Art FocusArt FocusO k l a h o m a

Oklahoma Visual Arts Coal it ion

Vo lume 26 No . 6 November/December 2011

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Just like that, 2011 is almost over. Before we can start making our new year’s resolutions, however, we must make our way through the holiday season. It’s a busy time for many but I hope you’ll make time to incorporate your local art community in your holiday plans.

Many Oklahoma galleries and artists are hosting special holiday art markets and open studios. These events are a great place to meet local artists, purchase handmade gifts, and avoid the madness at the mall. To help you get started, here are a few events to watch for.

Art FocusO k l a h o m a

Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition 730 W. Wilshire Blvd., Suite 104

Oklahoma City, OK 73116 ph: 405.879.2400 • e: director@ovac-ok.org

visit our website at: www.ovac-ok.org

Executive Director: Julia Kirt director@ovac-ok.org

Editor: Kelsey Karper publications@ovac-ok.org

Intern: Frances Hymes

Art Director: Anne Richardson speccreative@gmail.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: Supporting Oklahoma’s visual arts and artists and their power to enrich communities.

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

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; Don Emrick, Claremore; Susan Grossman, Norman; MJ Alexander, Stephen Kovash, Sue Moss Sullivan, and

Christian Trimble, Oklahoma City.

OVAC Board of Directors July 2011-June 2012: R.C. Morrison, Bixby; Patrick Kamann, Margo Shultes von Schlageter, MD (Treasurer), Christian Trimble, Rick Vermillion, Edmond; Eric Wright, El Reno; Traci Layton (Secretary), Enid; Suzanne Mitchell (President), Norman; Jennifer Barron (Vice President), Susan Beaty, Gina Ellis, Hillary Farrell, Michael Hoffner, Stephen Kovash, Paul Mays, Carl Shortt, Oklahoma City; Joey Frisillo, Sand Springs; Bradley Jessop, Sulphur; Beth Downing, Jean Ann Fausser, Susan Green, Janet Shipley Hawks, Kathy

McRuiz, Sandy Sober, Tulsa

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 Americans for the Arts.

© 2011, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. All rights reserved.

View this issue online at www.ArtFocusOklahoma.org.

Margaret Kinkeade, Norman, Doily 1, Whiteware, 20” x 20” x 5”

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from the editor

Champagne & Chocolate at Living ArtsNovember 19, 7-10 pm Tulsawww.livingarts.org

Festival of Trees at PhilbrookNovember 19-December 11Tulsawww.philbrook.org

Plaza District: Shop Local Black FridayNovember 25, 11 am-7 pmOklahoma Citywww.plazadistrict.org

Christmas on PaseoDecember 2, 6-10 pmOklahoma Citywww.thepaseo.com

JRB Art at The Elms Holiday Gift GalleryDecember 2-31Oklahoma Citywww.jrbartgallery.com

Asia Scudder Open StudioEvery Saturday in December, 1-4 pm1001 NW 21st St, Apt C, Oklahoma Citywww.runninghorsestudio.org

Blue Sage Studios Home Show WeekendDecember 2-4, 10 am-6 pm each dayOklahoma Citywww.bluesagestudios.com

Ruth Ann Borum-Loveland Open StudioDecember 9, 6-10 pmNormanwww.ruthborum.com

Birthe Flexner Open StudioDecember 9, 7-9 pmDecember 10, 10 am-5 pmDecember 11, Noon-5 pmNormanwww.birtheflexnerpottery.com

Deluxe Indie Craft BazaarDecember 10, 11 am-5 pmOklahoma Citywww.deluxeok.net

Visit our blog at ovac.blogspot.com to view more details about these events and add your own. Wishing you an art-filled end to 2011.

Kelsey Karperpublications@ovac-ok.orgb

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pro f i l es4 State of Excellence: 2011 Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship & Student Awards of Excellence

The OVAC Fellowships and Student Awards of Excellence highlight artistic excellence in Oklahoma. Meet the 2011 recipients of these awards.

8 The Work of WomenFor Norman artist Margaret Kinkeade, becoming a mother changed everything in her life and art. Currently, the influence of motherhood is expressed in her ceramic Doily Series.

10 Native American Folktales Come to Life on CanvasBrent Learned, an award-winning Native American painter, expresses beauty and anger through his paintings.

12 Nothing Is By Chance: The Art of Yiren Hou GallagherTulsa artist Yiren Gallagher allows her materials to be transformed into a voice or a message, letting them speak for themselves.

prev iews14 Earth, Air, Water and Fire: Four Elements at Living Arts

This December exhibit at Living Arts of Tulsa features four artists inspired by the four elements.

16 Seven State BiennialCurated by Jesús Moroles, this eclectic exhibition showcases the best of art being made in Oklahoma and the six contiguous states.

18 John-Paul Philippé: The Art of DesignBorn and raised in Henryetta, OK, John-Paul Philippé explores the area where art meets and gently fuses with design, craft and decorative culture.

20 Finding Creativity in Limitations: Exploring New Frontiers of Traditional Printmaking

The upcoming Winter Intersession exhibit at the University of Oklahoma highlights both traditional and modern perspectives in printmaking.

f ea tu res22 On the Map: Mainsite Contemporary Art: Home of the Norman Arts Council

Norman’s premiere contemporary art space is the new home of the Norman Arts Council, boasting new exhibitions and community programming.

24 Anne Spoon: Painting a Portrait of OkmulgeeOver the next year, Okmulgee artist Anne Spoon will paint portraits of 100 area residents in a historic downtown studio space.

bus iness o f a r t26 Ask a Creativity Coach

Accountability is key to making progress towards your artistic goals. The Creativity Coach suggests using technology to help keep you accountable and meet your deadlines.

OVAC news26 Round Up

28 At a Glance: Specimens at IAO GalleryIn a recent exhibition, Tulsa artist Cathy Deuschle explores issues such as the passage of time and its effect on ourselves and objects.

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(p. 4) Paul Bagley, Oklahoma City, Symbiosis, 2010, Wood, steel, incandescent lights, fasteners,

fabric, 9’ x 11’ x 18’.

(p.12) Yiren Gallagher, Tulsa, Horse Latitudes, Oil on paper, 11” x 15”

(p.22) Tara Najd Ahmadi, Norman

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Together, the four artists selected as this year’s winners of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship and Student Awards of Excellence say much about the varied creative excellence that mark Oklahoma’s current artistic landscape. Separately, their creative work plumbs issues from the most personal questions of mortality and privacy to thoughts on human community and the connection that can exist across continents. The two Fellowship recipients and two Student Award recipients include painters, photographers, and performance artists. Each has been selected for the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s most prestigious annual artist awards, and each deserves a closer look.

Curator Ben Heywood, who selected this year’s recipients, discusses the links he found between the two Fellowship winners and the two Student Award winners. Heywood finds both Eyakem Gulilat and Paul Bagley

“drawing deep strength from their locality”- Bagley from the state’s rural landscapes and Gulilat from the overlapping cultures of his Ethiopian childhood and current home in Oklahoma. For each artist, their physical surroundings tell as much a story as the people who inhabit them.

Heywood also draws some parallels between the work of the two student award recipients. Tulsa-based artist Lindsay Larremore and Edmond artist Mark Zimmerman both “use their impressive command of traditional media” to explore the deeply personal, and by doing so, illuminating “the relevance of the personal to universal.” For Larremore, the tension between watcher and watched is exploited to full potential, while to Zimmerman, the struggle of a spouse through serious illness tenderly leads artist and viewer through universal questions of life and death.

Eyakem GulilatRaised in Ethiopia and now living in Oklahoma, Gulilat explores issues of place, identity, and human connection in his body of work The Collaborative Self. This series is a collection of triptychs depicting Gulilat himself and another subject against different Oklahoma landscapes. The two figures are dressed in the same Ethiopian clothing. “I really believe that everything is process, and I’m interested in the process between the photographer and subject,” he states. “In a way, I’m asking them to become Ethiopian for a moment, to share in that culture by wearing these clothes.”

Sharing the picture plane with his subjects also allows Gulilat to “play with confusion” of potential viewers. “If the subject and photographer are in the photo at the same time, I wondered: what does that look like? Who is who?”

State of Excellence: 2011 Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship and Student Awards of Excellenceby Jennifer Barron

Paul Bagley, Oklahoma City, Samhain: Into Her Dreaming, 2007, Reclaimed wood, metal, rope, piano wire, linen, LED lights, 12-volt deep cycle battery, audio components, bronze, 60’ x 8’ x 15’

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Another series, The Promise Land, explores the community of the eastern Oklahoma town of Boley. Founded originally as an African American town, in the late 1970s Boley became home to a new community of white Mennonites fleeing religious persecution. The two communities still inhabit the town, but live largely apart in the small town. Gulilat’s camera captures the moments in the life of this town: an all-black rodeo, a Mennonite picnic social, and many more.

All in all, these photographs illuminate Gulilat’s thoughts on connectedness. “I question the notion of the things that separate us: Culture? Race? In the end, we are more connected than we think. There are something like 8,000 miles between Ethiopia and Oklahoma, but my presence here makes that distance visible.”

Paul BagleyPaul Bagley’s recent work continues his shift from commercial art to fine art with ease. While Bagley’s website also features one-of-a-kind furniture pieces, he currently focuses on installation and performance work, enjoying the personal directions that such projects may take.

