THE ARTS MAGAZINE OF THE ART STUDIO, INC.
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SEPTEMBER 2013
INSIDE: FORE-EDGE PAINTING, PICTURING WORDS, BAL EXHIBITS, AND MORE
Details coming soon. Check The Art Studio’s website at www.artstudio.org or www.facebook.com/theartstudioinc or better still, become a member and be part of this fantastic celebration.
SEE MEMBERSHIP FORM ON PAGE 3.
A View From The Top Greg Busceme, TASI Director
SWEAT. ONE OF THE many activities at The Art Studio during the summer months. Not only that but a few new things popped up during the summer. One of the new events is the Poetry Group headed by Dorothy Sells Clover, author, poet and mother. Dorothy came to me with the need for a community of writers to share poetry (the purest art form there is). We established a time and a place and before I knew it more than 15 poets were descending upon The Studio on the third Thursday of the month for a poetry meeting at 6 p.m. Everyone is welcome to share or just enjoy and admission is $5. Thanks to Joe Winston for heading up a crew that refurbished the old darkroom space, damaged from the hurricane. The darkroom addresses the area’s need for old school chemical development. The dawn of the digital age freed photographers from film and chemistry and into a world of infinite photos and instant development on any printer. What is missing is the infinite variables that come from customizing the chemistry, paper, exposure and many more possibilities the artists can choose in the darkroom. I’m pleased to preserve an art form that is too often stigmatized as dirty, dangerous and passé when, in fact, the digital camera imitates only the most basic techniques created in the darkroom. Imitation of a technique is not the technique. I admit to digital’s smaller carbon footprint and its effect on the commercial film industry is dramatic, but now, based on an artist’s scale the impact is minimal and local and is easily controllable. We’ve spent the early summer cleaning up and reorganizing The Studio, finishing the fence
ISSUE Vol. 20, No. 1 Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Art Studio, Inc. Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy Coughlan Copy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tracy Danna Contributing Writers. . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Ivanova, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chelsea Henderson Distribution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chelsea Henderson The Art Studio, Inc. Board of Directors President Ex-Officio . . . . . . . . . . . . Greg Busceme Vice-President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angela Busceme Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Roberts Treasurer/Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth Gallaspy Members at Large: . . . . . . . . . . . Sheila Busceme, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth French, . . . . . . . . . . Andy Ledesma, Stephan Malick, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heather Butler
The Art Studio, Inc. 720 Franklin Beaumont, TX 77701 409-838-5393 www.artstudio.org artstudio@artstudio.org The ISSUE is a monthly publication of The Art Studio, Inc. Its mission is to publicize The Art Studio and its tenants, and to promote the growth of the arts in Southeast Texas. ISSUE is also charged with informing TASI members of projects, progress, achievements and setbacks in TASI’s well-being. Further, ISSUE strives to promote and distribute the writings of local authors in its “Thoughtcrime” feature. ISSUE is provided free of charge to members of TASI and is also available, free of charge, at more than 30 locations in Southeast Texas. Regular features include local artists of note and reputation who are not currently exhibiting at TASI; artists currently or soon to be exhibiting at TASI; Instructional articles for artists; news stories regarding the state of TASI’s organization; and arts news features dealing with general philosophical issues of interest to artists.
Contents Picturing Words. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Trio at BAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 The Tenants Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AT THE ART STUDIO SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
The Tenants Show Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . September 7
Julie Lee Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 5
BECOME A MEMBER OF THE ART STUDIO Membership in The Art Studio, Inc., provides invitations to all exhibitions and one year of ISSUE, the monthly arts magazine of The Art Studio. It also gives free eligibility for members to enter the annual membership art exhibition (TASIMJAE) and participate in various exhibitions throughout the year.
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Upcoming Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13 Richard Tallent at BAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Thoughtcrime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15
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Fore-Edge Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10 Around & About. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12
around the back (it looks good), and rebuilding the kilns that have sat idle too long. The salt and reduction kilns will be up and running this fall, if not sooner. Many hands contributed to the reforming of the arch and additional layers of insulation, and I thank them for their hands and backs. Salt kilns use NACL (sodium chloride) to glaze the pottery. When salt is introduced into the hot (2000+ F) kiln, the sodium and chlorine divide leaving an unstable sodium to find something to bond with. That something is silica in the clay. When sodium attaches to the silica molecules a glass is formed, sodium silicate. This method started in 16th-century Germany and became the standard form of glazing industrial material such as sewer pipe and roof tiles until the early 20th century when iron and eventually PVC pipe took over. Again, it is a technique that has no industrial value anymore but does have an aesthetic value that cannot be imitated. Although smokey little greenhouse gasses or toxic chemicals come from the stack. Save the date November 16, 2013, for our 30year celebration “TASI to the MAX: Thirty Bodacious Years.” Bands, auction, food, nostalgia, and an ’80s theme make this party a real celebration for actually making it this long. I have to impress upon you how incredible our continued existence is. Surviving on pure air sometimes and by sheer will to exist, along with some very lucky and timely events, have made our existence even more amazing as we leapt from one rock to another across the river rapids of The Studio’s existence. Join us for this celebration of the phenomenon that is The Art Studio, Inc.
