Art Focus Oklahoma, May/June 2007

ArtOFocus k l a h o m a

O k l ahoma Visu a l A r ts C o a l i t i o n

Vo l u m e 2 2 N o . 3

May/June 2007

Debby Kaspari

Painting Nature. page 3

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contents

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12

profiles

Editor: Kelsey Karper publications@ovac-ok.org

3 Debby Kaspari 5 Burt Harbison

reviews/previews 7 deadCENTER Film Festival 10 Virginia Scotchie 13 100 Paintings 14 Don Thompson

features 15 On the Map 16 The World Inside

business of art 17 The Deciding Factor 19 Ask A Creativity Coach

OVAC news 20 At a Glance 21 gallery This program is supported in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council

Art Director: Anne Richardson anne@speccreative.com Art Focus Oklahoma is a bimonthly publication of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition dedicated to stimulating insight into and providing current information about the visual arts in Oklahoma.

Mission: The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition supports visual artists living and working in Oklahoma and promotes public interest and understanding of the arts.

OVAC welcomes article submissions related to artists and art in Oklahoma. Call or email the editor for guidelines.

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member agency

Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition P.O. Box 1946 • Oklahoma City, OK 73101 ph: 405.232.6991 • e: director@ovac-ok.org visit our website at: www.ovac-ok.org Executive Director: Julia Kirt director@ovac-ok.org

8 Out of Oklahoma

On the Cover: Debby Kaspari, Norman, Semiplumbeous Hawk in Panama, Acrylic on Board, 12”x12”

ArtOFocus kl a h o m a

guide

OVAC welcomes your comments. Letters addressed to Art Focus Oklahoma are considered for publication unless otherwise specified. Mail or email comments to the editor at the address above. Letters may be edited for clarity or space reasons. Anonymous letters will not be published.

Please include a phone number.

Art Focus Committee: Janice McCormick, Bixby; Sue Clancy, Norman; Michael Hoffner, Stephen Kovash, Cindy Miller, Debbie Nauser, Roger Runge and Sue Moss Sullivan, Oklahoma City.

OVAC Board of Directors 2006-2007: Kathleen Rivers, Ada; Rick Vermillion (Treasurer), Edmond; Suzanne C.Thomas, Nicoma Park; Thomas Batista, Skip Hill, Stephen Kovash, Suzanne Mitchell, Ira Schlezinger, John Seward (Vice President), Carl Shortt, Lila Todd (Secretary), Elia Woods, Oklahoma City; Joellen Frisillo, Pam Hodges, Phd (President), Sand Springs; Chris Ramsay, Stillwater; Jean Ann Fausser, Tulsa; E. K. Jeong, Weatherford.

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition is solely responsible for the contents of Art Focus Oklahoma. However, the views expressed in articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Board or OVAC staff.

Member Agency of Allied Arts and member of the National Association of Artists’ Organizations. © 2007, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. All rights reserved.

prof ile Debby Kaspari, Norman, Red Capped Manakins , at La Selva, Acrylic on Board, 8.5”x21”

Debby Cotter Kaspari:

Kevin Stark, Pauls Valley Doodles & Dreams Hand Drawn on Paper with Color added Digitally 48” X 144”

DOING BIG STUFF

by Robert French

Although she was born and raised in Berkeley, California, OVAC artist Debby Cotter Kaspari is painting the flora and fauna of Oklahoma these days. Oklahoma during the Pennsylvanian period, some 325 to 299 million years age, to be exact This week, Kaspari is putting the finishing touches on a large underwater scene which features a Stethacansus – a prehistoric shark – as well as a giant Crinoid, which resembles a large underwater palm tree, but is in fact an invertebrate animal related to the sea urchin. Kaspari’s subjects in this painting lived in a shallow Oklahoma ocean at one time, and today she is working to visually bring the fish out of the muck and mire of the ocean floor.

For the last several months, Kaspari has been putting in long days working on three large murals for the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, on the campus of the University of Oklahoma.

For the project, she has painted a huge seagoing reptile called the Elasmosaur, a giant prehistoric Camel or Megatylopus, and the giant Crinoid, each of which will be digitally photographed by Kaspari’s colleague Konrad Eek and enlarged to twice their already-considerable size (the camel is painted 4’ by 6’, and will appear as an 8’ by 12’ mural; the Elasmosaur was painted at 8’ by 15’ and will be 16’ by 30’) as part of the upcoming Collecting Oklahoma Centennial exhibit which opens June 16, 2007 and runs until January 21, 2008. The murals will serve as backdrops for the Museum’s display of rare fossils of these species found in the state.

For Kaspari, this is yet another interesting turn in her varied and successful career as a full-time working visual artist. Although she is now primarily known as a virtuoso bird painter, she has literally explored the full spectrum of art jobs, as she has managed to support herself through her art work for more than 25 years. In that time, Kaspari has worked as a fashion illustrator, a caricaturist, an animal portraitist, a storyboard illustrator for advertising agencies, a medical illustrator, a jewelry designer, a designer and illustrator of continued page 4

prof ile continued from page 3

kitchenware, a book and magazine illustrator, an architectural renderer, and a designer of a line of very popular head vases, to name only a few of her jobs.

Kaspari’s bird paintings have been shown, commissioned, and collected for many years in her native California and across the country.

She has traveled into the rain forest of Costa Rica and Panama to sketch tropical birds and plants in the wild, living for weeks at the Smithsonian field research station on Barro Colorado Island in the middle of the Panama Canal. She has painted birds in the outback and on the beaches of Australia.

These exploits, and many others, are cheerfully and charmingly discussed on Kaspari’s blog Drawing the Motmot, which is linked to her professional website www.debbykaspari.com.

In her daily entries, Kaspari shows progress reports on paintings on which she is working – including photographs of various drafts of each work, some of which are abandoned or reworked and again photographed and posted to show the resolution of visual or thematic problems as they arise. The blog, in short, provides the reader with a rich understanding of Kaspari’s working methods, from initial field sketch to finished painting. In each blog entry, Kaspari’s sense of humor and diligent dedication to her craft shine through not only in her images, but also in her engaging prose.

In a recent thread, for example, Kaspari invites her readers to join her on a field trip on Barro Colorado Island, candidly warning us that we will get “dirty, sweaty, and chigger-bit” in the process! Combining photos taken on her trips to the island, field sketches from her sketchbook with finished work developed from those sketches, Kaspari literally takes us along with her as she works, describing the surroundings for us with the eye of a seasoned birder: From here we can look out on the canal and see what’s flying over it or foraging at the edge of it, like maybe a small kite or a Limpkin. Listen to the sounds of BCI: cicadas keep up a constant din which you’ll only notice when it stops. Up the hill a trio of Chestnut-mandibled toucans are squeaking in the canopy, a Black-throated Trogon is making “sickpuppy” calls somewhere in the mid-storeys, and the Howler monkey troupe over on Fairfield Point is roaring at the Howler troupe over at Lutz ravine.

Kaspari then shows a page from her sketchbook to illustrate the Howlers clinging to the tree limbs, explaining that Howler monkeys only look and sound ferocious. They are pleasantly mild-mannered and have swooningly beautiful eyes. At this point, Kaspari has pulled

Debby Kaspari, Norman, Snowy Egret, Acrylic on Board, 8”x10”

us out of our computer chairs and dropped us gently into the rain forest. Who could resist her invitation?

2006 and 2007 have been busy for Kaspari.

In addition to painting the Sam Noble murals and maintaining her blog, she has been a very busy bird painter. Her painting of Red-capped Manakins, painted from field sketches from a trip to Costa Rica, was included in the prestigious annual Birds in Art exhibit, an international juried show at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin. On March 1, former Vice-President Al Gore spoke about global warming to a crowd of 9,000 at the Lloyd Noble Center at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. At the close of the talk,

University President David Boren presented Mr. Gore with a gift to commemorate his trip to Oklahoma: a watercolor of two Scissortail Flycatchers by Kaspari.

Kaspari is slated to have a solo show at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in 2008. She is also working on a book which will combine her rain forest images and writing, in the style of her blog.

