Artist Spotlight: Daggi Wallace on Walls

Daggi Wallace, In Search of Peace, Pastel on paper, 40 x 60"

I am keenly interested in portraying the human condition and our connection to each other, our similarities, the struggles and joys we all share. Women's and children’s issues are of special interest to me and some of my work has expanded to social commentary. I like to create images that tell a story with multiple layers of meaning to draw in the viewer and elicit a strong emotional response. About a year and a half ago my work took a turn and became much more personal. I wanted to overcome personal fears of exposing myself too much to others by telling more of my own personal story. This work resulted in my current solo exhibition at TAG Gallery titled Wende/Transformation.

I was born in 1962’s West-Berlin, in close proximity to the Berlin Wall and spent my formative years there among a people that in general are very reserved. Within my own family there were walls built up and torn down which shouldn’t have been. I realized walls were a major theme running throughout my life and for the first time I wanted to explore something so personal through my work. Making the resulting paintings public was one way of my breaking down an internal wall I had built up myself. All my life I had erected my own walls of protection and fears but since moving to the wide open spaces of the American Southwest I had been learning to tear them down.

With this continuing series I am using the Berlin Wall as metaphor for all of the walls in our lives. Little did I know when I started this series last year just how politically timely it would be now with the current talk of division and building walls! The paintings examine the endless contradiction and effects of walls. Walls are real and physical, imagined and psychological. They make visible one’s fears, anxieties and insecurities. They separate and yet offer a common purpose. They divide us yet invite us to scale them and tear them down, to come together again. They offer comfort, though false, yet feed hate and fear. They isolate and protect. Walls keep people out AND in. They shelter us and yet make us want to break free. They repel and tempt. They control and we rebel. They are a prison and a freedom. We can choose to erect them or tear them down.

Daggi Wallace, Schutzengel (Guardian Angel), Pastel on paper, 40 x 60"

When I spotted the graffiti of the angel on an actual left over piece of the Berlin wall still standing, I knew it would perfectly illustrate my point of actually having felt protected by this ugly horrible wall as a child. “Schutzengel” literally translates to “protection angel”. Since I lived on the West side I never felt oppressed or locked in as a child in Berlin, but actually saw the wall as protecting us from the Russians. Only when we ventured over into East Germany, either to visit or travel through, did I feel the oppression. The piece had to be very large in scale (40”x60”) and the figure about life size so the viewer might feel the oppression of the wall on one hand and the sense of protection from the large angel on the other.

Daggi Wallace, Home, Pastel on paper, 20 x 20"

The model stands in front of a steel wall (the original was made out of concrete), a memorial to the division of the city from August 13, 1961 to November 9, 1989, erected in commemoration of the victims of Communist tyranny. During the photo shoot the light above the model's head appeared spontaneously and immediately gave me the title for this painting, referring not only to my hometown but our true spiritual home which is always present even in the darkest moments.

Daggi Wallace, Mother, Did It Have To Be So High, Pastel on paper, 40 x 60"

As you can see titles are very important to me. They add yet another layer of meaning and accentuate the content of each piece. Some of these paintings’ titles are inspired by Pink Floyd. Their music (The Wall album of course, but others as well) has always been among my most played in the studio and became instrumental in the creation of these works for obvious reasons.

Daggi Wallace, Daddy, What D'Ya Leave Behind For Me?, Pastel on paper, 40 x 60"

Both paintings and their titles refer not only to the Berlin wall but to my own upbringing. There are several small personal references "hidden in open view" in Daddy…, but the main theme of what our ancestors and families leave behind for us through our personal as well as the world's history is obvious. Personal references such as names and dates are also hidden in other pieces of this series.

The title for the next piece is from Leonard Cohen’s song Anthem which lyrics have had a profound impact on me. Here I used the addition of metal leaf to emphasize them.

Daggi Wallace, There Is a Crack In Everything, That's How the Light Gets In, Pastel and metal leaf on paper, 20 x 30"

Daggi Wallace, Daddy, Borders and Boundaries, Pastel on paper, 28 x 28"

Borders and Boundaries again refers to external political and internal personal restrictions and/or lack of them. By adding text and what I hope are intriguing titles the viewer is invited to venture beyond the obvious realistic image and explore the content of the work further.