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4 • ISSUE September 2013
Volume 20, No. 1
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P Story and layout by Andy Coughlan
ARTISTS OF ALL TYPES have long toyed with incorporating typography into their work. From the illuminated manuscript to Islamic calligraphy, words have mingled with the visual to enhance meaning or simply attract attention. In the manuscripts, the images, while incorporating letters within the image, illustrate, often literally, the story they precede. The text itself flows as it would in any book we see today. Islamic calligraphy is highly decorative and is revered because the artistry reflects the religious heritage. Visual representations of divine figures or events are forbidden, so calligraphers used the ornate writing as a visual image to attract readers to the text. Micrography, developed somewhere around the ninth century, is Jewish word art. It uses letters, often in abstract or geometric designs, to represent different themes in the text. In the late 1800s, designers, including Henri Toulouse Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha, twisted lettering used in posters to incorporate information into the design. But in 1918, the French writer and critic Guillaume Apollinaire published “Calligrammes: Poems of War and Peace 1913-1916.” The layout of the book featured typography and hand-written texts that were intended to be read, not in a normal fashion, but in a way that suggested a meaning for which the written word alone would not suffice. The letters were not simply manipulated for adornment or illustration, but to function as a fusion of word and image to create a new whole. In a letter to André Billy, Apollinaire writes, “The Calligrammes are an idealisation of free verse poetry and typographical precision in an era when typography is reaching a brilliant end to its career, at the dawn of the new means of reproduction that are the cinema and the phonograph.” Calligrams, which means “beautiful writing” and are also called “concrete” or “visual” poems, offer the writer a chance to challenge the reader to think about the poem in a different way, to look past the literal meaning of the word and delve into a deeper context. Apollinaire was an early Surrealist — he coined the term in the program notes for a Jean Cocteau ballet — and counted such Parisian artistic luminaries as Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein, André Breton, André Derain, Jean Cocteau, Marc Chagall and Marcel Duchamp among his friends. He was heavily involved with the Cubists as well. He was injured in World War I and died in the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. The calligram-style of poem predates Apollinaire. English poet George Herbert wrote “Easter Wings” and “The Altar,” two famous “shaped” poems. Apollinaire did not live to see the growth of the art movement that incorporated typography like no other up to that point. Dada was a
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loose collection of avant-garde artists who incorporated the visual, written and theater arts, formed in reaction to the horrors of WWI. Vehemently denying they were a “movement,” these artists rejected convention and sought to present their ideas through a culture of “anti-art.” Dadaists sought to incorporate everything and anything into their work, including glass, plaster, wood and fabrics. Through the groups’ work, assemblage, collage, photomontage and the use of ready-made objects gained mainstream acceptance. Typography until Dada followed a reasonably conventional format. After all, despite twisting the letters, the words were expected to be easily read. The Dadaists didn’t care about that at all. If it was convention, they were against it. If it was hard to comprehend the text, all the better. Their publications combined illustration with type, often seemingly at random. The Dada poet Tristan Tzara, in the 1918 Dada Manifesto, writes that, “Every page should explode, either because of its deep seriousness, or because of its vortex, vertigo, newness, timelessness, crushing humor, enthusiasm of its principles, or the way it is printed.” An overview on Dada-overview.com quotes the Italian Filippo Marinetti’s Manifesto stating, “I undertake a typographical revolution directed especially against the idiotic and nauseous conception of old-fashioned books of verses [...] Better still: my revolution is directed against what is called typographical harmony of the page [...] I intend to redouble the expressive force of words.” It goes on to argue that Dada’s fundamental contribution is to detach the graphic work from the content it transmits: the graphic element is considered in and of itself. The German Dada artists, notably Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Höch and Raoul Haussman, were on the forefront of using collage and photomontage incorporating typography. Dada overview states that, “It was natural that the movement, seeking to turn away from all areas of the past, destroy old hierarchies — particularly
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by turning to disciplines less prestigious than the humanities or the fine arts — would seize typography and attempt to make it, renew it, into art,” with Schwitters arguing in 1924 that, “With regard to typography one can establish innumerable laws. The principal one would be: never do what someone else before you has done.” The Dadaists changed fonts and type sizes on the page, often within the words themselves. They turned the letters and used them to create abstract designs within the page. Around the same time, the Russian avant-garde was also playing with convention. While Kasimir Malevich was creating abstracts from geometric forms, the poet Vladimir Mayakowsky and the artist El Lissitzky were collaborating on 1923’s “For the Voice,” a collection of 13 poems that were carefully layed out to present the words in such a way that the page became an image — often with individual words broken to pun on other words that were similar. Mayakovsky was a revolutionary, not just politically, but culturally. His poems were written to shock and challenge his audience. El Lissitzky worked with the printer to exploit all the possibilities of the printer’s art, writing, “The book is created with the resources of the compositor’s type-case alone. The possibilities
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unconventional uses of type of which the poets and artists of the 1920s were so proud, are now accepted and encouraged. It is hard to find even the most mainstream magazine that does not use color, font or size for artistic effect to help “sell” the content of an article. Most computers come with upward of 100 fonts. Web sites like fontcraft.com’s scriptorium offers a wealth of downloadable fonts under headings as diverse as Celtic, Ancient and Arcane, Viking and more. In a final twist on Apollinaire’s foreboding about cinema, Scriptorium features “Captain Kidd,” a “piratical font” inspired by, you guessed it, the title lettering of the 1945 Charles Laughton movie. Even if the written word fades away, and paper gives way to LED screens, one can bet that someone will try to figure out a way to make the word stand out visually.
