a note from the director My body of work reflects a preoccupation with gender stereotypes of various objects and activities in American culture. Trophy heads acquired through hunting are typically, though not exclusively, masculine in their association. Hunters prize their collection of trophy mounts as a memory of the activity of conquests; my trophy heads are not being used as statements about hunting, but as a symbol for the “male collection.” I use deer heads as an iconic object and a baseline for abstraction and embellishment to challenge the stereotypic response. Often I marry the trophy heard to soft and feminine porcelain figures as well as a dusty pink – flocked surface of a doily. The collection of the pink embellished antlers on flocked doilies directly appropriates the male collection and transforms it into a kitschy “female collection”. The slip covered trophy head serves the same purpose as a vinyl couch cover- preservation of a valuable. In the most recent series, Mapping Absence, the deer have begun to represent myself.
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kristi A R N O L D Our ancestor was an animal which breathed water, had a swim bladder, a great swimming tail, an imperfect skull, and undoubtedly was a hermaphrodite! Here is a pleasant genealogy for mankind. - Charles Darwin, Letter to Thomas Huxley Since childhood, I have been actively engaged in imaginative play, using my surroundings as a main source of entertainment and inspiration. My backyard, which consisted of acres of land and vegetation, was my playground. These early experiences prompted me to begin reading biology textbooks and observing the behavior of plants, insects, and animals in order to understand how the world beneath my feet came into being. In an age where genetic engineering is gaining momentum, the possibilities of gene splicing and cloning are infinite. To this end, I am constantly questioning the evolutionary processes…what would happen if opposing genes were spliced, and something terrifying were born? These influences led to the interest in the amalgamation of human, insect and animal characteristics, creating fictional hybrids in my work that play between childhood memory and fantasy. My work also investigates ideas concerned with the awkward frailties of the human condition, the poetic and the horrific. I am fascinated with the intricacies and dichotomies between nature and the body-the imperfections and deformities as well as its beauties. With this in mind, I am exploiting these situations by juxtaposing opposites, the beautiful and the grotesque. It is about creating a situation that combines these two ideas to form asymmetry, humor and absurdity.
Garter Snake Spinning Silk Rabbit Ears | mixed media and collage | 11 x 11"
2009
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michael A R R I G O Animals have held special places at the center of our myths, stories, and images, serving as emissaries and intermediaries between domains. They are, at least in human imagination, vital links between the natural, the spiritual and cultural spheres. Often they are used to symbolize aspects that individuals or cultures have lost or somehow forgotten. The paintings presented here feature animals in some way playing their roles as archetypal mediators, guides or healers. They serve as tokens or reminders of that which is in us that is more than ourselves.
Cassini Constrained Field Flux | oil and acryllc on canvas | 82 x 42"
2008
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todd C E R O A T L “In Suburbia, we are presented with isolation within a group. A posse of 15 wolves circles a lone wolf ominously. Each animal bears a teacup balanced precariously on its head. The outcast has dropped his cup, exposing himself to malevolent witness. There is tension among the group of cast figures and the possibility of violence lurks. For Cero-Atl, the teacup carries layered meanings. He describes having attended a café with his late partner Nathan; aware that his boyfriend appeared obviously ill, emaciated and diminished. The waitress had been uncomfortable, and when Todd used the restroom he saw their used teacups in the garbage. The experience of being perceived as pariah is apparent in Suburbia. The wolf is known as an outcast animal, isolated and peripheral. Yet, even among wolves he is alone, having exposed his mortality by dropping his teacup. Hence, the cup becomes a metaphoric vessel that we all balance as best we can, filled as it is, with memories, loss and eventual decline.”
Suburbia | white earthenware, glaze | 58 x 52 x 12�
2004
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laura B E L L My interest as a photographer is concerned with psychological underpinnings that motivate human behaviour. I explore this psychology in my photographs through both critical observation and interpretational or fictionalized constructions (sets, still lifes, etc.). Animals are often found in my work. In the case of my constructed images, I often use animals for symbolic reasons. Sometimes, I use animals as stand-ins for humanity as I find that people (the viewer) tend to anthropomorphise animal subjects. Animals, in this way, can express complex, humanistic emotions in a general way that could not be achieved through a human subject. Furthermore, I also use animals to communicate abstract ideas through the particular animal’s social/cultural connotations. For instance, in the photograph “Ants on a Popsicle”, ants can be said to culturally signify decay, as they are frequently the cleaners of death, while the popsicle may be seen as a symbol of innocence.
The Bird in the Bell Jar | c print | 11 x 14"
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amanda B R I S T O W A great deal of my work involves animals as personal metaphors. I often use animals as a stand in for different people in my life or complex emotional situations. I find that using animals instead of their human counterparts make the work more relatable for the audience as well as softens the emotional intensity of a situation. Animals also make their way into my work in a more narrative form. These animals reference the books of my childhood as well as fables. I believe that even though we have heard these fables and fairy tales as children, they are still present in our subconscious lives as adults. These allegorical tales continue to influence us in many parts of our lives even though we may not consciously remember them. It is very interesting that whatever our culture, animals seem to be present even if they are not literally there. One cannot go a day without seeing of hearing some representation or turn of phrase that references our wild neighbors.