Look for her drawings and paintings in a venue near you and visit her blog. Expect big things. n

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(left) Burt Harbison in his studio.

Profile: Burt Harbison

(right) Burt Harbison, Oklahoma City, A Story of Carl & Scooter (Slack-Jawed Rats), Oil on Paper, 48”x36”

by Carolyn Deuschle After winning OVAC’s Artist Award of Excellence in 1999, Burt Harbison admits it was difficult to continue to produce strong works of art with the newly found sense of arrogance that captured him.

Eventually, he overcame the obstacle that can sometimes be success to create a body of work that focuses on the relationship between text and image. The poignancy of his images derives from his ability to inject unconventional messages into hackneyed cultural forms. An Art professor on tenure track at Oklahoma City University, Harbison is currently working on a series of paintings that blend movie poster narratives with real world news stories and a strong dose of humor.

The resultant images serve not only as a commentary on American life, but also as a multi-layered response to media’s representation of truth.

Harbison’s work will be on display at the IAO Gallery from May 5 until June 1, 2007.

CD: What is your background in art? Have you always been an artist?

BH: I didn’t go to art school until I had already received a degree in history and after a tour in the Army. My BFA is from University of Texas at Austin. I got an MFA from the University of Oklahoma in 1993 and, fortunately have been working in the art field in one way or another ever since. From 1993 to 1995 I was a designer at a company that made decorative belt buckles (rodeo, etc). Then I was the janitor at the Oklahoma City Art Museum when it was on the fair grounds. Then I was an interim curator there. Now I run the gallery for the Oklahoma City University Art Department and teach a few classes there. I have managed to keep studio work going during most of that time.

CD: Have you had much encouragement as an artist?

BH: As much as anyone deserves.

CD: What themes or subjects frequently draw your interest?

BH: Slap stick violence seems to keep showing up; politics, off and on; people victimized by their own stupidity and bad luck. I guess I still need to read Erasmus’ In Praise of Folly?

CD: How do you view the relationship between your art and humor?

BH: My art and humor. It just seems to work better with humor or silliness than seriousness. Other people are better at the serious stuff than me. Humor and art are similar in that the response is subjective.

CD: What inspires you as an artist?

BH: For some reason, Bertolt Brecht’s biography and body of work is the best inspiration I have found.

CD: How would you describe your style?

BH: Semi-painterly; semi-naturalistic.

CD: Who are other artists whose work you admire?

BH: Cindy Sherman for her process; Peter Saul for draughtsmanship and palette; Robert Colescott for the irony; Richard Serra for the concept; Janet Fish for her ability to create images with paint – that simple!?

CD: What is your working process like?

BH: I usually work up a cartoon with tracing paper, Xerox, and drawing continued to page 6

prof ile continued from page 5 Burt Harbison, Oklahoma City, Dick Cheney Republican Killer (Ucciore Republicano), Oil on Paper, 36”x52”

and project on my canvas. I usually glue watercolor paper to the canvas to add rigidity, without the weight of a panel. I then rough it in with acrylics and then apply oil paint. Lately, I have had the initial inspiration from a phrase or word rather than an image in my mind’s eye. I then try to come up with an image to fit the phrase.

CD: What is your studio like?

BH: It is a detached garage that also serves as a general storage area.

CD: How has your art changed or has it?

BH: I have started thinking about the work as if it were a buckle I was designing - integrating text with image. Of course, I realized that although this is a very old procedure, it seems to result in a more successful product - at least as I have intended.

CD: In your paintings, do you try to show the audience things they are not meant to see?

BH: Yes, I hope that the viewers see different things or draw different associations from the images. The mock movie posters would I think lend themselves to this. For one thing, someone might have to research the foreign titles. I don’t speak Italian or German and have to get help with the text. Although everybody appreciates simplicity, layered meanings can make a work of art much richer and can certainly push a viewer beyond looking only at the artist’s technical skill. However, the artist ultimately cannot control content.

CD: How did you eventually overcome the mental block that overtook you after winning the Artist Award of Excellence?

BH: The moment of realization came when several pieces were shown in some local venues and were so bad that I was embarrassed. Essentially it made me think about what I was doing - not just executing ideas with the belief that anything I did was good. No one is a Midas after all. Some things we touch turn to crap instead of gold. It also made me realize that every work of art should have its own process and that a general method or “rules” an artist imposes on him/herself must also

be questioned. For example, some paintings demand economy and others demand horror vacui. “Less is more” may work for Alex Katz’s paintings, but something like the Ludovisi Sarcophagus (not a painting of course) is what it is because it is crowded with figures and swords.

Another of my “rules” that I have dispersed with is the belief that text, or some form of formal language, diminishes an image.

CD: Do you have any advice for artists working in Oklahoma who do not receive much attention from local gallery owners and art buyers but would still like to make a living creating and/or surrounded by art?

BH: An artist who does not earn a living directly from his/her own artwork is free to create anything. Aside from the job at Award Design Medals (belt buckle design), I have probably sold no more than $10,000 worth of paintings since getting my MFA. I have a feeling that if I were making enough income selling art to support a family I would not like the artwork very much. I am not a good one for any kind of advice, especially when it comes to marketing your own work. I certainly can’t speak on account of any resounding personal successes. The only advice I can give is that the quality of an artist’s work is subjective only to those other than the artist. The artist must have and maintain his/her own impeccable standard of quality - one that only he or she knows.

Patrons, prizes, and praise I believe can undermine this.

CD: How do you insert yourself into your paintings of other people and events?

In other words, what of you gets expressed in your work?

BH: I guess what I am expressing is that there is very little in life that is worth taking too seriously. Unfortunately, I seem to see life as a stumbling course of bad decisions and bad luck. The mock movie posters may suggest some specific narratives (fill in your own) for that stumbling progression - in fact I don’t always believe any message that my political work carries. The image is just another poor sap in some kind of trouble. The humor allows me to glimpse someone else’s stumbling. I feel that I am entitled to laugh at others’ misfortune because someday they can laugh at mine. n

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(left bottom) Cacky Poarch, Executive Director of deadCENTER Film Festival, with Jill Simpson, Rick Lippert and Gwen Faulkner-Lippert. (left, top) Attendees at the 2006 deadCENTER Film Festival at Harkins Theatre. (above) The crowd at the 2006 deadCENTER Film Festival.

deadCENTER Film Festival

by Stephen Kovash The 7th annual deadCENTER Film Festival opens Wednesday, June 6 screening local, national and international films through Sunday, June 10. The Festival, founded by Justan and Jayson Floyd in 2001, has an ongoing mission to promote independent film arts. The festival has attracted many filmmakers and film and video lovers from around the nation. Designed to inspire growth in the local film industry and energize visiting film professionals, the Festival includes film and video screenings, discussions, competition, special events, panels, and focused programming.

The name “deadCENTER” refers to the geographical location of Oklahoma City within the continental United States and once again the festival is in the deadCENTER of downtown Oklahoma City. Screenings are scheduled at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the Individual Artists of Oklahoma (IAO)

Gallery, the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, the Harkins Bricktown Theater and other venues to be named later.

The festival kicks-off on Wednesday, June 6 with festivities that include a kick-off party followed by a special free outdoor screening.

On Thursday, June 7, the festival kicks into full gear with films screening at various venues and later that evening, the Opening Night Party followed by the Opening Night film at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Films continue all day Friday, June 8 including a free Kids Film Fest at Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library as well as panel series at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The evening will be capped off with two parties; the Filmmaker Cocktail Reception and Friday Night Frolic at the IAO. On Saturday, June 9 screenings and panels continue throughout the day. That evening, grab a spot on the amphitheatre at Kerr Park on the

corner of Robert S. Kerr and Broadway and enjoy the stars beneath the stars for a second free outdoor screening and awards ceremony.

