INTERVIEW WITH DEANNA SIRLIN

"Liquid Universe" Terminus 200, Counsins Properties, Atlanta, Georgia

1. Who are you and what do you do, and what is your background?

I am Deanna Sirlin. I am an artist. I grew up in New York City and left after receiving my MFA from Queens College. I currently live and work on a horse farm outside of Atlanta. I have been an artist and writer for 33 years. I just published my first book, Sheʼs Got What It Takes: American Women Artists in Dialogue. I am the publisher and editor in chief of The Art Section: An Online Journal of Art and Cultural Commentary.

2. What's integral to your art and or art career?

For me, it is the daily life of going into the studio.

3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use?

Color has always been important to me. I will work in any medium that allows me to explore the possibilities of expressing my thoughts this way.

Retracings High Museum of Art, Atlanta Georgia

Retracings High Museum of Art, Atlanta Georgia

4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy?

Ignorance and intolerance make me very unhappy. Falseness, posturing, and pretension annoy me. And what make me happy are my passion for art and animals and my love for them.

5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general?

My spouse is a very good partner and inspiration to me, and the animals in my life have taught me much about being in the moment, love, and happiness.

6. What superpower would you want?

I would love endless energy.

7. What is your favorite artists and or other person?

My favorite artists range from Giotto to Rembrandt to Morandi to Alex Katz to Louise Bourgeois.

8. What advice would you give to other artists?

My advice is to work really hard, be really honest with yourself, and discover who you are.

C- Flow Elevation, Underground Atlanta

9. Contact details if any?

Personal work– www.deannasirlin.com

Book— www.shesgotwhatittakes.com

Online Journal of Art and Cultural Commentary – www.theartsection.com

The Billboard Project

Interview with Temme Barkin-Leeds

Bumble-Bungle Drone

1. Who are you and what do you do, and what is your background?

I am a practicing visual artist working in Atlanta and Lakemont Georgia.  In 2012, I returned from Washington, DC after receiving my MFA in Studio Art from American University. My first training (MA degree from Georgia State University) was in Art History. I taught art history for a while at GSU and soon  after that, I was Associate Curator of Education at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta for four years. I was the owner of an art consulting company, Barkin-Leeds Ltd. for 21 years. (yes, you heard me right). During all of this time and for many years prior, I knew i wanted only to be a practicing artist.  Circumstances and finances prevented me from doing this full time until 2005, when I closed Barkin-Leeds Ltd. 

Call of Duty

2. What's integral to your art and or art career? 

The now-deceased artist Benny Andrews once told me " If you make art, have something to say".  As a person who, from her own instincts and her experience with art history knew, art can indeed convey all kinds of messages, and this comment by Benny was taken by me as a directive to make art about the things I felt most strongly about.

3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use. 

I have always centered my work on concepts that relate to issues in societies, how these issues affect people, and my responses to those issues.  In the past, I dealt with the crisis in Darfur ( a series of large drawings that were my portfolio when I graduated with my BFA from GSU); the way cultures replace one another, either through war, the environment, or politics; and most recently my reaction to "shooter" video games which are quite often based on actual war scenes in Afghanistan and Iraq. I produced an animation and am continuing to make  paintings about this recent subject. 

4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy? 

What makes me angry? Liars, war, injustice, cruelty, torture, unfair acts, underhanded people, selfishness, incurable illness. What makes me happy is to be alive (I am a cancer survivor), be able to work, to have family, to love and be loved, to have support from my spouse and friends and family, to live in a country that is not at war, to make progress with my work.

Disquiet 3

5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general? 

Anyone who is dedicated to what they do inspires me, especially if it is to the benefit of society as a whole. There are a lot of artists that I admire --Carrie Moyer, Thomas Nozkowski, Goya, Rembrandt, Picasso, Jose Lerma, Katherine Von Heyl, Zoe Charlton, Sam Scharf, Kandinsky, Philip Guston--I could go on and on. What inspires me in my life in general is anyone who has charged ahead when it was risky or difficult to do so--Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy, Helen Keller, Louise Bourgeois, Helen Frankenthaler--again not enough space to keep going.

Drone Baby

6. What superpower would you want?

Superpowers scare me a little, but I guess being able to eliminate disease would be high on my list, along with wars, of course.