Daggi Wallace, Someone To Watch Over Me (Self Portrait At Age Three), Mixed Media on paper, 24 x 24"

Someone To Watch Over Me (Self Portrait At Age Three) is my most personal work yet. While I used models as stand-ins for myself in the previous paintings here I used a reference photo of myself at age three. Wanting to add even more content I used mixed media including collage from old newspaper images depicting the signs and watch towers I used to see along the wall. I used heavily applied red acrylic in the background dripping over an outline of West and East Berlin to emphasize the communist threat around my city. The piece is a reference to my having felt watched all the time but also wishing to have had someone to watch over me MORE at other times.

This series continues on to my figures in water paintings which on the surface appear to be nothing but pretty women in swimming pools but actually tell the story of how my emigration to America helped me step out from behind my walls and dive more freely into the deep end of life.

Daggi's current show, Wende/Transformation, will be at TAG through August 6.

Come meet Daggi tonight (July 16) at the Artists' Reception or in two weeks at an Artist Panel Discussion on Saturday, July 30, 3pm.

Artist Spotlight: Marion Wood on "Location, Location!"

In this current body of work, “Location, Location!” I explore the colors, texture and rhythm of physical locations in an abstract form. I use a careful balance of chance, fate and deliberate motions that make the paint appear as if it has taken root and grown through the canvas, creating a dialogue where the paint lies, a sense of organic narrative.

Marion Wood, Fragmented, Acrylic on canvas,  72 x 120"

This piece, Fragmented, concerns the fragmentation of our beautiful forest lands. While the cuts are are black and foreboding, I chose to accentuate the energy and life-force remaining, a sense of hope and trust that nature will prevail with a little help from mankind, which is referenced by the sense of text in parts of the imagery.

Marion Wood, Downtown, Acrylic on canvas,  60 x 24"

Downtown is a depiction of city streets and also has the feeling of the view from a loft window. Architectural form, the sweep of history, and the coexistence of chaos and orderliness are all elements that were used in the composition.

Marion Wood, Philadelphia Freedom, Acrylic on canvas,  60 x 48"

The joy and the pain of creation is another duality explored in much of my work. The physical act of painting, a visceral and explorative undertaking, serves as the core connection to each piece. I tend to inhabit and navigate the paintings, moving within them the way one would inhabit a location in the more traditional sense; by wandering, searching, reveling, taking risks, failing, feeling the natural flow, and getting messy. My goal being to encourage the viewer to wander through these pieces as well, and establish their own connections.

Marion's current show, Location, Location!, will be at TAG through July 9.
Come meet Marion at an informal Artist Meet and Greet on Saturday, July 2, 4-7pm.

Artist Spotlight: Mary McGill on Clay

Mary McGill, Kissing Joy as it Flies, Ceramic, 20 x 7 x 7"

The paradox of ceramics appeals to me....Clay can withstand temperatures that will disintegrate humans, and yet it is so easily shattered....the same with human emotions, we can take and do so much, but one small comment can destroy our calm demeanor.

I enjoy telling stories that reflect my soul, and hopefully the viewer will go on a journey of discovery about themselves.

Currently I am working on a series of cats.... Giving human emotions and voice to an inanimate object. The eyes need to reflect what the mouth is saying...

Mary McGill, Carnal Thoughts, Ceramic, 23 x 11 x 10"

Birds find their way in to my work, building visions of ultimate nests or symbolically portraying flight... an inclination toward narrative appeals to me. Incorporating proverbs, icons, and idioms into my work have a humorous and ironic quality I cannot resist. The objects on display embody the story of my life and I try to electrify the space with my energy.

Mary McGill, Krusty, Ceramic, 15 x 6 x 6""

Clay is a challenging, resilient and lively medium. It responds to the touch in an immediate and spontaneous way that appeals to my senses. The challenge is allowing for the accidents. Every fracture, crack and mark activates the surface. It is the written dialogue between the medium and myself.

Mary's current show, Insights at the Edge, will be at TAG through July 9.
Come meet Mary at an informal Artist Meet and Greet on Saturday, July 2, 4-7pm.

