The Artist’s Path: What are Other Artists Doing?
My take away from these two contrasting art shows, We Can Be Heroes: Visualizing the Life & Music of David Bowie and Angela Fraleigh: Between Tongue and Teeth, is that, in different ways, personally confirmed how art can be a powerful tool for engagement and made me appreciate the richness of the arts that we have in the New York region. Additionally, they made me question my own path as a professional fine artist.
With a new commitment to engage actively with my art community and to see what other contemporary artists are doing on a local and national level, in this blog post I talk about two art shows that not only have re-affirmed for me that art is a legitimate tool for engagement but, also, made me question my own path as a professional fine artist.
Artist: Penny Santy
The first opening I attended was at The Tech Garden in Syracuse, New York on Thursday September 22 at 5:00 p.m. to see We Can Be Heroes: Visualizing the Life & Music of David Bowie. This show was created by The Tech Garden’s artist-in-residence, Steve Nyland with the premise that he needed to be consoled for the loss of his idol, the music legend, David Bowie. Although Nyland has lost faith in using conventional PR channels, his call for artwork through social media and word-of-mouth received a good response from artists residing in Central New York with the outstanding number of 95 pieces, and with one artwork from England and one from the Philippines. The Tech Garden, which function as an incubator for promising technological enterprises, is a very modern one level building which was originally a garage (thetechgarden).
The Tech Garden’s hallway is long, tall and not too narrow, with an art gallery wall system that allows for easy installation. The opening for We Can Be Heroes was a true success. Many people came by to enjoy the art, the live music playing David Bowie’s hits by Parlor Games, the refreshments, and the social aspect. The amount of artwork depicting David Bowie as an icon was impressive, and it was almost odd to see the few pieces that were purely inspired by his music. When you walk down the hallway of The Tech Garden, no matter if you are a fan or not, you won’t be able to ignore the positive energy, a heartfelt commemoration of David Bowie’s life as an artist who influenced many generations during his five decades of music career (Wikipedia).
The beauty of an open call versus a juried call is that it gives the viewer an art salon style experience and it gives the artists a chance not only to showcase their work but an opportunity to make important connections to foster their art career.
We Can Be Heroes: Visualizing the Life & Music of David Bowie is open until December 2, 2016. Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5.p.m at The Gallery at The Tech Garden located at 235 Harrison St. Syracuse NY.
Through the half drowned stars. Oil, ink and synthetic resin on canvas, 66" x 90", 2015.
The second art opening I visited was at Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, September 23, to see Angela Fraleigh: Between Tongue and Teeth. The museum, which was built by the famous architect I. M. Pei in 1965, is a piece of art of its own right and experiencing it both from the outside and from the inside is always quite impressive to the eye (everson). Angela Fraleigh is a professor at the Moravian College and “currently lives and works in New York, NY and Allentown, PA, and this is her 1st major solo show in a museum (angelafraleigh). Between Tongue and Teeth, is a painting exhibition that include 30 paintings created by the artists in the span of ten years. The art is located in the upper floor of the museum in the Coyne Gallery and the Memorial Gallery. Fraleigh’ paintings are provocative because she re-interprets “women's roles in art history, literature, and contemporary media” (everson).
Angela Fraleigh, Carried by Voices, 2014, oil and 23kt gold leaf and alkyd on canvas.
What makes her pieces stand out is not only the great size, which Fraleigh explains in a video on her website allows her paintings to go from personal to political, but the artist’s mastery of mixing classical figuration with contemporary and modern elements. I think Fraleigh’s creative process expresses her ability to push her limits by alternating from controlled painting techniques to hazardous and experimental ones. Creating a classical painting is time consuming; yet, Fraleigh fearlessly will set her pieces horizontally to add these paint pours giving chance a big role in the final composition. Along with the large scale paintings, the artist created for this exhibition intimate portraits and sculptures depicting women that played an important role with their art or activism in central New York (everson). Director and CEO of the Everson Museum of Art, Elizabeth Dunbar curated this astounding solo exhibition which will run until December 31 of 2016. You can visit the museum located at 401 Harrison Street, Syracuse NY on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday from noon to 5.00 p.m.; on Thursday from noon to 8.00 p.m.; and on Saturday from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. (everson).