These events are capped off yet again by a Closing Night Party at Nonna’s Purple Bar. The festival wraps with a “Best of the Fest” showing of the week’s winning films at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. All-access passes are $100 and include entry into all festival screenings, parties, and panels, as well as a goodie bag (what would a film festival be without swag?). A basic pass is available for $50 and includes entry into all screenings. Tickets for most individual screenings are $8 and are available at each venue. For more information, please visit the website at www.deadcenterfilm.org. n

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Out of Oklahoma:

Contemporary Artists from Ruscha to Andoe

by Janice McCormick

(top) Kreg Kallenberger, Tulsa, Interlock Series no. 257, 1986, courtesy of the artist (bottom) Leon Polk Smith, 1906-1996, born in Chickasha, Dusty Miller Leaf, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, Norman

Celebrating the Oklahoma State Centennial, the exhibition Out of Oklahoma: Contemporary Artists from Ruscha to Andoe, opens May 25 and continues through September 16, 2007 at Price Tower Arts Center in Bartlesville. It is followed by a showing at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art September 29 through January 6, 2008.

Covering the trends from 1960 to the present day, Out of Oklahoma demonstrates the crucial role that artists born or raised in, and associated with Oklahoma have had on the national scene. Major figures include Ed Ruscha, Joe Goode, Joe Brainerd, Larry Clark, David Salle, Joe Andoe, Carolyn Brady, Harold Stevenson, Leon Polk Smith and Lee Mullican. The show will be comprised of over thirty-five paintings, sculpture, photographs and works on paper from private and public Oklahoma, New York and California collections.

The work of David Salle, born in Norman, Oklahoma, helped to define painting in New York City in the eighties. Two major works, Jim was Jim and Lara with Glass, demonstrate a continued romance with representation and its various permutations. Harold Stevenson’s groundbreaking neo-realism that criticized the reigning style of Abstract Art came to the forefront with his New Adam (1963). His classicizing, but politically laden Figure with Veiled Face from the Black Fates series (1973) with its undertones of the ascendant Civil Rights Movement is also on exhibit. Charles Bell and Carolyn Brady are represented in two paintings in the exhibition. Illustrating the Photorealism movement during the 1970s and 80s, Bell’s Lullaby (1983) is harsh and confrontational in its Stephen King scariness and its severity of form and light.

Beginning with the Pop Art movement and moving through abstraction, minimalism, photorealism and the new figurative painting, the exhibition surveys major developments in American art and reveals Oklahoma’s role in helping shape them. Ruscha’s bold images of everyday Americana contrast with Brainerd’s delicate floral collages. Larry Clark’s gritty but utterly genuine photographs (Tulsa, 1963) contrast with Carolyn Brady’s early refined photorealism. Elegant abstract patterns, vibrant colors and spiritual themes link numerous works by Mullican and Polk.

Larry Clark’s photographic series entitled Tulsa (1963), depicting his friends and associates with their guns, cars, sex, and drug use, startled the nation with its revelation of discontent in suburban America, a theme to which Clark returns to in his film work (Kids, 1995; Bully, 2001).

Two works from the 1980s by arguably Oklahoma’s most famous artistic son, Ed Ruscha, are highlights of the exhibition.

Ruscha, who after graduating high school in Oklahoma City drove cross country to California in 1956, became known for his Pop sensibility regarding the open road and its icons - filling stations and billboards. In California, he took up with his artist friends Joe Goode and Jim McMillan, both also represented in Out of Oklahoma. Decades later, Ruscha’s love for words, text, cinema and signs themselves takes its most obvious inspiration in the literal letters that dominate the Hollywood Hills, as seen in his painting Black Hollywood (1984).

The realist painter Joe Andoe who, after studying at the University of Oklahoma, has successfully pursued his career in New York City. Yet his romantic compositions depict the stark plains, windblown trees, bison and horses of his home state.

Sculptural works by two Tulsans, Otto Duecker and Kreg Kallenberger, are also featured in Out of Oklahoma. Duecker’s painted cut-out image of an African-American basketball player blurs the boundaries between painting and sculpture and refers to the prevailing photo-realism of the day. Early on, Kallenberger’s impressive glass objects mimicked both machine and landscape.

Characteristic works are represented in the exhibition.

An important development in the exhibition is the Oklahoma-California connection. Beginning in the early 20th century, California as “the Promised Land” for artists may have had its

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(left) Larry Clark, New York City, Untitled (T23), Tulsa,

1963, courtesy of the artist and Luhring Augustine

(top right) Kreg Kallenberger, Tulsa, View of Redbird Lake, 2006, courtesy of the artist (bottom right) Edward Ruscha, Los Angeles, CA, Black Hollywood, 1984, collection of Sandy and Harold Price

origins during the Dust Bowl of John Steinbeck’s depiction of Okies (The Grapes of Wrath, 1939). Examples include Olinka Hrdy’s paintings and design work in Hollywood in the 1930s and Bruce Goff’s novel prefabricated Quonset-style architecture for California military bases a decade later. The migration of Oklahomans to California ultimately resulted in Ruscha and Goode’s relocating to the West Coast and Lee Mullican’s long career in Los Angeles. Mullican drew inspiration for his abstract style from sources as varied as Native American religions, Surrealism, Zen Buddhism, and jazz.

Several important paintings by Mullican will be featured in the exhibition from the large body of work given by the artist to the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma.

Richard P. Townsend, Exhibition Guest Curator, explains, “Out of Oklahoma will not only reveal a little known - and little suspected - aspect of later

20th-century American art, but in so doing will give Oklahomans a renewed sense of pride in their innovative spirit and pioneer attitude.”

Out of Oklahoma launches the University of Oklahoma/Price Tower Arts Center Collaboration. This exhibition will be immediately followed by a second collaborative effort between these two institutions, an exhibition entitled Oklahoma Moderne: The Art and Design of Olinka Hrdy.

Out of Oklahoma: Contemporary Artists from Ruscha to Andoe is co-organized by Price Tower Arts Center and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma in honor of the Oklahoma Centennial and is designated an official Centennial event. For more information, check out the Price Tower Arts Center website www.pricetower.org. n

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(left) Virginia Scotchie, Columbia, SC, Knob Form from Indigo Translation Series, Stoneware (middle) Virginia Scotchie, Columbia, SC, Avocado/Bronze Knob, Stoneware, 19”x15”x10”

Function in a Former Life:

(right) Virginia Scotchie, Columbia, SC, Bell from Indigo Translation Series, Stoneware, 11”x7”x7”

The ceramics of Virginia Scotchie

by Kelsey Karper Virginia Scotchie’s ceramics sit somewhere between regal and whimsical. Her handmade pieces are reminiscent of everyday, functional objects but with characteristics that make them difficult to define.

Scotchie, who lives and works in South Carolina, is head of the ceramics department at the University of South Carolina and received her Masters of Fine Arts from Alfred University in New York. An exhibition of her work was recently featured in a solo exhibition titled All Things Considered at the University Of Tulsa School Of Art in the Alexandre Hogue Gallery.

In admiring the collection of ceramic works, I found it difficult to follow the “no touch” rules that are so ingrained in a frequent art viewer. The pieces seemed to be asking to be touched. Their surfaces were covered mostly with a unique texture of bumps and cracks in saturated colors, interrupted by smoother surfaces with a bronzy finish. They seemed to be made for handling, most of them boasting

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protruding knobs or handles. It is as if these protrusions were a part of the objects function in a former life.

surface reminiscent of moss, soil, or tree bark is distinct from the heavy and solid metallic surface of buildings, bridges, or machinery.

A piece resembling a cup is transformed with purposefully placed holes creating a pattern in and through its sides. A bowl-like object has similar holes along with a spout jutting from the bottom edge and the viewer can imagine what would be more of a fountain than a container. Each piece is displayed on what appears to be custom created pedestals and shelves. Strategic arrangements of objects on wall shelves combine several small pieces into large, impressive displays. A collection of works from her series Indigo Translations are arranged in a diamond-shaped pattern, taking up an entire wall. The forms are varied, from cups and funnels to bells and hats, but they are united in color and texture.

A royal purple glazes the cracked, rough surface with a coppery bronze covering the smoother portions. The contrast in surfaces seems to be a study in the divergent products of nature and man. The organic and crusty

This disparity continues throughout the exhibition, with some pieces divided literally in half between surface textures. One wall of the gallery highlights a single row of ten spheres, each perched precariously upon a small shelf. The surfaces look as though the rough textures, each in different colors, have been peeled away to reveal the bronze beneath.