Bear Games | watercolor | 8 x 11"
2006 (Far Left; detail)
Whale of a Tale | intaglio | 4 x 6"
(Right; detail)
Pacific Nothwest Key Catch Rings | sterling silver, moss, sand, scented yarn | 1.5 x 1"
2008
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david C H R I S T I A N C A L T O N In my work, I create a conceptual process in which I take on the role of a psychologist in observing human beings in various compromised emotional situations. Whether it is loneliness, envy, anger, jealousy or self-preservation- the situations I propose in my work display emotions familiar to everyone. This familiarity heightens the viewers’ personal connection to the work. To continue this process, I take on an added role as a biologist in giving human subjects animal anatomy. I use this anatomy as a metaphor in illustrating the characteristics that are present in both animal and human worlds; a snarling lion represents anger and strength, while a small rabbit represents innocence and weakness. Both animals and humans rely heavily on these traits and many others in their own individual and group survival behavior. As a psychologist and biologist, my hope is to use this animal and human comparisons to clarify and intensify the significance and potency of the narrative in my work. As an artist, the printing process is the vehicle that I choose to further achieve that intense story line. Continuous manipulation of the metal plate, multiple etchings, and the infusion of varying tonal values create a dramatic atmosphere stage that allows my subjects to come alive on the paper surface. With these processes in place, the viewer can create their own emotional dialogue with the characters as the scene unfolds in front of them.
Fear of Retribution | intaglio | 12 x 21.5"
2008
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dan C H U D Z I N S K I H.M.S. Narwhal. The first in a series of found-object submersibles inspired by Victorian era invention and design. Victorian scientists became obsessed with inner space exploration (today known as “deep sea�) after examining specimens from the ocean. Drawing inspiration from wildlife, the scientists began creating devices that were largely impractical yet aesthetically intriguing. The Narwhal was named after the elusive, horned whale that it vaguely resembles.
H.M.S. Narwhal | found objects | 10 x 13 x 10�
2008
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kelly C L A R K I have taken to drawing animals now and then to provide me with joy in my drawings, which tend towards tedium. In the case of these drawings, it was fun to make pictures of birds that sing in my studio at home. I find the animal as subject matter to be satisfying and elastic, the vagaries of its form lending a poetry meaning to any situation; frogs leap and swim, snakes shed their skin, and birds fly. When I began them last summer, I did not intend for these drawings to be as melancholy as they eventually became. Whereas I intended to bind the two drawings and exhibit them as a single piece, unfortunate circumstances and upsets at home caused me to abandon them before they could be bound. When I revisited the drawings months later, I found that the physical break between the two halves functioned nicely. The birds speak to the distance between broken things, they squawk overtop of the broken statement “This Is Finally How We Have Learned To Handle This.�
Birdscreatures | inkjet and pencil | 8 x 12�
2008
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eric C O N R A D My past and present interests have led me to study traditional figurative painting, sculpture, and theatre, while I use this knowledge of history and technique to address the issues of personal and cultural identity, and explore the nature of empathy. This series of work consists of conglomerations of fabric bodies, animal and human, reassembled and stitched together. These figures, part-beast and part-human deal with power and relationships, tension and sensuality, intimacy and aloneness, violence and exuberance. The animal forms express inner-desire as well as function as masks that conceal intention, emotion or identity. I would like this work to leave an imprint on the memory and be experienced fully in its absence- to be seen in ones peripheral vision.
Anthropomorphology | fabric, mixed media | 3 x 4 x 12�
2009
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christa D A L I E N Albino Deer or Ghost Deer have a life expectancy of 3 to to 4 years due to them being easy prey to predators with their lack of camouflage. My friend shot one during a hunting season because he thought it was a large goat in the woods. Now she hangs in their house like a ghost.
Albino Deer | acrylic and colored pencil |
3 x 4 x 12" 2009
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adam D A V I S Created while attending an Artist-In-Residence program at Svenska Konstskolans Vanner in Nykarleby, Finland, this animation employs a generic suburban backyard as a conceptual site for meditating on utopian ideals and desires. The finished piece is a collaboration between myself and musician Doyle Dean. I created and completed the animation, and he provided a song, which I then manipulated into its current arrangement.
Backyard Algorithm | video – animation|
2009
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nathan D O R O T I A K Human’s relationship to nature is simultaneously the most basic and critical facet of how we conceptualize our existence. Over the course of our history, we have defined ourselves as being distinct from nature. This perceived separation has caused us to view nature as being something that exists outside our experiences, something inherently inferior. Having no original authority to our constructed distinction- this destructive worldview is only validated through our belief in its truth. “Nature� is merely an idea that exists in the human psyche- a construction. My exploration of this subject involves facilitating video documented, performative-based situations that originate from my own impression of the ways we understand animal species and the affect of our ever-expanding development of the world. By utilizing humor, absurdity, costume, and a DIY aesthetic as thematic elements in the conceptual structure of my work, I approach our attitudes toward nature with a grassroots sensibility infused with mocking critically. Additionally, by making a conscious effort to work with others through their participation in the performance, I allow the project an amount of plasticity that could not be achieved if I were to work alone.