The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell. Oil and silver metal leaf on linen, 90" x 66", 2015.
My take away from these two contrasting shows, We Can Be Heroes: Visualizing the Life & Music of David Bowie and Angela Fraleigh: Between Tongue and Teeth, is that, in different ways, personally confirmed how art can be a powerful tool for engagement and made me appreciate the richness of the arts that we have in the New York region. Additionally, they made me question my own path as a professional fine artist. After the creation of my community-based exhibition Trees of Onondaga, which was funded by the Individual Artist Grant commissioned by CNY Arts, I faced a creative dilemma.
Let me explain: I am an active user of Instagram, a social media platform that uses images and hashtags to connect people with businesses, and I've witnessed this distinctive separation among what I call commercial artists, entrepreneurs who create art to be sold directly to their audience, and the traditional artists, who strictly use the art world channels to achieve recognition and success by showcasing their masterpieces in fancy art galleries and museums. And here I am, stuck in the middle of these two pathways. Dwelling both ways; yet, truly unsure which way to confidently go. Of course, I know there is no real right or wrong answer. and time and more hints from the universe will eventually help me figure out the direction I want to take with my art path.
On my next blog post I will talk about how the branding of artists and art institutions play a crucial role in shaping the art market.
Work Cited
‘About.” Angela Fraleigh. N.p. 2016. Web. 23 Sep. 2016.
“About.” Everson Museum of Art. Everson, 2016. Web. 23 Sep. 2016.
“Current Exhibition.” Everson Museum of Art. Everson, 2016. Web. 23 Sep. 2016.
“David Bowie.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. MediaWiki, 2016. Web. 23 Sep.
2016.
The Artist’s Path: Getting Fragmented Hints from the Universe
At the young age of eight, after my teacher, a nun, who was also an amazing artist, scolded me by saying: “If only you could apply the same passion that you use for drawing into studying, you would be a phenomenal student!” A light bulb in my brain lit up. That day I knew exactly that I had to become a professional fine artist, and make that profession my living. So after promising myself that that was my destiny, it was ease to ignore all the nay say-ers telling me that I was going to end up as a starving artist. I knew my truth and I wouldn’t let anyone change my mind.
Do I believe we have a destiny written in the stars? Yes.
Do I believe that we can choose what path we want to follow? Also, Yes.
Let me explain myself, my name is Maria Rizzo, I am a fine artist from Italy who discovered a love for drawing at a young age due to the fact that it was the only thing that made me feel really good about myself because of my being “different.” Yes, I was special, but not in a good way as I had a lot of limitations: one was not being able to retain information and the other one was not being able to verbally communicate with other people until the age of five. “There,” I thought while drawing, “I have some potential here.”
My eight years old self in front of my parent's house in Carnate, Italy.
At the young age of eight, after my teacher, a nun, who was also an amazing artist, scolded me by saying: “If only you could apply the same passion that you use for drawing into studying, you would be a phenomenal student!” A light bulb in my brain lit up. That day I knew exactly that I had to become a professional fine artist, and make that profession my living. So after promising myself that that was my destiny, it was ease to ignore all the nay say-ers telling me that I was going to end up as a starving artist. I knew my truth and I wouldn’t let anyone change my mind. I am not going to lie, I was a lucky kid, I grew up in a loving family in the north of Italy, with a father who was a great provider and a mother who loved art and collecting art, and always supported my creative dream from day one. I attended the Liceo Artistico Sperimentale Preziossissimo Sangue in Monza, an artistic high school that taught me five years of art history, drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture and gave me the foundations to grow as a confident fine artist. In the summer of 2007, my mom made the tough decision to move her family back to her native city, East Syracuse, NY, to give her kids a better chance to find a good job after graduation.