To view a collection of Scotchie’s work is certainly a joyful experience. Her bold use of colors and forms are at once playful and contemplative. They invoke the mind to imagine the spirit that may be contained within the objects that we surround ourselves with every day and to consider the roles that they may play in our world.

For more about the artist and her work, visit www.virginiascotchie.com. n

FIBER ART:

Emily duBois, Stephanie Grubbs, and C. Elizabeth Smathers April 7 - May 11, 2007

QUILTS:

Men of Biblical Proportion

C. Elizabeth Smathers Ambient, 8” X 14” X 13.75”

May 18 - June 29, 2007

Artsplace Ponca City www.artsplaceponcacity.net

319 E. Grand Ave. Ponca City, OK 74601 580.762.1930

David McCallum Isaiah, quilt, 22” X22”

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New Genre: a partial report

by Julia Kirt

For those of you who missed the New Genre Festival in March, don’t let it happen again!

Although that may be too harsh a way to start an article, this event is one of the few places where, every year, you can see artistic expression you have never before considered, experience the most intense artistic passion, and have your curiosity ignited.

As usual, Steve Liggett of Living ArtSpace in Tulsa pulled together an astounding series of events. Crammed into two weekends, the exhibitions, performances, films, and indescribable artwork teemed with energy.

Despite my admonishments to you, I only managed to attend a few New Genre events— the Daniel Barrow installation and gallery talk and the Marina Abramovic installation.

Barrow is an unassuming artist from Winnipeg, Canada. His outdated media consisted of hand-drawn transparencies with an overhead projector and animation created by a 1988 Commodore computer (yes, it still runs!). His installation and gallery talk were held in the Liggett Studio.

In describing his process, Barrow emphasized that he is a story teller who developed his artistic process out of the confluence of comic books and glass lantern performance. He always begins with the drawing, employing watercolor and ink. Then he scans in the drawings, printing them out on transparencies that he can cut and combine.

Dance performance during “Crazy Quilt Drive-In.”

The performance aspect of his artwork came from; he said quite simply, “I always talked to myself as a child.” This narration is what transforms his somewhat dark stories into mesmerizing tales.

Using an overhead projector, like your seventh grade math teacher’s, Barrow moves the images while narrating. He combines multiple drawings in layers and moves them in a sort of choreography. As unrefined as this may sound, it was wonderful. The experience reminded me of being read stories by my mother and imagining all the details vividly in my head.

Ever given the chance again, I would attend any performance by Barrow.

Marina Abramovic’s video installation “Balkan Erotic Epic” took over Living ArtSpace’s gallery March 8 through March 29. A rich environment of saturated color, horizons and emotion was built through four large screens alive with projected videos. Dr. Michaela Merryday from University of Tulsa gave a lecture about the progression of Abramavic’s work in advance of the opening.

The disquieting, yet beautiful images seemed like archetypes. Each video seemed epic, composed out of Balkan pagan traditions and Serbian folklore. Connections of sexuality and eroticism to the land are expressed through different actions. For instance, one video shows many nude men’s rear ends rising and falling over the lush, green land, not violent enough to be rape nor sensuous enough to be coitus. Another video has traditionally-clothed women raising their skirts dramatically to show the Gods their genitalia to scare away the rain. With walls made out of the projected videos, the space was filled with the images.

For the first time, Liggett curated a collaborative performance with PseudoDance Company from Oklahoma City, Monica Huggins Dance Company from Tulsa, and Perpetual Motion Dance Company from Oklahoma

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City. The Wallace Engineering building served as the stage. A multiple story building renovated with windows from the ground to top, dance groups moved between the windows as the audience was outside, either in cars or standing.

Since I did not attend the “Crazy Quilt Drive-In,” I asked a few of the dancers from Perpetual Motion to describe how it was participating in such a novel happening.

Rebecca vonBargen: “For me this experience was exciting because of the collaborative process that it took on. It was wonderful to formulate a visual and spatial concept with the ideas of many dancers, carefully taking into consideration the limitations of the space given. I also think that we welcomed the challenge of utilizing every aspect of the space; the windows, stairwells, tables, and other office props, which made for an interesting show and offered variety throughout. I found it interesting that each of the performing companies interpreted the space so differently.

Initially I expected that we would all use the surrounding objects and obstacles in a similar way, but the approach for each company was completely unique.”

Michelle Dexter: “We did not discuss our ideas between each company. I think because of that our “final products” were so unique and individual to each company and you were really able to see the individual voices and artistic visions.

Perpetual Motion tried not to pre-determine our choreography ideas until we saw the space and were able to play around. From dancing on the working stations and conference tables, to climbing on the windows and hanging from the stairwell, we tried to incorporate all of the elements of the space into our work. We chose to take a visual approach to the choreography by incorporating props, bright colors, and large movements that would still have impact in the street. We also tried to vary each segment aesthetic format. Our first section was intended to essentially display physicality and strength through complicated partnering, aerial work in the stairwell and striking shapes in our “window climbing.” The second section was more theatrical, with movie and

rev iew (left) Ring Around the Mountain “I liked this Colorado Mountain view so much that I had to paint it again....with a different light” – Cynthia Wolf, Oklahoma City, Pastel, 6” x 4”

Projections in Daniel Barrow’s (Winnipeg, Canada) installation at Liggett Studio.

TV reenactment blurbs, big props (like our Ms. Pac Man and Ghosts!), and a sense of dramatic improvisation. This section utilized the idea of an office space as the format, that we were business people caught in a daydream during a meeting or something in that realm. We just decided there was not reason to ignore that we were performing dance in an office building and instead use that in our artistic process. The main goal of our final section was just to be fun and use high energy!

Definitely one of the biggest challenges of this project was to coordinate choreography among the windows without being able to see one another. We used walkie-talkies to try and communicate between the windows, but at the end of the day you just had to focus on your window and hope that it all worked out!

Another element, in retrospect, was the lack of auditory feedback from the audience due to being inside while they are outside. There was a very different sense of affirmation, not only from the audience but from the other dancers. At the end of a dance, you usually know if it was successful or not. Since we were isolated from one another, we had no idea if it went smoothly or if it was a disaster! You just had to hope! The audience did pick up quickly on not being able to clap and they began to honk their horns and flash their lights in approval at the end of each segment. That was a very fun way to get feedback from the audience.

We definitely had a great time participating in New Genre and there were a lot of lessons to be learned about how we perceive performance space, performance interaction, and site-specific choreography in general. I think it would be great to continue that artistic vision in Oklahoma with site-specific performances and collaborations.

Leah Watson: “At first I was skeptical about the idea of performing in an office building because I had no idea what to expect. While meeting and watching the other dance companies involved in the show that apprehension soon turned to excitement during the rehearsal process, I couldn’t wait to perform for an audience. The live show was fun, energized and the feedback was positive.” n

(right, top) I Love Painting “I do love to paint and collage has opened up a new way to communicate.” Gayle Curry, Oklahoma City, Acrylic, 5” x 7” (left, bottom) Red Rock Mountain “I love painting landscapes, I have no other explanation.”

Jack Hill, Bethany, Acrylic, 7” x 5” (right, bottom) Blue Butterfly “This came floating through my garden one day and I managed to get a photo before it got away.” Karen Orr, Oklahoma City, Watercolor, 5” x 7”

Paseo Artists Dedicate 100 Paintings

by Lori Oden Oklahoma’s 100th birthday has inspired individuals, businesses, organizations and communities across the state to celebrate in unique ways.

Four artists from the historic Paseo Arts District have collaborated to create 100 paintings in 100 days. Each painting costs $100 and can be viewed and purchased at http://100paintings100days.blogspot.com/.

Gayle Curry, Karen Orr, Cynthia Wolf and Jack Hill have dedicated 25 days to make 25 works each. In addition to the work, they post a blog on their website. According to the artists, they were inspired by Richmond, Virginia painter Duane Keiser who started the “painting a day” craze on December 10, 2004. Keiser wanted to make a living as an artist and found that posting his “postcard paintings” on the internet and eBay were keys to his success. Commercial galleries generally do not accept small works because of the low profit margin, but are often the main source of income for artists. The internet and eBay reach millions of people all over the world and “After that, it just exploded. I would post a painting, and someone in India would buy it within five minutes,” he says.