Honk if You Like Our Racks | video |
2009
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james E H L E R S I render death. Hundreds of thousands of tiny strokes carved into metal birth the deterioration of an animal from a white void. The laborious technique of engraving draws me into an intense observation of the minute. My engravings elevate the bleak appearance of decay into an aesthetically pleasing reality of transformation and time. They are an expression if the cyclical nature of existence. The viewer is confronted with an expressive rendering of an everyday occurrence that would normally be ignored. Pulling inspiration, discovery and direction from artists and philosophers, my work is a dynamic exploration of a traditional topic. A collection of decaying animals inspire the imagery. The figures’ visually dynamic dissolving environment expresses the passing of time and animates the inanimate. The development of the rendering style, concept and compositions are influenced by artists Joel PeterWitkin, Albrecht Durer and Ivan Albright. These meticulously rendered images carry on the dying tradition of metal engraving.
Untitled (Variation 1) | metal engraving, water color |
9.5 x 11.5� 2008
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kevin E W I N G I use allegories to question the human nature of attraction as a vehicle for social critique. I’m assimilating the violence of the world into more palatable surrogates, creating my own idolized world, where bad things happen, but the blood is never real, and everything comes out okay in the end—sort of. In this pseudo-safe world, idealized inhabitants interact with each other to create a magical place, where the ugly appropriate the beautiful, the phony co-opt the genuine, and where kitsch masquerades as king. I choose particular animals as metaphors for the consequences of human aggrandizement. Deer are targets for our aggression, hunted for sport, inevitable victims of automobile accidents – a consequence of nature colliding with the unnatural speed of our mechanized lives. Elusive and vulnerable, I use them to express extinct moral paradise. If my deer act as the victim, then my elephants play the Everyman, bearing the weight of the human condition, cursed and feeble, armed and stunted. These fantastical animals absorb our dark side, morphing into hybrids in response to the damage we cause from our flawed nature, their eyes forever blinded by the worthless faux artifacts of human desire. I exploit faux materials and invent fake worlds in a quixotic attempt to neutralize the consequences of violence, transforming perversions and deformations into allegories of regenerative power. If the mythical animal hybrids can reinvent themselves to counter the effect of our moral inadequacies, then there is a chance that we might carry within is the power to harness our violent nature and use it to transform better versions of ourselves.
Freedumb | faux fur, foam core, acrylic |
72 x 72 x 72� 2008
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diane F O X I am interested in the ways we objectify nature, both positively and negatively. The dancing, happy pigs used as icons for BBQ joints and meatpacking plants have always struck me as deeply ironic. Plastic animals take us for rides in theme parks and animated versions sell us products. Nature comes to us, viewed through glass windows at the zoo, natural history museum or framed on television. Likewise, the photograph objectifies the world as seen through the lens of the camera. We visit natural history museums for a glimpse of our natural world, a world we often do not experience first hand. We view animals from far off places and times at a safe distance. Dioramas (and photographs) create a framed moment of nature frozen in time. The more closely they resemble an actual space and event, the more closely the taxidermied animals appear to breath life, the deeper our sense of wonder and connection. It is this dichotomy between the real and the unreal, the version of life portrayed and the actuality of death, the inherent beauty of the animals within their fabricated environment and the understanding of its invention, that finds me both attracted and repelled.
wrapped | acrylic and colored pencil|
3 x 4 x 12� 2009
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annemarie P O Y O F U R L O N G All in a row, lined up on a subway platform, forming a queue at the bank, idling in bumper to bumper traffic, tucked into a successive line of cubicles…now imagine breaking free, flying away to freedom. The images of birds on orderly formations on a wire or building are for me a metaphor of our daily grind, our standing in line, waiting our time, jostling for our bit of space in the world. The image if the birds blazing into flight symbolizes breaking free from the rigor of every day, finding that within you which makes you soar and takes you away from the mundane. I envy birds their freedom, their ability to view the world at a distance, from overhead, and then swoop down, at will, to se and participate in the minutiae. I think we as humans could benefit from the overhead view; we tend to become mired in the minutiae.
Birds on a Wire II | black and white photography | 11 x1 4�
2008
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ronald G O N Z A L E S Throughout my life I have always been a collector of small objects and natural materials. As an artist I have immersed myself in the ephemera of my surroundings to present the human figure as creature, human and object. My work explores themes of memory, pathos, transformation, vulnerability and absolute immortality. These configurations made from animal parts exits both real and unreal expressions of non-being and presence and of the reality of life and death.
Snared Embrace | mounted rabbit heads, mixed media over welded steel | 14 x 4 x 4"
2009
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catherine G R I S E Z My work is based on personal narrative and influenced by images from nature as well as ideals and issues in society. I reference animal, plant and human skeletal systems and shapes when they capture the same feelings inherent in both past and present experiences I am currently investigating. The music box sculptures address life experiences using birds as a metaphor for human emotions including loss, heart-break, and body image struggles as well as celebration, love and exploration. I was initially trained as a jeweler, which is ingrained the importance of pristine craftsmanship that I try to honor in my sculpture. I primarily use traditional techniques of cold forming and fabricating brass, copper, silver, and steel sheet metal. I contrast the simple organic shapes with detailed textures achieved by casting and/or electroforming carved wax elements. Although I place a strong emphasis on metal processes, my primary objective is to develop the concept of the piece. Therefore, I use the skills I have as a platform and introduce new materials whenever necessary to more clearly illustrate my ideas.