Some of Bagley’s current inspiration lies in his work with performance collectives. “My most recent push was within an artist’s collective, the Flaming Lotus Girls, whom I met in 2000 while doing interactive work at Burning Man.” Working with a group of artists with very different media specialties and areas of expertise was both a reward and a welcome challenge for the artist.

Other recent work includes large sculpture, performance art, environmental art, and installations for community events such as the Burning Man festival and Tucson’s All Souls procession.

In particular, Bagley has recently begun to focus on the place that rituals hold in lives and cultures: “There’s an element of ritual that I’m working towards, that’s my primary motive. Since I was a kid the only holy-day

ritual that I cared about was Halloween and so I’m still exploring the origins of ritual.” Evidence of this lies in part in his work for Tucson’s All Souls procession.

Whatever the goal or idea, collaboration is quickly becoming a preferred method for Paul Bagley: “Without a synergistic collective effort, bold visions remain on the drawing board never to be funded. When people identify with the finished work it really makes sense to keep doing what I’m doing… I’ll keep pushing forward.”

Lindsay LarremoreLarremore’s deftly painted household tableaux also confront the boundary between artist and subject, although with a much different purpose.

While her paintings capture everyday scenes of tedious tasks- unlocking a door, tweezing eyebrows- the fisheye lens perspective

characteristic of the artist’s Peepholes series underlines the fact that the view we see is not the artist’s own. Larremore and her house are magnified unevenly and seen from slightly above. Viewers become voyeurs in a strategy that makes the artist both object and subject of these paintings.

“I began this whole series fascinated by reflections from objects and how it distorts the room that you are in.” Larremore quickly became interested in doorknobs, not only for their reflective qualities but as “metaphorical all-seeing eye[s] with in the privacy of your own home.” Now, the interplay between artist and viewer is a subject of great interest for Larremore, and she embraces the effect that her work has on audiences.

It is a series that holds more potential promise for Larremore. “I really enjoy the fact that these paintings can make some people feel awkward when looking at them while others can relate.”

Lindsay Larremore, Tulsa, 3:58 PM, 2010, Oil on panel, 6.5” in diameter

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Mark ZimmermanThe impermanence of life, the certainty of death, and the familial relationships that mark the time in between are subjects of great interest to Mark Zimmerman. He spent time exploring these ideas in his photography for years before they became profoundly personal. A Fragile Existence, Zimmerman’s most recent body of work, documents his family’s life as his wife struggled through treatment for breast cancer. Pieces in this series include a collection of photographs printed onto glass mirrors, a video of his wife shaving her hair, and Family Portrait, a picture of the artist, his wife, and their two children. The photograph was displayed submerged in water, and it gradually disintegrated entirely over the course of two weeks.

Zimmerman’s wife is currently well and free of cancer. He considers this body of work a collaboration with his wife and children. “This work made me more able to communicate the thoughts I already had,” he says. “It had to be a collaboration, just to get through it. It helped us all that way, to get through it.”

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Despite the similarity of one or two themes among this group, each of these artists has an unmistakably clear artistic voice. As intensely focused as they are different, both challenging and beckoning, the recipients of this year’s Fellowship awards are fine representatives of the breadth and quality of current art in Oklahoma. Their work and vision can be guaranteed to be seen in the state and beyond for years to come. n

Jennifer Barron is an Oklahoma City based artist and arts administrator who believes firmly in the power of art to enhance lives, build communities and push us forward from our comfort zones.

Eyakem Gulilat, Norman, Untitled, Archival Ink Jet Print, 24” x 50”

Mark Zimmerman, Edmond, A Fragile Existence Plate 2, 2011, Collodion photography on

mirror, 6.5” x 8.5”

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C O L L E G E O F F I N E A R T S A N D D E S I G N

Chambers Library,2nd & 3rd floors

For information, contact:Dr. William Hommel

(405) 974-5252bhommel @uco.edu

Objects from the 1stCentury BCE through

the 20th Century.

African Art CollectionAfrican Art Collection

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

Explore the most comprehensive exhibit of African art in the region!

Newly arrangedand displayed for

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U N I V E R S I T Y O F C E N T R A L O K L A H O M A

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1218 N WesternOklahoma City405.831.2874

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For Margaret Kinkeade’s art and life, becoming a mother changed everything.

“After having my daughter, I was forced to learn to use my time wisely and live more in the present, which haven’t always been my strong points,” she said. “My previous work focused on an idealized solitary future living in the soft hills of Oklahoma, and while it accurately depicted my domestic dream it did not represent my present.” This shift has resulted in a striking series of latticed whiteware ceramic bowls, delicately patterned, but skeletally strong, called The Doily Series. “Although I have always been interested in the work and crafts of women, it wasn’t until my daughter was born that I really began to think about the transmission of those skills from mother to daughter and trying to find a way to represent the exchange visually,” she said. “I also began questioning the perceived worth of these objects and why certain objects like quilts

are passed down through the generations yet other objects like doilies are discarded or sold at estate sales for next to nothing.” The tight structures of the bowls, and the similarly close-knit doilies they interpret, are not only decorative objects, but also symbols to Kinkeade of the relationships between women. “These patterned domes honor the time in my life, and many other women’s lives, when the uncertainty of motherhood tied me to the women who surrounded me for support and guidance,” she said. “These long conversations, with women who were either expecting children or were mothers themselves, were full of both heavy and light moments and were accompanied by the task of learning to knit. We spent our evenings constructing warmth for children who we had yet to meet and talking through our anxieties and milestones.” She sees the doilies as objects of warmth and protection, in how they

The Work of Womenby Allison Meier

Margaret Kinkeade, Norman, Doily 2, Whiteware, 22” x 22” x 6”

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create a small layer of safety between a cup and a wood table, or how they represent a mother’s protection of her daughter, or the emotional energy that went into their creation. Made from clay, she left them unglazed to convey the muted ivory coloring of fiber doilies, with a texture that reminds her of bones. “In my attempt to elevate the thread masterpieces that inspired them, I felt that I needed to make The Doily Series out of something with more visual weight,” she said. “Simply put I wanted for them to appear delicate yet remain strong and steadfast.” Additionally, by magnifying the doilies’ shapes through the ceramic bowls, she sees her art as bringing attention to these significant creations that are often overlooked or hidden under other objects, and the subtle layers of meaning in their snowflake-like shapes. Kinkeade recently graduated with a BFA in printmaking from the University of Oklahoma and she is now continuing her graduate studies, this time with a focus on ceramics. “My previous work’s content was easy to digest, soft and attainable,” she said. “I showcased patchwork fields, the life cycle of seeds and the beauty of solitude.” In the 2009 Momentum, she exhibited a piece entitled From Seed to Table, where she layered images made from her own hair in layers of glycerin soap, so that viewers could look through the resulting “soap cakes” to visually journey from a seed in a hand, to food on a table, to storms bursting over carefully tilled lands. “This imagery was born out of my lifelong daydream of living on my own in a sweet, lovingly-crafted home on a farm in rural Oklahoma,” she said. “However, after becoming a young mother I realized the isolation that accompanies that lifestyle was not what would be best for me and my growing family.” While she is now concentrating on ceramics, she guards her printmaking skills, transferring the techniques of carving linoleum to altering the surfaces of clay. In her beginning ceramics class, she constructed miniature houses, dedicating hours to painstakingly forming individual shingles and perfecting the woodgrain details on tiny window frames. “I was, and am still, drawn to the accessibility of ink on paper,” she said. “Printmaking, like the work of women, is often thought of as low art. I found that the repetitive nature of carving linoleum and the process-heavy traditions of intaglio and lithography complemented my working habits and sensibilities.”

Margaret Kinkeade, Norman, Doily 3, Whiteware, 16” x 16” x 4”

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In September, a piece of hers travelled to Manhattan, Kansas for a graduate exhibition at Kansas State University. She is continuing to work on The Doily Series, planning to conclude with a collection of twenty-three bowls, equaling the current average age of motherhood in Oklahoma, which also happens to be the age Kinkeade became a mother herself. More information on Margaret Kinkeade’s work can be found on her blog: ohmargie.blogspot.com. n

Allison C. Meier is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn. She works in communications at the Cooper Union and has covered visual arts in Oklahoma for several years. She can be reached at allisoncmeier@gmail.com.

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Native American Folktales Come to Life on Canvasby Sasha Spielman

A candy pink background, a man on a white horse, feathers woven in his long black hair, the look in his eyes is deep, stern even, but somehow kind and wise. Brent Learned, award-winning Native American painter, wants the viewers to experience the beauty and anger channeled through his paintings.

“I like to use colors that you wouldn’t normally use together,” Learned said. “I have to capture the audience’s attention and then get them thinking.”

Learned refers to his craft as storytelling, but instead of words, he uses paint to retell the stories passed down to him through generations. The artist is a direct descendant of the Arapaho tribe, commonly referred to as “Blue sky men” or “Cloud men” notorious for their unmatched craftsmanship. Rituals such as the Sun Dance Ceremony performed by the Arapaho continue to mystify even today. To Learned, the stories of his tribesmen are part of history doomed to repeat itself. He finds beauty in this cycle.

Brent Learned, Oklahoma City, Picasso Buffalo, Acrylic, 11” x 16”

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“It’s happened before and it will happen again,” Learned said. “I just try to hear and then express what it is to be human.”