7. What is your favorite artists and or other person?

See the list above. I will add a few--Marina Abramavicz, Abraham LIncoln, Albert Einstein,  John Glenn, Frank Gehry,Charles Rennie McIntosh, Elizabeth Murray, Katherina Grosse; OK I have to stop.

8. What advice would you give to other artists. 

Follow your passion, and make what moves you. Don't worry about what people say, what sells and what doesn't, who writes about your work and who doesn't.  Be kind to yourself and to others.  Support other artists whenever you can with encouraging words and constructive critique.  Go out and see a lot of work.  Attend openings. Do your work, work ,and then go back and work some more.  

9. Contact details if any? 

Temme Barkin-Leeds, temmebl@gmail.com, www.temmebarkin-leeds.com

Roots----Underground and Up Above but most certainly, on the wall.

A WCAGA Members’ Exhibit
ROOTS

Exhibition Dates: February 3 - April 25 2014
Where: Blue Mark Studios
              892 Jefferson Street
              Atlanta GA  30318

Roots

    Underground and Up Above  but most certainly, on the wall.
    We have our roots in our genetic makeup, in historical stories, in past cultures;
    by evolution and mutation.

    We are made from the stars and formed of earthen materials. As artists we
    investigate, discover and choose many means to express our understanding
    of our roots.

    This WCAGA members’ exhibit is about Roots. It will show the diverse ways
    that our members have chosen to relate our interest and understanding regarding
    this theme.


Calendar
Application Deadline: January 18,  2014
Image Notification: January 20, 2014
Installation: February 2
        Deliver work: Saturday, February 2 from 9:30 to 11:00am
        Or: Contact Barb Rehg to leave work at her studio or with another artists who can deliver for you.
            brehgstudios@bellsouth.net
Opening Reception: February 13, 2014
Artist Share/Talk - March 15 or 16
Take Down: April 26 - 11:00am .
                     Or: Contact Barb Rehg to have the work taken back to her studio to
                           be picked up at a later date or make arrangements to have another
                           artist pick up for you.
                   

General Information
This juried exhibit is open to the first 25 WCAGA members in good standing who apply. Work accepted must remain on view for the entire exhibition.

NOTE: Some images or parts of images may be used for the invitation. If you Do Not wish us to use your image, please indicate this in your submission.

Entry & Fee
Entry fee: $25. This fee will supply the funds for our receptions and artists talks.

Images Submission
Send up to three images by email to brehgstudios@bellsouth.net. The image resolution should be 300dpi. And no larger than 1megabyte.  Only the artwork should be visible, no background, frames etc. Label each image file as follows: number. title, artist initials. jpg, for example, 1.Rework.br.jpg. The number should correspond to the application.

Limitations - please read
All work must be framed and properly equipped for hanging.
Size –  48” max height and width - 2D work only
Wires are needed for hanging properly.
Caution:
Work created out of multiples will not hang properly unless they are bolted together, making one piece. The hanging system is similar to a Walker System but instead of rods, wires are used. Multiplies don’t hang tight.

No sculptures or installations are possible in this space.

Agreement
Submitting an entry form constitutes an agreement on the part of the artist with all the conditions in the prospectus.
Blue Mark Studio takes a 30% commission on work sold. Price with that in mind.
Blue Mark Studio prefers not to handle any marketing merchandise for or during an exhibit of fine art.


Delivery & Return of Work
The artist is responsible for making arrangements for delivery to and pickup from the gallery. If your work will be shipped from out of town please make arrangement with a WCAGA member to receive the work. You will be responsible for the method of return if mailing the work back is required.

I can accept work at my studio.
Barb Rehg
407 Creekview Trail SE
Smyrna GA 30082


ENTRY FORM  for Roots

Name___________________________

Address_________________________

City/State/Zip____________________

Tel:_____________________________

E-Mail___________________________

**Even if you are not selling your work, please indicate NFS and an
Insurance price


Entry, JPG #1:

Title__________________________________________________________

Medium___________________________________

Size____________

Price___________



Entry, JPG #2:

