I visited numerous galleries the next day. I started off my gallery adventure at art 6, where I immediately noticed that it was not professional work being displayed. I viewed several pieces of work without looking at the paper describing the event beforehand, and felt a very strong"AFO" vibe, if you may. Everything felt as if it were done for a project following specific guidelines, which isn't always a bad thing, but I just don't really want to view that in a nice gallery setting. I'd rather see it walking down the hall at Bowe Street. This feeling was pretty constant until I saw two huge painted portraits, not displayed next to each other, but definitely by the same artist. These, to me, were outstanding compared to the other obvious amateur work. I then saw the handout stating that it was a high school juried show. This realization made the bad and so-so work make more sense, and the paintings by Joe Riley even more amazing. There were a few other pieces by different students that I genuinely liked and could appreciate as art, but none stood out as much as his paintings for me. The other thing that stuck out to me was the work by the featured high school teacher, Brigette Newberry. I love patterns and mixing fabrics, and her combination of that and sewing techniques was incredible to me. I kept looking at all of the detailed stitching again and again, wishing I could do something like that.... which reminded me, I need to look into my want to double major in craft and material studies. I feel as if I would be able to make some crazy things with my hands with the proper training, and seeing work like that is an inspiration.
My next stop was at the Visual Art Studio. Just like my last first friday experience, I was once again drawn to all of the handmade jewelry displayed. I love stuff that isn't mass produced, which is just one more reason to love Richmond's little boutiques. Other than all of the interesting jewelry, I was drawn to one artist's work in particular, Sally Valentine. Her splatter paintings were displayed first, which were alright, but I've seen it before. I then walked back into the second section of the gallery to see another splatter piece, but with so much more umph behind it. There was so much going on, so much paint, yet still a focal point. I wanted to touch it. The textures were driving me crazy. I viewed it from all angles, attempting to fully see all of the bumps and crevasses that the paint created. Other than that, I wasn't all that wowed by the other main artists displayed, Chris Semtner and Terrie Powers. One thing I did like about Terrie Powers' work is the way she displayed the paintings. They were set on painted black pieces of wood, which made the colorful and playful aspects of her paintings pop out.
My last stop was at Ghostprint Gallery, which displayed KLUTCH - Invasive Species. I personally enjoyed his work, as I felt it had a whimsical, mysterious, graphic, and sometimes creepy feel to it. I enjoy work that provokes more than one thought or emotion. I felt as if he displayed an appropriate range of work, with the somewhat disturbing cocoon creatures with a chaotic, splash painted background next to the playful looking fish, yet you could still tell that it was the same artist. I also absolutely love his use of scraps of wood, different shapes and sizes, to create a cohesive work overall. In the back of the gallery, there were a few other paintings displayed which really bothered me. I don't even remember the artist's name, that's how much it bothered me. It wasn't the painting itself that bothered me, yet it was the framing. Some of the paintings were displayed level with their unstained, wooden frames, while others were in more intricate, painted frames with depth which set the picture back. This difference in framing made it very difficult for me to view the pieces as a whole. It looked like a careless mistake.
Although viewing art in a quiet, somewhat exclusive way is nice in most aspects, I would like to experience an actual First Friday event. I'd like to see how much it changes the act of viewing art, as I am easily distracted.
First friday does change things...A Lot! Not always for the better, but also not for worse always. Its an event centered around the art- or at least the instance of art. Its an ever changing ball of energy that can charge some galleries and change the viewing experience. Some art is made for quiet contemplation, others need to resonate within other contexts and situations. As you make what you make its good to think about how your art will look and be looked at and whether or not it affects the direction of where you want to take it. Good post.
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