Nourish | steel, bronze, copper, magnets, music mechanism | 5.75 x 4 x 4�
2005
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april H A L E Wild animals are often accidently killed when they enter our man-made environments. Usually we only interact with these animals when they enter “our” world – when we hit them with our cars, when they run into our windows, when they nest in our attics, when we poison them or catch them in our traps. By picking up road kill I am creating a personal belief system based on our coexistence with other animals. In venerating the animals, I turn a negative interaction into a positive interaction with the animals we often unintentionally kill. What I do based on the beauty I see in these dead animals. The use of the actual animal in my work refers to both the previous existence of the material and the transformation the material has undergone in my hands. The repulsion some people feel when they see my work exemplifies the duality of our desire to wear and eat animals, but only those we have not seen in death.
Creepy Bunny Broach | rabbit skin, silver, enamel, cubic zirconia, brass, wool | 4 x 2.5 x 2.5�
2006
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benjie H U E With my work I am expressing a personal narrative. I believe the use of narrative is a quick and accessible format. Translating oral narrative into a visual narrative not only reveals the significance of the story but it teaches me about myself and extends that revealing and teaching devise to the viewer. The pieces presented are a narrative of the evolving hero and his many trials and tribulations. The hero’s journey is a voyage of self-discovery, an expedition whose true destination is the realm within each of us, where we must find our own unique center with all its strengths and weaknesses. The journey is not just physical, but a spiritual one, as the hero evolves from ignorance and innocence to experience and enlightenment. The most outlandish adventures are accounted with an eye fixed on the bare essentials. Battles against time, against the obstacles that prevent the fulfillment of desire or the repossession of something cherished but lost are themes that provoke me. Revealing truth and humor in the face of horror and the seemingly absurd is my answer.
The Number Two Bear | cone 6 stoneware, wheel thrown and hand built, glaze | 11 x 10.5 x 10"
2006
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michael C . H S I U N G In my work, I illustrate my own imaginative world, a place where creatures of fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and lullabies, which are apart of our childhood and adult culture, interact - be it peacefully or not. My work addresses gender roles/ gender assignment given to mermen, the fragility of unicorn/panda dynamics, domestic violence between centaurs and unitaurs and the underlying threads of violence and danger that underpin all other-worldly societies. These themes are often combined with humor commonly used by those in dysfunctional relationships. The titles provide clues to content and interpretation, but they are generally misleading.
Examples of Persons Who Have Been Tossed in the Air by Bears |pen and ink on paper | 9 x 12" 2008 (Left; detail)
More on the Affection of the Man Towards His Bear suit and the Discomfort it Causes Others | cone 6 stoneware, wheel thrown and hand built, glaze | 9 x 12� 2008
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heidi J E N S E N My work considers the subversive and insalubrious strains of human behavior that haunt the hopeful idea of a progressive society. The drawings take, as a point of departure, a fragment of thought from Nietzsche, that man has “ placed himself in a false order of rank in relation to animals and nature�. Characters in the drawings are flawed and animalistic; they do not display heroic nor particularly hopeful visages. They become entangled with the perverse and take on the role of co-conspirator, sycophant or grudging participant. The mixture of features and forms references fictional worlds, such as Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, where the accepted order of the physical world is remixed, where identity is bent and categories, hierarchies and taxonomies are willfully disobeyed. Fur and skin are used as markers of the animal and the human. I have an unabashed love of narrative structure and prefer to pepper it with dark humor. Particular drawings are constructed to look like a single frame animation still, offering an incomplete but compelling context. Illustrative rendering, present in many drawings, recalls Victorian era illustration and the undercurrents of sentimentality and cruelty present in art of that era. Figures from early Renaissance and Mannerist periods infiltrate the drawings. Carefully rendered figures inject notes of spatial dislocation as they sit beside more simplified, graphic forms. Using representational space as a basic framework, volumetric contour lines are paired with flat monochromatic surfaces. Pale tints of color are applied to the surfaces of the figures and act as a coating that contradicts the uneasy narratives.
Pluck | graphite, gouache | 22 x 16"
2008
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katherine K A M I N S K I I find excitement in temptation and glimpses of unattainable fulfillment in the forms of “maybes” and “what ifs.” I hunt for the sensibility of want, and yearn over the price of longing. Personal in nature, my work becomes a diary- encoded with commentary and laced in veiled desires. Layers of memories transform and manifest into a personal mythology. This mythology creates a representation of people and happenings in my life, which composes a parallel fantasy environment where my everyday human counterparts become animal like characters that reside and evolve within this landscape. With an interest in making drawings, prints, objects, and environments that reflect this receptivity, I find myself attracted to a macabre and abject sense of design. My work appears enchanting, yet upon closer inspection reveals an ironic darkness. Material choices such as sugar and collectable relics act as metaphors for desire. These objects explore a relationship between a healthy fulfillment and sickly excess. The pattern of “hunting and gathering” of objects continually transpires in my work, though these matters of longing remain inherently impossible to satisfy. The work that is being submitted for this exhibition is from two bodies of work; both completed within the past two years.
