Author: johnfansmith

ATTICUS PAINE GALLERY

I am very pleased to announce that five of my pieces DARK MOON RISING, a smoke fired/raku wall hanging, its companion piece HIGH MORNING SUN, ORACLE, a mixed media/found object sculpture, REQUIEM FOR A MUSE, a raku fired paper clay assemblage and THE GREEN MAN: WINTER SOLSTICE, a mixed media sculpture will, along with work from other members of the Cheltenham Ceramics Collective, be part of the Opening Exhibition for the Atticus Paine Gallery. The Atticus Paine Gallery is located at 107 Central Avenue, Cheltenham, PA 19102 and the Exhibition will run from June 2, 2019 until July 7, 2019.

GUILD OF PAPERMAKERS – MCCC EXHIBITION

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I am very happy to announce that three of my pieces THE ART OF THE GERRYMANDER, PORTRAIT OF GAIA: 2018, and MEMORIES OF THE FALL will be part of the Guild of Papermakers Exhibition at Montgomery County Community College. The Exhibition will be held in MCCC’s Fine Arts Center at 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, and will run from May 21, 2019 until June 29, 2019.

PARADISE LOST

With all due respect to John Milton, the inspiration for PARADISE LOST was not his iconic 1667 poem but rather the devastating 2018 Camp Fire which destroyed the town of Paradise, California. While the ending may be the same in both cases, and both were caused by human actions, there are differences. PARADISE LOST is a hand inked and hand pulled monotype and is intended to be a companion to my 2017 print WILDFIRE. $275.00

EB4D LOSS, REDEMPTION AND GRACE

I am very pleased to announce that jurors Jerry Cullum and Teresa Bramlette Reeves have invited my paper collage ARMED TEACHERS: WHAT CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG? into the “Loss, Redemption, and Grace” Exhibition at EBD4, 2382Chamblee Tucker Road, Chamblee, GA 30341 (just outside Atlanta). The Exhibition will open June 8, 2019 with an Artist’s Reception from 6:30 pm until 10:30 pm and will run until July 20, 2019. EBDA is open from 1 til 5 on Friday and Saturday and by appointment Monday thru Thursday. So, if you have a long lay-over in Atlanta it might be something to see.

GMO #37

GMO # 37 is a mixed media sculpture using a found object and hand built raku fired paper clay. Somehow, using a purely natural object (a piece of yew root), and something completely manufactured (paper clay), seemed the appropriate way to depict a “genetically modified object”. GMO #37 is part of a series of mixed media sculptural pieces I’m going to be concentrating on this year. For want of a better title, I’m calling it my “Look What I Found” Series.

Midnight Blues

MIDNIGHT BLUES is intended to be an ambiguous and amorphous; bringing different feelings to different people. To some it will evoke an exotic night sky; to others an end of day sadness, or the muted wail of a saxophone, while others will experience something else entirely or perhaps nothing at all. MIDNIGHT BLUES is a viewer’s narrative piece. A hand inked and hand pulled monotype it is matted and framed to 22” x 28”.

Prelude

PRELUDE, part of my “Look What I Found” series of sculptures using found objects and hand built paper clay elements, draws upon my “Rim of Fire” series for its inspiration. The pieces in the “Rim of Fire” series use stained glass and paper clay fired together to depict the early moments of a volcanic eruption. PRELUDE, as its name implies, is of an earlier moment: the clouds of ash are rising but the eruption has not started. PRELUDE is composed of distorted Styrofoam, handmade paper clay, resin, underglazes, and acrylic and enamel paints.

Skepticism in the 311 GALLERY – ABSTRACTS MATTER SHOW

I am very pleased to announce that jurors Kim Balentine, Cheryl McCardle, and Jenna Webb have invited my hand built Raku fired paper clay sculpture SKEPTICISM into the 311 Gallery show “Abstracts Matter”. SKEPTICISM, part of my “Cognitive Emotions” Series will be on display at 311 Gallery, 311 West Main Street, Raleigh NC 27601 from February 28, 2019 until March 30, 2019. There will be an opening reception from 6 until 9 pm on Friday, March 1^st.

Prometheus

In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind for which he was punished by being chained to a rock and having his liver eaten by vultures. My PROMETHEUS, a hand built and raku fired paper clay sculpture deconstructs the myth by having Prometheus part of and one with the rock holding the chain rather than being held.(8” x 8” x 8”)

BODIES OF….JURIED EXHIBITION OF CERAMIC ARTS

Bodies

I am very pleased to announce that Juror Sigrid Zahner has invited my ceramic sculpture MEMORIES OF FORGOTTEN KINGS into “Bodies of…Juried Exhibition of Ceramic Arts” a nationally juried show at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Traverse City, MI. The show will open with a reception from 2 to 4 pm on Saturday, April 27, 2019 and run until Saturday, July 20, 2019. I am particularly pleased to be in this show because I recently had two of my Joomchi pieces in a nationally juried Papercraft show at the Crooked Tree Arts Center. Being able to exhibit works at the same location in two different mediums is something of which I am very proud.