Artist Spotlight: Joe Pinkelman on Clay Pinched Pots

Joe Pinkelman, Pinching China #4, Porcelain, 12 x 10 x 10"

I worked on these pinch pots while waiting for a Chinese translator to help me out. The past several years I have worked at a ceramic residency in Jingdezhen, China. At any given time there are about 10 artists from around the world working on their individual ceramic projects. Consequently with only two translators, it might take a couple hours until they would be able to help address your individual needs.
After the first couple of days, I found myself getting overly anxious waiting so I decided to sit and start making pinch pots. It worked to my advantage in several ways. The first was to ‘warm’ myself up to ceramics and get my mind into the experience of working in clay. Secondly, it challenged a hand building skill I use many times with my students but not with my own work. Lastly, the process became like a Buddhist meditation for me and I focused on my body, my hand movements, and my environment.

The first pinch pot I made was a Greek amphora but I quickly realized that since I am working in China, I should start making forms that have a historical reference to Chinese ceramics. Thus all of the forms in the exhibition are based on traditional, Chinese ceramic vessels.

Traditional

Joe Pinkelman, Pinching China #6, Porcelain, 12 x 10 x 10"

Traditional

Joe Pinkelman, Pinching China #2, Porcelain, 12 x 10 x 10"

Today is the last day to see Pinching China, Joe's exhibition at TAG.

You can view more of his work here, on TAG's website.

Artist Spotlight: Linda Sue Price on Bending Glass

Bending glass is the process of heating glass over fire until it becomes pliable. 
Linda Sue Price explains her process and progress. 

Linda Sue Price, Nothing Is Black and White, Neon, 15 x 15" 

When I first started to learn how to bend my intention was to bend free form. However, in order to get in touch with the glass I had to practice bending to pattern. Pattern bending comes from the head whereas freeform comes from the gut.

When bending freeform I feel very connected to the glass. It’s like having a conversation with the glass. Some times the communication flows and other times not.

Pattern bending is another issue. But finally after years of practice and the desire to be able to create specific forms, I am now learning how to surrender to the pattern. There are so many things to consider when bending to pattern—how you go into the fire and come out of it so you are positioned to land easily on the pattern.

Other challenges I faced was under heating and twisting the glass. The idea is to heat the right amount of glass for the bend you are making, get it hot enough and heat it evenly.

There are three types of fires used to heat the glass. The ribbon burner—my favorite—for making loop shapes; the cross fire for specific small movements like V’s, U’s, and L’s; and the hand torch for delicate work like attaching electrodes or making small adjustments. The hand torch has less heat so it’s ideal for small, delicate corrections.

In my pattern practice, I’ve struggled with making U bends without getting kinking on the inside. I discovered that I was twisting the glass coming out of the fire. It would look great when I came out of the fire but by the time I got it to the pattern on the work bench, it would kink. After some focused practice I figured out that I was twisting the glass so I spent practice time breaking that habit.

Then I discovered I was under heating the glass. I started under heating because when the glass is hot enough it was too easy to accidentally stretch the glass. By under heating I eliminated the stretching but then I got kinks because the glass wasn’t hot enough.

Once I started getting the glass hot enough, I struggled with overinflation. Part of the process of bending is having a blow hose attached so you can inflate the glass when it gets hot to keep it from collapsing.

There is no scientific process to this. It’s just hours of practice and learning to read the glass.

Then there is the mind. If you over concentrate on the bend you loose it. If you don’t focus you loose it so you have to find the balance. Listening to music while bending helps but some times I start dancing and get distracted..

Currently I’m practicing a pattern and attempting to bend to it. I’ve spent a month or so trying to get the hang of it. I’m in the studio two to three days a week and each week it gets better but bending to pattern is so different. Tonight I began to think—why am I doing this. No one will appreciate how much harder this is for me than the complex free form bends I do. But I am keeping at it. It looks like a simple pattern but it’s really challenging.

After another month of practice and demos by the master, I had success. The bends went the way they were supposed to and the tube was smooth—no crunches and on pattern. Amazing.

