words + pictures from the studio of Joan Colbert
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Artsy Mart returned to the third floor of Summit Artspace for the first weekend of December. In addition to the studio artists, more than twenty guest artisans displayed handmade work, including fiber, jewelry, ceramics, glass, paintings and more. I couldn’t resist a trio of recycled glass trees by Jennifer Worden:
See more of Jennifer’s work here or visit her Etsy shop here.
Summit Artspace artists take the show on the road and head west . . .
The eight studio artists at Summit Artspace are exhibiting together in a collective show at St. Paul’s Gallery through the end of the year. Although the artists’ media, subject matter and styles vary, the artwork and the artists work well together, filling the spacious, windowed gallery with color and creativity. Participating artists are Connie Bloom, Bradley Hart, Terry Klausman, Carolyn Lewis, Cari Miller, Katina Pastis Radwanski, Ron White and Joan Colbert.
The opening reception was held on Sunday, November 10 – thanks to the gallery committee for all of their work and to parishioners, friends and art-lovers for attending!
Cari Miller snapped this photo of Katina and me during the reception.
Thanks to both Katina and Cari for the use of their photos below:
Postcard design by Cari Miller; Summit Artspace image by David Bryan Lile.
For the first time the Akron Area Arts Alliance biennial celebration, Arts Alive!, was held at Summit Artspace rather than an outside venue. Guests were treated to three floors of fun that started in the gallery and ended outdoors with mini bonfires, jugglers and s’mores.
Brenda Cummins, event chair, came up with The Arts Color Our World concept which was then deftly interpreted by Triad Communications for the invitations. The Out of the Box Auction artwork was relocated and rearranged for final bidding. By evening’s end each and every piece had been purchased.
The current issue of akronlife magazine, features this year’s award winners with photographs by Shane Wynn; Shane’s images are marvelous – even when the subject is somewhat very reluctant to be confronted with a camera.
The Beacon Journal has a recap of Arts Alive! here.
Although its predecessors were all actual boxes, this year’s artwork is a little out of the box story in two dimensions.
Air Mail ~ Special Delivery
block print
“The box, the simple box, may be the art form of the 21st century. With or without its sixth wall, it promises a mystery; when its contents (or lack thereof) are displayed, some deeper mystery often remains.” Susan Cokal, writing for the New York Times
Every two years the Akron Area Arts Alliance presents the Arts Alive! Awards Celebration, a gala evening event to honor outstanding individuals in the arts. Arts Alive! is also a fundraiser for the Arts Alliance and includes the Out of the Box Silent Auction. Artists are invited to donate a piece of ‘box’ art – actual boxes or box-inspired pieces in any media.
Thursday, October 17, was the opening reception for the Out of the Box gallery exhibition. The silent auction begins in the gallery and closes during the Arts Alive! Celebration. Here’s a peek at several from among the thirty-five artist-made boxes – the selection is particularly tempting this year!
The following statement and notes accompany the print series, As Potent as a Charm, in the current Summit Artspace Gallery exhibit, First Impressions – Celebrating the Process of Printmaking.
Hot as a Hare
Blind as a Bat
Dry as a Bone
Red as a Beet
Mad as a Hatter
There’s a bit of whimsy in this mnemonic of the symptoms that, in combination, could indicate an atropine overdose – possibly the effects of ingesting poisonous members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae, which includes Jimsonweed, Henbane, Belladonna and Mandrake. While there is little that is whimsical about poisoning, there is definitely plenty of drama and mystery in horticultural mishaps and misdeeds. Lovely plants may be leading double lives; happy blooms and tasty vegetables have cousins that are downright deadly. Herbalists differ on the merits and dangers of various herbs. The fascinating stories from botanical history, folklore and science invite and inspire imagery.
These are the first prints of a new series titled, As Potent as a Charm, a phrase taken from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story, Rappaccini’s Daughter. An amulet accompanies each image, although the best luck comes from never, ever ingesting unknown specimens.
The exhibited pieces are linoleum block prints. The initial drawing and design decisions are a large part of the process – determining the balance of light and dark and the ‘readability’ of the work is integral to the success of the final image. After the drawing is reversed and transferred to the block a variety of tools are used to cut the surface, leaving only the area to be printed. The relief prints in this series were hand printed with oil-based ink on Strathmore 500 Series vellum paper.
Notes on ideas and imagery . . .
As Potent As a Charm
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story, Rappaccini’s Daughter, the title character, Beatrice, tends her father’s botanical collection of lovely, yet lethal plants. While ‘as potent as a charm’ refers to the specimens, it could just as well describe Beatrice who, as the story progresses, becomes just as lovely and lethal as the flowers she nurtures.
Hot as a Hare
H is for Hemlock? The savvy hare would never mistake Hemlock (Conium maculatum) for its relatives in the parsley family: caraway, fennel, dill and carrots. Besides, he has the luck of four rabbit’s feet.
Blind as a Bat
Native to eastern North America, Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) has been used by Native Americans for its curative properties and as a dye. Its juice is not only red, but also poisonous. As an ornamental plant it is desirable, blooming very early in the spring. And that bat flying overhead . . . although some consider it a talisman, one can never be sure – those who fear Bram Stoker’s creations should carry some garlic when looking for Bloodroot after dark.
Dry as a Bone
Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menzies) is considered an invasive in desert locales and can be deadly to foraging livestock.
Red as a Beet
There are numerous literary references to the Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) in volumes as diverse as the Bible, Shakespeare’s plays and Harry Potter. It’s hard not to be intrigued by the Mandrake, who, when its roots are unearthed, emits screams that kill all who hear them – better have some powerful Mojo in your possession should you be within earshot. With the exception of its fruits, all parts are poisonous.
