Upcoming Exhibition – Uniquely Ukraine: Work by David Miretsky and Svetlana Derenshuk

Media Contact:
Phyllis Weston
Phyllis Weston Gallery
513.321.5200
phyllisweston1@mac.com

For Immediate Release:

Uniquely Ukraine: Paintings by David Miretsky and Svetlana Derenshuk
Reception: Friday, February 17, 5-8 pm
Exhibition continues through March 31, 2012

Phyllis Weston Gallery is proud to announce Uniquely Ukraine: Paintings by David Miretsky and Svetlana Derenshuk. Two of the great artistic traditions coming from Ukraine’s rich history are icon and miniature painting. Recent decades produced talented masters who mix colorful palettes with unconventional imagery and human forms. This exhibition includes intimate miniature paintings by Miretsky and contemporary folk paintings by Derenshuk.

One of the greatest living miniature painters is David Miretsky. Miretsky, born in Kiev, studied at the Kiev Art Institute. In following years the unorthodox subject matter of his work led to his arrest and confiscation of certain works. After his release, Miretsky left the Soviet Union to pursue the expressive freedoms now seen in his paintings. With the helps of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, he arrived in the United States in 1975 where Phyllis Weston gave his first exhibition at Closson’s Art Gallery.  Currently, Miretsky resides in New York City where he has become a very successful artist on the East Coast.
Miretsky’s paintings lend insight into human characters. He has borrowed imagery from his native culture to make provocative statements about the human condition whose relevance extends far beyond Russian society. The evolution of his art reflects the happiness and success he has found in American life. He continues to paint in the same traditions, displaying the potential tenderness in human relationships; yet his subjects have become less somber and more elegant.
Svetlana Derenshuk’s contemporary folk paintings speak to the tradition of Icon painting in the Ukraine.  Historically, the icon is a flat panel painting depicting a holy being or object.  Contemporary interpretation extends the definition to include a wide number of contexts; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it either concretely or by analogy.
Through painting, Derenshuk expresses her love of humanity and the world in which she lives. She recalls that, “…A painting must be like a divine icon. You look at it and a happy feeling takes over your body. Painting does not have to be explained. The beauty must be clear and understandable to everyone.”
Born in Mariupol, Ukraine (1972), Derenshuk currently resides in Kiev. She studied Fine Art at Mariupol Art Studio and has exhibited in many group and solo shows in the Ukraine, Europe, and the United States.  Many of her works can be found in the collection of the National Museum of Ukraine and in private collections in Germany, Italy, Ukraine, and the United States.
Image Information:
Derenshuk1.jpg – Svetlana Derenshuk, Walking the Dog, tempera on panel, 13 3/4” x 11 3/4”

Gallery Information:
Phyllis Weston Gallery
2005 1/2 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208 – O’Bryonville
Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 – 5 pm and by appointment
513.321.5200
www.phylliswestongallery.com
Parking available on street or in lot behind Cheviot Savings Bank

The story of Phyllis Weston just published by AEQAI

We are thrilled to read the story of our very own Phyllis Weston in the most recent issue of AEQAI journal of art criticism.  Phyllis was the topic of a biographical essay titled Phyllis Weston:  Complex and Amazing Woman which highlights her career in the art world, her travels, her contributions, her adventures in Hollywood and her friendships with iconic 20th century creatives.  The full text can be enjoyed here.

 

Hats off to you, Phyllis!

Kim Flora artwork included in Exhibition at Cincinnati Art Museum – Opening tonight 6 – 9 pm

The Cincinnati Art Museum kicks off the holiday season with the opening of The Collections: 6000 Years of Art. Among the paintings you will find work by Kim Flora, Cincinnati’s premiere encaustic painter. Her work incorporates the ancient method of hot wax painting with modern processes such as collage and digital transfer. Check out the links below to find out more.

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=52041

http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/explore/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/1-the-exhibitions/68-the-collections-6000-years-of-art

Two awards for Cincinnati Designers from the Cincinnati Design Awards

In the historical Hall of Mirrors in the Netherlands Plaza Hotel, Friday evening, John Humphries and Samantha Perkins received recognition at the Cincinnati Design Awards. In the category of environmental graphics a recent exhibition of research by Samantha Perkins titled “Knowhere: finding ways to wayfind”. Knowhere points out how human behavior and environmental context aids in navigation decisions, in an effort to determine a better method of teaching wayfinding design. In Knowhere, points become moments of learning, connected by lines of circulation, called attention to by extruded elements that question and clarify. 

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Using these tools of point, line and plane, Knowhere finds moments of learning within seemingly mundane surroundings. The uninteresting elevator lobby becomes a transitional space that cleanses the palette. The decision point at the end of a stairwell acts as a hub that allows orientation and redirection. The overlooked corridor that leads to hidden workspaces are all called to attention. The grandiose statue at the main entry transforms into a circulation tool and “meet me” location.

 

All of these connect together using paths that lead visitors through space by providing further insight into how these tools can help inform and lead, with the final destination rendering examples of how branding and wayfinding can create a sense of place within an empty space. The exhibition occurred in the Cage Gallery this past fall in Alumni Hall on the Oxford Campus.

 

John and Samantha were also awarded a merit award for the design of course material for their international workshop Mobile Italy 2009 and 2011. “The Road Kit for Exploring Knowhere” is a teaching tool for study abroad programs aimed at increasing visual literacy used when traveling to unfamiliar places. Intended for mobile design investigations, the kit needed to include several elements to facilitate both hand drawing and digital media capture techniques.