Linda Sue Price, Never Say Never (work in progress)

Linda's current exhibition at TAG, Hitting the Pause Button, runs through Saturday, May 14. 
She will be part of an Artist Panel Discussion with Alison Lowe Platt and Dan Janotta on Saturday, May 7, 3pm.

If you have any question you'd like to ask Linda, leave them below in the comments.

Linda Sue Price, Question, Listen, Think, Neon, 15 x 15" x 10"

Artist Spotlight: Donn Delson

Donn Delson used lasers to create his most recent body of work at TAG, "Light Amplification", 
on view through April 16. 

Here are some of his thoughts on his art practice. 

Donn Delson, The Journey, Archival Print, Acrylic Facemount, Edition of 5, 48 x 48" 

I'm currently obsessed with Light Amplification. Using a special laser light facility, in an otherwise pitch black environment I was able to experiment with laser light vectors, focal lengths, color, motion, and exposure in order to accomplish my vision for each image. It was a transformational experience for me, and Light Amplification is the focus of my current show at TAG.

When I work with lasers, it feels truly like I am painting with light. I’m intrigued with light in nature and its counterpoint--manufactured light--how it’s manipulated, how motion effects light and how light effects motion.

Donn Delson, Resonance, Archival Print, Acrylic Facemount, Edition of 5, 48 x 48"

All art is personal. Great art is universal. As an artist I choose to present images that have emotional meaning for me. If I'm able to create work that resonates with others, in whatever way it may, then I am doubly pleased.

I use color to create a sense of balance within the laser images. How the colors interact and flow, as in a painting, allows each photograph to tell its own story, evoke an emotion.

Donn Delson, Passion's Embrace, Archival Print, Acrylic Facemount, Edition of 5, 40 x 60"

In this study, I’ve been exploring the relationship between light and color. James Turrell's use of light and space in his installations and Jose Parla's use of layered color and materials on canvas are inspiring examples of how light and color can breathe dimension into a work--how they work together to create a sense of space and place. I strive to achieve that sense of dimension photographically.

Donn Delson, Of Earth and Sky, Archival Print, Acrylic Facemount, Edition of 5, 40 x 60"

In all my photographic pursuits, abstract or not, I approach each work individually. The same approach I bring to my landscape photography, I bring to my laser images. Approaching my abstracts with a similar view for framing the image and creating a sense of place, there must be a special moment, composition, exposure, perspective, or sense that something feels right; a reason for opening the shutter.

Donn Delson, Upward Mobility, Archival Print, Acrylic Facemount, Edition of 5, 36 x 24"

Have any questions for Donn? Leave them here in the comments or ask them at the upcoming Artists' Panel Discussion with Donn, Christo Brock, and Gary Polonsky at TAG on Saturday, April 9, 3pm.

Artist Spotlight: Go Woon Choi

Everyday Life is the title of Go Woon Choi's current exhibition at TAG, through March 19, 2016.

Go Woon Choi, Prop Composition 01, Oil, 40 x 30"

She is showcasing a series of oil on canvas paintings exploring the beauty and abstract possibilities of common objects. Reflection, refraction, transparency, color, and composition are all considered with great attention to detail.

It all started during one of Choi's travels, when she saw some tools piled in a blue plastic box at a hardware store. She felt compelled to capture the strong feeling the jumble of shapes, reflections, and colors invoked.

Go Woon Choi, Blue Tool Composition 01 01, Oil, 40 x 30"

Back in her studio, she began to set up compositions to paint, arranging disparate objects that aren't typically seen grouped together -- a magpie assortment of shiny things.

Go Woon Choi, Red Prop Composition 05, Oil, 30 x 24"

The use of the background negative space is also carefully considered. Combinations of red, yellow, or blue with black or even shiny foil are arranged to give maximum impact, pushing the very real objects into an abstract realm.

Go Woon Choi, Toy Car Composition 01, Oil, 30 x 24"

Concentrating on color, form, and the play of light, Choi transcends the quotidian function of the objects and creates a hybrid of hyper realism and semi-abstraction. For example, Yellow Prop Composition 01 has tools and a shower hanger but it looks like an abstract painting from far away.

