Art Critiques
U of M BFA show. Fin
This gallery exhibited the final works of the graduating seniors of the University of Memphis in the undergraduate art program. The students were Holly Cole, Cody Dalrymple, Renée Embry, Christina Frey, Andrew Guerieri, Toy Houseman, Stacee R. Knouse, Rachel Lin, Clark Matthews, Amanda Stoughton, Rachel Underhill, and Nikki Wade. The work consisted of collective artworks from photo, painting and sculpting majors. The work that stood out to me would be Rachel Lin’s. She used long shutter speeds on her camera during the night and created visual pleasing photos that appeared to be paintings. Each photograph was hung on the wall on stretch canvas and there were five beautiful pieces. It was nice to see the bridge between painting and photography being joined in this work of art because the two mediums seem to have feuds throughout the history of art. Another collection that stood out to me was Toy Houseman’s sport collection. The idea was that of sports players who were repeated on a bright colored canvas without any body parts, just the attire they wear. Like she proposed in her artist statement, Americans tend to focus on a team based on one major player when sports should be about team work not just one person. The pieces came together well and she attracted the eye of viewers instantly with the bright colors and arrangement of the figures. All in all, this gallery was quite enjoyable and the students came together and presented a strong showcase of their talents! Bravo!
Found at Flickr St
This gallery exhibited the works of people who took up skills at this studio. Those were the works of Elizabeth Alley Kate Bradley Nancy Cheairs Maysey Craddock Melissa Dunn Erin Harris Mary Jo Karimnia Kurt Meer Ed Rainey Erin Wright & Anna Wunderlich. The works looked a bit tacky when you walk into the exhibit as none of it was presented well. Canvases were a mess and the lighting in the building was terrible. The gallery gave off a feel of what “fine art” galleries try to do to make the work more appealing and raw but it did not work here. The best works were located to the end of the gallery where paintings, stencils, and pottery were placed. The best work was by Melissa Dunn who had these loose sketches and integrated painting within them to express the frustration of her daily life. Also Anna Wunderlich paintings of what refer to an Alice in Wonderland theme were very nice. The canvas they were printed on was very neat and handled delicately. However, the overall exhibit was a disappointment and if this is what they teach students to do at the studio then I believe they need to re-think their approach.
Jack Robinson Gallery
The Jack Robinson gallery is located downtown. When I first walked through the door I was greeted by a pitbull which was quite disturbing but she was friendly. Later, a man came out to show me and my friend around. Robinson photographed nothing but portraiture from fashion to self. The works when you first walk through the door are all works of famous celebrities from Elvis to Tina Turner. The images are all film printed and are excellent prints for film. Around the side of the gallery, there are more intimate images of Robinson and his boyfriend as well as friends he photographed favors for like a wedding image. Up the stairs of the gallery lie my favorite images: fashion. The lighting and composition of these photos was just marvelous and the images really worked well together. The viewer can tell Robinson had an eye for what look good and what was trendy. What I love about this gallery was the homey feel it had throughout the walk. It felt and looked like someone’s studio. The images were all very strong and some were even hidden in a kitchen area, a printing area, and even the restroom. This gallery was my favorite out of the ones I had a chance to attend because I shoot fashion portraiture and it really inspired me to get out there and develop my work as a photographer. His printing was also quite amazing and flawless and the lighting of the gallery was amazing. This was an amazing experience and I plan to revisit the gallery soon.
Art Memphis Joe B Guinn
This gallery was exhibited at the Arts Memphis studio. Guinn’s work consisted of nothing but natural nature shots that were printed using a special darkroom process that makes his images look stunningly realistic unlike a photograph. His work is untouched and comes straight out of the camera as is. In the exhibit, his works were placed on display for a gallery showing and for purchase. There were an arrangement of sizes and images and each image was very strong in itself. There was an image with a golden leaf on sand and it was quite amazing to see the tension between the two surfaces. There was also shots of birds like the blue and white herons he captured mid flight or eating something. I am not a huge fan of nature but as I observed the gallery I was able to understand and appreciate his process instead of rubbing it off as if I had seen this all before. I also appreciate the professional atmosphere and how each image had its own lighting to it. They were very organized on the walls and not only were they printed beautifully, but they were mounted just the same. The gallery changed my view on nature photographers and his work seemed very promising and beautiful.