wo ds
of two-colour printing (overlays, cross hatching and so on) have been exploited to the full. My pages stand in much the same relationship to the poems as an accompanying piano to a violin. Just as the poet in his poems unites concept and sound, I have tried to create an equivalent unity using the poem and typography.” In the 1960s, the Fluxus movement, which featured Yoko Ono, created performance and visual imagery that
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was based on everyday actions and experiences. Michael Corris writes, “The ‘Fluxmanifesto on Fluxamusement’ used innovative typography and readymade printed images to communicate the concept of the self-sufficiency of the audience, an art where anything can substitute for an art work and anyone can produce it.” In the 1970s, another iconoclastic movement exploited the use of unconventional typography. The Punks were politically disaffected and the bands’ posters and album covers looked back to the Dadaists and their use of collaged letters. On the Sex Pistols’ 1976 “God Save the Queen” single, artist Jamie Reid takes the classic portrait of the Queen that was on the pound note, and shatters the regal image by using cutout letters that cover the monarch’s eyes and mouth. The fact that the single was released during the Queen’s silver jubilee year, a time of reverence and celebration of the institution of the monarchy, made the cover all the more shocking. On March 13, 2001, an English panel of judges for the book “100 Best Record Covers of All Time,” selected Reid’s design as the “best record cover ever produced.” Editor Andrew Harrison wrote, “The Sex Pistols is the best crystallization of all the excitement rock and roll gives you. It was also probably the first and perhaps the last time something was put on the front cover which collectively shocked a nation.‘’ It is interesting that Apollinaire, in the quote to André Billy, thought that new technology would signal the demise of typography. In fact, the rise of technology, particularly the personal computer, has expanded the use of typography in ways he could not imagine. The
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IMAGESIIMAGESIMAGES 1 2 3 4 5 6
“Il Pleut” by Guillaume Apollinaire “Eiffel Tower” by Guillaume Apollinaire “Merz 11168” by Kurt Schwitters “Un Nuit d’Echecs Gras” by Tristan Tzara “God Save the Queen” by Jamie Reid “Fluxus Manifesto 1963” by George Maciunas
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Volume 20, No. 1
Sandovici brings ‘Barca’ to BAL Artist to exhibit work in September with L ydick, Dubuisson Story by Andy Coughlan
ELENA SANDOVICI IS A detective. She is not your typical trenchcoated gumshoe, cigarette dangling from the lip with a gun in the pocket. She uses paints and a passport to discover the secrets of
Barcelona. The Lamar University political science professor will reveal the mystery of her favorite city when she joins with area artists Summer Lydick and Danny Dubuisson for a show at the Beaumont
Art League, opening Sept. 7. Sandovici’s part of the show will feature a series of paintings of Barcelona, as well as watercolors from her summer excursion in Europe. Sandovici’s last show was when she was in graduate school in Binghamton, New York. She said people are surprised when she says she is nervous about the opening of the show. After all, they say, she has no problem standing before a large group of students and lecturing. “This is a very different kind of social situation,” she said. “I find myself focusing on that and I am forgetting that
ISSUE photo by Andy Coughlan
Elena Sandovici shows off a few of her Barcelona paintings. She will display her work at the Beaumont Art League in a three-person show with Summer Lydick and Danny Dubuisson, beginning Sept. 7.
the thing I should be nervous about is putting your work out there and having people really look at it. “I’m excited about showing the work. I like the paintings that are in this show a lot. I like them better than anything I’ve made so far. So I guess I am more excited than nervous.” She said the reason she has so many paintings about Barcelona is simple — it is her favorite place to visit. “I’ve been obsessed with Barcelona since I was 19, the first time I got to go there,” she said. “I wanted to stay there but I couldn’t. I had to finish college, do something with myself, figure out my life, find a way to make money, all that stuff. I promised myself I would eventually go back and live there. “It took me about 12 years to get my act together and I stayed there for about a year, but I still couldn’t stay. So the obsession just deepened.” When Sandovici lived in the city she said she would read mystery novels set there. Then she would explore the town and try to find the places mentioned. “I was always on a mission, I was like a detective,” she said. “I would take walks and try to find the places.” By constantly revisiting the images in her paintings — several feature the same hill top view of the city with Antonio Gaudi’s Sagrada Família dominating the landscape, rendered in different styles — Sandovici is still on her quest to find the essence of the city. The imagery of her landscapes is obvious on one level, but they are slightly abstracted and twisted giving each painting its own personality, and, by extension, revealing a different feeling of the city. “I think they speak differently to people who have been there and people who have not been there,” she said. “I think they are cool and fun regardless of whether someone has been there or not. I am playing with colors and textures, and that is fun in itself. “But maybe I am hoping that people who have been there will feel some kind of nostalgia for it. People who haven’t been there might be thinking, ‘This is cool and I have got to get myself there some day.’” Sandovici spent two months touring Europe over the summer and focused on producing a series of watercolors as a sort of diary of the trip. “Doing the Barcelona pictures over and over again prepared me for that,” she said. “I was not scared to do it.” Her section of the show is “Departe de.” “It can mean different things,” she
DANNY DUBUISSON: DREAM SPACE is a presentation of mixed media artwork, which is an artistic investigation of the individualism of the dreamscape, the dream state. The “Dream Space” appears in the mind’s eye as a daydream, as a vision in the mind during sleeping hours, as well as the artist’s own pre-visualization of his artistic endeavor.
