Dan's Papers - May 8, 2009

While this critic looks forward to Guild Hall's Annual Members Exhibit, along with everyone else, there are aspects that are disconcerting. For example, how does one write about a group show with 350 participants? Of course, the obvious answer might be to merely critique the award winners. But that's not fair to the other deserving artists.

Another answer might be to only write about a particular medium, like sculpture or photography. But that might not be fair either. Or maybe just concentrate on particular favorites of the critic.

Let's face it: Whatever approach this critic takes, it won't be fair to a vast majority of the artists. Thus, an apology is due to one and all.

What remains are the qualities that determined this critique's content. The answer is both simple and complicated: It is work that is a little off-balance in a formal and/or a thematic way. Simply put, it's art that's a little different, conveying an idiosyncratic/personal view of the world.

David Gamble's photographic portrait of a young girl comes to mind. It grabs our attention because we want to know more, yet its ambiguous quality is part of that same attraction. Being familiar with Gamble's photographic oeuvre will help us interpret the subject's multi-dimensional demeanor.

Joan Semmel's portrait is similarly mysterious, even though it's her own face. Her full-body self-portraits are striking enough. This piece makes us want to see the rest of her, too. We're also led to imagine what she's thinking about and where she's located in both time and space.

Personal worldviews continue with Anne Sager's photograph, "A Plane Banana," a work recalling her abstract airplane images, this one evoking fun and energy. Kryn Olson's painting, "Deep Roots," not only represents her interest in science, but her commitment to another kind of "roots," her family.

Toni Ross' stoneware piece, "Torso: Beach Stone Series No. 1," is both an example of good craftsmanship and life that is not quite perfect. Nicole Bigar's oil, "Bhuton the Little Monk," is a throwback to childhood with its comforting bedroom setting.

Conversely, there are worldviews that are political, sociological and spiritual in nature, yet still personal. Consider Christa Maiwald's "Latin Song Birds," a hand embroidery piece imbued with satire (dictators as birds.) Sheila Isham's watercolor, "Mythic Storm XLVI," reinforces the artist's life-long interest in Eastern religion. Like Gamble's and Semmel's portraits, the work is ambiguous yet invoking awe and wonder.

Michael Cardacino's perspective on society and pop culture, "Obsession," shows up in his Barbie Doll montage, where content equals form, the repetition of images signifying America's conformity in taste and values.

Although we have focused on art that is more about themes close to the artists' hearts, there is also work which is special in a formal way, where compositional elements are noteworthy. Consider, for example, Nico Yektai's maple pedestal table, Dan Weldon's mixed media, "Implied Connection," Margery Harnick's photograph, "Calla Lily," and Matt Harnick's photograph, "Heart of an Icicle."

There's grace and lyricism in all these pieces, which are commendable.

The Members Exhibition is on view at Guild Hall until May 30. The exhibit was organized by Michelle Klein; the installation was supervised by Christina Strassfield.