Profiles 
AWARDING OKLAHOMA ARTISTS(1)
July 1, 2011 —
Sometimes there is good news about arts funding: For the second time, the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition has awarded a select group of artists to be in the “Art 365″ program, which comes with a healthy honorarium, $12,000 to each. These five spent an entire year making work for the exhibition, which opened at [Artspace] at Untitled in Oklahoma City and comes to Living Arts of Tulsa July 1.
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ALL HUCKED UP: GUNS, GALS, AND GORE IN AMERICA
One of the interesting things about Tom Huck’s work is that many of the images in his elaborate woodcut prints are indeed based on specific realities — they are horrifying but are not made up. Huck is a native Missourian, born and raised in Potosi, and he now lives and works in St. Louis where his Evil Prints shop is located. In this profile, Huck shares his connection to both the American narrative and to printmaking masters like Albrecht Dürer.
URBAN/ENVIRONMENT: A COLLAGE OF INSPIRATION IN JANET SATZ’S WORK
Janet Satz transforms small-scale, multi-layered collages of manipulated photographs, drawings, prints, and paintings into large archival pigment prints to address environmental issues. Her latest “Urban Landscape” series was featured at the Signs of Life gallery last fall, along with works from her “Modular Series” and others. The stark scenes evoked give viewers pause as they presume the human influence behind both the natural and city scapes.
FORTY YEARS UP
KCAI printmaking professor Hugh Merrill is celebrating a four-decade career with a new book, “Divergent Consistencies.” A release and signing party is April 21, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center. Janell Meador gives us an outline of Merrill’s motivations and trajectory, complete with a video interview produced by Ben Meade, in this profile of a diverse and dedicated artist who believes in not remaining a passive creator.
mariaurora IN STUDIO AT LEEDY-VOULKOS
Maria Creyts/mariaurora is on site during gallery hours at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center through the duration of her “neoPanos” exhibition. Her photo friezes look innocent enough with their bright colors and highly texturized compositions, but they beg us to interact and to discover their creation process thorough careful examination.
DISTINCTLY AMERICAN
With references to war, wastefulness, status symbols, and general discord, Jonathan Hils uses the American automobile to symbolize a crossroads in our culture. With lace-patterns created with welding and figurative weaving, he expresses a concern for how factions of people seem to be more interested in fighting against each other than working together to fight common problems. He discusses his work in “Intersection,” which was on view at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art last fall through January 2, 2011.
PUTTING CREATIVITY FIRST
“Water, Paper, Paint” shows Lawrence-based artist Heather Smith Jones to be someone who finds joy in the act of creating things. Her new book and corresponding exhibition (on view at the Lawrence Arts Center through February 5) demonstrate that the creative process is as important as the so-called finished product; beauty can come from starting a project spontaneously.
PETER WARREN: CROSSING
Peter Warren brings New York and new Norway experience to Kansas City, which he has called home for the past three years. A Review Studios resident added in 2010, Warren often collaborates with performers and other artists. His works are sophisticated conglomerates of carefully assembled objects he’s collected and scavenged. This profile by Janell Meador includes a video interview with Warren in his studio.
FROM THE AUSTERITY OF THE KANSAS LANDSCAPE
The agrarian culture of Kansas provided him drive and determination; the University of Kansas provided additional training, and now, sculptor John McEnroe has become a firm fixture in the Denver, Colorado, art scene; with several public works under his belt (including the attendant controversy that can bring), he is preparing for upcoming exhibitions in Germany and China.
TRANSFORMING WHAT PAINTING MEANS
“Education is nothing but a conversation,” says the William T. Kemper Distinguished Professor of Painting and Chair of the Painting Department at the Kansas City Art Institute, Warren Rosser. During his long career he has contributed much to that dialogue, helping push the boundaries of what painting is and serving as mentor to a contemporary generation of artists — who continue to teach him, as well.
JULIE FARSTAD: POST-PHILOSOPHY
Assistant Professor of Painting at the Kansas City Art Institute, Julie Farstad always knew she wanted to be an artist, but she almost talked herself out of it. She is one of the two newest Review Studios residents this year, and she talks about what the space and experience mean to her. A video interview is included in this article.
NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING HAPPY
Trained in journalism but with a natural talent for drawing, Ashley Lande works best when she’s happy. She returned to her non-writing roots only a few years ago and has already shown in solo and group exhibitions in Kansas City, New York, San Francisco, and London. Her latest work is part of “Mantik Manifesto,” a group exhibition opening September 10 at Windhorse Gallery in the Crossroads (KC).
GOING FERAL
Lawrence, Kansas, based artist Molly Murphy may be best known for her portraits of sickly, sullen female faces, but her recent work pares down color to what graphite can provide and depicts simply a feature that represents the commonality of all humans as well as individual and collective memory: hair. Her growing expression of concern for environmental degradation in the world fits well with the mission of BNIM architects, whose 10@BNIM street-front gallery is hosting her work through September 17.
CONCENTRATING ON FACES
Artist David Gant discusses his process and impetus for creating an all-portrait exhibition that’s largely focused on Crossroads Arts District personalities. The dozens of paintings are on display at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center through August 28 and present an interesting who’s-who of our community as well as show the young painter’s growing range of styles and techniques.
j.m.rees: UNIVERSAL MAN
The journey that j.m.rees has made along his life has been fueled by an expansive passion to learn about architecture, philosophy, literature, linguistics, carpentry, writing, art — and the myriad ways in which these disciplines converge to tell universal narratives. Janell Meador outlines his steps and accomplishments and shares a video studio tour with the artist, too.