SUMMER LYDICK: NEW IDEAS. Beaumont artist Lydick received her master’s degree in Painting at Lamar University in 2005 and started her interior decorative finishing company the same year, and has been “changing the world, one room at a time.” “Since my early days as an undergraduate, I have been fascinated by recreating complex textures with paint. I draw inspiration from man-made objects that have been reclaimed by nature — rusted sheet metal, crumbling concrete walls, torn and shredded billboards.” said. “It is Romanian and it means ‘far away from.’ But if you look at it and think of it as Spanish, it means ‘it leaves from.’ If you fragment it more it can be ‘De parte de,’ which means ‘from’ as if you are addressing a postcard or a gift. I always like the idea of fragments as postmodern things, and I thought of things you could fragment — so that’s how I came up with it.” Sandovici may be far away from Barcelona, but the artwork in the show is a gift “from” her travels, so visit the gallery — no passport needed.
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It’s a sunny afternoon and Elizabeth is hard at work at The Art Studio, Inc.… But one hour later…
SCREAM!!!
Someone is bumping off the tenants, but who?
Never fear. From out of the newly refurbished darkroom comes… THE INTERN! (Bom bom bom)
8 • ISSUE September 2013
Volume 20, No. 1
Destruction is everywhere. Oh, the humanity!!!
B U T
W A I T !
The evil darkroom minion, a glass of chateau de developer in hand, reveals himself. The Intern strikes‌
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Septembere 2013 ISSUE • 9
She squeezes the information out of him and moves on to face CLayballs and his sidekicks…
They are no match for The Intern’s youthful enthusiasm for art. Now she must face The Grinder, the mastermind behind it all. “I am the original tenant,” she says. “The Studio is so successful all these new people are disturbing my peace.”
Youth wins the day!!
Her work done, she heads off to her next challenge. Who was that masked intern? The work will be displayed at the Tenants Show, opening at The Studio, Sept. 7, with a reception from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Don’t let their lives be in vain. Come see it and buy something.
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Volume 20, No. 1
Art on the (fore)edge Stark Museum of Art reveals hidden treasures in rare books “The leaves... when you hold them... slanting, exhibit a beautiful miniature landscape, painted likewise by the lady, but concealed when the book is shut.” — Mrs. Henr y Thrale, 1784.
Story by Elena Ivanova
THE SPECIAL EXHIBITION “TALES and Travels” at the Stark Museum of Art takes visitors on a journey through time and space. At the center of the show are rare books presented in the context of paintings,
prints, letters and other documents which illustrate real and imaginary stories of discovery and adventure. The exhibition attests to H.J. Lutcher Stark’s passion for books which was as strong as his passion for art. In the past, museum visitors had an opportunity to marvel at such extraordinary collection items as John James Audubon’s double-elephant edition of
“Birds of America” and beautifully illuminated medieval books of hours. Now for the first time the museum showcases first editions of famous books, such as “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection” by Charles Darwin, “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe and “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. One section in the exhibition, titled
Unknown Artist, top, NEW BRIDGE AND BROOMIELAW, GLASGOW, SHOWING CITY AND BOATS. Watercolor on paper. On the fore-edge of “Q. Horatii Flacci Opera,” 1796, bound in green morocco, gilt edges, Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas, 11.116.1 Unknown Artist, above, HAYMARKET AND THE UNITED SERVICES MILITARY CLUB WITH THE HAYMARKET THEATER IN THE BACKGROUND. Watercolor on paper. On the fore-edge of “General Regulations and Orders for the Army,” c. 1814, bound in red morocco, gilt border and edges. Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas, 11.121.1.
