Artwork by Exploratory Arts Studio Artists; from VSA N4th Art Center

Hello Readers,

I would like to take a moment and share with you the upcoming exhibition of artists from VSA N4th Art Center's Exploratory Program. 

I had the pleasure of working with many talented artist within Exploratory as part of my first year through Americorps. It is nice to see their efforts move out into the community. So, if you are in or from around Albuquerque, or know someone who is, come and support the artists and your local community. The exhibit will be taking place at Hookah Kings Westside, 9784 Coors Blvd. NW (First right after Irving Blvd.) Albuquerque, NM 87114.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for supporting your local artists
Jonathan Parks

P.S. You can also visit VSA N4th art center to see more of the artists work. To learn more how you can support, visit:
4904 Fourth Street NW

Albuquerque, NM 87107

http://www.facebook.com/VSANorthFourth
http://vsartsnm.org/

Glass Landscape

There is this most ridiculous of places to leave a person in wonderment. Situated far to close to the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque, NM- in what should be prime riparian habitat; yet I can not help but accept it's presence.

Environmental blight or spectacular dreamscape, this dumpsite which was repeatedly burned to remove waste has left behind a glittering landscape to behold. I realize what harm such a place held and holds on the environment; particularly so close to the river. However, as an artist I like to see the potential in what has already come to be. Some say leave it be, some sort of beautiful place everyone should visit. Some go rake and bucket in hand to seek out their treasures. Some would demand the clean-up of what could easily be labeled- environmental hazard; return what was made wrong and make it right again.

I can see where most rational opinions can have a place. As someone who cares dearly for the natural world I wish such things would not be. Treating this place as some sort of historic site or preserving it's place in the world seems a bit much in my opinion. People learn from their own and their predecessors mistakes; accepting what is and finding something new and good in it all- also is where I stand. However, I don't think someone should visit digging with a rake or shovel for that special find; only to stir it about- health hazards I imagine abound. I expect mercury and lead amongst the black dust and glass. Remnants of pasts lives, mostly broken (lol, the glass- not necessarily their lives), some not broken, some melted, ceramic shards, and occasional pieces of metal. Bottles may still even have their caps- joking if you are to open one of those scarcities you may unleash the plague, but unlikely.

I can imagine there are places like this all over the world; but, this is almost in my backyard. The leftovers of decades of seemingly endless glass- left behind when all else has smoltered away by ignorance. Have to say you need to see the beauty in it and move past to something better- like melted lightbulbs :)

Thanks for Reading!

Allyson Packer

Allyson Packer; fellow artist and friend, is having an upcoming exhibition of her work in Albuquerque, NM at the Harwood Art Center; I wanted to take a moment and offer her my support.

Allyson Packer works in a variety of media, taking subject matter from her own life and using it to examine the human need to seek out structure and understand our place within it. She received her BFA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and has shown nationally in Maryland, Minnesota, and New Mexico. She was the recipient of the Harwood Art Center's 2010 Crissey Emerging Artist Fellowship and has been named a 2011 fellow at the McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, NC.

Her upcoming exhibition, "As Much as I Can Carry: Personal Plans for Survival," the artist creates installations reflecting on her experiences surrounding time she spent living in New Mexico. Using the theme of survivalism in the desert, her artwork tells the story of an individual searching for meaning in a desolate environment. Serving as a site for the projection of an internal conflict, the desert reveals both the conscious desire for autonomy and subconscious desire for comfort and inclusion.

You can find out more about Allyson and her work at these websites, http://allysonpacker.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/user/allypak.

So if you are in ABQ, go see Allyson's show, Opening Friday, July 1, 2011 6pm-8pm.

As Much as I Can Carry: Personal Plans for Survival

At the Harwood Art Center main gallery

1114 7th Street NW
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505) 242-6367

http://harwoodartcenter.org

Thank you for reading,

Jonathan

P.S. Thanks A.P., for the info :)

Art Materials (Model Kits?) Continued

As promised, I want to briefly update you all on the, "Art Materials (Model Kits?)," adventure with encaustic paint.

The future plan is to paint or dip these, roughly 3.5 inch plastic people in encaustic paint and then add them to a sculpture; generally speaking that is. I have been more inclined to work three-dimensionally for some time now and want to place a human element in some pieces.

I thought I should test how the encaustic and it's processes effect the plastic with the scraps first; for example, see what might happen under heat. I am also slightly concerned about how the wax will stay stuck to something like this; maybe I should rough it up a bit. Anyway, here are a couple of pics to show you up close what they look like out of the box.

Thank you for reading and don't forget to check back for future updates.