One artist whose work I am particularly excited about is Ben Pederson. Ben dropped off his work this morning and I must say that his pieces are very unique and impressive! We will be displaying both his free-standing sculptures, called “Forms”, and his wall sculptures, called “Mindscapes”.

Another artist I am excited to debut at the gallery is a friend of mine named Danielle Rizzolo. Danielle has made a name for herself up and down the coasts as one of the best illustrators in the business. Her work is on its way and I am happy to be sharing her work with Madison.  If you haven’t heard of her yet, I am sure you will soon.  Check out her website: www.danieller.com

Gallery favorites SamSarah, Leonard Nagler, Mary Jo Scandin, Ginnie Cappaert, Joel Harris, and Nicci Martin have also contributed fantastic pieces to the show which I am sure you will enjoy.

Finally, I am personally looking forward to this opening because it will be first exhibition as official Director of the State Street Gallery. I am looking forward to meeting those of you whom I have not yet met and getting to know the Madison art community!

We are all sad to see Christina leave, and it has been a pleasure to work with her for the last few months.  I am sure you all will join me in wishing her the best of luck in New York and with graduate school.  She will be attending the reception if you would like to send her off in style!

- Jennifer Simonelli

13 ON 13

FRIDAY THE 13th NOVEMBER 2009

With November fast approaching it is time again for our annual fiber arts exhibition.  I really wanted to do  something different this year but October proved to be incredibly

busy  and I was stricken with the flu half the month so long story short we are leaning on some old favorites from last year to make this exhibit happen.

This is not a reason to miss this show. Baltimore artist Liz Enz, and local favorite Mary Jo Scandin are just two of the very talented artists to take part again.  Mary Jo never ceases to amaze me with her amazingly diverse and thoughtful work and Liz will once again ask us to think about the political with her elaborate printed fabrics.

The opening party will be held on Friday  the 13th along with a wine tasting That will include 13 wines for $13.00 and or a $13.00 fee to taste all 13 of the features wines.

My paintings are based entirely on my personal relationship with the rust-belt city of Superior, Wisconsin where I lived off and on throughout my twenties. It was a very difficult time, and for reasons I’m still sorting-out, I had come to identify with the town and had in fact come to see certain structures as embodiments, as personifications and models of my own thoughts at the time; to look at these structures was to look at myself. And so I walked, every day over every inch of that city believing I could solve the problems at hand. I work toward this resolution today, and while my interests have broadened and the scope of my concepts grown ever more encompassing, it is because of this personal association that I work at all.

Conceptually, my paintings are the archetypal images of post-productive America, of the American interior, of American voracity and anxiety. This is the American temperament realized in its starkest terms as spelled-out across the industrial Great Lakes. They are portraits of the American character. But at bottom, they are self-portraits.

- Eric Lee

For more images and information about Eric Lee check out his website at

http://eric-j-lee.org

Please Join Us For Gallery Night

October 2nd from 5pm – 9-pm

March Feature Exhibit

Opening First Friday March 6th

Reception 6pm – 9pm

Artists:
Danielle Drew
Samsarah
Irena Saparnis

This exhibit is conceptually founded on “the things that go unsaid”, meaning other methods & representations of communication through the multiple medias of visual art. It breaks down language to expose the emotional core of communication and in doing so speaks volumes. The works range from canvas, found objects, and batik and come in all shapes & sizes.

Lithuanian born Irena Saparnis has shown her works for over twenty years internationally. She uses batik to express herself; communicating through numerous layers of wax, photographic emulsions, and dyes that change naturally and sporadically creating hauntingly beautiful images.

Danielle Drew explores this concept by utilizing pieces of everyday life, enticing the viewer to read between the lines by evoking the way they personally relate to the images and objects presented. She has  incorporated many medias expressing the subtleties in exchange with compelling imagery ranging from surreal depictions, symbols, and found objects.

Samsarah has been an in-house artist with State Street Gallery for over two years and we couldn’t be prouder to be her exclusive Dane County representative. With her insightful composition and eye for color, Samsarah allows us to feel a full range of human emotions with the stroke of her brush. Her ability to communicate her own personal complexities still allowing the viewer room for their own interpretation is unique not to mention breathtaking.

The meaning behind the work can be translated in many different ways and we challenge you to come and decipher these works for yourself.

Opening February 6th 6:00pm

This amazing show will feature the drawings of

Nick Howard,

John Lyons, and Isaac Arvold

What is the logical way to travel to every state? And how did you choose where to stay while in each state?
Logical? Definitely not the way we went! When we looked at our route in the end, we realized that we made several circles. This happened because we strictly tried to see one state at a time, spending the entire week finding hidden gems and following the local advice. We didn’t even look at the next state until we were leaving the current. Our basic plan was for survival – stay south in the winter, north in the summer. We didn’t plan any specific route ahead of time because we wanted to be led by the land and people.

I imagine that there were probably some artistic  and conceptual break throughs where did they happen?
Many artistic and personal breakthroughs. There was one point in New Mexico where I stood, overlooking the ancient Anasazi ruins and felt like I was completely reborn. When you stay in one place for any length of time, you can’t help but become comfortable and live in somewhat of a narcissistic bubble. Once you escape that, there is a freedom of feeling completely uninhibited. 

Why a Honda Element?
When the Element first came out in 2003, Alfonso’s cousin told him we should check it out because it could make a great travel vehicle. That night, Alfonso took me to a Honda dealer (which happened to have a blue element open). We sat in the dark inside that car and said “this is perfect!” We bought it a month before getting married, knowing that we would someday see the country in it. 

Did you paint as you traveled or did you sketch and paint in more stationary points?
I sketched and journaled constantly, and there was one point where I finished the Texas painting while riding in the back of the Element – on the way to the gallery! But for the most part, the paintings themselves were completed outside, in laundromats and in hotels. Often times I would use our one night a week in a hotel to start and finish the actual painting of a piece. We’d check in early and I would paint for 11 hours straight. It was a hard transition to go from studio painting to making the world my studio (environmental, light and space conditions were unpredictable), but it added another dimension to the project. 

What are some things you learned about the country? The people, the history, the places you stayed? Alfonso always says “This country is a lot safer than everyone makes it out to be.” That is very true. We camped in some pretty obscure places and never had a safety issue. As long as you use common sense, you’ll be fine. 

Another thing we learned is specific to our generation. It was a lot more difficult to get into an in depth conversation with people our own age. When we were able to get past the ipods and cell phones to find the person beneath, they seemed to have a much more jaded view of our country than the older generations. Division in politics, religion and race have blinded us from the inspiration within this great land. 

Are the two of you planning any other collaborations? Any new projects?
We’ve thought about “The Nomadic Project Aquatic.” We really want to experience all seven continents. First we’ll have to learn to sail and I may have to learn to swim! For now, the experience has left us with a lifetime of inspiration to pull from.

Here’s a preview: The Nomadic Project is a conceptual art project, designed by visual artist, Kristin Abraham and musician, Alfonso Llamas. From November 13, 2005 to December 21, 2006 the artists traveled to all 50 states in the U.S. The goal being to connect the country through art by experiencing as much in each state as possible in one week. In that time, Abraham painted an impression based on the land or her experiences, or a combination of both. Llamas communicated his experiences by composing music with an acoustic guitar and laptop. As the artists traveled, each state’s painting was left in a neighboring state, at an art gallery, art center, or museum, while music was posted on the project’s website. This process connected the country, by bringing inspiration from one state and leaving it in the next. By December 21, 2006 the artists had visited and placed a painting in all fifty states.

Painter Leonard Naglar and jewelry artist Joan Sample of Black Button Studios.