“This and That” showing at the Alcove Gallery at Antioch University Midwest
“This and That”
Yellow Springs Art Council- Gallery Committee
Alcove Gallery
Antioch University West
July 5-August 31
Reception: July 17th, 5-7 PM
Angela Day * Nancy Mellon * Mary Cargan * Kathy Verner Moulton
Diane Collinson * Theresa Mayer * Angela Smith
With summer in full swing and celebrations a plenty, come and celebrate the talented artists that volunteer their time to help the YSAC Gallery Council. A little bit of this, and a little bit of that is what goes into the varied mediums that each of our artists work with. With backgrounds in all types of mediums the show highlights the fun, and curiosity that goes into the art making process. The importance of art and community is meaningful to our Gallery Council, and this is a moment to share more of our artistic talents with our community.
As a recent transplant to the Yellow Springs community I have been looking for a way to become more acquainted with the local art community. Joining the Yellow Springs Art Council has been a wonderful way to connect with local artists and recently I was able to gather some insight to our artists and their artistic practices. Alongside the short interview below, come visit with the artist at our opening to pick their minds with your own questions and join in our celebration of our talented artists!
Please join us for the Reception on July 17th from 5-7 PM at the Alcove Gallery located at Antioch University West, 900 Dayton St, Yellow Springs, Ohio. If you would like to show at the Alcove Gallery or have any other questions feel free to contact Angela Smith, Gallery Coordinator, at asmithysarts@gmail.com.
“Why Art?”
Nancy Mellon: I need it for my peace and to help me know who I am.
Angela Day: Since childhood art has been my steady companion. Making art allows me to focus on the visual and meditate on abstract shape, color, and light variation.
Theresa Mayer: I like being able to express my feelings and loves through art.
Nancy Mellon, “Five At the Aviary” Acrylic on repurposed canvas.
“What is your dream project?”
Nancy: I’ve already had the pleasure of doing quite a few dream projects with my art partner Corrine Bayrakraroglu. We called ourselves the Jafagirls. Working with another artist where you ping off of each others ideas, enthusiasm and creativity is such a exhilarating experience. You feel very alive. Corrine moved to Phoenix a year and a half ago, so our time of doing dream projects together is probably over, but, my goodness, it was fun!
Angela: Rather than a dream project, I have goals of painting more landscapes on location and full figure portraits in interior settings.
Theresa: I don’t know if I have a dream project. I have loved learning to use different mediums over the years, right now I’m enjoy mixing and combining them. I am working with glass, watercolor and ink now, seeing how they can work together is fun.
“Why are design elements important?”
Nancy: I love lines, where they lead you, how they loop and twirl so gracefully, how they create emphasis,I adore color and the impact and beauty it provides, and I work at balance and weight and where the eye is led around a piece. Why are these important? Because they make the piece work, they give you that “YES” moment. My art is very visual, not about the idea as much as the process and being in the moment, the way it looks and often the giggle it gives.
Angela: The balance of shape, color, and value among other visual elements determine the overall harmony of a composition. The success of a drawing or painting is decided by the effect of the components of design and whether the result is pleasing or not.
Theresa: Depending on what medium I am working with affects what I think the most important design element is. Sometimes it may be a line when I’m using ink, when I’m using glass it may be getting chemical or color reactions between the glasses I’m using or when I’m using watercolors the colors and interactions of the paint.
Angela Day, “23 and One” Acrylic on Canvas
“What memorable responses have you had to your work?”
Nancy: Corrine and I had many conversations with passerby’s that tickled us both as we installed our yarn bombs and textile art pieces. Half the fun was watching people react to them. One of our favorite was a blind man who asked us for a tour of them, he loved to touch them. We were also told that they were the reason a couple of people moved to town- and one couple chose to get married under the Knit Knot tree, how cool is that ! It was amazing to both of us that the Jafagirls were featured in 7 books (And I love books!), were interviewed for radio shows and the Art Show on TV, had 2 of our public art projects go viral on the internet and in news papers around the world, had the wonder of being asked by 2 art museums to do art projects for them, had cartoons created to spoof us by a wonderful local artist, did a 6 week artist residence at a new Dayton Library and generally had a blast.
“What are aspects of your work or your process that are important for the viewer to know, or that might surprise you?”
Nancy: I work all over the place, in my studio, on the kitchen table, on the floor of the parlor in my house, in the garage on plastic work tables, on a fence or outside on the streets of Yellow Springs. You can make art anywhere with anything. I believe that everybody creates art. Anytime you make decisions with the material stuff around you to make it beautiful or comforting or useful, you are creating and adding joy to the world.
Angela: Sometimes I work right in my living space even if it is not set up as a studio. Recently I painted a still-life of a bouquet of flowers in my living room. In the middle of working, my cat ran right across the wet canvas and made footprints on the furniture and floor. There is little separation between my life and my art.
