Friday, January 30, 2009

Darla Jackson vs. Anne Canfield by DoNArtNeWs

Click here to check out a review of Darla Jackson vs. Anne Canfield by DoN Brewer at www.brewermultimedia.com
Thank you Don!!!


Darla Jackson vs. Anne Canfield @ CFEVA
January 31st, 2009


Darla Jackson vs. Anne Canfield @ the Center for Emerging Visual Artists is just that – a bare knuckled cage-fight between two contemporary Philly artists, a grrl-fight for attention, a battle of wits and inventiveness, like a schoolyard brawl with each girl trying to rip out the others pierced earrings. In one corner is Anne Canfield throwing punches with quirky drawings and mythological paintings and in the other corner is Darla Jackson doing body slams with bold black graphic sculpture.

Anne Canfield tells DoN that her imagery is born of anxiety, “the Cat is safe but could turn on you.” Anne has developed her own visual language relying on memory and is not true to nature, that’s not what she’s going for – her mark-making is assured and brushwork amusing, like reading a favorite book. The small cat is sometimes writ large in Canfield’s images often with a small girl (perhaps a self portrait), each staring at the other as if they were, “facing God.”

Darla Jackson, known for her sculptures of animals wearing the masks of other animals (say a bunny with a crow face mask), here invites familiar animals to witness the party in the apartment-like gallery. Birds, kitties, bunnies, even a life sized deer inhabit the human dwelling, decked out in festive party hats, making a mess of the place as if they were partying just a little too hard. Jackson goes for the knockout with the deer laying on the floor; life sized and appearing to be solid black metal, the scene is poignant with gallery visitors tiptoeing around the specimen, the deer’s simple red party hat knocked askew. By anthropomorphizing the animals, Jackson brings the creatures out of hiding making them observers of the strange creatures called humans.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Looooonnnnnngggggg Day...

It's up! Darla Jackson vs. Anne Canfield is in full effect! We installed today and I think it looks AMAZING! SO please come see for yourselves this Thursday from 5:30-7:30pm...

Here are the details:

Darla Jackson vs. Anne Canfield

January 26 – February 16, 2009

Reception: Thursday, January 29, 5:30 - 7:30 PM


Felicity R. “Bebe” Benoliel Gallery

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists

237 S. 18th Street, The Barclay, Suite 3A

Philadelphia, PA 19103


Philadelphia, PA - The Center for Emerging Visual Artists is pleased to present Darla Jackson vs. Anne Canfield, a Spotlight Exhibition by Career Development Fellows Anne Canfield and Darla Jackson. The exhibition, presented at the Felicity R. “Bebe” Benoliel Gallery, opens January 26th with an Artist Reception on January 29, 2009 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM. Gallery hours for this exhibition are Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Appointments are available as well.

Anne Canfield's imagery is founded out of two worlds - one real and one imagined - meeting somewhere in between. Her current series, Territorial, explores a sense of vulnerability in areas of life otherwise taken for granted as they shift from safe space to uncertain space with the imposing tension of an insecure global world. Darla Jackson's sculpture is an exploration of the duality of emotions. Through the use of symbolism and body language, she creates personifications of these emotions that are dark and at the same time humorous.

Anne Canfield is a painter living and working in Philadelphia. She is a graduate of Moore College of Art and has attended the Yale Summer School of Painting at Norfolk. Anne also works within the medium of printmaking, which she practices at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Anne is a second year fellow at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists. She has also recently exhibited at Cerulean Gallery, Sam Quinn Gallery, Maryland Art Place, The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and The Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Darla Jackson grew up in Southern New Jersey before coming to Philadelphia to attend Moore College of Art and Design in 1999. Jackson graduated from Moore College with a BFA in Sculpture in 2003. Jackson is currently faculty at the Fleisher Art Memorial and has recently shown her sculpture in venues such as Moore College of Art & Design, 201 Kelly Weber Gallery, The Icebox Project Space, Mew Gallery, and Riverbank Arts. A second year fellow in the Career Development Program with the Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Jackson is also one of four co-founders of an all women’s art collective titled The Other Woman.

Darla Jackson vs. Anne Canfield will be on view at the Felicity R. “Bebe” Benoliel Gallery at The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, located at 237 S. 18th Street, The Barclay, Suite 3A, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Gallery hours are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and other days by appointment. The artists’ reception will take place on Thursday, January 29th from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. Please contact Ann Koivunen for more information at ann@cfeva.org or 215-546-7775 x 13.

And here is the NEW sneak peak:


This sneak peak has nuthin' on what's going on in this space...wait till you see it!

Etsy Love

2 more fabulous ladies mentioned my work on their blogs!

Erin of The Silver Dog Jewelry (www.thesilverdog.blogspot.com or www.TheSilverDog.etsy.com)


A Treasury inspired by my deer sculpture!

Alicia of The Red Deer (www.the-red-deer.blogspot.com or www.thereddeer.etsy.com)


Wednesdays Picks!

Thank you Erin and Alicia!!

And I have to say, though I was skeptical at first about putting my art on Etsy (thank to Margaux of www.TheBlackSpotBooks.etsy.com for kicking me in the ass about it) the feedback I have gotten about it has been amazing! So many people have written me with their thoughts on the work and to me, that is so important to my process and to the work itself...

So thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who's dropped me a note letting me know how they feel about my work. I appreciate it immensely and it inspires me to continue down this crazy path I've forged for myself as an artist!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

The St. Valentines Day Art & Craft Affair


Time and Place
Date:
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Time:
12:00pm - 6:00pm
Location:
An olde warehouse in Port Richmond, Philadelphia
Street:
3237 Amber Street Studio 3-3-A

Contact Info

Email:

Artists

A. Jason Ross www.artemas-quibble.com/

Ali Williams www.alimwilliams.tk/

Alicia McCarthy aliciamccarthymassage@gmail.com

Amber Martin Leister amartinart@yahoo.com

Aubrie Costello www.aubriecostello.com/

Beth King
Callie Konane Rickards www.konane.etsy.com/
C. Roberts Thomas
Darla Jackson www.darlajacksonsculpture.com/
Ellen Rockower ellen.rockower
@gmail.com
Elsa Shadley www.warsaw.etsy.com/
Emily Wren
Esther K. www.estherk.net/
Heather Sundquist haveaheart@gmail.com
James Ulmer www.jamesulmer.com/

Josie Newman
Katie Henry www.madebyhank.etsy.com/
Katie Marlowe www.lucysvintage.etsy.com/

Katie Van Vliet www.katevanvliet.com/

Kris Chau www.krischau.com/

Laura McKinley www.lauramckinley.typepad.com/

Luren Jenison www.wooloo.org/luren

Margaux Kent www.theblackspotbooks.etsy.com/

Melissa Nannen www.flickr.com/photos/talula1227
Nicole Cook
north port fishington cookie factory
RA Friedman www.steampunkphoto.com/
Savannah Roberts
Tim Dowlin


Wednesday, January 14, 2009

A big whont whont

Today was planned out....I would start molds on 4 pieces and work on the big piece...easy, right?
Well, what wasn't planned was that last night our old man cat, Logan, would lose control of his two back legs due to a blood clot...long story short is that we lost our little guy today...we chose to put him to sleep as the vet said there was nothing she could do and that he was in tremendous pain....they've tried operating on such things in the past but it never worked out for the better in the end...fuck.



We'll miss you Logan....eatiest cat in the whole wide world...

And so after all that I still managed to make it to the studio and get some work done...Here are the 4 pieces before I started the molds...ran out of batteries before I could snap any more photos...Still have 3 molds to do so I'll just pick up on the process with them...

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

How you doin'?

I am up to my ears in sculpting. I need 8 arms, 20 eyes, 6 brains and a lot more sleep than I've been getting to get this all done but *fingers crossed* I think everything is going to come out the way I want it to....
I start mold making tomorrow and then I'll constantly be working until the 23rd...molds, casting, chasing, patinas, prepping, moving, installing, photographing...collapsing
So please pencil in Thursday, January 29th from 5:30pm-7:30pm for the opening. I may be asleep under a table somewhere, recovering from it all but I am putting my heart and guts and every ounce of energy I have into this stuff and would love everyone to see it and let me know what they think.
I am missing my mom's and mom in law's birthdays to make this stuff...and thats a big deal....so be there! (Shoutout to Debi Jackson and Barbara Blau - Happy birthday!)

This is not one of the pieces in the show but I think it inspired the whole thing...

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Blog Love

Over the past few days I've been lucky enough to have three different ladies write about my work on their blogs...how exciting!

Here are links to each one:

Mrs. Schuler's Blog


...under first

ishoelove

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Friday, January 9, 2009

Save the Dates....

Three exciting things coming up:

1. Darla Jackson vs. Anne Canfield - Opening reception on Thursday, January 29th
2. The as of yet un-named pre-valentines day art/handmade items sale/event - Saturday, February 7th
3. My birthday - Friday, February 13th


Today was a good day...

Thursday, January 8, 2009

"Armature"

So usually I wait to the last minute to build armatures...I hate building them so I delay doing it as long as possible. And then, since I'm rushed for time, I'll generally build a terrible/ghetto/wonky/etc. one and make the best of it... Today, being not so different from any other day, I followed this ritual and made a very ghetto, yet useful, armature.

I started off recycling clay, which I love/hate doing...

I decided to sculpt the piece on the base that Justin had built me when we were working on the boot. (Now that guy plans an armature...opposites attract, no?)

Here's a 1 minute sketch of the piece I'll be making.
(hint hint, it's a deer lying down, with his legs all bent up...)

Since it's a lying down piece, and since we have a heap of this pink foam, I decided to use this as the "armature"...Because the piece is lying down I really didn't need to use any armature at all if I was REALLY being bratty about making one, but decided to put the foam in there to take up some space, so that I can use less clay. Thing is I hate pink foam and hate running into it while sculpting....

Next I screwed some chicken wire over the foam so the clay would have something to grab onto in some areas.

I started adding the clay, but ran out and had to wedge more. I got 3 full 5-gallon buckets of clay on it today (This photo is after only one of those buckets.) After the third one it really started to finally look like something. Unfortunately you, dear reader, will be left in suspense until tomorrow...

The clay had dried all in my rings and "welded" them together...yuck!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

the masked bandit

Margaux (a wonderfully talented artist friend) of theblackspotbooks (www.theblackspotbooks.etsy.com) included my piece What are you afraid of? in a Treasury on Etsy! Be sure to check it out at:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=31476

Monday, January 5, 2009

Let there be light...

Yesterday my wonderfully fabulous husband installed lighting throughout the formerly dark half of the studio...

(Yes, it's a terrible mess in there right now...I know.)

Happy 2009!!!

Happy (belated) New Year! I'm back in action, with a show coming up this month and so I will be posting some exciting process photos (Building an armature for sculpting a lifesize deer! Moldmaking! Casting! Patina! Woo Hoo!).
So far I've started 6 pieces this year with atleast 2 more on their way for this show...which is going to be interesting to say the least...More on that to come soon!