Title___________________________________________________________

Medium____________________________________

Size____________________

Price___________




Entry, JPG #3

Title______________________________________________________________

Medium_______________________________________

Size______________

Price___________

Holiday Party

Happy Holidays A Toast to Women Who Make Art Join your WCAGA friends for a meal and a toast to a year well spent. Callahan McDonough will graciously host our gathering. Bring your significant "plus one",  a dish, and a beverage. WCAGA will provide the primary protein, so please be polite and RSVP by Dec 3. What: End of Year / Holiday Party bring a dish, your preferred beverage, and a friend / spouse/ or housemate When: Sunday, December 8, 2013, 6:00 - 8:30pm RSVP byDecember 3 Where:  Callahan McDonough's home Sager Lofts 455 Glen Iris Dr. unit #L (ground level/end unit & has a side yard) Atlanta, GA  30308 From Glen Iris>Turn onto> ANGIER AVE. & park. Walk in open driveway up granite stairs (gate is unlocked) walked a straight ahead you are at Unit # L, Callahan's loft. Look for Christmas lights to guide you to the right spot.  Important Parking Info-- For easy access to Callahan's loft you must Park on Angier to be on the correct end of the building.  Call Kate Colpitts if you need help finding us: 860-508-7834

Interview with Lynn Mayes

Lynn Mayes, #101

1. Who are you and what do you do, and what is your background?

• First, I am an artist.  I have experimented with many media i.e. paint, clay, marble, wood, bronze, and encaustic.  Currently I am experimenting with acrylic paint and mixed media... I also play golf and duplicate bridge :-).   I have B.A. in Fine Art from Vanderbilt University and have studied privately with lots of wonderful studio artists and at the Art Students League in New York City with Phillip Sherrod. 
• I am in the midst of transition in my art life and am enjoying every minute of it. My new work is abstract and is hanging at Brenau University in Gainesville, and in the Blue Ridge National Art Show in Blue Ridge, GA. 42 Figurative works are at solo show at the Roush Gallery in the Carrollton Cultural Arts Center in Carrollton, GA.

Penumbral

2.What's integral to your art and or art career?

• Integral to my art is my studio!  It is my favorite place on earth.

3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use.

• Figurative images have been the focus of my paintings for the last ten years - I think they convey feelings that are inside me, and these feelings come out in the paintings.  In 2012 and 2013 I have turned to abstract and mixed media painting which is now more of a technical challenge. "If you already know how to do it, what's the point?" Robert Rauschenberg.

4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy?

• Anger has a depressing effect of me so I avoid it - if at all possible.  When my anger button is pushed, I just "delete" it.  I'm really happy when my family is around, my husband, children and grandchildren.

5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general?

• I collect inspirational writings from philosophers and metaphysical authors such as Rainer Maria Rilke, one of my favorites.  When I need a lift, I look at some of those introspective thoughts.

6. What superpower would you want?

• Superpower?  To see into the future?  or maybe to fly? - there are birds in many of my paintings so maybe there is a secret need to know I can escape.

Trees 201

7. What is your favorite artists and or other person?

• Marc Chagall is my favorite artist followed by Jasper Johns and John Hyche.

8. What advice would you give to other artists.

• Advice - Have no fear.  My best art has been the result of a mistake made.  Ask a favor. "No" is not a scary answer. Enjoy the journey because we will never have all the answers. Probably don't want to have them actually.

9. Contact details if any?

• My cell # is 678-467-0876

     web site with figurative work is www.ceruleanfineart.com

Dance, Theater, Visual Art a Material Witness program event

 Dance, Theater, Visual Art

a Material Witness program event

Join us in the Dalton Gallery for performances throughout the night in the gallery with the Material Witness visual art exhibit.
Free and open to the public

Dana Fine Arts Building, Agnes Scott College
141 E College Ave, Decatur, GA 30030
campus map and directions

Bam, Karma, a humorous 10 minute play directed by Lynn Tharp-Hesse, 6:30 and 8:30p

What's Under There,
Zoetic Dance Ensemble
Directed by Melanie Lynch-Blanchard
7:15 and 9:00p

Studio / Life Panel Discussion

A panel discussion moderated by Lisa Alembik

with Don Cooper, Sarah Emerson, Jiha Moon, and Larry WalkerA unique opportunity to learn how these notable artists process life outside the studioutilizing their experiences as a creative resource.with reception following discussion

Date:  Sunday, October 20, 2013, 3:00 – 5:00pm

Venue:   Katherine Woltz Reception Room / Rebekah Scott Hall

Agnes Scott College

141 E. College Ave, Decatur, GA 30030

note: see Material Witness exhibit at Dalton Gallery before discussion-

special gallery hours Sunday Oct 20th only, 1:00 - 4:00pm