{"id":6200,"date":"2016-02-29T16:02:58","date_gmt":"2016-02-29T20:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/?p=6200"},"modified":"2022-07-18T13:09:23","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T17:09:23","slug":"much-more-about-juxtapose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/archives\/6200","title":{"rendered":"Much more about JUXTAPOSE . . ."},"content":{"rendered":"

Friend and fellow collage artist Kathleen O\u2019Brien<\/a> is in the midst of her countdown to a big solo show in April. She asked me to do a favor and share a guest review<\/a> as part of her final promotions for JUXTAPOSE<\/em><\/strong><\/a> before Drawn to the Earth<\/a> requires her full concentration. As excited as I am about the group exhibition in Danville, it was a tougher post to write than I first anticipated. Collage is not the easiest art form on which to expound, perhaps because it relies on the \u201clogic\u201d of irrational choices.<\/p>\n

At any rate, my dedicating a blogsite to that very topic was nobody else\u2019s idea, so I best not complain to those of you kind enough to visit here. Would I rather be making art? Of course. Even so, I cannot constrain my enthusiasm for all things collage. Here\u2019s my take on a great show. Be forewarned: If you\u2019re looking for some criticism, you won\u2019t find it!<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ll admit it. I can\u2019t get enough of JUXTAPOSE.<\/strong> The current exhibition of collage and assemblage is at the Community Arts Center<\/a> until April 2nd. That\u2019s not exactly the most humble thing to say, considering it features a dozen works by yours truly, so I won\u2019t pretend that I can offer an unbiased review. Program director Brandon Long<\/a> has organized a finely curated, must-see destination that brings together over a thousand examples of the two associated mediums (literally, but I\u2019ll explain that in a moment). This is an unprecedented group show for the Bluegrass-based artists involved, and I am thrilled to be exhibiting side-by-side with Kathleen O\u2019Brien, Teri Dryden, Robert Hugh Hunt, Meg Higgins, Connie Beale, Cynthia Carr, and many others. No doubt my enthusiasm has something to do with its location less than a city block from my studio, which bestows the luxury of repeated immersions, and there is over a month left in the duration!<\/p>\n

There are more participants than I can profile individually, and far too many artworks to highlight. The best example of this is a room devoted to three complete year-long series of collage-a-day works by O\u2019Brien<\/a>, Long<\/a>, and Nan Martindale. Combined with almost one hundred seventy of Robert Hugh Hunt\u2019s provocative collage collaborations<\/a>, the magnitude of miniature artworks presented in a single space could be overwhelming. As an exhibition designer, Long uses geometric grids, browsing boxes, and two flat-screen displays to make the huge collection comprehensible for viewers. O\u2019Brien\u2019s sensitive, meticulously layered collection of daily two-sided postcards<\/a> is a journey to which I surrender with pleasure each time I visit, but only after a jolting romp through Hunt\u2019s rarely exhibited Hillbilly Voodoo<\/em><\/a> series with T R Flowers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An opportunity to view works by six outstanding Louisville-based artists is worth the trip to Danville. Several major works by Meg Higgins<\/a> captured my first impression. Two enormous pieces composed with transparent elements sandwiched between Plexiglas are suspended between the vestibule and grand gallery. I was equally impressed by a smaller collage on wood panel, Japanese Peony Goes to Italy<\/em><\/a>, with its exquisite East-West flavor. Brad Devlin\u2019s<\/a> solid but clever exploitation of found objects yields bold abstractions that simultaneously maintain a strong environmental essence. His Open Sunday<\/em><\/a> is also physically more complex than it first appears, and this allows the artisanship of his assemblage to become a secondary experience deserving of scrutiny. Masters of juxtaposition who reinforce the theme of the exhibition as well as anyone taking part, Patrick Donley<\/a>, Lisa Austin<\/a> and Brandon Bass<\/a> each define a distinctive individual style. Approach to composition, color considerations, and a playful choice of ingredients form undercurrents that tie their pieces together, and Long knows how to modulate the walls in a way that makes groupings of their work satisfying to study. Although she has recently gained attention for her paintings, there are at least seven panels by Teri Dryden<\/a> from a handsome body of work created from discarded books. Her Monteith\u2019s Marrakesh<\/em><\/a> exemplifies how her investigation successfully transcended the source material. Personally, I hope she rotates to collage again for another dynamic round of re-purposing cast-off items.<\/p>\n