The scope of the work by the Paseo artists is broadened by the diverse styles of each artist.

The mini paintings, usually 4x6 or 5x7, are created in oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media collages and pastel.

Affordable, original art can make a collector out of anyone and allows artists to make a living.

Oklahoma is a goldmine for exceptional artists – support your local and state artists! n

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rev iew

(left) Don Thompson, Tulsa, Afternoon Light, Polaroid Manipulation (right) Don Thompson, Tulsa, Solace, Polaroid Manipulation

An Exploration of Personal Loss

by Janice McCormick As facilitator of the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition’s Selection Committee, I personally chose Don Thompson to fill a last minute cancellation at the TAC Gallery. Having seen and reviewed his work for many years, I am familiar with the high quality of his art photography. The resulting exhibit Tulsa in a Parade of Color in February consisted of landscapes, urban architecture, portraits, street scenes and two interiors. One of the abiding themes Thompson’s art explores is that of personal loss - a theme that resonates with me the older I get.

In this exhibit, all the works are Polaroid color manipulated images. Once the Polaroid photograph has been taken and while the developing process is still going on, a stylus is used to compress the soft emulsion. This gives the image a painterly effect. Then, after scanning into the computer, Thompson prints the image on archival quality paper with archival ink. Sometimes he alters the Polaroid’s square format by cropping the image as well.

In my capacity as facilitator, I had the opportunity to see two versions of Afternoon Light: the original image supplied on CD as well as the final version printed, framed and hung on the gallery wall. This inside perspective gave me insight into Thompson’s artistic process.

In the original version on CD, bright sunlight strikes a long wooden table, five café chairs and a patch of faded green carpet, leaving the background nearly in the dark with the far back wall a dull purple. A blue glass vase with pale yellow flowers and several other bleached out objects occupy the center of both the table and the composition. The square Polaroid format coupled with a series of horizontal shapes (especially the table) within the composition creates a strong sense of stability.

The depiction of empty chairs traditionally serves as the symbolic representation of the

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loss of loved ones. Here are five empty chairs: the nearside two are fully visible, though one is so starkly lit that the burgundy of the seat appears bleached out; the two on the far side remain in shadows, only the arched backs are visible; and, the fifth chair at the right end of the table is turned towards the viewer. It is as though the chairs in full view stand for those who have died most recently, with one searing loss experienced most recently; while the partly visible chairs in the back represent those who have been gone a long time, their memories grown indistinct, though not completely forgotten.

And, perhaps, the fifth chair’s placement represents an offer for the photographer (and vicariously you) to take a seat at the table as well. Given this interpretation, the earthy brown rectangular table reads as a gravesite, while the sunlit flowers add just a hint of life and therefore of hope.

As the above description reveals, the original image of Afternoon Light succeeds in creating a deep sense of loss. Thus, it is intriguing not only to see how Thompson re-imagines the image in the final hanging version, but also to realize that it is an equally powerful expression. The differences between the two versions are profound. By cropping the right and left sides as well as the top of the original, Thompson alters the overall format from a stable square to an upward thrusting rectangle and makes the internal composition tighter and more dynamic. By paring down the number of objects, Thompson gives more weight to those that remain. The nearside chair on the left is cut in half so that its curving back does not draw the eye towards the left edge. A vague shape at the very top of the original no longer is there to pull the eye away from the table. Gone is the fifth chair and with it the implied offer of joining the dearly departed. With both left and right ends of the table cut off, the table now

spans the entire width of the image in order to serve as a stage, rather than to suggest a grave. Set against brooding shadows, a quiet drama plays out as the eye moves diagonally from the bleached out chair seat below the table on the left, up to the brightly lit blue flower vase (now shifted off-center to the right in the composition) and continues to the far upper right-hand corner to a tiny white square (perhaps a metallic object on the far back wall reflecting the light). Counterbalancing this sharp diagonal is the stable horizontal line of the table. Prominently occupying the point where these two lines meet is the vase of flowers. The curved reflections on the back chair bring the eye back down to table where there is an intimate dialogue going on as the curved reflections of the two chairs behind the table echo the shapes of the two chairs on the nearside. It is as if the departed ones are saying, “Enjoy life while it lasts; after all, cut flowers can’t last forever.”

Thompson’s Solace offers a subtle glimpse of hope set within a forlorn landscape. The washed out colors (due to the interrupted chemical development of the Polaroid) are used to good affect. The faded brown of the home in the background and the dull grey tones of the stone wall in the foreground create a somber mood - a mood softened somewhat by the suffused light yellow atmosphere.

Diagonals play a paradoxical role: on the one hand, the main diagonal of the stone wall up front impedes one’s path to the house, while, on the other hand, the numerous diagonals of tree trunks and bare limbs encourage the eye to drift over the middle ground in order to find the tiny patches of pinks, reds and greens of the flowering shrubs in springtime.

As these three bittersweet images by Don Thompson reveal, the preciousness of life can only be fully grasped in the face of its inevitable loss. n

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ON THE

Mack Bowles, Guthrie, Pen and Ink Drawing

GUTHRIE

The Victor Building, Guthrie

festivals and events. Memorial Day features the Guthrie Jazz Banjo Festival, but apparently the best music show is after the festival when the musicians meet in the basement of the Blue Belle Saloon for a more rowdy jam session. Also mark your calendars on the first weekend of October for the Oklahoma Art and Wine Festival.

by Carolyn Deuschle

Recently voted Oklahoma’s favorite small town, Guthrie is both a weekend destination for the city-worn traveler and a daytrip for the art and architecture lover. Strolling through the cobble-stoned streets, a visitor is confronted by the sometimes unsettling tension between old-world aesthetic and modern technology. Only thirty-five minutes north of Oklahoma City, Guthrie is far from isolated from contemporary influences and the allure of architectural modernization; yet, in spite of this the town maintains an impressive collection of late nineteenth century and early twentieth century Victorian architecture. Perhaps Guthrie’s greatest achievement is that the general anachronism of the town does not align with maudlin sentimentality or as a detectable attempt to evoke nostalgia - ploys of many small American towns hungry for tourists. Instead the town is redolent with the feeling of effortless preservation. But, as with seemingly everything these days, nothing in fact has been effortlessly preserved.

With nearly 11,000 people living in Guthrie, the current population is almost the same as when the town was founded during the Land Run of 1889. Originally Oklahoma’s first state capital, Guthrie’s stature as a commercial center dwindled with the development and expansion of Oklahoma City, Muskogee, and Tulsa; however, many Guthrie residents regard the change as a blessing. Unlike Oklahoma City - which destroyed much of its early downtown architecture in the course of urban development - most of Guthrie’s early commercial and residential architecture is still intact, making the town the largest urban Historic Preservation District in the United States. Many of the architecturally significant buildings were designed by European-trained architect Joseph Foucart.

With Oklahoma’s centennial upon us, the town is in high gear to celebrate its important place in state history with a wide array of

For a history lesson on early statehood, visit the Oklahoma Territorial Museum. Next door on Oklahoma Street is the Oklahoma Sports Museum which showcases a giant Warren Spahn bronze statue by artist Shan Gray and a vast collection of interesting photographs of early sports teams. If you have time, stop by the Oklahoma Drug Store Museum, but a visit to the Guthrie Scottish Rite Masonic Temple is a must. Built in the 1920s, the building is the largest Masonic temple in the world and an impressive model of classical Greek architecture.

Pop into Guthrie’s first art gallery - the Kaleidoscope Art Gallery on Harrison Street. With an emphasis on Indian Art and interior design decorum, the gallery offers an eclectic assortment of items. But more interesting is JB Beadles Fine Art Gallery on Oklahoma Street. Famous for his large landscape oil paintings, artist Kenny McKenna, whose works are on display at JB Beadles, is perhaps the most well-known artist working in Guthrie. Also worth stopping by are Sarah Bolling Photography Studio Art Gallery and Double Starr Studio. Lastly, not to be missed is the Sundown Gallery where artist Mack Bowles’ intricate ink drawings along with many of his other creations are on display. If you are lucky, Bowles may be around to give a detailed description of Guthrie history and a rundown on must-see sites. According to the artist, the best sunrise is on a roof top looking toward the Masonic Temple and the water tower, and the best sunset is at Guthrie Lake just outside of town.

