Art of the Insanity

While in Graduate School, my downstairs neighbor came up to my apartment one afternoon and knocked softly on my door...I barely heard the tapping, but I went to the door to make sure I hadn't just heard noises...viewing through the peephole I saw a demure woman holding papers in her hand...I opened the door and said, "hello, can I help you?" She said she had heard I was an Artist and wanted me to take a look at her work...it was the most obsessive and controlled work I had ever seen. They were incredibly intricate, tight, with small shapes drawn over and over and over and over...I found out later she had just been released from a mental hospital...

The work of Adolf Wolfli feels like those obsessive drawings of my neighbor, but with a darker bent and with a more sophisticated handling of symbols and form. The thing that separates the art of the insane from the insane artist is an awareness of visual language...His managing of the space goes beyond the uncontrollable, repetitive mark making of the compulsive...they way he constructs the space and shows depth and central figures, his placement of the symbols and their arrangement is pattern like and decorative, yet there is something sinister and off about the imagery and faces...the dark circles under their eyes...not smiling, but not frowning...they are bandits who have stolen Adolf's free will...tormenting him and forcing him to do the unspeakable...his crimes are documented and not pretty...I won't discuss them here, but they are easy enough to find...His art lives on and on and on...

They stole more than the guys shoes!

I appreciate artists who can be whimsical, both in their concept and in the materials they choose...this sculptural work by Don Porcella has both of those qualities...a severed foot made of pipe cleaners is both humorous and tragic...dripping with blood, is this some boy who has had more than just his shoe stolen? Or could it be a tragic accident?

The traditional craft materials, disarms the viewer and makes us go back to a time when we were young...playing carefree...artists can play on those original feelings...take the good emotional context and stretch out the possibilities that can occur in those spaces...force the viewer to confront a different outcome, darker places...the tactical quality and the red on red is also exciting visually, another attempt to attract us and pull us into a world we would rather not confront.

Business on the dark side

Some really interesting works by John Casey, sculpture and illustrator, this is a nice example of a conceptual and well crafted piece...playing with scale, the relationship between the full figure and the large head...what dialogue is playing out in this relationship?

The formality of the costuming on the figure makes a statement...a conceptual hierarchy, this "man's" dominance over a larger being...there is also a humorous feel to the work, the standing person has a dark smile on his pumpkin like head...where the figure meets the over sized head, that point makes a statement, a casual and controlling touch...blue and tan, traditional and conservative color scheme to tie in with the theme.

Hot-rod, cool sky

The hot-rod sitting in the bright sun along the turquoise sky...this graphical work by Billy Perkins has a clean and cool feel...the contrast of warm and cool colors creates nice tension for the viewer...just short of complimentary color schemes, it brings the viewer in and holds them with a balanced distribution of reds, yellows and blacks. Two unique colors, turquoise and white, add a dialogue or conversation to the work...

Space, perspective and scale are also utilized in the works...how much cool space is needed to counter the warmth of this classic automobile? The artist shows us exactly what amount in the poster...the perspective is also alluring, utilizing foreshortening to push the space and extend the picture plane...the headlight figures prominently as the focal point in our visual journey around the vertical rectangle.

Take me out to the ballgame

Nostalgically referencing a little boy's love of baseball, this small scale work by Tony Fitzpatrick, has the same intimacy as the original baseball card...kids look at these with dreams of being a professional, loving the game! The background utilizes floating symbols and text, providing details on the player Matty Alou...much like the artistic cards of the 50's, this work plays with scale and significance, large figure in the foreground, smaller, action shot in the background.

Ochre, green, white and brown...the colors are harmonious and tie nicely together...the figure is naive in execution...slightly off in perspective...much like early Renaissance religious paintings, when style and symbolism was more important than realism...I witnessed these in person and they are more beautiful in person.

Robot business

Graphical, this portrait by Karl Wirsam, has a business feel...completed on a sheet protector, the business application of the backing ties nicely with the type of mark making...perfect symmetry in the construction of the face-like form...the mouth and cheeks are abstracted, unexpected in execution, the viewer is not entirely sure if these marks are shadows or tattoos...reflecting the modern.

A blue backdrop, cool color pushing the space back...the shiny surface creates visual interest, shadow and light...the red and black line work on the interior of the figure contrasts nicely the background. The unexpected structure of the foreground image is a departure from what we might expect.

I think we are definitely having fun now!

Dark humor permeates this work by Bryan Cunningham...proficient in many skills, Bryan does a great job combining these techniques to create elaborate mixed media constructions. The work alludes to novelty stores and carnivals...the graphics are stylized and simple, aimed at getting its point across, no matter what!

The blue on the top graphics, bottom corners and grenade unify the piece...the oranges and reds in the text and flames contrast and add tension against the green backdrop. There is also a major concern with edges in his work...each area has a different texture and material, but he sews, literally in some instances, these elements together through the consistency of paint application and quirkiness of line quality and rendering...the changes are visual surprises which enhance the overall tension of the works.