In his case this might be true. Arts are embedded in Learned’s family. He is the eighth of ten children and most of his siblings make a living through various art mediums. He credits his father with the creative gene in the family. John Learned, a Remington-style sculptor influenced Brent to paint. As a kid, Brent spent his time watching his father sculpt wax figures, which fascinated the young mind.

“It was like magic for me to watch. My dad would sit me down with some crayons and paper then encourage me to draw,” Learned said.

But if it was Learned’s father who gave him his artistic talent, it was his mother who taught him about Native American history, taking him to pow-wows and other tribal events. A portrait of his mother as a young girl, painted by Learned, is proudly displayed in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

Learned left a childhood of arts and storytelling to pursue a career as a professional artist. Upon graduation from University of Kansas, the painter returned to his Oklahoma roots where the spirits of his Cheyenne-Arapaho ancestors became a leading inspirational force in his paintings. Today, his artworks grace the walls at the Governor’s Mansion, The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Democratic National Headquarters in Washington, D.C., immortalizing a rich culture of proud men and women who preserved their heritage.

“I guess inside I am still that restless child that my father encouraged to draw,” Learned said. “I like the pre-reservation times when Indians were still free to roam the plains. Those seem like exciting, yet perilous times.”

The Native American artist’s signature bold colors in his depiction of American Plains Indians have captivated the eyes of a number of private collectors around the nation.

One such, Leslie Zinbi, owner of Tribes 131 Indian Art gallery in Norman, said Learned’s

work stands out because of his versatility in mediums and styles. For the past 12 years, the painter has shown and participated in various exhibitions at the gallery. His work continues to be timeless and current, presenting accurate historical scenes of Native American history, while he masterfully leaves his artistic stamp.

“I feel it is important for the public to know that the world of Native American/Indian art is constantly changing,” Zinbi said. “As we cherish the historical and traditional work, we also see a dimension to the art that brings works into a new realm.”

As a testament to that, Learned’s new exhibition entitled Oklahoma: Before the Land Run opens on December 12, 2011, at the State Capitol East Gallery. The gallery provides a wide open space that will allow the artist to showcase larger works. Learned has been working on the show for over a year, collecting folktales of his native Arapaho tribe and transforming them on to canvases.

Oklahoma: Before the Land Run aims to remind Oklahomans about the people who

first roamed the red lands of Oklahoma. To Learned, a society can’t move forward without honoring the past. Ingenuous stories are told by an insider with no words, but instead a ray of colors fascinating the viewers’ attention, just as the painter predicted it.

“I hope they take away a better appreciation for the world as experienced by the plains Indians that inhabited Oklahoma,” Learned said. “Moreover, I’d like for people to walk away with a better understanding and pride in Oklahoma and its Native population…”

The East Gallery is located on the first floor of the Capitol and the exhibition runs December 12, 2011 through February 12, 2012. For more information about the artist’s original works and exhibition details please visit www.buffalobullhowling.com . n

Sasha Spielman is a freelance writer, who has covered a variety of stories from entertainment to hard news. She currently hosts an online travel show and in her spare time writes for magazines.

Brent Learned, Oklahoma City, Afternoon Camp, Acrylic, 16” x 20”

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Yiren Gallagher is an artist who has come to the realization that nothing is by chance. Everything has a purpose and in art it is a story or statement that you must sometimes search for or allow to evolve into its full meaning or message. The artist story is often times in the moment and it is that moment that is full of power and strength when it is captured on canvas, paper, Mylar, glass, wood, as part of a multimedia exhibit, on a wall or on the floor.

With over 30 years of art training, education and practice, Gallagher has found the importance of allowing art objects to move, grow and develop into their own. Like many artists her art objects are from everyday materials and items from nature and are transformed into a voice or final echo of a new message from the mystic, elusive moments of time and space. “I sometimes put my materials on a table or desk and give them a chance to move into a message and give the materials and items space to make its own content, to speak for themselves,” said Gallagher. Her creative process is not organized or planned and she likes it that

way. “I don’t always come to the studio with a plan but let the plan develop itself,” said Gallagher.

She uses poetry to help provide what she calls verbal intellectual content for her installation and art works. However, she feels that language can create a gap between the true message of the work and the message the artist is trying to convey. This is particularly the case for people who are living in different cultures and speaking languages other than their native tongue. Gallagher’s belief is that nothing is by chance. Thus a true path for and to creativity is always there. It must make time to move and come to the real world.

Her installations have been all over the world and include a number of group, dual and solo shows in her native Taiwan. Many of the installations are collaborations with her husband, James Gallagher. In creating the installations, the artist focuses on what she calls her Three Episodes …Water, Earth and Wood. Water is the unsettled part of her psychic, collective memories of her native

land, ghosts with no place to go and the force of impact of world events both political and natural on the peoples of the world. Earth represents something or someone to care for and about with the mind, body and spirit. The ultimate messenger is the earth. Wood represents the hopeful, being alive again, trees, forests, a world to go back to where there is comfort and security. Each of these episodes brings its own moments of power and strength to describe the moment of artistic expression. Gallagher calls them her “episodic instruments.”

Gallagher received a BA in Chinese Painting at the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan, a Masters of Fine Arts (sculpture) from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York and has authored two books in her native Chinese. She is currently a Fine Arts Educator at Jenks High School in Tulsa, a full time practicing artist and a member of a number of professional and community organizations to include Tulsa Artists’ Coalition, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and Philbrook Museum of Art.

NOTHING IS BY CHANCE: The Art of Yiren Hou Gallagher by Barbara L. Eikner

(left) Yiren Gallagher, Tulsa, Cages, Wire, 10-15” high (right) Yiren Gallagher, Tulsa, Birds, Oil, pencil on Mylar, 20” x 16”

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Her many awards include the 2011 Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction of the National Society of High School Scholars, Atlanta, GA, 2010 Best of Show Artists Muse, TAC, Tulsa and 2003, Mayfest Invitational Gallery, Best of Show.

She just recently completed her fourth art fellowship in July 2011 at the Learning in Art and Culture at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT.

Her husband James, who plays a major role in the design and construction of their joint artistic installations, is a graduate of State University of New York at Purchase and is a tradesman in the construction field.

Gallagher’s next show entitled Cages will be held in January 2012 at the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition gallery, 9 E Brady, Tulsa. n

Barbara L. Eikner is owner of Trabar & Associates, author of Dirt and Hardwood Floors and member of TAC, OVAC, Collective Artist Coalition and PRSA. She can be reached at Trabar@valornet.com or www.Trabarcommunications.com

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(top) Yiren Gallagher, Tulsa, I want to sing, Oil, wax, marker

on Mylar, 36” x 40”

(right) Yiren Hou Gallagher in the studio of Learning in Art &

Culture Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont.

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How these four Empedoclean elements intermingling to create objects continues to capture our collective imagination, even though long supplanted by scientific explanation! Once again, Living Arts of Tulsa presents Four Elements running from December 2 through 22, 2011. This exhibit features ceramics by Kevin Byrne, fiber/mixed media pieces by Jean Ann Fausser, jewelry by Susan Hammond, and glass by the Tulsa Glassblowing Studio’s Artists and Friends.

In his artist statement, Kevin Byrne says, “Most of the pieces are functional in the sense that they could be used on a daily basis for serving food, holding cookies or old $50 bills. They also function as watercolor paintings since they are made from the outset to be beautiful objects with visual and emotional appeal.”

He goes on to say “…these works represent thirty-six years of making objects and vessels out of clay and glazes that I designed myself for a public that appreciates and supports my work year in and year out. I relish the task of making engaging pots that people will touch and see in their home lives and/or that can function as revered objects in religious ceremonies. These varied uses of clay objects are as old as human culture itself and for me to share in that living history as a potter is a constant reward.”

On a more personal note, Byrne explains the imagery on his platter Dargle Rovers, “My father was from Ireland and I have been there twice. The River Dargle flows through his home town, Bray, and the river’s name refers to the red clay in that area. Water courses full of fish are a constant in the Irish countryside and so images of gathering fish resonate strongly with me for their Irish connection.”

The underlying theme running through much of Jean Ann Fausser’s fiber/mixed media pieces is connections, the various connections of nature that range from DNA, paths, roots and natural forces. As Fausser explains, “I’m intrigued by how we got to be where we are – to be so segmented, when we all really come from the same roots. An aspen grove has one root system and so do we. The deep feelings I have as I work on such works as Poppies and Primordial Soup I is that everything is connected - plants, water,

ourselves - we come from the oceans; and, all the oceans and rivers are connected.”

Fausser describes the lengthy felting process as follows:

“I begin the felt pieces by pulling apart tufts of dyed wool roving. In the case of these brightly colored vivid works I’m using merino wool. I start by layering the wool tufts in one direction and then the next layer is put over the first layer in the opposite direction. I continue this for 4 or 5 layers or more in some cases alternating the direction between each layer. The top layers are where the more subtle shading occurs with the wool fibers being mixed and laid out to achieve a richness of color and surface.