Lovesick | gouache, pencil, sugar | 16 x 18"
2008 (left; detail)
Predator Prey Scavenger Series, 1 | gouache, pencil, sugar | 15 x 8�
2009
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pauline K O C H A N S K I For many years my photographs were exclusively black and white using the “2 ¼ x 2 ¼” format. The images in this exhibit are all film based black and white. Most are printed on fiber paper and a few are printed digitally with archival inks. I scan my subjects: people, or any of the interior or exterior landscapes that catch my interest and focus on a part of that scene. I try to capture what I think of as the visual equivalent of synecdoche- a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole, the special for the general. I force the viewer to see only a fragment of the actual scene; the frame keeps the viewer from seeing more. The image will catch a moment that is often missed by a passing glance. These images were taken in a natural history museum. I noticed them on a visit and returned the next day before the animals could be moved again. This fits into the exhibition theme as a sample of how we have captured and presented animals from different cultures and climates for observation and understanding. Photography is more than a mirror of what we see, more than a document- it brings a new vision to the viewer.
In transit 5552_4 |silver print | 4 x 4"
2005
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andrew K O S T E N Through the use of physical metaphor and implied narrative it is my intention to shed light on the frequent and mundane oddities of an all too often complacent public consciousness. Themes that have remained consistent in my work include the influence of the corrupt over the unsuspecting, the hilarity and whimsical nature of the human psyche, and the function of the individual in relation to their culture or environment. Frequently I attempt to translate these themes to particular narratives with a perceivable na誰ve or childlike use of allegorical symbolism in order to establish certain contradictions in subject that may lead the viewer to question the imagery even further. Throughout its all too often tragic history, humanity has turned to the comical, the bizarre, and the extraordinary in order to maintain a sense of light heartedness. This tendency is often reflected in my work on a sociological and autobiographical level. An inclination on my behalf towards satire as well as a sardonic translation of human behavior and cultural expectations carries on a long-standing tradition. Every culture must possess those who always remain on a skeptical footing. Throughout the history of art as in the contemporary, issues involving the human condition have provided the most challenging and engaging critiques of human behavior. This use of allegorical imagery hopes to engage in that conversation.
They Came from the Country | lithograph | 11 x 14"
2009
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bridget L Y N C H If a kitty disappears into the ethereal is it a comment about reality or a magic trick? See Jack perform with the famous Miss Kittikins as she disappears before our very eyes. If somewhere “out there” we might exist after we disappear, can we come back? Asking the hard questions – the one-minute video by artist B. Lynch takes a wacky look at the unknowable. Lynch a digital and mixed media installation artist has recently begun referencing the Commedia ‘dell Arte tradition of masked performance. Miss Kittikins played by the Circe the Cat, is quite pleased to be appearing in her third Lynch film.
Miss Kittykens Disappears! | video, 1:12 minutes |
2008
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beauvais L Y O N S In an effort to celebrate the wonder of God’s creation, my recent work for the Hokes Archives has been pursued on behalf of the Association for Creative Zoology. God is the ultimate collage artist, creating species variation by reassembling his prior works. As it is written in the Bible (Psalm, 104:24): “How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both large and small.” These prints present God’s creatures, both great and small.
Association for the Creative Zoology: Macropus potetmuris and Macropus cĂaroscurus | lithograph | 22 x 28" 2008
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sarah M A L A K O F F My photographs are examinations of the home and the role of animals within it. With the intentional exclusion of human occupants, my subjects have a voice of their own. Pets have a unique status as both animals with primal instincts and as esteemed family members and creatures of comfort. I explore this duality between wild and domesticated in my images. People surround themselves with all manner of representations of wildlife and nature. There exists an uncanny and often humorous interplay between these decorative choices and animal residents. In some images, pets co-exist seemingly unaware of static representations of their prey. In others, they seem to claim ownership of their environment. My intent is an image that while grounded in reality that the medium of photography implies, is exaggerated or made extraordinary by details both evident and subtle.
Untitled Interior (Cece) | digital c print | 20 x 24"
2006
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florence M c E W I N In the works, Adventures of Red Riding Hood the real, the interpreted and the imagined find their way. They are metaphors of life, re- examining a child’s tale through reality and humor. Red Riding Hood, since coming to life in the interpretation of the artist Charles Perrault in 17th century France, is herself a universal image within a morality tale. The wolf is an archetypal element laden with associations and imbued with analogous interpretations from all societies of both high and low cultural histories - children stories to sacrificial votive of ancient times. Within contemporary art, German artist and teacher Joseph Beuys (19211986) played with an animal as a primordial symbol and a basis for conceptual thought. In today’s Wyoming, the wolf is a part of the wilderness in conflict with encroaching development. Ever present within this tale are male, female tensions considered with a playful twist of angst. The prints are solar etchings produced in variable editions of 5 – 10 and given additions of chine colle and collage. This embellishment provides a context to each print that is much like an adjective to a noun allowing each print to be interpreted slightly differently. The visual source of media images is often the film still , altered and manipulated suggesting another layer of tale.