Carefully repainted advertisement murals ubiquitously don the sides of buildings; colorful glass tiles sneak into the mortar of brick walls.

A trip to Guthrie reminds the viewer that details are important, and that every little bit counts. Steeped in history, the town offers not only a compelling glimpse into Oklahoma’s past but also an illuminating vision of Oklahoma’s future that simultaneously both simplifies and complicates one’s understanding of Oklahoman identity. n

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The World Inside

Fence, Digital Photography, created by After School Cool participant.

Skateboard, Digital Photography, created by After School Cool participant.

by Nathan Lee As an art facilitator with Youth Cornerstone’s After School Cool (ASC) program, I worked with ASC Director Paul Medina on a project that involved young people and photography. While there have been many projects in the past where the youth have used photography, I think about the meaning of this particular project for several reasons. First, the two groups that were involved came from the Deborah Roth Home and the Speck Homes. They were not permitted to come and go as they pleased. Consequently, they sometimes have to find their creative inspirations from their closed campus environment.

Secondly, this project not only forced them to creatively utilize their surroundings, given the limitations of their situation, but also to look more closely at things that they may have taken for granted in the past.

Working with six digital cameras, each class had to find interesting subject matter to photograph.

Paul decided that we would take three students at a time per site, and allow them to use the cameras assigned to them for three days. I am no photographer so I had to use my eye as a visual artist to teach and learn at the same time. I think about the first hour that we shot picture after picture. Initially they took shots of everything.

Soon they ran out of things to take pictures of.

Since this was the only environment they had to work with, there was no option to find a new location. I noticed they started taking pictures of the same thing from different perspectives.

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They actually started seeing things from all sides. A shoe was no longer a shoe, but a subject. A tree limb was no longer something to just blow in the wind, it was now something to carefully look at and capture. Soon, they were lying on their backs and holding the camera at angles to get different effects and perspectives.

What was once mundane was now a source of endless interest and possibility. Their former sense of boredom and confinement changed to excitement and curiosity.

The project spanned several weeks and finally we had enough material to look at and choose from.

Because we left the cameras on site for them to use, we really had no idea what to expect from them. Paul commented on how the pictures progressively got better and better. They became comfortable with the cameras and what they could do with them. All of the students who participated took pictures that were eye catching.

We thought it was a plus that none of them had any experience in using photography as an art. Some of the students we worked with were gifted as painters and in drawing. This project forced them to use their artistic eye with an inexperienced hand. No one was more proficient than the other since this was basically a new art form they were exposed to.

We matted and framed each piece after carefully selecting from all of the work. The project culminated in an art exhibition at Raffine Interiors and owner Philip Mathews

was ecstatic at the thought of involving his space in an exhibition.

“I think it’s great when you can showcase the talent of young people in a positive light.”

Mathews said. “I didn’t hesitate at the chance to be involved.”

Boeing International, sponsor for the exhibition and one of After School Cool’s partnering organizations, had given a grant so this project could be realized. Contributions from organizations such as theirs enable programs such as ASC to do projects that not only increase a young person’s creativity, but also enrich their lives as people.

At the close of the reception these teens realized something. The conditions that they lived in didn’t allow the complete freedom they wanted, but it didn’t have to be a prison either. The digital cameras they used were more than equipment, they were a way to free their minds and open their eyes to a world that was larger than they first thought. Through art they transcended an environment perceived as limited.

I think that those of us who feel limited in our lives should take an example from these youths. We are only as limited as our minds and imaginations allow us to be.

For more information about After School Cool, visit www.youthcornerstone.com. n

bus i ness of ar t

“...simplification of decision making allows me to adjust my big goals so that my everyday realitieS-the small picture - contribute to successful results.”

The Deciding Factor

by Sue Clancy In the last issue of Art Focus I wrote an article titled “Developing Creative Mental Muscles” which talked about a mental workout that would aid in developing ideas. In that article I didn’t have space to elaborate upon a crucial component of building creative muscles: decision making. Ideas, once developed, should be supported and enhanced by the decisions you make. In physical workouts the quality of your equipment can be a factor in whether your fitness is enhanced or whether you get an injury. When it comes to sharing your ideas with the world your ‘equipment’ – the stuff that can bring an idea to realization – is your decision-making skills. Decisions can be made in ways that can enhance ideas or hurt them. They can also be scary things, especially when you feel overwhelmed by the many aspects of life as an artist. I’ve found it easier – and more efficient – to simplify my decision making. I decide when to decide. I select what kinds of things to factor into decisions and what will best develop and support my ideas and their entry into the world.

Creating Art During the process of creating artwork my important decisions are my use of time, my choices of materials, and ways to apply them.

At this time I do NOT ‘decide’ whether or not the artwork currently on the easel is a ‘masterpiece’ or whether it will be accepted for exhibit or if it will sell. I focus my thoughts upon my small behaviors; making good use of time available, my effort to gesso this current panel better than I did the last one, concentration on shapes, forms, colors and composition. All of my decision making is focused upon the details like what materials and techniques best support my idea. What small thing can I do to make this particular artwork better than the last one? I simplify my artistic life by choosing to NOT make decisions about ‘big picture’ items while I’m in the process of creating art. Big picture decisions

come AFTER the creating has been finished, preferably after a body of work is finished.

Getting It Out There After I have a body of work (a portfolio) I need to make big-picture decisions about what exhibit opportunities will get my ideas out there into the world where they will be seen.

These decisions can affect future ideas in that if I accept one opportunity it may preclude or enhance my ability to develop other ideas.

To make such decisions, I use a combination of the big and small pictures of my career and the goals I have for each. For example: About 8 or 9 years ago I had a ‘big picture’ goal of being a popular festival artist. For my small picture goal I thought it would be fun to travel and meet people while exhibiting my artwork. So I attended, as an exhibitor, 3 or 4 different events. At each event I ‘broke even’ financially within the first hour. The response to my work was very good and I did very well. My big picture goal looked on target! However, when I looked honestly at the small picture, I realized that I hated it. I dreaded each day of each event because I am deaf and couldn’t hear at all in the noisy festival crowds. I wasn’t meeting people.

That was all very frustrating for me. In spite of the financial success, I made the decision to change my ‘big picture’ goal and to say ‘no thanks’ to future festival opportunities.

This meant saying ‘yes’ to gallery exhibit opportunities and adjusting some of my work and business habits so as to be able to take advantage of these.

If I had focused solely upon the big picture goal of being a festival artist and upon the fact that I did well financially, I might have missed where my true gifts are. It could have adversely affected the kinds of ideas I developed. If I had decided to concentrate only upon the small picture, my dislike of the festival atmosphere, I could have allowed that to stop my art making altogether. Because

I looked at both the small and big pictures I was better able to choose how to share my ideas with the world. In a nutshell, I decided that gallery opportunities were my forte. Now when my decision making skills are needed about getting my art out there I only need to decide among gallery exhibit opportunities. I already know my ‘decision’ when a festival opportunity crosses my path. This simplification of decision making allows me to adjust my big goals so that my everyday realities – the small picture - contribute to successful results.

Focusing When artwork has been submitted what does an artist decide to focus upon? It is very tempting to focus on the small picture of whether or not I’m accepted to one exhibit or if an artwork will or won’t sell. But that can hurt! I have found it helpful to decide to resist the temptation and focus only upon the big picture of my idea development. Over time, this boosts the support I can give my ideas. It gives me the freedom to develop my ideas without stressing over one exhibit. If I focus on the small picture and say things to myself like “I didn’t sell during that exhibit because I didn’t have enough cat pictures...” or “that exhibit had successful sales because there were so many dog paintings….” I could trap myself in an endless guessing game over what will or won’t be accepted or what will or won’t sell. That would inhibit my ideas! So I decided to NOT try to read minds or play guessing games regarding exhibits or sales but to focus only upon what I want to say to the world. This doesn’t mean I don’t listen to the audience – I do – I simply am deciding to not let adversity, or success, knock me off course.

