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MAINSITE
Opening Reception Event in conjunction with Norman Gallery Association, 2007 Winter Art Walk and Norman Arts Council Winterfest. Open Studios upstairs from MAINSITE, Bill and Juanita Williams, and Sarah Atlee.
Amanda Weathers-Bradway
Amanda Weathers Bradway is a self-taught artist from Oklahoma City. Her paintings have been exhibited extensively in Oklahoma City, and have been shown in Tulsa and California. Her subject matter is greatly influenced by ancient Eastern cultures. The latest series, "Year of the Dragon", is a work in progress over the next year and will feature two main characters: "Miso" (a small Asian girl) and "Ping" (the dragon).
"Inspiration for my work comes from ancient Japanese, Chinese and Thai cultures. Using acrylic, gel pen, and graphite on wood, the whimsical characters are often the solitary focal point with intricately drawn abstract floral borders. These elements allow me to create scenes of nature, beauty, and serenity, and depict a lost sense of child-like simplicity. These works are a self-admonition to take a moment out of my day to observe things with the primitive innocence of a child, and to live life while consciously observing the simple things that escape everyday notice."
Paul Mays
Paul Mays grew up in Blanchard, Oklahoma, building things and forming an everlasting love for art and nature. He received his BFA from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. He received a Jurors award at IAO's Edge Art Now in 2007, was awarded a duo show for his work at Artifacts' Square Show, and recently received an honorable mention and purchase award for his work in the Seven State Biennial. His work is included in numerous private collections, including USAO's Gallery.
"My work is an abstract description of the collective conscious energy, or eros, that unites the universe. I describe this unity with abstract linear patters and formally arranged materials. The physical components of my work represent elements used in ancient philosophies to describe the world: from Taoism, water, wood, fire, earth, and metal; from Greek thought, air fire, earth, water, and eros (spirit). It is with these subjects that I create an atmosphere reminiscent of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods intertwined with influences from Vintage Route 66 and vacant industrial ruins."
Paul Kriley
Born in Kansas, Paul and his family traveled to Wyoming and Colorado before coming to Oklahoma. He received his BFA in painting from the University of Oklahoma in 2007.
"Hmm, I don't know what you people like to do on a Friday night, but here is a little work by a man with intestines that will send him into a tiled room from time to time…I like the gregarious qualities amongst people and animals. I observe these aspects amongst objects of all sorts as a mix of reality with an accepted lie. I think that society has a tendency to accept and live by a lie if it is what is comfortable. I don't want to push odd aspects but just to think that they have always been there…I work by drawing without intuition. In fact, my only intuition is probably that I hope that I do not understand the drawings. I think that I have seen this kind of acceptance in the non-representational work by Yves Tanguy and on the back cover of Highlights magazine when I was a boy. Along with this I hope for playful antidotes that seem to make everything okay. I think that narrative work serves my work in that it allows me to narrate meaninglessness…For this body of work I wanted to be able to relate to the objects but to try and orchestrate images that would build their own story. This means that the objects are recognizable yet what they are about is abstract. I offer the image free of meaning. Nevertheless, I think that my social quandaries become partial in meaning of some of the imagery. In this case I feel that these are usually satirical observations juxtaposing the poetic understandings of how life is thought to be and my perception of what it is. Any of these observations are extremely vague and not crucial."
Trent Still
Trent Still is a self taught photographer, born in San Francisco, California. From the age of 10, he has essentially been on his own. Through those years of independent exploration of the United States, he has found himself passionately fascinated with documentary photography.
"In the formation of [FEAR] [EPIDEMIC] [REVOLUTION], I was intrigued by the conditioning of our society to fear what was once thought of as ordinary and safe. Witnessing the fairly innocent structure of public transportation or the eternal sanctuary of churches and religion being transformed into the most dangerous places in America was amazing and ridiculous to me. It was as if any story published by our media was taken deep into the psyche of every American, no matter what degree of truth is was based on. Our nation's naiveté and our decline into a full-fledged epidemic of misconceived fear have come to a boiling point. Being afraid has become our most integrated addiction. This series, [FEAR] [EPIDEMIC] [REVOLUTION], is meant to be seen as a visual exploration of where our fear as a nation has been hiding. The title is a timeline of what has happened and what needs to happen next. The gas masked body in each photo represents society's fear in each situation; whether it be a terrorist hijacking a subway train or a child predator lurking within the pews at Sunday mass. As my audience I request that in each photo, you find what the gas mask represents to you aand then look into that fear. Try to understand where it comes from. Differentiate between freak instances and typical circumstances; between single people and whole races, classes or genders. Looking at your own fear and starting to break it down is the beginning of our revolution. On the timeline, your fear was taught to you, then it overtook you and now you can break down those perceptions. Fear is taught as a way to segregate, and prevailing over that segregation can connect America. This revolution is of the mind. It is not to be fought with violence and weapons; it is to be forged with understanding, with acceptance, and with trust. You are a revolutionary and this is our revolution."
Jill Hogan
Jill was born and raised in Oklahoma before moving to the desert to study at Arizona State University. She has studied in London and is a trained abstract artist. She developed her style while receiving private instruction from Bette Ridgeway. She applies fluid acrylic paints to unstretched canvas to create her images.
"I have been inspired to create art that translates what I see and feel energetically into a creative form that you can see and experience. Each piece is poured and the subject matter spontaneously appears as I allow Spirit to work through me."
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MAINSITE Contemporary Art
122 E Main Street
Norman Ok 73070
405.292.8095
www.mainsite-art.com
Links to past exhibitions:
Dorothy Moses/Ruth Borum
OU MFA 2007
International Visions 2007
George Bogart/Billy Reid
Emergent 2006
Mateo Galvano/Sarah Hearn
Chrome Chocolate
Tom Lee ~ Jack Slentz
Hughes/Taylor exhibit
i was an inflatable sun
Hils/Randall exhibit
Visions in the Flesh
Emergent 2005