Spring
Street Studios last Saturday truly showcased a visual treat for the eyes. There
were new works by fifteen artist to satisfy art interests of all kinds. And of
course, the event was all the more gratifying with music performed by Jo Bird
& The 1.5 Star Symphony, as well as complimentary food and drinks. All of
this made possible through the efforts of C&M Present, or more
specifically, the collaboration between Chris Higham, Michel Muylle, and all of
the volunteers that made Eye Candy a wonderful and successful event for all to
experience. Not to mention the beautiful artwork of Michael Roque Collins in
the background below that was the largest and one of many of his works on display.
The
simplistic and rectangular space of the first level was well organized with
long white walls hosting rows of arranged works that everyone had been
anticipating to see for some time. It was easy to find the artists nearby their
exhibits, mostly blending in among the crowds of viewers that paused to muse at
their works or who briefly stopped to chat about things and people in the art
world. I also had the opportunity to meet and speak with a few of the artists. It was
either the case that I was meeting them and their works for the first time, I
had not seen them since a previous event, or surprisingly, had not seen them since my
days as a student at The Art Institute. Overall, I enjoyed having the
opportunity to indulge a little in interesting and diverse conversations with
each artist I met about their art.
Among
some of them was Patrick Washburn who intrigued me with his display of wooden clock-like
gears which reminded me of something I might have read about in The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Even
though Washburn had such a diverse collection of works on display, the wooden gear structures
were definitely unique and impressive for their simplicity, yet precise design
and well planned assembly. With his interest in the physics of perpetual
motion, Washburn has found a way to illustrate the aesthetics of the gear
structures as his artistry within the science. No doubt, his creativity resembles
qualities of the science of perpetual motion in that he will likely “continue indefinitely” with more
unique works such as these.
Around
the corner from Washburn, I met with artist Chris BEXAR. Upon reading
the title of this work shown below (I Need More Sky, 2012), and after first noticing the crinkled blue square
pieces in what is the street view in an urban setting, I was compelled to say
to BEXAR that I could almost hear his voice of frustration in those words as a
result of the blue squares. Needless to say, that was the commencement to my
conversation with him. I was also very intrigued with his work after I found out that
he too has a unique incorporation to his art that involves his background with
computers. He explained to me how he uses photographs of computer components to
digitally construct his urban settings from different perspectives. Definitely
a distinctive approach and genius discovery of computer parts as components of
art making.
To
my surprise was the artist Richard Fluhr, my former and most memorable art
teacher. It was such a treat to see him again after all these years and hear him
speak about his work. The distinct style of the work has remained signature to
Fluhr, and is still descriptive of colorful and bold narratives that are
sometimes amusing in their message, and other times stern and reflective of
humanity when observed more closely. I personally enjoy works such as his that are
characteristic of loosely rendered figures given strong definition with black
outlines to contrast their bright colors. In effect, one could say Fluhr’s
artistic style is descriptive of him as a person…bright, bold, and definitely contrasting.
There
were a few other artists that I had time to meet with, and I was able to see
all the works before the evening was through, even though I felt I had spent more time talking than viewing. Overall,
I left feeling satisfied that I had spent my evening learning from individuals
that have inventive ideas to new art and insight to share about individual
processes and journeys in creating it. A great event thanks to C&M Present, and l look forward
to next year’s selection and new works.
If you would like to share your experience with Eye Candy, please leave a comment.
By HAS blog editor, Ruth Armas
If you would like to share your experience with Eye Candy, please leave a comment.
By HAS blog editor, Ruth Armas