Go Woon Choi, Yellow Prop Composition 01, Oil, 30 x 24"

"Even common objects can appear strong and fantastic under different light conditions and environments," says Choi.

Go Woon will be part of an Artist Panel at TAG this Saturday, March 12, 3pm.
Feel free to leave her any questions here in the comments.

Artist Spotlight: Donn Delson

Donn Delson, Celestial Motion, Giclee Archival Print, Limited Edition of 15, 40x40"

My show is about stillness and motion.
Some of the images reflect the quiet stillness of a distant galaxy, or deserted desert road.

Donn Delson, Running in Tandem, Giclee Archival Print, Limited Edition of 15, 22x50"

Donn Delson, Daydreaming, Alumininum Archival Print, Limited Edition of 15, 26x38"

Some reflect the kinetic energy of motion captured in a moving car, or a rock, inexplicably traveling across a barren, cracked desert floor.

Donn Delson, Night at the Racetrack, Giclee Archival Print, Limited Edition of 15, 34x26 

There is an interesting symmetry I find between the two. While on the one hand, I'm drawn to visuals that, in an overstimulated world, evoke a sense of timelessness and tranquility, and give the viewer's eye a chance to rest for a few moments, undisturbed. I'm also drawn to the energy of motion, how it enters and leaves a space, and the relationship between the static, and dynamic elements in that space, in the moment, and over time. I don't find these to be mutually exclusive, but rather complementary, along a continuum.

Donn Delson, Storm Troopers, Giclee Archival Print, Limited Edition of 15, 34x46"

Donn's exibition Stillness/Motion, will be on view at TAG  through Saturday October 24th.

Want to know how he created some of these images?
Attend the Artist Talk on Saturday, October 17th, 3pm
or leave Donn a question here in the comments.

Artist Spotlight: Della Rollé's "Laughter Heals Life" Step By Step

Della Rolle, Laughter Heals Life, Stainless steel, 28.5 x 12.5 x 12.5"

I have always loved sculpting the human form. Bronze, terra cotta, acrylic, wood and stainless steel all create beautiful surfaces on the figure. I am enjoying laser cut metals and wood for some of my figures more recently. On Laughter Heals Life, the words welded into the figure are: Laughter Heals Life (on the front of the piece) and Life is Uncertain so Eat Dessert First (on the back).

Here is how I made this piece:
I first drew the figure, and then sculpted the figure in floral foam.

Next I selected the sayings, the font, and the laser cut letters for my sculpture.

Then I started the welding process where every letter had to be carefully molded over the floral foam before welding.

Then I had the welding marks removed by coating the piece in stainless steel with a finish process called electro polishing.

I completed the piece by mounting it on a beautiful rotating marble base. 

The surfaces and contours of the piece reflect light and the words on the piece will hopefully make you smile!

This piece can be currently seen in Della's exhibition at TAG Gallery through October 24.  
There is an Artists Reception on Saturday, October 3 from 5-8 pm, 
and an Artists Talk on Saturday, October 17 at 3 pm.

Have any questions for Della?
Leave them here in the comments.

Spotlight On: Joe Pinkelman

Joe Pinkelman, Plates #7, Porcelain, 42 x 42 x 3 in 

This is a series of work I completed in Jingdezhen, China at a residency called Pottery Workshop. It's the porcelain capital of China since around 1000 AD. I wanted to make a series of circles that would intersect visually yet still seem fragmented. One of the studios in Jingdezhen makes various sizes of plates up to 1 meter so I wanted to try that form out since I never explored plates before. 

I liked using the flower motif because it seems life affirming.
Toward the end of the series I wanted to experiment with some abstract patterns as in Plates #1. 

Joe Pinkelman, Plates #1, Porcelain, 54 x 36 x 3 in.

The last piece I created was Plates #9 

Joe Pinkelman, Plates #9, Porcelain, 72 x 26 x 3 in.

In the future, I want to explore fragmenting the figure by using recognizable figures from art history. 

My influence has always been Peter Voulkos and in this series, another ceramic artist named Paul Mathieu.

Joe's work is on exhibit at TAG through 8/8/15.