“When all of the layers are placed, I wet them with very hot soapy water and carefully begin the felting process by rubbing lightly over the surface with soaped hands so as to not disturb the layout. After the fibers begin to felt I put a layer of bubble wrap over the top and on the bottom have a bamboo shade. I then roll the piece around a foam tube and begin to roll back and forth changing the direction after approximately 100 rolls in each direction. I work this for at least an hour depending on the number of layers and type of roving I’m using. I keep checking to see when it is felted enough to hold together but not so much as to lose the soft fibrous puffy quality. Then I rinse in very hot water and squeeze it out and shape it and dry it.

“After that I can either use my needle felting machine to add some more fibers or to just create a bas relief surface. I often use gestural stitching and add beads at this stage. Coarser wool felt up easier than the Merinos but the Merinos have a sheen and color depth that is especially vivid. For the more rugged colors and objects, like rocks, I will use the coarser wools with some metallic threads caught in it.”

Susan Hammond’s geometric jewelry represents her return to being a full-time artist. She explains, “After more than two decades as an art consultant providing art to corporations, hospitality and medical facilities, I am now concentrating my energies in creating my own artwork.” Since retiring, she has been concentrating her energies in both two and three dimensional art and

Earth, air, WatEr aND FirE: Four Elements at Living arts by Janice McCormick

Big Red Trio, glass sculpture created by Rachel Haynes, Program Director at Tulsa Glassblowing Studio.

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has once again returned to focusing on metal smithing. Hammond took her first class in metal smithing at the University of Oklahoma while earning her B.F.A.

As the Program Director at the Tulsa Glassblowing Studio, Rachel Haynes heads up the group of staff artists and friends of the studio who are participating in Four Elements. Others in the studio include the two interns Matthew Everett and Alex Martin as well as Rory McCallister of Oklahoma City and David Anderson of Arlington, Texas.

“Unlike most private, production studios,” explains Executive Director Janet Duvall, “the Tulsa Glassblowing Studio is a non-profit focusing on the educational part of glassblowing. We provide classes and public access to people interested in learning glassblowing. We serve a lot of youth, especially at risk youth.” In fact, she points out that “Matthew Everett and Alex Martin are interns at the studio now who started out as students at the age of fifteen. Martin came through the Street School; while Everett came into the program from Youth Services. Both create vessels, although Martin also makes sculptural work as well.”

Playing with fire may be intimidating to some, but for Haynes, it is what draws her to glassblowing. As she puts it, “I find fire mesmerizing. You need heat to do anything with glass.” Her early interest in ceramics and working with metal led her to glass, “My interest in the working properties of clay and the technical challenges of manipulating metal led me to discover the unique and compelling material qualities of glass. The direct physicality of glass, combined with its ability to transmit light created a perfect fit for my visual and material aesthetic.” Most of her work consists of abstract sculptural pieces, rather than vessels. One example of her work (to be found on her website www.rachelhaynes.com) is entitled Kin to Cumulonimbus, “an installation of a family tree based on my father’s side. Each small glass cloud suspended inside a canning jar represents a member of the family.”

Living Arts’ Four Elements highlights the varied aesthetic visions that arise when simple elements are creatively intermingled by the hands and eyes of imaginative artists.

Visit www.livingarts.org for more details about the exhibition. n

Janice McCormick is an art reviewer who has been writing about art in Tulsa and Oklahoma since 1990. Currently she teaches philosophy part-time at Tulsa Community College. She can be reached at artreview@olp.net.

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(top) A piece of jewelry by Susan Hammond is included in the Four Elements exhibition at Living Arts of Tulsa.

(middle) Kevin Byrne, Tulsa, Dargle Rovers, Ceramic, 20” x 8”

(bottom) Jean Ann Fausser, Tulsa, Primordial Soup I, Wet felting with needle felting over the top, 46” x 42”

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Seven-State Biennial by Lisa Chronister

The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Art Gallery at Chickasha, OK, received 255 entries for its Seven-State Biennial competitive exhibition of media. Artists who reside in Oklahoma or one of the six contiguous states - Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico or Texas – were invited to submit. Sculptor Jesús Moroles curated an eclectic mix of 45 colorful works in a variety of media, including sculpture, painting, mixed media, and photography.

Two artists, Robbie Barber and David Phelps, each had three works selected for exhibit.

Barber’s Bullet House, Drill House and Red Tobacco sculptures of wood, paint, steel, and found objects are illustrative of his interest in the vernacular of rural America. In an artist statement posted on his Baylor University Department of Art website, Barber writes that the vintage lap-board houses and other agrarian-related structures “have a hidden beauty… abundant with complex relationships of color, texture, and shape.” Barber further cites the influence of science fiction, toy design, and folk art in creating “hybrid objects of fantasy.”

Red Tobacco situates a miniature barn atop the remnants (perhaps a skeleton?) of a rusted step ladder. Growing up in North Carolina, Barber was familiar with these windowless masonry structures in which tobacco was cured. These brick structures populated the North Carolina landscape during the middle of the last century but, with changing agricultural processes, are increasingly threatened by neglect. Barber’s treatment preserves and celebrates this icon, literally placing the finely crafted structure on a pedestal, albeit a rusty one. The steps invite the viewer to enter the time and place in which tobacco was king. And, although very rusted, the step-ladder pedestals are thick and strong with no doubt of their structural integrity; just because something is old does not mean it is frail.

Barber’s other two works – Bullet House and Drill House – are similarly constructed around tiny, rough-textured models of farm structures. Each of these sports the unexpected addition of a steel armature on top, one with found drill bits and one with ammunitions. Whereas the house in Red Tobacco is protected by being lifted off the ground, the houses in Bullet and Drill are being protected from forces coming from above. In fact, the steel elements are formed like spikes. I interpret this as a concern for defense of the home, a particular concern in rural areas, and/or as a defense of the agricultural way of life that is increasingly threatened.

Three metal works by sculptor David Phelps also offer an interpretation of defense and protection. Love is Strange deftly combines the elements of science fiction, toy design, and folk art that Barber cites in his work. Here, a bronze rat sits atop a tarnished rocket of cartoonish proportions headed

Don Holladay, Norman, Soldier’s Bride, Printing inks on paper

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in a downward trajectory. He’s actually not so much sitting as he is simultaneously leaning into the fall while his torso leans back in its struggle against the overtaking gravitational forces. The mass of the rat and rocket are then suspended above the brass figurine of a head contained inside a wire birdcage. The face is surprisingly expressionless given its circumstances of being trapped inside a cage with a heavy metallic object hurtling toward it. This choice raised many questions for this viewer. Will the cage protect the head from the rocket’s crash? Is the head even aware of the rocket’s course? Can the rat survive the landing? If the intent of this piece was to represent the complete strangeness of love, I would say it definitely succeeds. Love could be orbiting around us and even plunging directly towards us, but we could have an enclosure that protects us from Cupid’s arrow (interpreted here as a rodent on a rocket). This enclosure could be an intentionally created defensive strategy or it could be completely inadvertent. We might not even be aware that the cage exists.

The artist leaves judgment of the consequences of the cage’s protection – benefits and detriments – to the viewer. Likewise, the results of the rat’s future are not implied. Does it die a fiery death or does it travel on with just a few scrapes and bruises to show for the experience? Does the crash startle the head, forcing it to acknowledge the rat’s predicament? I find this representation poignant for all who have experienced love – either as the soaring rat or as the caged head, or both. The out-of-context elements arranged in a certain physical tension inspire curiosity, introspection, and insight of a subject that can’t easily be understood or explained.

The theme of protection is also evident in Phelps’ Hot Off the Press. Here, a bronze horny toad is fixed to an iron. He’s not recoiling from the potentially hot surface, but almost seems to be embracing it, clutching it for safety. This posturing acknowledges the toad’s innate need, as a small reptile, to avoid predation. Typically, when threatened, this variety of toad remains still and relies on its camouflage skin coloration as its first line of defense. However, in Hot Off the Press, the toad is relying on the protective cover of the iron. Viewers are thus asked to consider from what we need protection, and how we seek it in our lives, especially when our first defenses aren’t available or fail.

Like the works of Barber and Phelps, the rest of the selected pieces touch on universal themes of how we make sense of the environment around us. The show includes several drawings, paintings, and prints of solitary figures, such as Soldier’s Bride by Don Holladay. Whereas the sculptures described above compel the viewer to dwell on our connections and feelings to certain places, things, and emotions, the lone figures let us retreat and contemplate what’s going on in our own minds and bodies. There is a wonderful variety of materials used throughout – carved wood, colored glass, and stoneware to name a few. This adds another level of interest to the entire show by revealing how the same themes are successfully rendered in different media. Rich photography of landscape and atmospheric elements further emphasizes our connection to the earth, each other, and ourselves.

The Seven State Biennial will be on view at the USAO Art Gallery through November 7 and at the Charles B. Goddard Center in Ardmore from November 15 to December 17. It’s definitely worth the trip. n

Lisa M. Chronister is an architect and principal at LWPB Architecture in Oklahoma City.