In 2008, I met my husband while pursuing a BFA in Painting at SU and in 2009, I made the difficult decision to pause school to focus on my growing family. In 2010, I made another important decision: although a stay-at-home mom I chose to pursue my dream of becoming a professional fine artist. I read many books on how to make it happen, and started my own business. Between 2010 and 2016, I learned a few things about running a business as a visual artist: I created different series of paintings, I learned how to create thematic art shows, I figure out how to get into art competitions, I studied how to pitch to the press to create a wider awareness about my brand and, ultimately, how to sell my art to people. Not an easy task for a shy person like me, even though crucial for running a business!
2012 - Opening for Tree: Totems of Life at the Maxwell Memorial Library in Camillus, NY.
My take away from this experience is that an artist has to become a brave entrepreneur and build an authentic brand and a professional presence both offline and online. Also, artists have to be always on the look out for opportunities to reach out to their target audience; thus, specializing in a particular field and finding a niche are crucial to find financial stability. I personally still have a way to go!
In 2015, I was asked to teach my very first painting class at Homer Center of the Arts, and scared as I was, I did jump into this new opportunity and fell in love with teaching other adults the in and outs of creating a painting in acrylic. After that positive experience, I started thinking of pursuing a career as an art educator for adults, and more specifically my intention of becoming a painting and drawing professor in a college. In 2016, I made the important decision to finish my Bachelor degree in Visual Arts at SUNY Emprie State College, and I will graduate in the spring of 2017. This semester I am taking Art Criticism, and my professor suggested I started using my blog as a tool to participate in the conversations relating the local arts and the art world. This class will give me the opportunity to go back out in my art community and see what other contemporary artists are doing on a local level, but also to keep an eye into what’s happening in the art world at large. In my next blog post I will talk about two art openings in Syracuse, NY that I had the pleasure to experience, and how these art shows made me re-think about my path as a professional fine artist.
I truly believe that our destiny is out there, but it just takes an open mind to notice all the little hints the universe shows us to lead us to the path we truly want to follow.
Modern, Graceful and Bright
~ New Oil Paintings ~
Spring is finally here.
The days are warmer and the seasonal allergies are CRAZY annoying - thank goodness for antihistamine, right!?
Altogether, spring is an inspirational season, and creativity has been hanging out in my studio quite a bit!
I'm very excited to introduce you to 10 new oil paintings that share 3 qualities:
- they are modern,
- they are graceful,
- and they are airy.
Each artwork was painted with Williamsburg hand crafted oils on the finest-quality pure-cotton canvas. They are ready to hang and become a focal point in your home. You can click to each image to go to my online store.
HOW IS MY ARTWORK GOING TO BE SHIPPED?
All artwork is wrapped in paper, padded extremely well, and sent in a well-fitting sturdy cardboard box. Most artwork will ship via USPS or UPS and most packages arrive within 2-4 days (domestic) from time of shipping (includes tracking & insurance).
$15.00 shipping costs cover fees, packaging supplies, time, labor, and storage.
CAN I PICK UP MY ARTWORK?
Absolutely! You are welcome and encouraged to pick-up your artwork in person at Natur-Tyme in DeWitt, NY. To forgo shipping fees altogether, write me an email at mariarizzoart@gmail.com with the desired artwork you want to purchase. Then I will send you an invoice and we will work out a time to meet.
RETURNING COLLECTOR'S DISCOUNT
Patrons who have purchased original art from me are eligible for their 10% discount. Make sure to write me an email at mariarizzoart@gmail.com to request your discount code.
Expressive Nature
I'm excited to introduce you to this new series of acrylic and oil paintings on canvas that celebrate a love for nature and trees. These recent artworks were created with a colorful, expressive, and whimsical signature style and they were designed to capture the emotional aspect of looking at nature.
These paintings can be viewed at Natur-Tyme until June 26, 2016, along with new open edition prints (starting at $25) and magnets ($6 and $8 each).
Also, I have partnered with fineartamerica.com to provide you with:
- prints on fine art paper, canvas, and metal;
- home decor items like bedding, pillows, shower curtains;
- phone cases and tote bags.
Make sure to check it out!
Maria
MARIA RIZZO
Trees, Lands & Dreams | Art Blogger #theartistspath | Art Educator | From Italy 🇮🇹🇺🇸 |