Mad as a Hatter
The mercury once used in the manufacture of felt has been attributed to the madness that inflicted hatters, but the overall craziness could also be symptomatic of poisoning from Datura (Datura stramonium). Its other name, Jimson Weed, shortened from Jamestown Weed, refers to the Virginia settlers who dosed the invading British soldiers’ food, causing them to behave like lunatics for days while the colonists regrouped.
Only Red as a Beet and Mad as a Hatter actually refer to plants that contain atropine (Mandrake and Datura, respectively).
Delving into the botanical dark side has been engrossing, and there are so many more bad seeds . . . lately I’ve been thinking about Monkshood and its Aconite family, the bane of wolves, leopards and women, along with the Castor Bean plant (ricin?!) and that holiday favorite, Mistletoe!
~ Joan Colbert 2013
When Dan Coffield decided to name his printmaking exhibit First Impressions he used the line, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” originally from Will Rogers or maybe Oscar Wilde or possibly Mark Twain. No matter whose quote, it’s good advice.
It’s also a good thing to keep in mind when installing a gallery show – the initial look of the overall space is as important as the individual elements. Dan did a fine job selecting the artists and arranging all of the printmakers work – the fine review from Dorothy Shinn in the Akron Beacon Journal was well deserved:
“It was important for me to make sure that First Impressions showed how versatile, flexible and creative printmakers really are,” Coffield said.
He has done an excellent job at that. From Joan Colbert’s meticulous notations on her “mnemonic” aphorisms, to Pamela Testa’s demonstration of how she went about printing the American Elm in Relief, to Charles Beneke’s essay on global warming, we are given key insights into the mind of the contemporary printer.”
On a personal note, I couldn’t be more pleased with the commentary on my work:
“Colbert, whose work is as always clear-eyed as well as deceptively charming, offers us a means to an end.
She writes: “There’s a bit of whimsy in this mnemonic of the symptoms that, in combination, could indicate an atropine overdose — possibly the effects of ingesting poisonous members of the Nightshade family.”
The mnemonic happens to be the titles of her prints: Hot as a Hare, Blind as a Bat, Dry as a Bone, Red as a Beet and Mad as a Hatter. Each is done as a linocut block print, and consists of wonderfully drawn and printed images of the titular object.”
Dorothy Shinn writes about art and architecture for the Akron Beacon Journal. The full review, accompanied by images, can be read here.
Add an enthusiastic audience to four exhibits on two floors and you have a great opening night at Summit Artspace. The Summit Artspace gallery on the ground floor features the work of the Akron Art Museum staff – Well-Guarded and Institutionalized. Two exhibits of digital photography are showing in the BOX gallery on the third floor: digital infrared photography by Stephen Paternite and composites by Thomas Reiderman. Outside the BOX, Streetscapes: Akron in Plein Air continues to attract viewers.
Midway through the evening the awards for Streetscapes were announced – images and winners are available on the Streetscapes page on Facebook.
Summit Artspace
140 East Market Street
Akron, Ohio 44308
August 9 – September 14
Summit Artspace Gallery
Well-Guarded & Institutionalized – works by Akron Art Museum Staff
the BOX gallery, a project of Artists of Rubber City
Stephen Paternite – digital infrared photography
Thomas Reiderman – digital composites
August 2 – August 31
Summit Artspace – 3rd floor
Streetscapes: Akron in Plein Air
Saturday began with the Best of the City Awards and, being the first Saturday of the month, ended with the Artwalk. Occasionally the Downtown Artwalk falls on a weekend that is between exhibits at Summit Artspace, just as it did this month. Even so, with open studios and the newly installed Streetscapes: Akron in Plein Air, the third floor was well worth the visit.
The studio exterior featured recent watercolors – a bit of ‘how I spent my summer vacation’ visuals:
Out on the floor portable panels held the plein air work submitted to Streetscapes. Participating artists worked throughout downtown Akron last weekend, even during Saturday’s downpours. The results attest to time well spent!
In her article, Painting the Town, April Helms of Record Publishing covered the painting weekend and the artists working at various locations in downtown Akron.
For up-to-date information on Akron’s Downtown Artwalk visit the Downtown Akron Partnership site.
Summit Artspace is all about fiber this summer. An exhibit by the Contemporary Fiber Artists is in the Summit Artspace Gallery while upstairs the BOX gallery is featuring Millinery As Sculpture in the ‘big box’ and Crayon Batik in the ‘little box.’
Converging Visions – New Works in Fiber is a large and varied exhibit of quilting, beading, felting, resists and more. Included are a few round robin pieces that each member contributed to, along with a couple collections of small themed pieces. The Contemporary Fiber Artists are Jean M. Evans, Polly Gilmore, Fredericka A. Hagerty, Karen Hinkle, Kris Kapenekas, Mary Platis Kapenekas, Kathryn Markel Levy and Jean A. Markowitz.
On the third floor the Millinery Arts Coalition is exhibiting Millinery as Sculpture with work by Paula Singleton, Donald Wasson, Dee Hall and Lee St. Marie. Larry Walker’s crayon batiks fill the small gallery. Visit Artists of Rubber City on Facebook for an album of their work.
Converging Visions – New Works in Fiber
Summit Artspace Gallery
Millinery As Sculpture
Crayon Batik – Lawrence A. Walker
The BOX Gallery
June 14 – July 27, 2013
Summit Artspace
140 East Market Street
Akron, Ohio 44308