(top) David Phelps, Oklahoma City, Love is Strange, Cast iron, steel, bronze

(bottom) Robbie Barber, Waco, TX, Red Tobacco

Barn, 40” high, Wood, steel and found objects

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John-Paul Philippé: The Art of Designby Daria Prokhorova

Exploring the area where art meets and gently fuses with design, craft, and decorative culture is only natural for Henryetta native John-Paul Philippé. He is an artist working in multiple media and drawing influences from different places and cultures, including rural Connecticut and Japan. Creating at a time when boundaries between different artistic forms are being redefined and distinctions are made in multiple new contexts, he has access to a variety of stimuli and ways to distribute his work. It creates art that is constantly on a border line, is multifaceted, and yet allied with his vision in its every aspect, be it organic shapes of his Barneys’ counter panels, his murals, architectural design of a private chapel, or textiles. With its natural forms and intricate, extravagant interior and architectural designs, his art is reminiscent of a post-modern form of Art Nouveau. In Design: The Art of John-Paul Philippé is on view at [Artspace] at Untitled in Oklahoma City through January 7, 2012. According to the show’s curator Jon Burris, it explores the genesis and development of Philippé’s design motif which translates into most of his works, and how his oeuvre evolved to the present.

Philippé was born and raised in Oklahoma and majored in painting at the University of Oklahoma (OU). The hilly nature of his rural home left an impact on him, and that is where he started to receive his first “commissions” - local farmers would buy his watercolors of barns and farm houses. After graduating from OU, Philippé spent about a year working for Neiman Marcus in Dallas before moving to Santa Fe. All of this preceded the twenty-three years he spent as a painter in London. His current home is in New York City and he also has a cabin in the hills of rural Connecticut, where the environment reminds him of Oklahoma. Philippé established an international career creating retail designs for Barneys stores in the US and Japan. He also works with a group of artists on a number of projects ranging from architectural and sculptural designs to woodwork, metalwork, and murals.

The artist’s partnership with Barneys, a creative retailer with international reputation, started in the late 1980s when he approached

their creative director Simon Doonan. Philippé was in need of work at the time, and this seemingly inconsequential encounter resulted in a relationship of mentorship and patronage. He was not conscious of the transition between his fine art work and commercial work: it happened naturally when Barneys expanded and started giving him larger commissions. When the first Barneys Japan store opened, Philippé was central to the process. After a long period of fascination with Japan, he finally had a chance to live and work in this country whose craftspeople constantly inspire his work. Philippé says he is happy about his relationship with clients, as they give him freedom to make artistic interventions in the retail world and encourage him to use his creativity with little interference. He enjoys the opportunity to stay true to himself as an artist in his pursuit to make a space look good.

Philippé draws from a variety of truly cosmopolitan influences. Nature and living in rural areas influenced his frequent use of

organic shapes. As a child, he was fascinated by Inuit, or as it used to be called, Eskimo culture, after he learned about one of his ancestor’s encounter with the Inuit/Eskimo community. He does not deny a possible tribal feel to his work, although he does not claim any connection to Native American communities. Philippé draws many of his influences from Japanese visual stimuli. He is especially delighted with the Japanese aesthetic of flatness and the culture of wrapping goods and products that is very different from the one in the US. It is the exquisite graphic design nature of packaging goods, including everyday products and groceries, which fascinates the artist. Philippé is also influenced by modernism and 1970s Brutalist architecture.

Philippé’s approach to creative work is largely intuitive; he is constantly aware of and sensitive to his working environment. He says it is necessary for him to be surrounded by appealing objects when he creates art, to have some sort of design around him,

John-Paul Philippé, New York City, Cloud 1, Steel

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and to control his working environment. When he deals with architectural projects, it is extremely important for him to listen to the “genius locale” – “what space tells you to do,” and follow its lead. Philippé’s current projects are mostly design projects, including the ones for Pavilion of Art and Design 2011, held in New York in November. Influenced by small scale sculptures he created for the show in Oklahoma, he is also working on a project where he makes sculptures out of light fixtures. His other current interest is woodcarving.

According to Burris, the idea for the exhibition at Untitled came about when its director, Laura Warriner, encountered Philippé’s interior designs for Barneys in Dallas. Being in a way a continuation of previous Roots & Ties exhibitions, this one also aims at bringing public attention to the art of this talented former Oklahoman who built a successful international career. The exhibition features multimedia works created specifically for the show, including metal sculptures, as well as paintings, murals, prints, and drawings. The exhibition serves to remind us that design is intertwined with fine art on multiple levels, and in fact is an art form in itself. n

Daria Prokhorova is a graduate student at the School of Art and Art History, University of Oklahoma. Her interests include contemporary art, Native American art and the art of American Southwest. She can be reached at dprokhorova@yahoo.com.

John-Paul Philippé, New York City, Series 2 (Left Side), Emulsified gouache on panel, 60” x 48”

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New interpretations of the printmaking medium from both traditional and modern perspectives take center stage at the third annual Winter Intersession show, opening December 16, 2011 at the Lightwell Gallery on the University of Oklahoma (OU) campus in Norman.

The December show features works from 20 upper-level student artists attending OU’s School of Art and Art History. The show takes a comprehensive look at the unique, traditional aspects of the printmaking medium, including serigraphy, etching and woodcuts. It also provides a creative platform for cutting-edge efforts that push the medium’s boundaries and spotlights a group of emerging artists who are paying their respects to a centuries-old medium while at the same time working to make it their own.

Inspired by master printmakers like Albrecht Dürer, Thomas Shahan considers himself a traditional printmaker, both in technique and subject.

“I like the traditional aspect of printmaking. I’m not trying to push the medium into something else,” he said.

In many ways, his traditional woodcutting techniques seem to be a perfect marriage for his extremely non-traditional subjects, which also evoke the work of master printmakers, who created fantastic imaginary scenes. Shahan’s woodcuts often incorporate his deep love of biology and the natural world with an element of fantasy. The end result is a series of mythological scenes with elaborate layers, deep lines and rich colors.

For Shahan, the limitations of printmaking are what make the medium so appealing to him as an artist.

“Printmaking is very limited in color. You have to make your own grays or values. For me, it’s so much more personal than working in other media. It’s an absolute joy in the creation of art,” Shahan said.

While many artists might think that

replicating their imagery is contrary to creative expression, Shahan finds reproducing his images to be an incredibly creative process.

“Things can go wrong when you’re making editions of your work. That’s part of what makes it so exciting. I can make multiple copies and they still will never really be copies,” he said.

The idea of printmaking as a limited medium that offers unlimited creativity is one that resonates with fellow artist Kathleen Neeley, who specializes in serigraphy, also called screenprinting.

“I love that the screenprinting process involves problem solving. In many ways the medium is limited, but it is also less restricted for me creatively,” Neeley said.

Her Art Nouveau-inspired images integrate human subjects and traditional animal imagery with rich colors, curved lines and organic shapes. She also uses her strongly feminine work to pay respect to the resilient

FINDING CREATIVITY IN LIMITATIONS: Exploring New Frontiers of Traditional Printmakingby Karen Paul

Thomas Shahan, Pond Gathering, Serigraph, 11” x 7”

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female influences in her life, including the women in her family.

Neeley’s serigraphy process deliberately plays with its inherently limited color palette. The rich colors of her work are a direct result of intentionally overlapping bright colors with pastel colors during the printing process. Her color combinations add an unexpected element to her works and help create new values unique only to her prints.

Neeley is using the December exhibition to help guide many of the creative decisions she is making about her current pieces.

“The Winter Intersession exhibition is something I work towards. I get the freedom to decide if I want to focus on one large piece or a series for the show. I always keep it in the back of my mind,” Neeley said.

Freedom may well be the overarching theme of Jessica Schlarb’s work, which seeks to change the physical boundaries of the two-dimensional printmaking medium. Schlarb

is currently exploring the three-dimensional possibilities of the traditionally flat medium, attempting to create a sense of physical depth and texture that moves beyond printed lines on a page.

“My work from last year’s show, Fantastic Formations, was an exploration of the textures and shapes found in nature,” Schlarb said. “I took my printed textures and expanded them into three dimensional formations.”

Schlarb’s nature-inspired work also embraces the individuality of each print she makes. Each print’s variations help give her three-dimensional creations subtle differences, echoing the imperfections found in nature.

“I like the uniqueness and individuality of each print. The mistakes sometimes make the best prints,” she says.

For the December show, Schlarb will unveil a new series of printed formations that continue to be inspired by the natural world. This year, she intends to utilize more physical

space in the Lightwell Gallery by making her formations larger and more expansive.

“The show motivates me as an artist. It gives me an opportunity to display my work publicly so others can give me feedback. It also allows me to push the extremes,” she said. n

Karen Paul is a freelance writer based in Norman, Okla. Paul, who specializes in arts-based articles, received her Master’s degree from the Gaylord College at the University of Oklahoma. You can contact her at karenpaulok@gmail.com.

Jessica Schlarb, Fantastic Formations, Screenprints, cut and assembled, 18” x 18”. Detail on right.

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MAINSITE CONTEMPORARY ART: Home of the Norman Arts Councilby Samantha Still

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I recently graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Master’s degree in Art History. During the last year of my graduate program I worked part time as a Gallery Representative at Mainsite Contemporary Art in Norman. Juxtaposed against my academic life, my position at the gallery complimented the more esoteric knowledge gleaned from my studies with practical, hands-on knowledge about the business of art. During the week, my head was filled with art theory and competing methodologies, and on the weekends I learned how to keep the checkbook balanced, how to hang a show, and how to judge an artist’s portfolio.

