paper as an artistic medium.” Many modern artists and designers now choose the digital medium to create, so it’s exciting to see an exhibition that focuses on paper as a medium. As we move forward we invent and refine other techniques to express ourselves – yet we keep coming back to the physical materials. All 24 Oklahoma artists included in 24 Works on Paper demonstrate engaging and unique approaches to the chosen medium – no two works are alike. As the curator describes in her statement, we see this in Cathryn Wallace Thomas’ paper and ink self-portrait where torn paper “usurps line’s function, unseating the basic tenets of drawing” or Blair Waltman’s photograph
entitled Collide where “glass bottles meet their doppelgangers in criss-crossed arrays.” At times we take for granted what’s important to us - our vision, for example. Zach Burns, who is partially blind in one eye, allows viewers to see how he sees, capitalizing on photography’s ability to show us the world through someone else’s eyes. Other artists, such as Michael Litzau and Marilyn Artus, explore the relationship between words and images. Each work tackles social myths. They express their view on sports, ladies’ magazines or science classes presenting a beautiful mix of several worlds. Both Bobby C. Martin and Saumo Puapuaga explore people’s relationship to the past, with personal experiences and heritage serving as inspiration. As Aldous Huxley said, “Every man’s memory is his private literature.” Searching in the past remains a strong theme among several other works from Deborah Burian, M.J. Alexander and Marcus Kesler. ‘These works all celebrate the potential for art to engage deeply within its own histories and future, while tapping into the most universal aspects of the human condition,’ Olds said. The 24 Works on Paper exhibition opened in July at IAO Gallery in Oklahoma City. Luckily, art enthusiasts will have more than one opportunity to experience the exhibition, which will travel across Oklahoma for over a year. For a full list of venues and events, visit www.24works.org. n Sasha Spielman is a web editor who enjoys blogging, appreciates beautiful black and white photography, and loves producing short documentaries. She firmly believes that “Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
August 25-October 27, 2014: University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Chickasha October 27, 2014-January 2015: Leslie Powell Foundation & Gallery, Lawton
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Zach Burns, Oklahoma City, Hotel Duncan 63, Photography, 12 x 24