SAIC BFA Show, First Floor
This floor was only half the size of the 2 others, and a good thing, too, because I was fading rapidly. I found only a few pieces I really liked here.

Amy Babinec -- Super, super paintings -- acrylic and paper on board. Narrow and wide paintings of houses, smoky green/violet shadows, bright light focused on exteriors and shaded windows, mysteriously askew. Softly edged but almost hyper realistic. These things blew me away.

Kiryun Choi -- "Hands" -- crocheted sculpture, huge, draping from the ceiling like intensely colored narrow green scarves yet with pink hands at the end, like mittens. Some of the trailing ends have finger shapes. Quite lovely.

Sean Richards -- cute painting in black/white/gray. Dog and boy poised to kiss. Cheeks on dog slightly pink from blushing.

Rosie Presti -- "The Eden Project: Phase I" -- grid of different versions of paradise in 4 x 5 grid, some photo images, some appropriated, some from art or drawings, some plasticky. From her handout: "We sometimes remember it as early America, the one before violence, cars and the telephone, where the Indian ran free." Pretty.

Ryan Hall -- more pretty good paintings. "Almost There" is in 3 panels, man in surgical mask looking at viewer with glove reaching from large panel thru smaller panel toward a woman looking away, also in a mask. Very quirky and odd, but interesting.

Beth Engel -- "Parable" -- installation room like a tiny formal dining room, only the dining table has these ceramic/crochet organic forms embedded in the table and clustered on the floor and growing out of the armoire on the back wall. On the walls are wonderful drawings in pale inks of these strange objects. Very enjoyable.

Amanda Westbrook -- 25 tiny tiny watercolor or acrylic paintings on paper (maybe 2 x 2 inches each). Each mounted on dark wood. Masonite? Gardens, fruit, little still life or landscapes, small worlds. Also a single larger painting called Blue Bird -- red tree, violet sky, a simple blue bird sitting on a branch, the bird framed with a little wooden frame attached to the surface.

That's about it.

Oh, nearly forgot the hair guy:

Colin Lyons -- bad photos of the back of the heads of a lot of blonde women. All different styles and shades, but all seem to be out of focus for some reason that is not apparent. What with my recent hair frenzy, I had to mention this one, though it isn't really wonderful, except in concept.
- posted by Cynthia @ 9:42 PM | | | Link |