Needless to say, I greatly valued my position at Mainsite. I knew that our community expected a certain level of sophistication and professionalism from a conventional “white-box” contemporary art gallery such as ours, and, for the most part, we delivered. Probably six months into my stint at Mainsite, it became apparent to me that art sales were suffering, and were not living up to the expectation of either the owner or the director. We joked that we were a “non-profit”, for profit gallery. But in all seriousness, perhaps because of the unstable national economy, we witnessed a major change in the way that people approached, let alone bought, contemporary art. Was it possible that our community had outgrown its use for a private contemporary gallery? Perhaps, a Manhattan-style, white-box, for profit art gallery simply didn’t make sense for Norman, Oklahoma. Maybe, what the community needed was something more dynamic, more productive, and wholly invested in arts education and professional development.

In July 2011, in an effort to fully utilize Mainsite’s potential, owner Gary Clinton gifted the space to the Norman Arts Council (NAC). So far, the switch has proved to be beneficial to all involved; the NAC now has a prominent presence on Main Street, which offers them the opportunity to become a creative John Hadley, Norman, recOrd, Charcoal and pastel on paper

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hub and meeting place for Norman artists and patrons, and they have committed to maintaining Mainsite as a contemporary gallery space. The transition has not been without its unique challenges, however. Associate Director Joshua Lunsford says that one of the unexpected challenges has been convincing Normanites that Mainsite is still open. Lunsford reports that some of the confusion came from the name and concept behind NAC at Mainsite’s first feature exhibition, The Inventory Show, which features artists from the former Mainsite’s inventory such as Paul Mays, Dylan Bradway, Haze Diedrich, Trent Still, Stephen Heyman and John Seward. The point of the exhibition was to reintroduce favorite pieces and artists from the gallery’s inventory, a show that counted on audience nostalgia for specific moments in Mainsite’s exhibition history. But, as Lunsford comments, “More than a few people thought we were selling off inventory and closing our doors!” Another challenge for Lunsford and Executive Director Erinn Gavaghan has been juggling NAC’s eclectic programming and managing the demanding exhibition schedule. Luckily, NAC at Mainsite now employs capable interns and relies on its supportive board to volunteer time and make informed editorial, if not curatorial, decisions.

Visitors to NAC at Mainsite may recognize a few shows on the exhibition schedule that have carried over from previous years, such as the Emerging Artist show (December 9 – January 21), which, as the name suggests, features young artists who are just emerging on to the scene and seeking to develop their professional careers. Another familiar presence on the exhibition schedule is the University of Oklahoma (OU) MFA show (April 2012), in which MFA candidates from OU in their graduating year have the opportunity to show their thesis body of work to the public, while also having the chance to be critiqued by OU faculty and other colleagues in a professional gallery atmosphere. NAC will also continue to act as the principal organizing institution of the Second Friday Circuit of Art in Norman, a monthly, city-wide art walk.

Artists and patrons alike can also look forward to new programming from NAC, including monthly critique sessions, organized by the Norman Studio Artists Association, which are

open to artists and non-artists. Art Critiques take place on the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00pm at the gallery. Artists are invited to bring a piece of artwork, finished or unfinished, to participate in a guided critique session. Additionally, this summer NAC debuted the Individual Artist Award, which offers a $600 honorarium and a featured slot on the exhibition schedule to six individual artists who have resided in Norman for at least one year. One of the awards is reserved for a high school student. This chosen student will also receive a featured gallery show at Mainsite, a wonderful opportunity for the chosen young artists to expand their audience and develop professionally.

On view through November 19 at Mainsite are the works of Marilyn Artus and John Hadley. In addition to being an artist, Artus is also an art promoter, and co-founder of the annual, all-female art and craft extravaganza, The Girlie Show. Viewers may be familiar with her neo-pop aesthetics and playful yet sincere style of feminist commentary. In the exhibition’s featured body of work, Artus simultaneously explores the public and private roles of women throughout history. Viewers will also enjoy Hadley’s vibrant, fast-paced, and narrative drawings which are greatly inspired by his family and his experiences in the music industry. Hadley’s Family Portrait series is also collaborative, as he enlists family members to contribute to the collage-like compositions. Hadley is a former professor of art at the University of Oklahoma and has long been known as an award-winning songwriter. Also included in this exhibition is the first of the six Individual Artist Award recipients, Tara Ahmadi. Iranian transplant Ahmadi is currently finishing her MFA at the University of Oklahoma. The closing reception will take place on Friday, November 11, starting at 6:00pm, and the show will run until November 19, 2011.

For more information on NAC programming, Mainsite exhibitions, and Norman community arts events visit www.normanarts.org. n

Samantha Still received her MA in Art History from the University of Oklahoma. She currently works as the Volunteer and Office Coordinator at OVAC.

Marilyn Artus, Oklahoma City, Susan Secretly Wished For an Evening Gown Made of Pink Satin,

Giclee printed collage on canvas with hand embroidery and acrylic

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A portrait can evoke emotion, a memory of a long ago loved one, freezing a moment in time.

“There is beauty in simplicity,” painter Anne Spoon feels. “My goal is to capture the beauty of light as it falls upon my subject, transforming it into something truly special.”

Over the next year she will paint portraits of 100 area residents in a studio space in the historic downtown district of Okmulgee, but with a twist. By recording the thoughts and memories of those she paints she will create an historic record.

Portraiture has historically been available only to a certain economic group. She hopes viewers will find a common thread amongst all people, their hope, joy, despair, pride. It all shows in a face no matter where you’re from or your station in life.

“Sharing art enriches all of our lives, and that is what I am trying to do,” Spoon said.

In 1999, her exhibit at the Creek Council House museum in Okmulgee, called Our Town: Our Land, Our People featured ordinary people identifying with the images of their home, the people in their lives and the places that make Okmulgee unique. The show was met with wonderful enthusiasm, she said. Since then Spoon has been asked “what’s next”.

“I was drawn to a charming, very small store front on the square in downtown Okmulgee (104 ½ S. Morton Ave). It is only 7 ½ feet wide, but 65 feet long with a sky light, a wonderful space to do something creative,” she said.

Spoon wants to make the experience available to anyone who wants to participate with no bias. In making them her subject it involves them in the creative process.

This community arts project will feature a “cross section” of residents, all walks of life, income and heritage. As word of this project spreads she hopes her subjects will come to her. She is amazed at how many have embraced the project and how fast her calendar is filling up. She hopes the large windows will bring people into the studio to watch. In fact, one of her youngest subjects was found peering through the front window as Spoon was setting up the studio.

The portraits will be painted alla prima in one 4-hour sitting. Her approach will result in more spontaneous brushwork which lends itself to the idea of capturing a moment in our lives. The natural light flooding into the space from the oversized front windows and large skylight allows for soft light to wash over her subject.

She prefers oil. “I love the buttery richness as well as how forgiving it is.”

Her use of cool colors, such as blues, greens and purples express tranquil moments and warm colors, reds and oranges to draw attention to where she wants the viewer to look. Although one family may dominate, she needs both to create balance and harmony as well as stimulate the viewer’s eye.

Casual audio interviews of participants will play during the final exhibit adding a personal component to the exhibit.

Anne Spoon: Painting a Portrait of Okmulgeeby Sheri Ishmael-Waldrop

Anne Spoon in her downtown Okmulgee studio.

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“The recordings will add richness to the exhibit as well as stimulate another of our senses,” Spoon said. “Listening to the voices of our neighbors as we view the paintings will add depth to the experience.”

Community support was vital to the success of this project. With the support of her community Spoon was able to secure funding for the $6,000 project from the private sector, Ike’s Pub and Eatery, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Community/Artist Partnership Grant, Okmulgee Council House and Okmulgee Main Street.

“Okmulgee has a very active Main Street Association and they are always looking for something to bring attention back to historic downtown Okmulgee. The idea gelled one night when I tossed and turned trying to sleep,” she said. “The next morning I visited with David Anderson, curator of the Creek Museum in Okmulgee where I had my show two years prior, he liked the idea. He called me that night and asked if I could give a presentation the following morning at the Main Street meeting. I did and by that afternoon it was approved and a committee formed. Once people found out about the project they wanted to help. Amazing!”

Anderson said he was excited about how fast the project came together. The gallery location had sat vacant for about 12 years, but when the owner of the property heard of the project they joined the movement.

In a letter of support for Spoon’s project Nolan Crowley, Executive Director of Okmulgee Main Street, said, “The Main Street approach advocates a return to community self-reliance, local empowerment, and the rebuilding of traditional commercial districts based on their unique assets: distinctive architecture, a pedestrian-friendly environment, personal service, local ownership, and a sense of community.

“By using a downtown building as a highly visual artist studio, this will also create an atmosphere demonstrating that Okmulgee’s traditional commercial district can be a perfect home for the arts and inspire others to participate in our revitalization efforts.

“The approach of painting one hundred portraits of every day citizens and combining that with interviews of the subjects will bring the community into the artistic process as a participant and not just an object.”

The local radio station will report weekly on who is being painted that week and at the end of the twelve month project, all one hundred paintings will hang in the studio with the audio interviews playing in a continuous loop in October 2012.

In her grant proposal Spoon said, “I want to bring to my community a tangible connection to the creative process by making them the subject. I hope interest will be stirred and

they will be touched somehow by what painting reveals about the human experience…but with this project I want to make it available to anyone who will sit in my chair.”

