Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Printed Page @ Arcadia!

The Printed Page. An Exhibition curated by Gretchen Diehl.

The Printed Page is a show of work inspired by, influenced by, or created in the image of a physical book. The show will combine 2D and 3D work which is reminiscent of illustrations from literature, or somehow showcases the experience of reading a good book.

No matter how virtual our lives become, no matter how steeped in the brief and fleeting moments of connectivity we find ourselves, we will never lose our affinity for the printed page. As the barrage of screens fatigue our collective eyes we turn to pictures, ink and storytelling to revive them. We carry out what is necessary within the wires, but we truly experience life when nestled neatly within the pages of a good book.


Featuring Recent work by:

Anne Canfield
Gretchen Diehl
Maria DiMaurio
Leah Dyckman
Chava Evans
Dena Haden
Daniel Hoffman
Darla Jackson
Faye Kendall
April Nett
David Tripp
Marie Ulmer
Katie VanVliet
Jeremy Waltman
Alissa Bristow





-----------------------------------------------------------


Get to know a few of the exhibiting artists:


Meet: Katie VanVliet




1.     1.Who are you? Where are you from? What is your medium of choice?      

I am a printmaker, sometimes a sculptor, but an all the time busybee.  I run a printshop in Fishtown, and this is my 9th year in Philly.  Before that, I lived in the Poconos with my mom, and way before that, in the desert in central California. My medium of choice is copper, and I print etchings from copperplates, and sometimes etch drawings onto copper objects that I've found.  My very first etching was printed from a little square of roofing copper that I found on the street, next to a construction site.

2.     2. Gretchen stated that the show is “work inspired by, influenced by, or created in the image of a physical book.”  How does this statement relate to the work you produced for the show?

Most of my etchings are whimsical narratives, and I usually pay homage to some of my favorite books as a kid (that I read and reread as an adult); the Narnia books,Alice in WonderlandSteppenwolf, The Neverending Story and a secret favorite, Beyond the PawPaw Trees. I love that these stories are completely rooted in normal reality, but have something that takes them off track into fantasy. For the Printed Page piece, Six Ways to Get Where You're Going, I used characters, places, and other cuttings from my etchings to collage a new narrative.  They're set into a plastic case that is conveniently quite book like. (It's a pair of Seasonique birth control packages, from another body of work called The Only Reason I'm Still on The Pill is for this Art Project).

3.    2. Is the “affinity for the printed page” and fatigue from “the barrage of screens” something that regularly influences your work?

Every time Hollywood makes one of my old favorites into a movie, I die a little inside.  





-----------------------------------------------------------------------


Meet: Jeremy Waltman.




1. Who are you? Where are you from?  What is your medium of choice?      
Jeremy Waltman. Portage, Pennsylvania. Ink

2. Gretchen stated that the show is “work inspired by, influenced by, or created in the image of a physical book.” How does this statement relate to the work you produced for the show?

German, Book Two, Traveling is second in series of three graphic novels following the character named German.  
3. Is the “affinity for the printed page” and fatigue from “the barrage of screens” something that regularly influences your work?

Printing the graphic novels is about the “affinity for the printed page”. Screens have they're place, but so too does the page.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------


Meet: Anne Canfield.




1. Who are you? Where are you from?  What is your medium of choice?      
My name is Anne Canfield.  I am a visual artist who loves to draw and paint.  I was born in Bethlehem, PA, went to high school in the Philly suburbs, and have been living in Philadelphia since 1995. Oil paint on panel is my medium of choice, but the runner up would be graphite on paper.
2. Gretchen stated that the show is “work inspired by, influenced by, or created in the image of a physical book.” How does this statement relate to the work you produced for the show?

While I am not particularly interested in telling a linear story with my work or creating an illustration for a narrative, my work is certainly influenced by the children’s books and stories that I grew up with.  I am more closely interested in a sense of wonderment that one might associate with fairy tales.  The small painting “And Then He Told Us to Leave”, is my homage to the classic Grimm fairy tale: you have the cast-outs, the fictive landscape, the sense of place far away, the shadowy forest, and if you look real close, a pair of sinister eyes peering out.  

3. Is the “affinity for the printed page” and fatigue from “the barrage of screens” something that regularly influences your work?
 
Sure, I’d go farther and say it influences my life on a whole (no cable in the house and I refuse to get a smart phone…).   I cherish books.  Perhaps it would be a stretch to say that I make work in response to an idea of printed material over quicker, more direct forms of media.  I do source from my collections of printed material constantly.  I use all sorts of things as resource; printed photographs, gardening books, coffee table books, children’s books, fine art books, design books, you name it and I’ve used it or been inspired by it. 


 
--------------------------------------------------------------------



So, Please join us tomorrow night for the opening reception of The Printed Page as well as our Fourth Birthday Party and trunk shows featuring two of our favorite local designers: Duke & Winston Clothing and Sultana Maria Jewelry.

As always drinks & snacks will be served!


Tunes provided by our favorite djs: John Madden Sex Tape!

Can't wait to see you!


-Mallory










No comments:

Post a Comment