I am pleased to announce that juror Anthony Casasanto has included my Whimsical One-Liner ink drawings, BAD SUSHI and HALF ASS DRAWING, in the Manayunk-Roxborough Art Center’s 10th Annual Juried Show. The Show will run from July 15th through July 22nd at their gallery at 419 Green Lane and then shift to their gallery on Ridge Avenue in Roxborough until August 22nd. There will be an opening reception from 3 until 5 PM on Sunday, July 15th. Admission is free.
DEJECTION, like all the three dimensional pieces in the “Cognitive Emotions” Series relies on the primary contour of the piece to evoke a particular emotion and the glaze pattern and color to explore the role of cognition in that emotion. In DEJECTION the figure is erect but the head has a downcast aspect and a subdued and somber color. Hand built and raku fired using artist made paper clay. 15” x 12” x 11” on an MDF base.
I am very pleased to announce that jurors Carrie Lederer and Mary B. White have chosen my stained glass/paper clay pieces ERUPTION, LAGOON, and SANDBAR for inclusion in the Arts Benicia Show: Cutting Edge: Nontraditional Glass. The show will be held at the Arts Benicia Galleries at 991 Tyler Street, Suite 114, Benicia, California, 94510 and will run from Saturday, July 21st until Tuesday, August 28th. There will be a reception from 6 to 8 pm on July 21st, and the pieces will be on sale, so, if you’re in the neighborhood, drop in.
Earlier this year I took a workshop on Joomchi, a Korean art form, which uses Hanji (mulberry paper), water, and a lot of elbow grease to create interesting and unique objects. PORTRAIT OF GAIA: 2018 is my first effort to apply what I learned in that workshop. In Greek mythology, Gaia is the personification of the earth and one of the primordial deities, the ancestral mother of all life. In this piece, the colors represent land and water, the essence of Gaia while the form reflects her state of affairs in 2018. Matted and framed to 20” x 16”.
In REMORSE, part of the “Cognitive Emotions” Series, the slumped posture of the figure and inclination of the head project the emotion and the color of the head in relation to the overall color of the figure signifies the importance of cognition in this emotion. Hand built and raku fired using artist made paper clay. 10 ½” x 8” x 7” on an MDF base.
In VIGILANCE, part of the “Cognitive Emotions” Series, the primary contour is intended to convey a sense of alert watchfulness while the colors within the piece indicate that this is a controlled emotion with a strong cognitive element. Hand built and raku fired using artist made paper clay. 10 ½” x 8” x 7” on an MDF base.
I have always been interested in how various cultures, including my own, seek to explain creation and our existence. For example, the phrase “breath of God” appears 58 times in the Bible, Old and New Testament, always in the context of creation. My CREATION: THE BREATH OF GOD, a paper collage using recycled heavy paper and light cardboard, draws upon one of these references, Psalm 33, line 6 : “by the breath of his mouth all their host” for its particular inspiration. Matted and framed to 16” x 20”.
To me, skepticism is one of the emotions with the greatest amount of thought involved in it. In SKEPTICISM, part of the “Cognitive Emotions” Series, the cognitive element, represented by the bright gold/copper color of the head and upper part of the figure, is the dominant feature of the piece with the more nuanced “emotional” colors taking a secondary role. In profile the figure is leaning back and away from what is being presented and the head is inclined slightly but skeptically. 16” x 12” x 10 ½” on an MDF base.
John Fansmith 