Red Riding Hood Falls for the Wrong Guy (Spellbound 1945 Universal) | solar etch, chine colle, collage | 12.5 x 11.5" 2008
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jacqueline M E E K S Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc rhoncus lorem quis augue fringilla fermentum. Nam scelerisque tincidunt tortor eu consectetur. Proin at elit tellus. Sed eget velit id diam sodales egestas. Proin a nibh ut purus semper blandit id quis metus. Suspendisse non dapibus quam. Proin tristique risus nec neque malesuada accumsan. Sed nec urna ipsum, pulvinar consequat ligula. Donec id lorem tortor. Nam quis dui eu massa malesuada rhoncus. Suspendisse fringilla fringilla turpis, vitae vehicula ipsum rutrum nec. Curabitur varius tempor aliquam. Praesent placerat porttitor ligula, eu suscipit risus hendrerit id. Nulla justo sapien, mollis id mattis ut, rutrum nec elit. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Maecenas quis dui arcu. Suspendisse vehicula quam a magna cursus imperdiet pellentesque eget eros. Proin nunc sem, porta sed tincidunt sed, malesuada a nunc. Sed in nunc ut arcu gravida tempus sed vitae sem. Suspendisse rhoncus massa felis.
Shark Boy | ink on paper | 9 x 12"
2007
Horse Girl | ink on paper | 10 x 14"
2008
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una M J U R K A Growing up in Latvia during the Soviet era was a unique experience that has influenced my creative work and outlook on life. Triggered by my past I developed an interest in exploring human nature and conditioning through the prism of Maslow’s pyramid of psychological needs, categorized in two distinguished groups such as “basic” and “being” needs. Through my work I celebrate the beauty of simplicity in mundane rituals fulfilling our basic human needs. These rituals award us with a sense of security and purpose, whether it would be building one’s shelter, growing or preparing food for one’s sustenance or seeking meaningful interactions. Unfortunately though, it seems like today’s society, plagued with consumerism, has lost the longing for a higher fulfillment of being needs.
Birds | ceramic, fiber, metal | 30 x 50 x 2.5"
2005
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johanna M U E L L E R I was so excited to see the call for entries for Creatures Great and Small, as I deal primarily with animals as metaphor. Working with animals as forms of the idol, fetish and totem, I seek to present my own myths: My images begin as personal narratives or animal self-portraits and morph into totemic representations of the animal. The animal and certain symbols are elevated to mythic status as they are assigned attributes of human emotions. My images have become versions of the idol, requiring reverence in viewing and sacrifice of time and body in their creation. They depend upon the attention of the living, needing to be seen, watched and honored as a fetish. However, they are familiar as if known and remembered from the past, encompassing the role of the totem. My own myth streams from the eyes and mouths of these animals, and yet they seek to accept the translation of the myth present in the viewer.
Creature Alterations, Myth & Transformations, artist book | relief engravings, letter press, monotype | 6 x 6.5 x 1" 2008
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elizabeth M U N G E R Creating artwork is a way to communicate my day-to-day life, and to reflect on wider themes that overlap my personal experiences with the world around me. My work tends to be autobiographical and narrative often-exploring current life experiences. Various materials and techniques, such as collage, drawing, and print making to reach out visually in hopes of making a connection to a shared human experience in a language that feels like home. Fabrics, sewing patterns and needle and thread, convey my thoughts and feelings as I piece together my ideas. Textile work is beginning to show up in my prints and collages fusing together my other interests with my academic /professional environment. This stitching together of worlds is becoming vastly important as I recognize who I am and how I’ve grown as an artist. Choosing recognizable images that include animals, I begin to relate to this image and repeat it in different environments. Exploring the adage of a wolf in sheeps clothing, or the sheep in wolfs clothing, has given light to who I am and who we are as humans. Drawing on this archetype as part of a repertoire of self portraits, I search for what is there or not there, and an attempt to uncover what is lurking underneath.
Sewn Together | pop-up book, mixed media | 6 x 8"
2008
65
meghan O ’ C O N N E R The narrative format of this work stems from cartoon influences and is analogous to their structure. This format is used to portray my own social and cultural desires, fears, and experiences. I depict fear, tension, struggle, and isolation to reveal deception or dysfunction. The imagery stems from responses to structures of power and control. It is a representation, a questioning, and/ or a critique of the state of today's human nature and condition. Animals function as a stand-in for human feeling or persona. Mechanical devices become metaphor for harmful systems of power, such as the media and consumerism. Employing visual complexity, I combine these disparate forms to create a unit that functions to evoke an empathy toward the human condition and show that things are ultimately out of our control. The media of printmaking facilitates layering and also allows the imagery to be shared with a wider audience. In the creation of this work, I have been largely influenced by the dream-like qualities of Surrealism, the political work of Honore Daumier and Francisco Goya, and contemporary artists who create elaborate narratives, such as Trenton Doyle Hancock and Matthew Barney.
Consume(r) Life | silkscreen, lithography | 15 x 20"
2007
67
minerva O R T I Z I paint situations that combine fantasy and reality to emphasize the various levels of ambiguity of the events depicted. Stages where action that links humans with the animal developed. The events were largely inspired by the connection I felt to the daily treks of animal survival on nature programs and anthropological politics studies. I was mesmerized by the continuing correlation between domestic and wild animals in relation to each other and to human needs, territorial battles, hierarchies, and states of mind. It’s important that the viewer have room to create his/her own interpretation of the situation depicted because as animal nature has shown me, good and bad are relative. The work also reflects the ambiguous and uncertain emotions that this awareness of relativity creates.
