Artist Spotlight 15: Connie Herring and Nathan Holman

I am so excited to have Connie involved for the first time this year. I've been familiar with her outstanding work for quite some time, and now here we are. Mr. Holman will be joining us again for round 2, thankfully, and I can't wait to see what he ends up creating. Whatever it is, It'll be great!

Connie Herring

Blue Light - Surrounding(handmade paper, catalpa pods)
30" x 25" x 25"

Nathan Holman

Unfortunately I do not have any photos of Nathan's wonderful work; however, I can say that he has some prints on display at Dunn Bros. Coffee and an exhibition of masks at Ipso Gallery. I do recommend seeing his work as it is amazing. Sorry for not posting a photo Nathan, I can't upload PDFs on the blog.

Artist Spotlight 14: Jeff Freeman and Carolyne Landon

The tremendous influence of Jeff Freeman will be evident for many many years to come. Jeff recently retired from the University of South Dakota after a 30 year teaching career which has established him as one of, if not the, most influential artists and educators of the region. Those of us who have had the privilege of knowing him and learning from him can all agree that he has been vital within our development as artists and thinkers. I could go on and on. My dear friend Jeff, thank you.

Carolyne Landon is probably an unfamiliar name for those of you who were not involved in Take the day. 2010. Luckily we all know of her now. Carolyne will be traveling from Portland, Oregon to partake in this year's festivities. Her talents are huge and I am absolutely honored to have her involved this year. Carolyne has a long history with South Dakota and many friends awaiting her return. Thank you so much for making the long journey Carolyne. Carolyne has led an amazing life full of art and adventure. She is always up to something cool so make sure and inquire.http://www.landonstudios.com/

Jeff Freeman

Horn-o-plenty

Oil on Canvas

dimensions unknown, probably fairly large

Lumpen Proletariat

Oil on Canvas

dimensions unknown, probably fairly large

Carolyne Landon

Buttermilk  oil on board  24" x24"
"Take the Day" November 13, 2010

Genesis Project: Eve  A/P copper etching
5"x5"



Artist Spotlight 13: Patti Roberts-Pizzuto and Johntimothy Pizzuto

This amazing husband and wife duo will be working collaboratively during Take the day. 2011. I can't wait to see what these first-year participants come up with. John is Professor of Printmaking at the University of South Dakota and Patti is an all around great artist. I am beyond thrilled to have Johntimothy and Patti involved this year and for many years to come.

Patti Roberts Pizzuto

Fragments #4

mixed-media on paper

Fragments # 14

mixed-media on paper

Johntimothy Pizzuto

In Silence

2010

Mixed Intaglio and Water-based Screenprint

And So

2010

Mixed Intaglio and Water-based Screenprint

Wow, October 1st is going to be awesome!

Thank you Patti and thank you Johntimothy.

Artist Spotlight 12: Ari Albright and Chris Mortenson

Ari and Chris will both be returning for their second appearance at Take the day. Last year Chris joined us via Skype, which was pretty cool, but it will be nice to have his whole self this year. Ari has recently gained professorship of painting at the University of South Dakota and Chris is faculty at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL and Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, IA. I'm glad to have both of these wonderful artists back for another fun-filled Take the day. adventure.

Ari Albright

Tin Man Night Pearls

oil or acrylic on canvas

dimensions unknown

Tin Man Two

oil or acrylic on canvas

dimensions unknown

Chris Mortenson

Tree

pen on paper

8x10"

An honor.

Artist Spotlight 11: Josh Johnson and Ceca Cooper

Both Josh and Ceca are second-year participants. Josh spent some time at the University of South Dakota and eventually received his MFA from University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Ceca is Associate Professor of Art at the University of Sioux Falls. I am delighted to have these two fantastic artists back for round 2.

Josh Johnson 

Dream Catcher

Leaving

Ceca Cooper

An honor.

Artist Spotlight 10: J. Charles Cox and Erica Merchant

Both Erica and John are first-year Take the day. participants. I am so excited to have them on-board to diversify the roster even further. John is a faculty member of Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls, MN and Erica is a faculty member of Black Hills State University. Wonderful artists make for a wonderful event, that's why they're involved. Thank you John and thank you Erica, I'm proud to know ya. And by the way, I'd like to mention that Erica is my cousin-in-law. Yep, that's right.

J. Charles Cox

Locomotive llv2

mixed-media drawing collage

Diadema

mixed-media drawing collage

Erica Merchant

Preservation

mixed-media

Absent Evidence

An honor.

