The October 1st FIRST ARTIST was a gathering of 16 participants. These good folks were all totally engaged from start to finish. It is fitting that this gathering was one of the best, it is the one-year anniversary of First Artist.
Jan Wright presented six paintings. Jan is best known as a water colorist. Although she mixed it up for this gathering. Her expressionistic compositions are vibrant, complicated and engaging. She layers abstract line and shape and at times impressions of recognizable things. Jan says, she is not interested in duplicating reality renditions of things. She believes that her best artwork has been formed from unknown channels.
As with Jan Wright, Shayne Mitchell explores the unconscious through his artwork. He started with Op Art but rapidly transitioned into forms of selfless-art, rendered as optical patterns. The artwork is meant to be transcendent. If you do not reach a higher realm while viewing his paintings, don’t worry. This artwork is vibrant and mesmerizing. It will draw you in for a long look-see.
Rebecca Hamm presented a behind the scenes look at the creation of the “Furious Garden” exhibit at Claremont Art Museum. Rebecca was the organizer of this exhibit. It is power-nature and immersive. We learned about the planning and execution. We also engaged in a virtual tour.
Rebecca also shared some new and unfinished artwork of her own. She is very much on the same page as Shayne and Jan. It seems that their calculus is in diagraming unknowns through the practice of art. The canvas surfaces are uniquely Jan’s, Shayne’s or Rebecca’s, yet their painters’ tools seem to be following some of the same pathways to reach the wall.
In Attendence:
- Gloria Cassidy
- Donna Morin
- Momo Wu
- Steve Thomas
- Jerry Weems
- Jenny Kane
- Steve Cahill
- Bob Markovich
- Michael Thomas
- Shayne Mitchell
- Nyx
- Robert Jacka
Comments from two from within the gathering:
I just wanted to reach out and say thanks again for the opportunity to participate in your zoom meeting it was a good experience and I appreciate your facilitations and wisdom. You’re a great example for an active artist that is doing good in the world we all share. It inspires me to continue my endeavors knowing there are others that I can look up to. Talk to you soon. SM
Many thanks for hosting tonight’s art event. I appreciated the artists sharing their technical skills and willingness to articulated their personal insights revealed from the work. 👏 DM