Laundrydog | alkid on muslin-coated masonite | 14 x 17.5"
2007
69
christina P I T S C H My body of work reflects a preoccupation with gender stereotypes of various objects and activities in American culture. Trophy heads acquired through hunting are typically, though not exclusively, masculine in their association. Hunters prize their collection of trophy mounts as a memory of the activity of conquests; my trophy heads are not being used as statements about hunting, but as a symbol for the ‘male collection’. I use deer heads as an iconic object and a baseline for abstraction and embellishment to challenge the stereotypic response. In the piece re/covered I have transformed a typical trophy mount into a softer, feminine object with a slip-cover and porcelain birds perched on pink-flocked antlers. The slip-cover serves the same purpose as a vinyl davenport cover or vitrine for figurines- preservation of a valuable. It is the meeting of these stereotypes that create a conversation about the gender designation/association of particular objects.
Re/covered | taxidermy deer head, vinyl, porcelain, flocking | 24 x 16"
71
maggie P U C K E T T THROUGH IMAGINARY RECONSTRUCTIONS of natural environments and time periods, my work explores the complicated history and future of man’s relationship with his surroundings. Areas of concentration include the effects of consumptive civilizations on wildlife and the origins of modern man’s destructive behavior. Aesthetically, my work is inspired by illuminated manuscripts, children’s books, and Medieval and 19th century prints. I am attracted to the intimacy that my small-scale drawings, prints, and books afford the viewer, because they aid the transfer of a potentially undesirable message. Similarly, the simplicity and initial innocence of my imagery belies an underlying warning about cause and effect.
Brownies Bovidae | ink and acrylic on Paper | 7 x 9"
2008
73
mark R I T C H I E Drawing and printmaking are companions in my work. I respect each for their unique qualities and processes and enjoy their similarities. One often informs the other in my studio. I frequently draw on prints and print on drawings. In this recent body of intaglio prints, the relationship of the lines on waxed papers and marks made on both sides of paper build the image. Color is both hand tinted and worked on the plate prior to printing. The printmaking matrix becomes a vehicle for multiple unique solutions and several plates often contribute to a single image.
Monkey & Gramophone | intaglio | 4 x 5"
(Left)
Rabbit and Plane : The Space Between | intaglio | 2.5 x 4"
2008
75
jean S A U N D E R S The conceptual and philosophical underpinnings of my artwork are based on years of experience as an Iyengar yoga practitioner and my beliefs in Tibetan Buddhism. Both disciplines train the practitioner to be present to each moment of inevitable change and chance that compromise the physical world. My physical world is comprised of dogs, dogs and more dogs. I have 4 large dogs that are often the subject of my work. A particular type of Buddhist meditation that has been an inspiration for me is called Tonglin. During Tonglin, the practitioner rides the breath with her gut feeling; on the inhalation she breaths in the pain and suffering of others and on the exhalation she breaths out that which gives her great joy or pleasure. My dogs are my joy and pleasure. Their energy and motion so perfectly express the essentially unpredictable nature of material existence. Their unmediated, wholly spontaneous reactions to the world around them exist purely in the moment. It is this lesson of, existing purely in the moment, that I try to remember whether it is in my studio, on my yoga mat or in the day-to-day existence of life.
Preparing for Death pg. 2 | photogravure and handmade paper | 7 x 11"
2008
Preparing for Death pg. 1 | photogravure and handmade paper | 7 x 11"
2008
77
deborah S I M O N Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc rhoncus lorem quis augue fringilla fermentum. Nam scelerisque tincidunt tortor eu consectetur. Proin at elit tellus. Sed eget velit id diam sodales egestas. Proin a nibh ut purus semper blandit id quis metus. Suspendisse non dapibus quam. Proin tristique risus nec neque malesuada accumsan. Sed nec urna ipsum, pulvinar consequat ligula. Donec id lorem tortor. Nam quis dui eu massa malesuada rhoncus. Suspendisse fringilla fringilla turpis, vitae vehicula ipsum rutrum nec. Curabitur varius tempor aliquam. Praesent placerat porttitor ligula, eu suscipit risus hendrerit id. Nulla justo sapien, mollis id mattis ut, rutrum nec elit. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Maecenas quis dui arcu. Suspendisse vehicula quam a magna cursus imperdiet pellentesque eget eros. Proin nunc sem, porta sed tincidunt sed, malesuada a nunc. Sed in nunc ut arcu gravida tempus sed vitae sem. Suspendisse rhoncus massa felis.
Roost | polymer clay, fake fur, rubber, wire, glass eyes, foam | variable dimentions
2009
79
ralph S L A T T O N “Twas brillig, and the slithy ones toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.” - Lewis Carol Most would recognize this opening verse from Lewis Carol’s poem, Jaberwocky. I would consider it a beautiful analogy that enlightens my compositions. As in the Jaberwocky, symbols are used sometimes nonsensical, setting the mood over literal interpretation. As such, my animals elusively disguise some moral truth, human condition, personal dilemma, or religious conundrum. People who view my work often respond with opposite reactions. Some experience humorous animals, while others see sinister ones. This often occurs in the art of ancient cultures, where humorous icons carry serious content. For example, the cute plump dogs found in pre-Columbian art would at first glance appear whimsical. On the darker side, the dogs are supposedly eaten by their masters, during the journey to the underworld.