“Painting the Pages: Hidden Treasures,” displays books which are neither first editions, nor in any way remarkable for their contents. Rather, it’s a hodge-podge collection which includes a philosophical treatise, an army regulations manual, Horace’s poems in Latin, letters of a British navy officer and memoirs of a French aristocrat. The only thing these books have in common is a watercolor painting on the fore-edge (the part of the book opposite to the spine.) The paintings can be seen only when the volume is open and the pages are slightly pushed back towards the spine. The pages in the exhibit are held in this position by a vise. Appropriately called “vanishing paintings,” these images have a mesmerizing effect on the viewer. The eye wanders over the minute details of street scenes, city views and rural landscapes, which are executed with great skill. Fore-edge painting is not to be confused with writing or painting on the foreedge when the book is firmly closed and the leaves form a solid surface. The practice of identifying manuscripts and later books by writing their titles on the foreedge is as ancient as writing itself. It made handling of heavy volumes unnecessary when searching for a particular book. It was also customary to have the name of the owner written on the fore-edge. Unlike these practices, fore-edge painting served little or no utilitarian purpose. In fact, in most cases, their subjects had nothing to do with the content or ownership of the book, as demonstrated by the books in “Hidden Treasures.” What is known about the history of fore-edge painting? The subject does not have an extensive bibliography. In 1966, Dr. Carl J. Weber, curator of rare books at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, published a historical survey titled “Fore-
Volume 20 No. 1 Edge Painting.” Weber’s research continues to be the main source of information about this peculiar art form. According to Weber, the earliest surviving examples of painting on the foreedge are to be found in mid-17th century England. In 1653, brothers Stephen and Thomas Lewis, while working as bookbinders for the Booths of Lancashire, painted the patron’s coat of arms on the fore-edge of the books in the family’s library. The name which is inseparably linked with the history of fore-edge painting is Edwards of Halifax. There were several members of this family of bookbinders in the late 18th and early 19th centuries who played a crucial role in perfecting and popularizing the “curious art in book decoration,” to use the expression of Weber. A few words should be said about this remarkable family. The father, William Edwards, was a prosperous book dealer in Halifax, Yorkshire. By 1783, having purchased a few libraries of recently deceased book collectors, he moved to London where he reasonably expected to find a better market for resplendent volumes in his possession. Together with his two older sons, James and John, he set up a business in Pall Mall. Before long, the name “Edwards and Sons” had an international recognition. New connections came with a price: John Edwards was supposedly guillotined in revolutionary Paris while on a business trip to acquire books from French collectors. The family business flourished in both London and in Halifax, where one of William’s youngest sons, Thomas, continued to live, and ended with his death in 1834. William Edwards and his sons came up with a brilliant idea how to entice patrons to buy books which were not selling well. They employed artists to paint popular scenes on the fore-edge. There is no record of the artists’ names, but it is known that some of them were women. Mrs. Henry Thrale, a customer at “Edwards and Sons,” wrote in a letter that she observed a young lady in the shop as
September 2013 ISSUE • 11 she was painting “a splendid piece of decorative work.” Whether or not such public performance was intended as a marketing device, the word about the books with “vanishing paintings” was out. People were anxious to own these curious creations and did not care about the content of the books. William and his sons succeeded in increasing the appeal of fore-edge paintings even more by staying tuned to the changes in public tastes. When views of crumbling abbeys and castles, known as “picturesque” images, became popular, the artists working for “Edwards and Sons” promptly copied prints featuring medieval ruins. Other frequently used subjects were famous sites in London and other English cities. None of the books in the Stark Museum collection can be traced with certainty to the famous “Edwards and Sons.” However, several of them were printed and, probably, decorated at the time when these esteemed book dealers were still in business. The subjects as well as the quality of fore-edge paintings in these books reflect the influence of Edwards of Halifax. For example, a twovolume publication of “Memoirs of Count Grammont,” printed in London in 1811, features a fore-edge painting of Surrey Theater in Blackfriars Road in volume 1 and Italian Opera House in Haymarket in volume 2 — both popular themes in the books decorated at Thomas Edwards’ shop. Similarly, a book with the uninspiring title “General Regulations and Orders for the Army,” printed in London in 1814, and the English poetry anthology, printed circa 1825, contain other widely used London scenes — United Services Military Club in Haymarket and Waterloo Place in Regent Street. Some of the paintings seem to be specific to the book they decorate. “Entretiens sur la pluralite des mondes” (Conversation of the Plurality of Worlds), printed in Dijon in 1894, features on its fore-edge the Grand Entrance to the Palace of Versailles. The author, seventeenth-century French writer Bernard le
RELATED EVENTS BANNED: NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM Sept. 27, 8 p.m.-11 p.m. Experience art after-hours at the Stark Museum. Stroll through the special exhibition Tales and Travels. Enjoy live music, short tours, art-making, and refreshments. $10/person; $8/SCV member. For ages 21 and over. Bovier de Fontenelle, explains the Copernican system. One of the treasures of Versailles is a clock which incorporates a model of the Copernican planetary system — an homage to the revolutionary astronomer by King Louis XV. Another publication with an obvious connection between the content and the painting is “A Selection from the Public and Private Correspondence of ViceAdmiral Lord Collingwood.” Featured on the fore-edge of both volumes is the battle of Trafalgar, during which Vice-Admiral Collingwood had to take the command of the British fleet after Admiral Lord Nelson had been mortally wounded. It is noteworthy that the owner of this publication also was a senior navy officer, Vice-Admiral Isaac George Manley. It is hardly a stretch to suppose that he commissioned the painting of this famous battle on the foreedge. Many books received a decorated fore-edge long after they had been printed. The publication of Horace’s poems in Latin, “Q. Horatii Flacci Opera,” offers an opportunity to illustrate this statement. Printed in 1794, the book was provided with the image of New Bridge in Glasgow at least 46 years later. This is easily proved by the fact that the famous bridge with seven arches designed by Thomas Telford was completed in 1836. Furthermore, a comparison of the foreedge painting and the popular print “New Bridge and Broomielaw, Glasgow” after the steel engraving by William Henry Bartlett clearly demonstrates that Bartlett’s engraving was meticulously reproduced on the fore-edge of Horace’s poems. Bartlett’s work is dated circa 1840; the artist traveled extensively in Scotland
MUSEUM DAY LIVE! Sept. 28 The museum will participate in Smithsonian magazine’s Museum Day Live! Visitors who bring a Museum Day Live! ticket from Smithsonian will receive free admission to the museum. Download ticket at www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday. and produced a large number of engravings, many of which were published in Scotland Illustrated in 1838. The tradition of painting on the foreedge did not disappear with the Edwards family, however. Later in the 19th century, the quality of this art declined. According to Weber, the craze for books with “vanishing paintings,” particularly among American tourists in London, brought to life a huge amount of poorly executed images painted on the fore-edge of haphazardly chosen books. “The artist... might just as well have chosen a telephone directory or the catalogue of a mail-order house,” Weber dryly commented. Despite the odds, the art of fore-edge painting survived into the 21st century. Today, one of the best-known practitioners of “curious art” is Martin Frost from England (www.foreedgefrost.com.) One of his students, Jeanne Bennett, continues the tradition of fore-edge painting in Dallas (www.fephiddentreasure.com). She got involved in this art after she found a book with a fore-edge painting in an antique shop. Remember to fan the pages when you rummage through old books. “Painting the Pages: Hidden Treasures” will be in view at the Stark Museum of Art through Oct. 12. This is a mini-exhibit within the larger exhibition “Tales and Travels” which features first edition books of long-loved tales and of real travels from amazing adventurers, along with paintings, prints, and drawings. “Tales and Travels” will be on view through Jan. 11. For information, visit the museum’s website at www.starkmuseum.org.