Artist Spotlight 9: Kevin Pourier and Greg Blair

These two first-year participants know what exquisite craft is, and very well. Greg is a faculty member at Northern State University. Kevin is amazing. Anyway, I'll leave it at that. I am so very very happy to be working with these guys.

http://www.kevinpourier.com/index.htm
http://gregoryblair.com/

Kevin Pourier

Monarch Horn Cup

Buffalo Horn Rimmed Glasses

Greg Blair

 

tutela obviam vicis    2007
mixed media      36” x 36” x 8”

the dream of something better    2007
pine, maple and brass  4’ x 4’ x 3’

These guys obviously spend some time creating their objects. One of the most exciting things about Take the day. for me is to see how artists adapt their working styles to the time limitation. Greg and Kevin are definitely up to the task.

I am honored and humbled by these artists.

Thank you both.

Artist Spotlight 8: Andres Torres and Steve Bormes

Wonderful people: Steve Bormes and Andres Torres.

Andres has been a great friend and mentor to me for over a decade now and I love him. Steve and his wife Tove do so much to support progressive culture that their efforts and impact escape words. Steve maintains his studio at Rug and Relic, a wonderfully eclectic shop and art gallery which he and Tove own in downtown Sioux Falls. It's difficult to put Steve's work into words; lets just say that he makes the strangest lights you ever did see.

And now.....

Andres Torres

Untitled

24x36"

Oil and fabric on canvas

Untitled

24x24"

Oil on panel

Steve Bormes

Flight Log

	Antique Yogurt Churn; elk antlers, vintage wooden propellers, steel beams, tin chicken feeder.
	60" x 78" x 20"

Don't Talk To Strainers

antique yogurt churn, antique strainers, antique bisque doll parts, antique car parts 30" x 17"

This year's gonna be fun boys. Thank you!

Artist Spotlight 7: Angela Behrends and Alan Montgomery

Angela and Alan are both faculty at Dakota State University. This will be Angela's first year participating and it'll be great to see Alan in action again.

Angela Behrends

Concrete Bellies

Wetlands

Alan Montgomery

Irish History Lesson: Lives of the Saints

Sweetcrude series: Everything and Nothing

Thank You.

Artist Spotlight 6: Amy Fill and Mary Groth

Amy is a returning Take the day. participant and this is Mary's first year featured, so welcome Mary and welcome back Amy. I am thrilled that Mary will be involved this year. As an extremely talented person with a reputation that precedes her, Mary will certainly up the Take the day. anti. There's something about Amy, something unpredictable. She's a magical eclecticist and truly one of the most free thinking SD artists.
I don't have full information pertaining to the images below so I will guess if I need to. I apologize in advance if I guess wrong.

Mary Groth

Mystery Woman: Scandia

Dimensions unknown

Probably either an oil or acrylic painting or pastel drawing on some sort of fabric, panel or paper.

Title and dimensions unknown

appears to be a drawing of some sort on either paper or canvas.

Amy Fill

Cans

Slip cast wood fired porcelain

 Ground Blooms and Smoke Bombs

Mixed media on canvas, dimensions variable.  Full size 53 inches by 18 feet.  Image shows a 24 inches by 30 inches section

Thank you Amy. Thank you Mary. Take the day. 2011 will be great.

Artist Spotlight 5: Mark Stemwedel and Diana Behl

Diana and Mark are both second year Take the day. participants, and boy am I glad to have them back. These two South Dakota State University faculty members are good good people.

Mark Stemwedel

Trinity of Purity

2008

Oil on panel

15 3/4 in. x 15 3/4 in.

Still Life with Glass no. 3
2007
Oil on panel
30 in. x 24 in.

Diana Behl

(imaginary story) eleven

2009
Graphite, mixed media with collage on paper
7.75" x 8.25"

awash
2011
Mixed Media on Paper
7.75" x 9"

Both of these artists have very diverse methods of creating things. These four images only touch on a small portion of their methods of working. I'd check out their websites if I were you.

http://www.markstemwedel.com/

http://www.dianabehl.com/

What an honor to have these remarkable people involved with Take the day.

Thank you Diana. Thank you Mark

 



Artist Spotlight 4: Tory Stolen, Dave Lethcoe and Eli Show

And now please give and almost overly enthusiastic welcome to Eli, Tory and Dave. All three are BFA alumni from the University of South Dakota. All three are members of the band We All Have Hooks For Hands. All three had ponytails with cat scratches as grade schoolers and didn't even know each other.

If you live in Sioux Falls and haven't heard of these guys you must be living under an old piece of sheet metal which covers a small hole in the ground in which there are no shelves.