Instead of the traditional wine and cheese opening, Spoon will have an old fashioned ice cream social.

“I want my viewers to connect with my vision and feel the simple poetry in my work,” Spoon said “At the end of each day I am truly humbled by this calling and obsessed with the thought of the next day’s work.”

If you would like to schedule a sitting, contact Spoon at the studio from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. or the Okmulgee Main Street Office at okmulgeemainstreet@sbcglobal.net.

View more of Spoon’s work on her website at www.annespoon.com. n

Sheri Ishmael Waldrop is a freelance writer and photographer from Sapulpa, and the director for Sapulpa Arts.

Anne Spoon, Okmulgee, Portrait of Sarah, Oil, 16” x 14”

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ASK A CREATIVITY COACH: BY ROMNEY NESBITT

German philosopher and poet Goethe said “What is not started today will never be finished tomorrow.” Long term goals are met one day at a time—over time. Readers of this column know I recommend keeping track of your work time to up your productivity. Recently I’ve added in an accountability component—texting. I have a writing buddy. By 10:00 p.m.

each day we exchange text reports of our total writing time. Our texts are all business stating only a number, for example, “25.” Actual writing time is all that counts—not time spent checking email, social networking, etc. The truth is only actual words on the page or paint on the canvas will get a piece started and finished. Artists can use this texting tip to track time spent

Dear Romney,

I have an upcoming deadline for a number of new pieces. I know I need

to work steadily over the coming weeks to reach my production goals

but is there a way to be more accountable for my daily work time?

Dear Want,

Signed, Want to do more

on artworks that are completed in stages or sections. Large 2-D pieces or 3-D works need longer blocks of time and time tracked—daily or weekly—adds up to finished pieces.

Record your start time. When you quit working, make a note of the time. At the end of the day send your text. Don’t choose a good friend or your spouse to be your accountability partner. Someone who knows you too well won’t hold your feet to the fire about your daily work habits. Choose a partner who’s as motivated as you are. Agree to report in every day—even if your total is zero!

I’ve found texting my total makes me more conscious of my free time. I’m using five and ten minute snippets during the day to up my total. Keeping track of my totals on a desk calendar gives me a reality check on how much work I’m really doing. Over time I’ve increased my weekly and monthly hours. This little technology trick has made a big difference in my output and it might work for you, too. n

Romney Nesbitt is a Creativity Coach and author of Secrets From a Creativity Coach. She welcomes your comments and questions at romneynesbitt@gmail.com. Book her to speak to your group through OVAC’s ARTiculate Speakers Bureau.

27OVAC news

Thank you to our New and Renewing Members from July and August 2011

Mazen H. Abufadil Lindsey Allgood Sharon Allred Valerie Aubert Bjorn Bauer Nick Bayer Maureen Bevill Donna Branson Jen Bryan Zach Burns Ruthie Bustamante Annalisa Campbell Diane U. Coady Sheridan Conrad Lisa Curry Jason Cytacki Adrienne Day Linda Dixon Tony Dyke and Susan

Morrison-Dyke

Nadia Ellis Christiane E. Faris Tyler Fite Melanie Fry Eric Graham Martha Green Christie Hackler Winnie Hawkins Steve HicksJan Holzbauer Carla Houston Helen F. Howerton MD Hughes Sandy Ingram Curtis Jones Ashley Jones Rebecca Joskey Jim and Laurie Keffer Emily Kern Priscilla Kinnick

Kate Kline Howard C. Koerth Marty Landers Brian Landreth Trent Lawson Traci Layton Lisa Lee Marvin Lee and

DaOnne Olsen P. Keith Lenington Tamara Lindsey Harolyn Long Jamie and Kim Lowe Roberta J. Martin Jarrett Maxwell John Mesa Julie Miller Phillip Moffat Kay Moore Regina Murphy

Mary Nickell Molly O’Connor Ray Payn Suzanne Peck Vinicio Perez Andrew Phelan Donnie Poindexter Harold Porterfield Amanda Primeaux Anne Richardson David M. Roberts Kolbe Roper L.A. Scott Bert D. Seabourn Katy Seals Clarissa Sharp Suzanne Silvester Geoffrey L. Smith Diana J. Smith Alfred Smith

Michi Susan Paul Sweeney Lopeeta Tawde Andrew and Mary

Tevington Susan Thompson Steve Tomlin Kris Torkelson Todd Ward Emily Warren Jennifer Leigh

Whitfield George Whitlatch Mark Williams James and Denise

Wedel, Cobblestone Galleries

Belinda Yang Jessica Young

28

AT A GLANCE

28 at a g lance

On view at the Individual Artists of Oklahoma (IAO) gallery from September 9 through October 8, this thoughtful and elegant show by Tulsa-based artist Cathy Deuschle explores issues such as the passage of time, its effects on ourselves as well as on some of the objects we come into contact with on a daily basis and, for the most part, tend not to see or notice at all. In the work, Deuschle reclaims and refashions things like the wings of birds. Her husband is a hunter, and, after cleaning the birds brought home, the artist thought to somehow transform the left-over wings, rather than just discarding them. Coloring them with raw powdered pigments, she placed them in apothecary jars, the colors representing the different seasons.

Deuschle is primarily known for her paintings, but this show represents something of a departure for her from that medium. Included are two quite large works featuring cut and

pasted paper, one apparently derived from an Old Master painting of an entombment. A portion of this show was on exhibit earlier this year at Living Arts in Tulsa, and the artist expanded on the work for the IAO exhibition.

Two pieces that were particularly striking were Romantic Hand and Supply Boats. The first is a plaster and gauze cast of the artist’s hand overlaid with encaustic (beeswax with resin) and tissue paper. The tissue paper is embellished with intricate Victorian-era looking leaves on branches, and, in one spot, an antique horn. From inside the hollow of the wrist, a beautiful, almost fluorescent-toned green moss emerges, again suggesting vegetation, although this time alive.

Supply Boats features 6 broken wine glasses (again put aside by Deuschle as fodder for art, rather than discarded) in front of a charcoal drawing suggesting hills and rocks, seemingly

green because of the tinted glass covering the Cornell-like box. Little bits of moss and coral sit at the bottom. The evocative title, and the piece itself, bring to mind old shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea. Fodder for dreams! n

Specimens at IAO Galleryby Scott Hurst

Cathy Deuschle, Tulsa, Supply Boats, Charcoal on paper; glass, moss, sand dollar and coral,

14” x 26” x 5”

Cathy Deuschle, Tulsa, Plumage, Powder pigment on wings, apothecary jars, encaustic and paper on wood, brass, 10” x 11” x 7”

ovac news 29

NOvEMBER | DEcEMBER 2011OVAC ROUND UP

Did you notice that the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition updated our mission statement? Working with facilitator Maria Birkhead, the OVAC Board simplified the statement during strategic planning session last spring. The new statement is: Supporting Oklahoma’s visual arts and artists and their power to enrich communities.

Thanks to the 12x12 Art Fundraiser artists, committee and supporters. Margo Shultes von Schlageter and Steve Boyd led the committee who raised irreplaceable funds for all of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s programs. We especially appreciate Headline Sponsors Chesapeake Energy & Premier Sponsors Kirkpatrick Bank.

Recent OVAC artist project grants totaled $5,800 and included the following artists. Community Arts Partnership Grants were given to Anne Spoon, Okmulgee for Portrait of Okmulgee (see article page #) and Kimberly Baker, Meeker for the Illinois River Survey photo book. Jonathan Hils, Norman received a Creative Projects Grant for his solo exhibition at OSU Gardiner Art Gallery this fall. Professional Basics Grants were provided to Robin Wolf, Kingfisher; Kathy Leitner, Kingfisher; and Brenda Dewald, Dover, for their participation in the Western Design Conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Professional Basics grants were given to Michael Wilson, Norman, and Lindsey Larremore, Broken Arrow, for

The OVAC Board at the spring strategic planning retreat.

Thanks to our foundation and government program partners

for the following grants

allied arts Annual support

allied arts Education Outreach grant for

young artists’ services

allied arts Small grant for

Strategic Planning Consultant

the Kerr Foundation 24 Works on Paper

exhibition & tour

Kirkpatrick Family Fund General operating support

Oklahoma arts Council Organizational support

Oklahoma City Community Foundation

Sustainable Organization Grant

the andy Warhol Foundation for Visual art

Exhibitions support over two years

equipment to document their artwork. The collaborative Beneath the Surface exhibition at IAO Gallery this October also received a Professional Basics Grant. Exhibiting artists included Gayle Curry, Natalie Friedman, Janice Mathews-Gordon and Diana J. Smith of Oklahoma City.

Watch for calls for artists for all of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s programs at http://tinyurl.com/OVACcalls.

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalitions welcomes Samantha Still as the Volunteer and Office Coordinator. She recently completed her MA in art history from the University of Oklahoma. Her scholarly interests include material culture studies, historical revisionism and contemporary Native American art. Besides working at MAINSITE Contemporary art gallery in Norman, she interned with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, and Kirkpatrick Family Fund. You may reach her at office@ovac-ok.org or 405-879-2400. n

12x12 Art Fundraiser Committee Co-Chairs Steve Boyd (left) and Margo Shultes von Schlageter (right) with Honorary Chairs Sue Moss and Andy Sullivan (center). Photo by Rex Barrett.