Unknown Artist, WATERLOO PLACE, REGENT STREET LONDON SHOWING BUSY STREET SCENE, CARRIAGES, PEOPLE AND HOUSES. Watercolor on paper. On the for-edge of Poets, c. 1825, bound in black morocco with gilt edges. Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas, 11.122.1
Volume 20, No. 1
September 2013 ISSUE • 13
BCP season opener all ‘Business’
ISSUE photo by Andy Coughlan Kristie Burns, who plays Hedy La Rue, rehearses a song with Jay Vinecour during a rehearsal for “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
BEAUMONT COMMUNITY PLAYERS WILL begin the 20132014 season with the classic musical “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Director Keith Cockrell said there is one simple reason to see the show — it’s hilarious. “It’s one of the funniest scripts ever written, and the music is really good,” he said. “(Composer) Frank Loesser really has the knack. And this is a case where a really funny script has combined with his great music.” The show opens Sept. 6 and runs through Sept. 21 for eight performances, including a matinee Sept. 14. Jacob Wills, who was seen most recently in Studio 33’s “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” heads a cast of more than 30. The show follows the exploits of J. Pierrepont Finch, a young window cleaner in New York City, who reads the book “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” as he works. Determined to follow the book’s advice, he goes to the World Wide Wicket Company in search of a job. Over the course of 24 hours, we follow his process to the boardroom. The play is full of recognizable songs, including “Brotherhood of Man,” “I Believe in You,” “Been a Long Day,” “Company Way” and “Coffee Break.” “It’s a funny, funny show and audiences really enjoy it,” Cockrell said. For tickets, visit www.beaumontcommunity players.com. The Betty Greenberg Performing Arts Center is located at 4155 Laurel Ave. in Beaumont.
MUSIC versus Noise The third annual Phi Kappa Phi Lecture, presented by
NICK RISSMAN Lamar University Associate Professor of Composition Coordinator of Music Theory/Composition Director of the Industrial Carillon
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Spindletop Room on the eighth floor of Mary and Gray Library on the Lamar University campus
Lamar University Theatre to present Arthur Miller classic LAMAR UNIVERSITY’S DEPARTMENT OF Theatre and Dance will present Arthur Miller’s “A View From the Bridge,” directed by student Steven Hoffman Jr., and starring assistant professor Joel F. Grothe as Eddie Carbone. Italian-American immigrant life in the 1950s textures this searing drama of love and revenge. Longshoreman Eddie Carbone is devoted to his wife, Beatrice, and to his niece, Catherine. When Beatrice’s impoverished Sicilian cousins enter the U.S. illegally in the hope of finding work, Eddie gives them a helping hand. But when Catherine and one of the cousins fall in love, Eddie’s affection for his niece turns into obsession. Show dates are Sept. 26-28 at 7:30 p.m., and Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. For information, call at 409-880-8137.
Joel Grothe
, t r A e n i F Food e n i F Two Magnolias r e s t a u r a n t in the Art Museum of Southeast Texas
Weekday lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wedding Receptions • Rehearsal Dinners • Meals to go
10 % di scoun t f or art ists 500 Main Street in downtown Beaumont, Texas
Reception to Follow
409-833-5913
Admission is free and the event is open to the public
www.2magnolias.org • www.facebook.com/TwoMagnolias twomagnoliascatering@gmail
12 • ISSUE September 2013
Volume 20, No. 1
Around & About If you come across any interesting exhibitions, museums or other places on your travels, share them with us. Call 409-838-5393, or contact us through our web site at www.artstudio.org. Be sure to include the location and dates of the subject, as well as any costs.