Need I say anymore? Probably not.

Tory Stolen

Untitled

Ortholitho film on found wood

2011

 Tory Stolen

Untitled

Ortholitho print, black and white print, wood stain, acrylic paint and graphite on found wood
2011

Eli Show

Holy Ghost and House Guests

Screen print and wood on wood panel

2011

Eli Show

Insides

Digital photograph of an installation

2011

Dave Lethcoe

Consume Sheep Skin Costume

Wood, wax, acrylic paint, found objects

2011

Dave Lethcoe

Fictional Function

Wooden chairs and other found objects

2011

Eli will be working on a screen printing project, perhaps involving other media. David will be making a mixed media sculpture requiring the use of power tools and 

Tory will be doing some sort of interesting photographic transfer mixed media work.

New to Take the day., these guys will add greatly to the dynamic of the group. I am immensely gladdened by their involvement.

Now for a little music.

Have a great day.

Artist Spotlight 3: Cassie Marie Edwards and Giles Timms

These two fantastic artists are not the only faculty members at Dakota State University who will be featured in Take the day. 2011, however they will be the first. Giles and Cassie Marie, both relatively fresh out of MFA programs at UCLA and Northern Illinois University, bring interesting aesthetic paths of conversation into the South Dakota art dialogue.

As rare as it is to find an animator in SD, it's pretty amazing that one of the few is as heavy-hitting as Giles Timms. Juggling reductivism and sheer visual symphony, he creates magical worlds often blurring a child's sense of figuration with that of ancient times.

In a land of many many homes with many many many walls on which are hung many many many many kitsch paintings in which there are many many many many many shallow sentiment buttons, as of recently lives Cassie Marie Edwards. By rendering the Tchotchke, Cassie Marie concisely makes art and decor inseparable, thus forcing us to make distinctions between the two terms. Clean and very blatant, her work exists within the always vital realms of conceptualism which speak of our relationships with, ultimately, everything.

At Take the day. 2011 Giles will be working on stop-motion drawing video and Cassie Marie will be working on a still life painting. It's gonna be great!

Below are a couple of music videos that represent Giles, and a couple of paintings that represent Cassie Marie. Look even farther down for links.



Grapevine Fires, Death Cab for Cutie (04:17)
Illustration, 2D animation, compositing (in team)

Credits:
Production Studio: Walter Robot Studios, www.walterrobot.com
Directors: Bill Barminski and Chris Louie
Art Director: Bill Barminski
Illustrators: Bill Barminski and Giles Timms
2D Animators: Bill Barminski, Chris Louie and Giles Timms
©2009 Death Cab for Cutie/Walter Robot Studios



Flyleaf, Chasm (02:53), Animated Music Video
All Aspects
A&M | Octone Records, 2010
Agency RW Media

Deer  8x10"  2010  Oil on canvas

Hare  20x20" 2011  Oil on canvas 

cassiemarieedwards.blogspot.com/

cassiemarie.com

gilestimms.com

Thank you Cassie Marie. Thank you Giles. This is going to be great.

Artist Spotlight 2: Amber Hansen and Nicholas Ward

Nick Ward and Amber Hansen are two of the most creative people I know. From video, to painting, to sculpture, to community-based projects, to masterful drawings, these two do can do it all, and very well.
Both of these fantastic artists received their MFA from University of Kansas, where Amber is currently the lecturer of drawing and painting. Right now these two are in Joplin, MO organizing and documenting a community mural project. Below you'll find some of their videos as well as a link to a kickstarter page for "Called to Walls," a national mural project/documentary. Support if you can.

muybridge hands from Nicholas Ward on Vimeo.

to oar or to oar not from Nicholas Ward on Vimeo.

The Wall from Amber Hansen on Vimeo.

Amber and Nick will be collaborating on an interactive video piece during Take the day. 2011. Wow! I can't wait. Below is what they made at Take the day.2010. Each head in this video is either a Take the day. artist or a member of the greater community. Music by Amber Hansen and Darcy Millette.




It's an honor folks.

Artist Spotlight 1: Shannon Sargent, Cory Knedler and John Bowitz.

Shannon, Cory and John are all first year participants. They are also all phenomenal artists with deep roots within this greater region's art world and academia. These three artists will be collaborating with one another at Take the day. 2011. I am looking forward to seeing what they create and what type of collaborative process comes forth. Here are a couple images of past collaborations between the three and links to follow for more info.

Shannon Sargent

Cory Knedler

John Bowitz

Thanks guys. Great Work.