June 2018

ARTS BENICIA – CUTTING EDGE: NONTRADITIONAL GLASS SHOW

Eruption_Cumberland WM

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.

PORTRAIT OF GAIA: 2018

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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”.

REMORSE

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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.

 

VIGILANCE

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2018

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.

CREATION: BREATH OF GOD

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2018

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”.