 

Rather than providing the equivalent of a fancy pencil case, the Road Kit fully supports a mobile design course within a single-piece felt container. Beyond raw supplies, the piece includes vibrant assignment cards for design and writing which prompt certain ways of seeing and generating student-specific documents, encouraging the use of multiple media, while allowing students to work in new, yet familiar ways. Supporting custom tailored tools, and electronic media devices were also included, all housed within a hand-made bag, original and rugged, not so fancy as to attract thieves.

 

Included project statements encourage use of multiple media, that allow students to work in new, yet familiar ways, including photography, prose, texting, collage, painting, etc.

 

The jurors commented specifically on the innovative directions in design education proposed by both projects.

 

The Cincinnati Design Awards are awards for excellence in design collaboratively given by The Cincinnati Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Cincinnati), the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Cincinnati/Dayton City Center, the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Cincinnati/Dayton, the Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD) Cincinnati Chapter, and the Miami Section of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The jurors included professional designers from New York, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Toronto.

 

Assistant Professor John Humphries is in the Department of Architecture+Interior Design. Samantha Perkins Visiting Assistant Professor is in the Graphic Design Program. Both are happily in the School of Fine Arts and affiliated with the Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies.

 

 

 

Motion and Emotion – Review of Elements of Perception in Citybeat

Arts writer Kathy Schwartz recently featured our current exhibition in Citybeat. See what she had to say about Mark Patsfall and Brian Stuparyk here. If you haven’t been in to see the show, join us on Thursday, November 17th for an artist lecture by Mark Patsfall during the Holiday Wine Walk in O’Bryonville! Lecture starts at 6:30.

Elements of Perception – Incredible Exhibition Opening!

Thank you so much to all of those who made the opening of Elements of Perception so enjoyable. We truly had an amazing time and we hope you did too. To see more photos from the evening join our facebook page!

 

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John Humphries integrates his work in Italy into a valuable lesson in culture for the students at Indian Hill

Artist and architect John Humphries uses his artistic talent to communicate history and mythology to groups of 7th and 8th grade Latin students at Indian Hill.  Click here to read the entire post.

Cheers to John for giving his time to local schools!

City Beat loves Jens Jensen

City Beat’s hip arts columnist Jane Durrell shares her thoughts on our exhibition Jens Jensen: From Rookwood to Modernism  on the City Beat blog and in their weekly print edition.  You can find the blog entry here.

 

Don’t forget to see Jensen’s colorful work in our gallery, on display until October 15!

Save the Date – Elements of Perception: Work by Mark Patsfall and Brian Stuparyk

Media Contact:
Phyllis Weston
Phyllis Weston Gallery
513.321.5200
phyllisweston1@mac.com

For Immediate Release:

Image information:
patsfall1.jpg – Mark Patsfall, Time Traveling Man, 2007, mixed media on silkscreen with lights and video, 72″ x 60″

stuparyk2.jpg – Brian Stuparyk, Tuesday Morning, 2010, 2 color serigraph (3D Anaglyph), plate size 13″ x 13″

Elements of Perception: Work by Mark Patsfall & Brian Stuparyk

Reception: Friday, October 21, 5 – 8 pm
Exhibition continues through November 26, 2011

Phyllis Weston Gallery is proud to announce Elements of Perception – Works by Mark Patsfall and Brian Stuparyk.  Through screen-printing, painting, video, and installation these artists present works that focus on our contemporary perceptions of time, fear, threats, and impossibilities.

Both Patsfall and Stuparyk utilize the mechanics of printmaking to creatively describe the way one’s eye organizes visual material according to psychological premises.  Frank Stella famously said, “what you see is what you see.” He remained close to perception and did not stray too far into literary or personal interpretations. The artists in this exhibit do the exact opposite, and quite often introduce personal interpretation into the observance of visual experience.

Artist Statements and Biographies

Mark Patsfall
The theme permeating all of Patsfall’s work is time.  With his multi-media pieces he references art history, travel, technology, and our contemporary perception of time; some are literal while others are more metaphorical. Each incorporates video as a component, juxtaposing the frozen moment of traditional media (prints, painting or mixed media) with the flow of the time-based media.

Mark Patsfall is an artist, printmaker and publisher. His studies began at Nathaniel Hawthorn College in New Hampshire but were interrupted by his service in Vietnam.  He continued undergraduate work in Graphic Design and Filmmaking at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston.  In 1977 he received a BFA and 1979 an MFA, both from the University of Cincinnati. In 1981, Patsfall founded Clay Street Press where he has worked with many local, national and international artists in the creation of fine art original prints and multiples.

Brian Stuparyk
Brian Stuparyk was born in Grande Prairie, Canada in 1981. He holds a BFA in Photography Studies from Ryerson University in Toronto and an MFA in Print Media from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. He has served as Printmaker-In-Residence at the John Talleur Printmaking Studio in Kansas, and is currently Lecturer of Printmaking at Northern Kentucky University.

Stuparyk is the only artist in Cincinnati to use anaglyphic 3D effects in his prints. Referencing the nostalgic and kitschy technological staple of B horror movies, he creates a world saturated with information, imagery, and distraction at every turn. The nostalgic and glittery imagery pushes the aesthetic past the point of contemporary taste, and takes it so over-the-top in its excessiveness that it reveals a modern world where everything is amazing and nothing is truly what it seems.

Depicted in Stuparyk’s work are tokens of life’s little defeats, everyday failures, threats, fears, and impossibilities.  Sometimes they are presented as life-sized mementos of the individual pursuits, elusive personal happiness and success, and other times as playful metaphors for that which we fear. Working in a broad spectrum of print media, including etching, silkscreening to 3D anaglyphic effects Stuparyk faithfully reproduces his chosen topics in a way that skillfully emphasizes their metaphorical nature.

Jens Jensen Exhibition Reception

A very special thanks to all who came the Jensen Reception. You made the evening quite the event!!!

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