Kimberly Henderson from Longview was awarded Best in Show at the DICK DOWLING DAYS ART AND PHOTO COMPETITION for her photo “Mounted Cavalry and Wagon Full of Settlers.” Entries in the “Dick Dowling Days Art and Photo Competition” will be on display at the Texas Artists Museum, 2502 Cultural Center Drive in Port Arthur, through Sept. 8. The exhibition is intended to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Sabine Pass, Sept. 7-8. “We had an excellent turnout for the largest show the Texas Artists Museum has seen in years,” Linda Guillory, competition organizer, said. “This is exciting to promote the upcoming ‘Battle of Sabine Pass’ at the Dick Dowling Historical Park.” The competition is a national competition with entries from Nantasket Beach, Mass., and from all over Texas including Porter, Sweeney, Longview, Vidor, Warren, Kountze, Silsbee, Lumberton, Orange, Houston, New Caney, Port Neches, Nederland, Groves and Port Arthur. Awards were given in the following categories: Battlefield Scene 1st place — Suzanne L. Brown Murphy 2nd place — Robert Murphy 3rd place — Mary Carter Honorable Mention — Ken Gurton Non-Professional Black & White 1st place — Robyn Masters 2nd place — Alexander J. Johnson 3rd place — Betty Brownlee Honorable Mention — David A. Bryant Semi-Professional Black & White 1st place — Paul Prosperie 2nd place — Robert E. Murphy 3rd place — Paul Prosperie Honorable Mention — Rose Stark
K R O W T R A
Sepia 1st place — Janelle Oliver 2nd place — Ken Gurton 3rd place — Doug Porter Honorable Mention — Lief Wallace Self-Portrait 1st place — Ron Stybros 2nd place — Ron Stybros 3rd place — Ron Stybros Honorable Mention — James Wallace Horse 1st place — Kimberly Henderson 2nd place — Rose Stark 3rd place — Kimberly Henderson Honorable Mention — Kimberly Henderson Color Cemeter y 1st place — Bruce Oler 2nd place — Fortune Ford 3rd place — Alexander J. Johnson Honorable Mention — Paul Prosperie Black & White Cemeter y 1st place — Fortune Ford 2nd place — Paul Prosperie 3rd place — David Allen Bryant Honorable Mention — Jay Camp Lighthouse 1st place — Paul Prosperie 2nd place — Bruce Oler 3rd place — James Wallace Honorable Mention — Bruce Oler Antique 1st place — Rose Stark 2nd place — Janelle Oliver 3rd place — Kimberly Henderson Honorable Mention — Delaine Sweat Magnolia/Floral 1st place — Bruce Oler 2nd place — Doris Webb 3rd place — Fortune Ford Honorable Mention — Baylee Battise Professional Art 1st place — Ruth Licatino 2nd place — Doris Webb 3rd place — Carol Crochet Honorable Mention — Peggy Morgan Adult Craft 1st place — Carol Crochet Children 1st place — Crailee Battise
L L SE UR YO
@
JOIN TODAY!
AC X T SE ORG .
2nd place — Baylee Battise 3rd place — Kealey Jane Yoakum Honorable Mention — Kealey Jane Yoakum “Other” 1st place — Paul Prosperie 2nd place — Bill Holton 3rd place — Doug Porter Honorable Mention — Janelle Oliver Adult Pro Art 1st place — Peggy Morgan 2nd place — Peggy Morgan 3rd place — Peggy Morgan Landscapes 1st place — Doug Porter 2nd place — Alexander J. Johnson 3rd place — Jay Camp Honorable Mention — Paul Prosperie Permanent 1st place — Delaine Miller Sweat 2nd place — Delaine Miller Sweat 3rd place — Cindy Beard Honorable Mention — Kimberly Henderson For more information, email dickdowlingphoto@live.com.
RECENT ART STUDIO NEW OR RENEWING MEMBERS Lynn Castle Ann Creswell Albert & Amy Faggard Elizabeth Fontenot Victor Higginbotham DJ Kava Dr. & Mrs. Mark Kubala Marilyn Faulk Lanser Brooke Boyett Cindy Lockwood Grace Megnet Mr. Pat H. Miller, Jr. Leticia Rogers & Michael Payne Mrs. Carole Seabrooke Maureen & Dean Winchell
INDIAN DISH FRIDAYS at
BEAUMONT FRIED CHICKEN Corner of 7th and Calder
Different delicious Punjabi dish each week
409-813-1200
Displaced Souls
14 • ISSUE September 2013
Volume 20, No. 1
Tallent’s BAL nude art show focuses on dimensions in space THE HUMAN BODY IS difficult to photograph in terms of physical presence. Photographs are flat. Everyone knows that. But Richard Tallent isn’t a runof-the-mill photographer, and he does anything but take traditional, two-dimensional photographs. President of the Beaumont Art League board of directors, Tallent’s new exhibition “Displacement of the Soul” explores the nude as a “volume in space.” “This exhibition actually focuses on the horizon between the body and the universe at large,” Tallent said. “Looking at that relationship is an analog, also, for the spirit’s relationship to the universe — the way the body not just occupies space, but is protruding into it, displacing it, disturbing it. “I’m looking at the body being a very physical presence, which is a difficult thing to do with photography because it’s flat. I’m trying to emphasize volume — sort of like what you would see more with sculpture.” By relating the body to a specific external space — an elevator car, on the beach or underwater — Tallent creates photographs where the figure truly appears to occupy three-dimensional space. “The idea is to enhance the perception of the figure intruding on the space, just like if you were standing in front of someone,” Tallent said. “I’m planning to mount the artwork several inches away from the wall, and it’s not going to be framed — it’s not behind glass. So it’s kind of more in your face — not locked up behind glass inside of a frame behind a mat. It has more presence in the gallery itself, not just the space inside the photograph.” “Displacement of the Soul” will feature roughly 20 never-before-seen pieces. Working with volunteer models, Tallent wants to show that every
Story by Chelsea Henderson
Mission Statement Founded in 1983, The Art Studio, Inc. is devoted to: providing opportunities for interaction between the public and the Southeast Texas community of artists; furnishing affordable studio space to originating artists of every medium; promoting cultural growth and diversity of all art forms in Southeast Texas; and providing art educational opportunities to everyone, of every age, regardless of income level, race, national origin, sex or religion.