Transmigration | intaglio | 25 x 31"
2003
81
brandon S M I T H Cows, fences, rural buildings and landscapes are part of my experiences. These things are key into the world that I am creating which is a parallel to the world I know. For me these things have very specific connotations though I do not deny the broader interpretations. Cows mean everything from mass consumption of an industrialized world to the epitome of animal cruelty to the very definition of Kitsch in the mass produced marketing of decorative art. These characters are present but they are not the story. I am interested in capturing a mix of emotional, intellectual and psychological aspects within these paintings. The rural landscape of my mind and youth is beautiful, grotesque, as well as emotionally and physically hard. I am not interested in the accurate depiction of this space for that has never had meaning for me. The landscape has a presence, a mixture of depression, anxiety and loss as well as health and fortitude. Two or five cows grazing in a green field can be majestic and beautiful or pitiful and lonely. From the beginning the dominant idea for the landscape within my paintings has to do with a representation that is not the way it is, but instead it is the way I remember or perceive it to be. In my paintings I want to talk about these things. Subjects often become metaphors for other things cows for people, trailers for cows, and landscape for livelihood. These are natural progressions that happen with and without my permission.
Three Cows Pulling Object in Sky | oil on canvas, clay | variable dimensions
2009
83
brea S O U D E R S The photographs in this series are interpretations of superstitions that I have collected from various sources, including old texts, internet forums and word of mouth. I’m interested in the way superstitions reflect the human urge for story telling and our need for control in an uncertain world. They act as portals to a childhood sensibility, and can transform an ordinary scene into a mysterious tableau, rich with meaning. While researching this project, I found that superstitions morph from place to place, but certain themes remain constant. I became interested in what these themes can tell us about our fears and desires, and how they shape our psychology from an early age. Using both meditated and candid photography, I look to capture the whimsy and tension that superstitions evoke in us, and to illuminate the scope of our collective imaginings.
Crossing | c print (left) | 20 x 20" Caught | c print | 20 x 20"
2008
2008
85
rob T A R B E L L In my practice, making art is as much about directing intent as it is about scientific tinkering. All of my diverse is linked by the transformation and manipulation of traditional materials and the exploration of non-traditional ones. The loss of an original and the use of elaborate processes are inherent to the creation of the smokes, paintings, and porcelain series. The work intends to both balance accident with control and give permanence to the ephemeral.
PigRabbit | porcelain | 9 x 9 x 9"
(Far Left)
BearRabbit (little) | porcelain | 6 x 8 x 8"
2008 (Right)
BearRabbit (standing) | porcelain | 6 x 8 x 8"
2008
87
sylvia T A Y L O R For the last several years I’ve used images of animals or objects imbued with animallike qualities in my work. Often, autobiographical, the creatures in my relief prints explore pathos, humor and humanity of existence. On one level I find animals to be perfect alter egos, and on another level I am simply moved by their beauty and strangeness. My recent work has a non-linear narrative quality with little creatures enacting their humble dramas, always alluding to the metaphorical journey of life.
I Still Love You | relief print | 17 x 21"
2008 (Left)
Little Revolution | relief print | 8 x 20"
2009
89
anastasia W A R D I am a sculpture artist that uses electronics in my work in order to give animatronics life to my creatures. The fabric material and electronics that make up my sculptures come from used commercial toys and well-loved stuffed animals. I want to give these used toys a new character and second life. I accomplish this by designing new imaginary creatures with animal and human-like characteristics. I use electronics from multiple toys and rebuild them so they operate in a way unique to their new character. A final product, for example, might look like a cross between a squirrel and a caterpillar, and because of its internal structure of gears and motion detectors, would move in a caterpillar-squirrel-like way.
Narwhal | cloth, electronics, glass |12 x 12" Quid | cloth, electronics, glass | 24 x 12"
2006 (Far Left)
2006 (Right)
Deartoy | cloth, electronics, glass, leather | 30 x 20"
2008
91
amy W E N D L A N D My work centers on human foibles and fears. Often I use animals or animal-like creatures as metaphors for the human condition. I confront heavy issues in a light-hearted manner, using humor to highlight the droll and occasionally farcical nature of our existence. My work is intended to attract and disquiet, to seduce and repel. It is foreign, yet curiously familiar. “Dead Toy� is an upside-down, headless creature of uncertain ancestry. The piece is intended to disquiet even as it amuses. Legs straight in the air, the toy has clearly shrugged this mortal coil. Although deceased, the toy remains an object designed for our amusement. Too often we view earth as our playground, animals as toys or tools to be used and discarded.
Deadtoy | walnut, sheepskin | 10 x 15.5 x 6"
2003 (Far Left)
93
gayle marie W E I T Z I am an art educator. I educate others about art (artists and works), in art (processes and techniques) and through art (using art to address issues.) I make art to get people to think and to question, and possibly to change. I believe in the power of truth, and in the power of education to reveal truths, and to serve as a nonviolent catalyst for change. I believe that survival depends upon diversity, which requires consideration of and respect for others and the environment – others who differ by gender, race, sexual orientation, class, religion, age, intelligence, or species. I desire to alleviate unnecessary suffering wherever it occurs (in humans, animals, and the environment).
Night Owl | carved, painted, and collaged wood |64 x 64 x 10"
2008
95
credits
front cover: sylvia taylor I Still Love You (detail)
catalog design: jennifer wilham special thanks to: becky alley gallery director