Deciding when and what to decide is ultimately about development and support of our ideas. This helps us cultivate the ability to THRIVE as an artist over the long haul! ■

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University of Central Oklahoma C o l l e g e

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A r t s ,

M e d i a

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AFRICAN ART COLLECTION Chambers Library, 2nd & 3rd floors Explore the most comprehensive exhibit of African art in the region.

Objects from the 1st Century BCE through the 20th Century.

This collection features pieces on loan from the Kirkpatrick Center Affiliated Fund and Perry and Angela Tennison.

For Information contact: Dr. William Hommel (405) 974-5252 bhommel@ucok.edu

F o r M o r e I n f o r m a t i o n : ( 4 0 5 ) 9 7 4 - 2 4 3 2 • w w w. c a m d . u c o k . e d u / e v e n t s

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bus i ness of ar t

ASK A CREATIVITY COACH Dear Romney, I have lots of creative ideas swirling in my brain but I can’t seem to make a decision to start one and let the others go. My mental clutter makes it impossible for me to get anything accomplished. How do you coach people to make decisions?

—Idea Hoarder Dear Hoarder, Having lots of ideas is one of the blessings of the creative life and having trouble choosing between these ideas is one of the curses! My “Now and Later” exercise is a great remedy for creative mental clutter. You’ll need paper, note cards, pen, and a clear surface. List all of your ideas on a piece of paper to help you clear your brain so you can make some choices. Next write each idea on a separate note card. Look at each card and make an initial decision: can this idea be done now or later? “Now” ideas can be started immediately because you have all the materials, information and skills you need. “Later” ideas will require more materials, information, skills, time or money. Label each idea card “now” or “later.” Write on the back of each of the “later” card detailing what you must do to shift it from a “later” to a “now.” Set your “laters” aside and turn your attention to the “nows.” Consider each idea. Is this idea time sensitive? Which is most intriguing? Arrange the “now” cards from left to right in order of interest or importance.

Over the next few days review your “nows.” See which card continues to draw your attention. Start that project and finish it before you begin another. Working on a new idea all the way to completion will give you the much needed feeling of accomplishment that you need to keep moving forward with all your creative ideas.

Romney Nesbitt is a creativity coach, artist and writer living in Tulsa. She welcomes your coaching questions for future columns. Contact her at RomneyN@cox.net. n

Thank you to our New and Renewing Members from January & February 2007 Jo Ann Adams Bobbie E. Aikman Jacine Arias Paul Bagley Eric Baker Kathy Ballord Paul Barby Justin and Betsy Barnum Gary Bates Bjorn Bauer William L. Beasley Russell Bellamy Andi Berry Mike Blackard Sherry and Ron Blankenship Ruth Ann Borum Bryce Brimer Elizabeth Anne Brown Adam Brown and Hannah

Brenner Alexandra Bryan Josh Buss James F. Cain Chris Cameris Angela and J. Justin Castro Marty James Childers Karen L. Collier Linda and Ian Coward Keith Curtis Betty Dalsing Joseph Daun Andrea Davis Glenn Herbert Davis Rhonda Davis Sarah Davison de Shan Bill and Janie Deupree Sarah M. Diggdon

Tony Dyke Cheryl Ehmann Kelly Elaine R. Vernon Enlow Carolyn Faseler Whitney Forsyth Robert A. French James and Yiren Gallagher Nicole Garland Darlene Garmaker Dan Garrett Patricia Gobbel John Green Edwin Helm Beverly Herndon Pamela Husky Gwen Ingram Jane Iverson Michael Jones Jim Keffer

Larry and Suzanne Keller Nicole Kelly Bob Kenworthy Sandy Kimbell Kelly Koenig Connie Largess Vincent B. Leitch P. Keith Lenington Rebecca Lowber-Collins Joan Matzdorf Heidi Mau Sharon and Ray McAllister Anthony McDermid, AIA Sunni Mercer Julie Miller Teresa Miller Selby Minner Micheal Mooney Francis Moran Patricia Morgan

Tomoaki Orikasa Adrian Owen Daisy Patton Pam Powell Shannon Priddy Ron Radcliff Rainbow Girl Chris Ramsay Kareen Ramsey Renee R. Reed Sunny Reeves Michelle Firment Reid Patrick Riley Scott and Jean Roberts Matt Seikel Binod Shrestha Peggy Sircy Melinda Carol Smith Geoffrey L. Smith Ruthanne Smith

Gerald Smith Jansen Sterba Todd Stewart Jeff and Mary Lou Stokes Doris Swanson Tony Tiger Tom R. Toperzer Danina Tucker Amanda WeathersBradway Milly M. West Rebecca Wheeler Mary Wielage Sharron Wingfield Ashley Nicole Winkle Elia Woods Michael Zecca Kristal Zwayer

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OVAC news

At a Glance

by Megan Myers From February 18th-23rd, the Lightwell Gallery in the Fred Jones Art Center in Norman held an exhibit entitled identity: a student art show. Curator Leah Badalich opted out of writing a tedious capstone paper in order to present this showcase of her fellow student artists, and I am so grateful she did. The eclectic show of differing mediums reflected the struggle for identity that artists and people in general are continually going through; which is especially heightened at such a pivotal time as college graduation. The light and lofty space helped achieve the atmosphere of openness and acceptance that I believe the curator was trying to express. The students’ works were all so different in both message and medium, but the themes of self-acceptance and discovery were apparent throughout. n Kolbe Roper, Norman, Today, Tomorrow, Tonight, serigraphy, oil, woven paper, fiberglass, 46”x46”

Round Up Don’t miss Momentum Tulsa, being held June 16 from 8 until midnight. The street will be teeming with art and activity as Momentum Tulsa will be hosted by Living Arts, Liggett Studio and Kenosha Ave between third and fourth in front of the galleries. Art entries are due June 2 and 3 between 1-3 pm. Gallery hours will continue the following week, evenings from 6-9 pm June 19-22nd and are free to the public. More information can be found at www. ovac-ok.org or myspace.com/momentumtulsa.

A big thank you goes out to our spring interns. We were lucky to have the help of Shannon Priddy, a photographer and recent graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, who assisted on Momentum Tulsa and many other projects. She’s looking at arts administration career paths, so let her know if you hear of anything!

Megan Myers was a huge asset to us as well, helping with member correspondence and event management. Congratulations Megan on graduating from the University of Oklahoma! Thank you also to our ongoing volunteers Erin Latham, Tommy Ball and Jessica Calvert.

The call for artists for the Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship is available now with the deadline on May 14. Check www.ovacok.org/artinfogrants.html for full specifications.

Thanks to Sno Biz Shaved Ice for partnering with OVAC for the Arts Festival of OKC and to all the volunteers who schlepped sugary goods to benefit our bottom line!

