Hey! I know these kids!

A student (girl) and ex-student (boy) of mine are having their first art exhibit opening today — 5:00 PM at Komax in South Charleston, WV (D-street.)

I’m not taking credit — the exhibit is of work created in an afterschool art program taught by local artist (and amazing person) Barrie Kauffmann. I am just really happy to see these young artists getting some exposure, and I hope they have a really good turnout for their show. They’re both super-cool kids and I know the art is going to be impressive!

I probably won’t be going … my daughter had ear tube surgery this morning (it went really well!) and we’ll most likely chill out at home tonight. I will be catching the show at some point, real soon, though. I am so proud of these kids!

Nativity Creativity

Hey, check it out! Our packing tape Nativity installation made the Gazette!

This was part of the December Artwalk, and my students put on an exhibit of not only the packing tape Nativity scene, but also a variety of pieces done throughout the first semester. It was a huge success– we had a lot of visitors and people seemed to enjoy the art. They had a lot of great things to say about the other venues, as well! I didn’t get to check them out, but I know that there are always lots of great things to see during Artwalk.

Maybe we’ll do another artwalk in February — remember, it’s always the 3rd Thursday of each month, unless otherwise noted on the website. There will be no artwalk in January.

Buddha Dreams

Another Mark Soppeland piece from the Lightscapes exhibit.

Grotto of Dreams

This is a piece from “Grotto of Dreams,” a portion of the Lightscapes exhibit at the Clay Center (Juliet Museum of Art, to be exact.) The artist who made this figure is Mark Soppeland, who makes some really interesting, highly-detailed assemblages using found objects and light sources. He made a collection of pieces for his “grotto,” and a few extra stand at the entrance of the exhibit.

Lightscapes

Photo totally ripped off from the Gazz.

If you haven’t had an opportunity to check out the “Lightscapes for the Holidays” exhibit at the Clay Center, you really should go. It’s definitely not one of those “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all” holiday exhibits you expect to find around Christmas — not that there’s anything wrong with familiar and comfortable, but this is a pleasant surprise.

The exhibit is a series of installations and sculptures using light as a medium. The photo above shows the awesome local artist Mark Tobin Moore in front of his exhibit, “They Are Still With Us,” which calls to mind all the people who are no longer with us, who we remember especially during the holidays.

I am taking all my classes to see it, even if we have to zip over and back during the regular class time, because it’s just that cool. I am lucky that the school is practically next door to the Clay Center (especially the Juliet Museum of Art, located upstairs in the CC) because it’s such an excellent resource. People really don’t understand what a treasure we have in our city. It’s so much more than just a performance hall and kids’ museum — and it has so much potential to grow through the years, too!

The Art Show Opening — The Purple Moon

The always-awesome Rudy Panucci and his companion, Melanie came out to the show — looking fabulous, by the way!

My husband, Mike, and daughter Olivia, checking out the Goebel prints in the alcove.

I call this one “Charlestonian Gothic.” I always make dorky faces when people stick a camera in my face. I like being on the other side of the camera, better. Anyway, that’s my exhibit. The piece in the middle is made up of 9 smallish photos of fun things — toys, disco lights, paintbrushes, hot rod parts… you get the idea. It’s called, obviously, “Play.” The two on the right are miniaturized shots, and the Statue of Liberty is a mixed media oil pastel/ink/scratch art piece.

I love these ladies! These are my friends Julie, Robin, and Tracey (from l-r behind me). They came all the way from Spencer to surprise me at my show opening, then we all went out to eat at Sitar of India. Yum!!!

It was a blast. The Modern Guy and Modern Lady have a sweet little shop, and I enjoyed looking around. A lot of people came through. It was a good showing!

Next up: the rest of Friday’s Artwalk.

Lunch-hour Peace

While you’re taking a lunch break and pondering the chaos of holiday visitors, why not take a few minutes to visit an art gallery?

Here’s a great one, and you won’t even have to leave your desk — The Missing Peace — Artists Consider the Dalai Lama. This is a fabulous exhibit in which artists represent the teachings of the Dalai Lama, his persona, and other aspects of his existence. It is an impressive exhibit, including works by Richard Avedon, Chuck Close, and even Richard Gere.

Here is an overview of the exhibit, information about the artists, and upcoming dates and locations of this exhibit.

The Peep Show — Photos

Entering the exhibit, from the stairs

Peepshow Theater

The opposite corner of the exhibit — art by Amy Williams and Donna Whitten on the white wall, and by Joe Mullins, M. Elizabeth Dailey, and Jamie Miller on brick wall.

Peeps!

Diego and Frida

Check out the Diego Rivera/Frida Kahlo collaboration at Taylor Books:

photo by Amy Williams

Local artist Amy Williams made Frida, Charly Hamilton made Diego, and photographer Mark Wolfe took the creepy cemetary photo in the background. The exhibit debuted at this month’s Art Walk last Thursday, but will be up until the end of the month. It’s in the Annex Gallery front window, to the left of the Taylor Books storefront.

Collaborations make me happy.