Gallery Listings & Exhibition Schedule

AdaBert SeabournNovember 1-30Senior ExhibitDecember 1- 16The Pogue Gallery Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center900 Centennial Plaza (580) 559-5353 ecok.edu

ArdmoreEd FreemanThrough November 12USAO Seven State Biennial Juried ExhibitionNovember 16- December 17Reception December 17, 2-4Tracy JarmonDecember 22- January 28Reception December 22, 5:30-7The Goddard Center401 First Avenue SW(580) 226-0909 goddardcenter.org

Chickasha2011 Seven State Biennial ExhibitionThrough November 7Angels and Altars: Mixed Media Sculptures by Jan Tindale November 12- December 9University of Sciences and Arts of Oklahoma Gallery-Davis Hall1806 17th Street(405) 574-1344 usao.edu/gallery/

DurhamQuilt Show, Three Local Quilting Clubs: Crawford, Durham and Strong CityThrough November 30Metcalfe Museum Rt. 1 Box 25(580) 655-4467 metcalfemuseum.org

LawtonMichael Jones, Sarah Atlee, Holly WilsonOpens November 12, 7-9The Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery620 D Avenue(580) 357-9526 lpgallery.org

NormanHoliday Gift Gallery 2011November 11- January 9Firehouse Art Center444 South Flood(405) 329-4523 normanfirehouse.com

Rauschenberg: Prints from ULAEThrough December 30No Heaven Awaits Us: Contemporary Chinese Photography & VideoThrough December 30Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art555 Elm Ave.(405) 325-4938 ou.edu/fjjma

Faculty Show Opening ReceptionNovember 11Art Auction to benefit VASANovember 18“Art and the Landscape” Juried ShowNovember 28 – December 9Reception December 298th Student Show Jurying in LightwellDecember 12 – 14Intersession Show Opening ReceptionDecember 16Lightwell Gallery, University of Oklahoma520 Parrington Oval(405) 325-2691 art.ou.edu

Oklahoma CityRenee CinderhouseNovember 4Romy Owens & Paul MaysDecember 2aka gallery 3001 Paseo(405) 606-2522 akagallery.net

In Design: The Art of John-Paul PhilippéThrough January 7, 2012[ArtSpace] at Untitled 1 NE 3rd St.(405) 815-9995 artspaceatuntitled.org

Tessa Traeger: Voices of the VivaraisThrough December 17Jen Stark: Tunnel VisionThrough December 17City Arts Center3000 General Pershing Blvd.(405) 951-0000 cityartscenter.org

Johnny and April DeluciaNovember 11Kalee Jones W. December 9DNA Galleries1705 B NW 16th

(405) 371-2460 dnagalleries.com

Tommy White: Small WorksReception November 4, 6-10 pmDenise Duong and Matt Seikel: Holiday Gift GalleryDecember 2JRB Art at the Elms2810 North Walker(405) 528-6336 jrbartgallery.com

RED DOT Art Auction & SaleNovember 11, 7-11 pmLeslie Dallam, Carla Waugh, Kim RiceNovember 18- December 17 Reception November 18OCU Photography ShowNovember 18-26 Reception November 18UCO in Project SpaceDecember 2-16 Reception December 2Individual Artists of Oklahoma 706 W Sheridan (405) 232-6060 iaogallery.org

The Bowie Knife: Icon of American CharacterThrough November 20Cowboy Artists of America 46th Annual Exhibition and SaleThrough November 27Small Works, Great Wonders SaleNovember 12 – January 3, 2012Sale Night: November 18Traditional Cowboy Arts Association 13th Annual ExhibitThrough January 8, 2012Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby ExhibitionThrough January 8, 2012Envisioning the West Through March 30, 2012National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd

(405) 478-2250 nationalcowboymuseum.org

East Gallery:Chris Small Through December 4Brent Learned December 12 North Gallery:GiGi Renee’ WebbThrough November 27Caryl MorganDecember 5 Governor’s Gallery:Tünde DarvayThrough December 11Dan GarrettDecember 19Oklahoma State Capitol Galleries2300 N. Lincoln Blvd(405) 521-2931 arts.ok.gov

Poodles and Pastries… New Paintings by Franco Mondini-RuizThrough December 31Faded Elegance: Photographs of Havana by Michael EastmanThrough December 31Oklahoma City Museum of Art415 Couch Drive(405) 236-3100 okcmoa.com

Ponca CityMuchmore Photography Exhibit and CompetitionNovember 6 – 27Kevin Tero: PaintingDecember 4 – 31Ponca City Art Center819 East Central(580) 765-9746 poncacityartcenter.com

ShawneeKids at Heart: Art Exhibition and Toy DriveNovember 4 – 20Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art1900 West Macarthur(405) 878-5300 mgmoa.org

StillwaterDisplacements: Recent Work by Jonathan HilsThrough November 4Graphic Design: Senior Portfolio ExhibitionNovember 9-21Reception, November 13, 2-4 pmStudio CapstoneNovember 30-December 12Reception, December 1st, 5-6 pmGallery Talk, 6-7 pmGardiner Art GalleryOklahoma State University 108 Bartlett Center for the Visual Art(405) 744-9069 okstate.edu facebook.com/GardinerArtGallery

TonkawaCaryl Morgan: Selected WorksThrough December 9Eleanor Hays GalleryKinzer Performing Arts CenterNorthern Oklahoma College1220 East Grand(580) 628-6670 north-ok.edu

30 ga l l e ry gu ide

MEMBER FORMSustaining $250-Listing on signage at events-Invitation to private reception with visiting curators-All of below Patron $100-Acknowledgement in the Resource Guide and Art Focus Oklahoma-Copy of each OVAC exhibition catalog-All of below Family $55-Same benefits as Individual for two people in household Individual $35-Subscription to Art Focus Oklahoma-Inclusion in online Virtual Gallery-Monthly e-newsletter of visual art events statewide-Monthly e-newsletter of opportunities for artists-Receive all mailed OVAC call for entries and invitations-Artist entry fees waived for OVAC sponsored exhibitions-Listing in Annual Resource Guide and Member Directory-Copy of Annual Resource Guide and Member Directory-Access to “Members Only” area on OVAC website-Up to 50% discount on Artist Survival Kit workshops-Invitation to Annual Meeting Student $20-Valid student ID required. Same benefits as Individual level.

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Detach and mail form along with payment to: OVAC, 730 W. Wilshire Blvd, Suite 104, Oklahoma City, OK 73116

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TulsaCollectors’ Reserve: Art Exhibition and SaleThrough November 6America: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of a NationThrough January 2, 2012To Capture the Sun: Gold of Ancient PanamaThrough January 15, 2012Gilcrease Museum1400 Gilcrease Road(918) 596-2700 gilcrease.org

Altered Spaces Exhibit November 1 – 5Dia De Los Muertos Arts FestivalNovember 1The Four ElementsDecember 2 – 22Living Artspace

307 E. Brady(918) 585-1234 livingarts.org

James W. Johnson and Shanna Kunz: New WorksDecember 3- January 3Reception and demo December 3, 10-5Lovetts Gallery6528 E 51st St(918) 664-4732 lovettsgallery.com

Magnificent Vision: Two Centuries of European Masterworks from the Speed Art MuseumThrough January 8The Philbrook Museum of Art2727 South Rockford Road(918) 749-7941 Philbrook.org

Don’t Forget to Breathe: Paintings and Mixed Media by Jennifer Libby FayNovember 4-26Tulsa Children’s ShowDecember 2-17Tulsa Artists Coalition Gallery9 East Brady(918) 592-0041 tacgallery.org

Watercolors of GreeceNovember 1 – 27Art Deco XmasDecember 1 – 31Tulsa Performing Arts Center GalleryThird and Cincinnati(918) 596-2368 tulsapac.com

Naga: An Exhibition of New Media by Aaron M. Higgins

November 3Ruth Mayo Distinguished Painter, Stanley Lewis: Paintings and DrawingsDecember 15Alexandre Hogue Gallery Phillips Hall, The University of Tulsa2930 E. 5th St.(918) 631-2739 cas.utulsa.edu/art

Jonathan Hils, Norman, Untitled, Welded steel and wire, 78” x 19” x 7” at the Gardiner Art Gallery, Oklahoma

State University in Stillwater through November 4.

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Art FocusO k l a h o m a

730 W. Wilshire Blvd, Suite 104 Oklahoma City, OK 73116Annual Subscriptions to

Art Focus Oklahoma are free with membership to the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition.

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition supports Oklahoma’s visual arts and artists and their power to enrich communities.

Visit www.ovac-ok.org to learn more.

UPCOMING EVENTSNov 4: Momentum OKC Spotlight Artist Application DeadlineNov 19: ASK Workshop- The Artist & the Curator in the Studio: Professional Development for the Emerging ArtistJan 15: OVAC Grants for Artists DeadlineJan 31: Momentum OKC Artist Deadline

JRB ART AT THE ELMS2810 North WalkerPhone: 405.528.6336www.jrbartgallery.com

December

Opening Reception:FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4

6 - 10 P.M.

Opening Reception:FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2

6 - 10 P.M.

Tommy White

Denise Duong

Gallery Hours:Mon - Sat 10 am - 6 pm

Sun 1 pm - 5 pm

Small Works

November

Matt SeikelHoliday Gift Gallery