Patchwork
“Patchwork” — Clay Monoprint by Andrew Smith of the Visual Realia studio.
The Past just left. Its remnants, I claim, are mostly fiction. We're stranded here with the threadbare patchwork of memory, you with yours, I with mine."
— Denis Johnson
"Patchwork"
Clay Monoprint on Pellon
8" x 10"
Andrew Smith / Visual Realia Studio
The square and rectangle blocks, newly added for this work, interplay with the large central yellow diamond and green and blue diagonal stripes, all remnants (patches) of previous works.
For the new elements, I purposely wanted to utilize my lesser chosen color slips, including siennas, umbers, red iron oxide, French rose madder, French yellow ochre, and the onion skin dyed slip.
Maryland Federation of Art's Spring Member Show
Maryland Federation of Art's Spring Member Show Online Gallery
I’m pleased to be one of sixty artists selected from 427 entries to be part of the Maryland Federation of Art's Spring Member Show 2022, opening today. The exhibit runs through May 28th.
MFA Circle Gallery
18 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401
Online:
https://mdfedart.com/mfaentry/galleryA/index.php...
Congratulations to Gettysburg artist Jim Mackey for his selection, as well.
“Anthem” — Clay Monoprint on Pellon by Andrew Smith of Visual Realia studio.
York & Hanover's "Invisible Wall"
I had the good fortunate to talk (and exchange emails) with Jim McClure about the “invisible wall” between York and Hanover, both in the art world and in general. Mr. McClure does a great job sharing some of the historical separations. Communities (and artists) in that straight line between York-Hanover-Gettysburg would benefit from greater efforts to work together.
Read the article at this link.
MFA Spring Member Show
“Anthem” by Andrew Smith of Visual Realia
I'll be taking this piece ("Anthem") south (Annapolis) for the Maryland Federation of Art's juried Spring Member Show this May. More info on visiting the exhibit when we get closer.
Hope in the Balance: Ukraine
"Hope in the Balance"
Clay Monoprint on Pellon
18" x 32"
Andrew Smith/Visual Realia
“Hope in the Balance” - Clay Monoprint by Andrew T. Smith of Visual Realia
"Hope in the Balance"
Clay Monoprint on Pellon
18" x 32"
by Andrew Smith/Visual Realia
The blue and yellow flag is associated with Ukraine and its long struggles with independence, having been flown by soldiers in Kyiv in 1917. The flag was banned under Soviet rule but began appearing again in 1990. It was raised above the Ukrainian Parliament in September of 1991.
In this monoprint, fissures appear in the wheatfields and lands, and the national flower, the sunflower, serves as the sun, both potentially rising and setting. Hope is in the balance.
The colored interruptions in the sky are efforts of the art to speak - echoes of past prints appearing, perhaps in a visually appropriate way: clouds of war. This monoprint is a larger work, using the full clay slab (matrix) used to design the image.
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron."
― Dwight D. Eisenhower
Jingle Ball 2021
Top image: Adams County Arts Council
Adams County Arts Council's Jingle Ball
Saturday, December 4th, 6-11 PM
The Gettysburg National Military Park Visitors’ Center
I’ll have only one hour at the Adams County Arts Council’s annual fundraising gala, the Jingle Ball, to design, paint, pull, seal, and frame a print that will go up for auction to benefit the non-profit. Should be challenging — and fun!
The bottom portion of the image above shows the clay matrix that I’ll be designing on prior to the gala. Some of these elements may impact the finished print.