\"detail<\/a>In addition to displaying a pair of shadow boxes<\/a>, my only surrealist assemblage<\/a>, and six favorite collage miniatures<\/a>, JUXTAPOSE provides an opportunity to exhibit Bull\u2019s-eye Nosegay<\/em><\/a> for the first time, which I created for the Target Practice Project<\/a> initiated by L T Holmes<\/a>. Also, I did two larger collage artworks especially for this show. Each makes more than a fleeting nod to artists who I admire. What is it about Cherry Balm<\/em><\/a> that causes me to think I just might be \u201ctipping my beret\u201d to the inimitable Matthew Rose<\/a>? Reliquia<\/em><\/a> is my tribute to the late Fred Otnes<\/a>, a giant within the medium who has been a force in my consciousness since adolescence. Pearallelograms<\/em><\/a> was held over from the previous exhibition at the institution, but the crowning delight for me may well be the presence of Kentucky Madonna<\/em><\/a>, last year\u2019s \u201cfinish\u201d by Robert Hugh Hunt to my \u201cstart.\u201d The collaborative piece is a companion<\/a> to one currently hanging with the IT TAKES TWO exhibition of collaborations at the Kentucky Artisan Center<\/a> in Berea. Robert and I can\u2019t ask for more than to know that both are now available for public observation (unless someone wants to give them a good home).<\/p>\n

I am no art historian, but I can\u2019t help but be mindful of the pioneering artists who laid a hundred-year foundation for the sweeping diversity of this exhibition. The creative innovations of Picasso<\/a>, Braque<\/a>, Duchamp<\/a>, Schwitters<\/a>, H\u00f6ch<\/a>, Cornell<\/a>, Johnson<\/a>, and Kol\u00e1\u0159<\/a> reverberate throughout the building. In many respects, all contemporary collage\/assemblage is a tacit homage to these seminal influences, but that is never the only thing at work nor the only phenomena to be perceived when one indulges an exhibition of this scope. Most artists are striving for a personal means of expression informed by those who have made their enduring mark on a medium. I am convinced, more than ever, that what distinguishes contemporary collage\/assemblage artists is their keen connection to the mundane \u201cstuff\u201d of culture and the inner need to bring a measure of order and harmony from the sheer volume of material produced by our throw-away society, with its chaotic effect on our sensibilities \u2014 to create value where none exists, or to find wonder, meaning, significance, and beauty where none can be expected.
\n <\/p>\n

\"Japanese<\/a><\/p>\n

Japanese Peony Goes to Italy<\/em><\/strong>
\nMeg Higgins
\ncollage on wood panel<\/p>\n

\"Open<\/a><\/p>\n

Open Sunday<\/em><\/strong>
\nBrad Devlin
\nassemblage, found objects<\/p>\n

\"Strength<\/a><\/p>\n

Strength<\/em><\/strong>
\nPatrick Donley
\nmixed-media on wood<\/p>\n

\"Bird\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

Bird\u2019s Eye View<\/em><\/strong>
\nLisa Austin
\ncollage<\/p>\n

\"Monteith\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

Monteith\u2019s Marrakesh<\/em><\/strong>
\nTeri Dryden
\ncollage from discarded books on panel<\/p>\n

\"Cherry<\/a><\/p>\n

Cherry Balm<\/em><\/strong>
\nJohn Andrew Dixon
\ncollage on canvas
\navailable for purchase<\/p>\n

\"Reliquia<\/a><\/p>\n

Reliquia<\/strong><\/em>
\nJohn Andrew Dixon
\ncollage on framed panel<\/p>\n

\u2022  S O L D<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friend and fellow collage artist Kathleen O\u2019Brien is in the midst of her countdown to a big solo show in April. She asked me to do a favor and share a guest review as part of her final promotions for JUXTAPOSE before Drawn to the Earth requires her full concentration. As excited as I am […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,118,30,183,171,137,65,1,24,8,161,173,16,14,150,13,22,18,6,128,4,5,182,53,111,85,54,116,181,20,35,184,17,164,31,26,40,93,9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6200"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6200"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16289,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6200\/revisions\/16289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}