PURPOSE The purpose of The Art Studio, Inc. is to (1) provide educational opportunities between the general public and the community of artists and (2) to offer sustained support for the artist by operating a non-profit cooperative to provide studio space and exhibition space to working artists and crafts people, and to provide an area for group work sessions for those artists and crafts people to jointly offer their labor, ideas, and enthusiasm to each other. GREENSPACE, 2012 by Richard Tallent
GOALS body is beautiful. “I take volunteers in all ages, genders and sizes,” he said. “One of the things I’m planning on putting in the show is a piece that is kind of commenting on the idea that art modeling is not just for skinny, busty, Playboyor fashion-type models. It is egalitarian art form.” Tallent specified that while his exhibition is a nude show, it’s for all ages. “It’s nudes, but it’s kid friendly,” he said. “There’s definitely nothing terribly explicit or erotic about it.” “Displacement of the Soul” will be on display at the Beaumont Art League Sept. 7-28. An opening recep-
tion will be Sept. 7 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. “Of course, there’s going to be another show opening in the other gallery at the Art League on the same night, which is a group show,” Tallent said. “So you’ll be able to see not just my art but the three other artists. The Tenants Show is also opening the same night at The Art Studio, Inc. Come see my show, see the group show, see the Tenants Show — come see it all. Make a night of art about it.” The Beaumont Art League is located at 2675 Gulf St. in Beaumont. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.beaumontartleague.org.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED The Art Studio is looking for energetic people who have a few hours a month to help. Call at 409-838-5393
1. 2. 3. 4.
To present public exhibitions To provide educational opportunities To provide accessible equipment for artists To provide peer feedback through association with other artists and crafts people
OBJECTIVES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
To present 10 art exhibitions per year To maintain equipment for artists in a safe working environment To provide better access to artists for the public To offer regularly scheduled adult and children’s classes To develop and maintain public activities with all sectors of the community To develop and maintain equipment to aid artists in their work To provide a display retail outlet for artists To expand programming and activities with increased facility space
Volume 20, No. 1
September 2013 ISSUE • 15
Thoughtcrime POETRY RENAISSANCE
Resilience Teetering at the pinnacle, arms reaching for the starry sky a dream I whispered what you saw in me, gold. I stood tall and proud, the wind a fan upon my face
Submission Guidelines and Disclaimer ISSUE solicits and publishes the work of local authors. Poetry, short fiction, scholarly works and opinion pieces may be submitted for review. All works must be typed and may be sent to TASI by email or by messaging the ISSUE Facebook page. The opinions expressed in “Thoughtcrime” do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TASI, its Board of Directors, ISSUE’s editorial staff, or donors to TASI. Send typed works to: ISSUE 720 Franklin, Beaumont, TX 77701 or e-mail: issue@artstudio.org Authors must submit a daytime telephone number and email along with all submissions. Pen names See VIEW on page 15 are acceptable, but authors must supply real names for verification. All printed works are protected by copyright. The author retains rights to any published work. ISSUE does not notify of rejection by mail or telephone.
Dorothy Sells Clover (poet and author) presents open mic, spoken word, selected reading. Every third Thursday at The Art Studio, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Cost is $5. For more information, call 409-363-3444.
face down in the valley, pushed off hope's buoyant edge by your closed fist not once but twice not once but twice and then a third time landing on my hands and knees bruised, flattened in the dark recesses of stony rejection. Still, I stood back up and walked away. Laurie Kolp
WE WANT YOU FOR BAND NITE Hear original music by local musicians at
For upcoming gigs, visit The Studio’s facebook page
$5
only to be discarded into depths of despair
admission
All ages welcome • 21 and up BYOB and have your ID.
720 Franklin, Beaumont, Texas 77701
Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Permit #135 Beaumont, TX
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
INSIDE • TENANTS SHOW • THOUGHTCRIME: MUSINGS FROM AREA POETS • PICTURING WORDS • FORE-EDGE PAINTING
When you support The Art Studio with your membership, you receive ISSUE, Southeast Texas’ and Southwest Louisiana’s alternative press, as well as class schedules, invitations to opening receptions and various Studio functions.
Volunteers These people are the life blood of our organization. WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU! To volunteer, drop by The Art Studio, Inc., or call 409-838-5393. Elizabeth Fontenot Bryan Castino Heather & Adam Butler Andy Ledesma Rhonda Rodman Sue Wright Cyndi Grimes Rhonda McNally Andy Coughlan Ben Jennings Beth Gallaspy John Roberts Beau Dumesnil Karen Dumesnil Sheila Busceme Kailee Viator Haley Bruyn Bryan LaVergne Gabe Sellers Ian Grice Abby McLaurin Samantha Wheeler Scott & John Alexander Heather Adams Terri Fox April Falgout B.J. Bourg Michelle Falgout Dana Dorman Reagan Havens Anna Buchele Nick Wilcox Stacey Haynes
JOIN US FOR ART OPENINGS ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH
The Tenants Show THIS MONTH:
SEPTEMBER 7-28 GALLERY RECEPTION IS SEPT. 7, 7-10 P.M.
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