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Save the date: the Annual Members’ Meeting will be Saturday, June 9 at 11 am. Invitations will be mailed in May. n

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Gallery Listings

Exhibition Schedule

Ada

Broken Bow

Edmond

Senior Exhibits May 1 - 13 60 Years of Print Making June - July University Gallery East Central University (580) 310-5356 ecok.edu

Caricature Carvers of America Through May 4 Owa-Chito Art Show June 8 - 17 Forest Heritage Center Beaver’s Bend Resort (580) 494-6497 beaversbend.com

Oklahoma Weather: Mark Nault and Dave Ewoldt Photography Exhibit May 5 - June 30 Edmond Historical Society 431 S. Boulevard (405) 340-0078 edmondhistory.org

Ardmore

Chickasha

Annual Juried Exhibit June Charles B. Goddard Center 401 First Avenue SW (580) 226-0909 godart.org

Selections from the Permanent Collection May - August University of Sciences and Arts of Oklahoma Gallery-Davis Hall 1806 17th Street (405) 574-1344 usao.edu/gallery/

Bartlesville Tokyo: The Imperial Capital Through May 13 Out of Oklahoma: Contemporary Artists from Ruscha to Andoe May 25 – September 16 Price Tower Arts Center 6th and Dewey (918) 336-4949 pricetower.org

Durham Fine Folks: Arts and Crafts from the Corson and Metcalfe Families Through August 30 Temporal Works by Kay Moore Through August 30 Metcalfe Museum Rt. 1 Box 25 (580) 655-4467 metcalfemuseum.org

Dick Evans Opening Reception June 1 Shadid Fine Art 19 N. Broadway (405) 341-9023 shadidfineart.com UCO Juried Spring Student Exhibition Through May 5 Donna Nigh Gallery University of Central Oklahoma 100 University Drive (405) 974-2432 ucok.edu

El Reno Student Show Through May 18 2nd Annual Fine Arts Faculty Show May 29 – August 1

Redlands Community College (405) 262-2552 redlandscc.edu

Idabel False Faces: Masks from Around the World May 8 – July 8 Lifewell Gallery Museum of the Red River 812 East Lincoln Road (580) 286-3616 museumoftheredriver.org

Lawton John Seward, Jansen Sterba, Melanie Seward, and Stephen Lewin Through June 8 Heart and Soul of the Great Plains Opening Reception June 15, 79pm The Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery 620 D Avenue (580) 357-9526 lpgallery.org

Cass Wonderly Cat’s Dream mixed media in Tulsa Artists’ Coalition Gallery exhibit from April 6-28

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galler y gu ide

Norman Dreamer Art Opening #3 Through May 5 Dreamer Concepts Studio & Foundation 324 East Main (405) 701-0048 dreamerconcepts.org

Hope is the thing with feathers... paintings by Jerrod Smith Through May 5 Firehouse Art Center Faculty June 6-15 Firehouse Art Center 444 South Flood (405) 329-4523 normanfirehouse.com

Indian Art Market May 5 - 6 University of Oklahoma American Indian Artists Exhibition Through July 1 Jacobson House 609 Chautauqua (405) 366-1667 jacobsonhouse.com

Oklahoma Modern: The Art and Design of Olinka Hardy June 9 – September 9 The Molly and David Boren Collection June 9 – September 9 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 410 W. Boyd Street (405) 325-3272 ou.edu/fjjma International Visions curated by Corazon Watkins May 4 Mainsite Contemporary Art Gallery 122 East Main (405) 292-8095 mainsite-art.com

31st Annual

Oklahoma City

Paseo Arts Festival Celebrating 100 Years of Art in Oklahoma

Super-Realism: Oil Paintings by Morgan Craig & Eric K. Stevens UCO Design Graduating Student Show May 3 – 26 Opening Reception May 3, 5:30 - 7:30 pm Hands On: SmART Travels June 8 – August 18 City Arts Center 3000 Pershing Blvd.

(800) 951-0000 cityartscenter.org Amanda Weathers Bradway Opening Reception, May 11, 7 pm Betsy Barnum Opening Reception, June 8, 7 pm Friskee Gallery 2412 ½ N. Shartel myspace.com/friskeeproductions Burt Harbison & Ursula McCarty May Fiberworks June Individual Artists of Oklahoma 811 N. Broadway (405) 232-6060 iaogallery.org Eyes of the Storm: A Community Survives Through May 30 Forgotten Dreams: Photography by Wilson Roberts Through June Salt of the Earth: Ageless Portraits of Oklahoma’s Elders Through July 8 International Photography Hall of Fame 2100 NE 52nd Street (405) 424-4055 iphf.org Artist, Connie Herlihy

Memorial Day Weekend 2007 | May 26-28 | Open 10am Daily Over 70 Juried Artists

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Live Music, Performance and More.

Historic Paseo Arts District NW 28th & Walker to NW 30th & Dewey www.thepaseo.com | 405.525.2688

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Gallery Artists & Shane Brown May 4 – May 28 Opening Reception May 4, 6-9pm James Smith June 1 – July 1 Opening Reception June 1, 6-9pm JRB Art at the Elms 2810 North Walker (405) 528-6336 jrbartgallery.com American Indian Mural Painting May 19 – September 3

galler y gu ide

Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition June 8 – September 9 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd (405) 478-2250 cowboyhalloffame.org Roger Randle Through June 24 North Gallery Kristy Lewis Andrew Through June 18 East Gallery Rick McClure Through May 29 Governor’s Gallery Oklahoma State Capital Galleries 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd (405) 521-2931 state.ok.us/~arts Breaking the Mold: Selections from the Washington Gallery of Modern Art, 1961-1968 May 11 – August 19 Shining Spirit: Westheimer Family Collection May 11 – August 19 Oklahoma City Museum of Art 415 Couch Drive (405) 236-3100 okcmoa.com

Graduating Seniors Through May 11 Nona Hulsey Gallery, Norick Art Center Oklahoma City University 1600 NW 26th (405) 208-5226 okcu.edu

Sculpture by James Scorce May 4 – May 25 Art Center Closed for June Ponca City Art Center 819 East Central (580) 765-9746

Looking Indian May 11 – June 30 Untitled [ArtSpace] 1 NE 3rd St. (405) 815-9995 1ne3.org

OVAC’s Biennial Exhibition IX Through May 6 Bert Seabourn: An American Expressionist May 24 – July 8 Opening Reception May 24, 7pm Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art 1900 West Macarthur (405) 878-5300 mgmoa.org

Park Hill Trail of Tears Art Show & Sale Through May 27 The Ancient Village: 40 Years of Living History June 2 – August 19 Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc. 21192 S. Keeler Drive (918) 456-6007 cherokeeheritage.org

Ponca City Fiber Art: Stephanie Grubbs, Elizabeth Smathers and Emily Dubois Through May 11 Men of Biblical Proportions: Quilts May 18 – June 29 Artsplace Ponca City 319 East Grand Ave (580) 762-1930 artsplaceponcacity.net

Shawnee

Stillwater Annual Juried Student Exhibition Through May 4 Gardiner Art Gallery Oklahoma State University 108 Bartlett University (405) 744-6016 art.okstate.edu

Tulsa Women’s Invitational May 4 - June 3 Featured Photographer: Gary Borchert June 8 - July 1 Apertures Gallery 1936 South Harvard (918) 742-0500 aperturesphoto.com

Jerrod Smith, Imagine, Mixed Media, 48”x72”, on display at the Firehouse Art Center in Norman through May 5.

Emanual “Thank You Tour” Through July 29 Gilcrease Museum 1400 Gilcrease Road (918) 596-2700 gilcrease.org Middle School Art Show May 14 - 16 Holliman Gallery Holland Hall 5666 East 81st Street (918) 481-1111 hollandhall.org Paramnesia Exhibit May Living Arts 308 S. Kenosha (918) 585-1234 livingarts.org 5x5 Annual Fundraiser & Exhibition May 5 – 26 Opening Reception May 5, 5:55 pm Live4This June 1 - 30 Tulsa Artists Coalition Gallery 9 East Brady (918) 592-0041 tacgallery.org Aether: Backlit Photographs by Elizabeth Downing May 3 - 26 Tulsa Performing Arts Center Gallery 110 East 2nd Street (918) 596-7122 tulsapac.com Master’s Thesis Exhibition Through May 18 Senior Show May 24 – June 15 Opening Reception May 24, 5 - 7 pm Alexandre Hogue Gallery Phillips Hall, The University of Tulsa 2930 E. 5th St. (918) 631-2739 utulsa.edu

Woodward Fine Arts Contest May - June Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum 2009 Williams Ave (580) 256-6136 pipm1.com

Contact editor for information about submitting listings at publications@ovac-ok.org.

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ArtOFocus kl a h o m a Annual Subscriptions to Art Focus Oklahoma are free with membership to the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition.

Membership forms and benefits can be found at www.ovac-ok.org or by phone (405) 232-6991.

Student Membership: $15 Individual Membership: $30 Family/Household Membership: $50 Patron Membership: $100 Sustaining Membership: $250

PO Box 1946 Oklahoma City, OK 73101

Non Profit Org. US POSTAGE PAID Oklahoma City, OK Permit No. 113