All competitions have rules. Those for e-merge: WG@BE3 were simple:
1) The work had to be predominantly kiln-formed
2) At least 80% (of its volume) had to be made up of glass, of which 90% must be Bullseye
3) The applying artist could not currently be represented by Bullseye Gallery or by any other gallery that exhibits at Sculpture Object Functional Art (SOFA) or other comparable international art fair
In short, e-merge: WG@BE3 was intended to showcase works in Bullseye glass by artists who are just entering the field or who have been working outside the radar of the major art fairs and galleries.
By the strict interpretation of the entry rules these works, for various infractions, were not qualified for e-merge. Hence they were not considered within the formal jurying. But I was not a juror. And as Director of the Bullseye Gallery I regularly look for work that pushes the limits. So I asked the show organizers to allow me a corner where I could showcase my small contingent of scofflaws.
So much for the rules.
Lani McGregor, Director
The Bullseye Gallery
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Linda Ellis Andrews / Benton City, WA "Nesting: Dream Denied" 2003 |
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Growing up on a small midwestern farm, I instinctively gained a deep appreciation of nature's beauty, complexity, and synergism. My work embraces these values. For the past fifteen years I have been working primarily with glass and bronze, seeming to thrive on difficult processes that require a high degree of pre-visualization and technical challenge. I love experimentation, "pushing the envelope," and perfecting techniques that enable me to produce what I have envisioned. Although the nesting series pieces can be enjoyed in the literal sense, my intention is to illuminate how one's life experiences shape his or her psyche. Each separate "thread" interweaves with every other to form the "nest" within which the soul rests and is supported by the physical surroundings, i.e., the bronze tripod | ||||
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Ann Dugan Duesterberg / Mountain View, WA "Test Tube Babies" 2004 |
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Sculptural forms provide a medium for the artist and the viewer to explore their inner selves, the spirit of being, their longings and desires. It is through self-exploration that one may become open to others. It is my hope that by creating sculptural art, the responses it provokes, will facilitate dialogue and exploration of ideas among its viewers. It is my intention to explore and express ideas that may promote positive changes in our society. Three-dimensional sculpture intrigues me. Works, which can be viewed in multiple directions, seek to pull in the viewer as he circles the object. Test Tube Babies in one of a series of works that explore issues involved when medical intervention is used to assist in creating or healing babies. The level of commitment for both the parents and the medical community is extreme. The outcome can be miraculous or devastating. | ||||
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April Surgent / Hackett, Australia "Melbourne" 2004 |
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My work is an investigation of place. I am dissecting, fragmenting, and pulling apart the ordinary glance of my environment to show something more focused. My work speaks about my actions, reactions, interactions, and observations of and with my surrounding environment to explore my own existence. | ||||
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Roger Thomas / Portland, OR "Icarus in Chocolate" 2003 |
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I dream of things I assume to be part of my daily life, which I slowly realize don't exist, except in my visions. If they are insistent enough, pervasive enough to give me a sense of loss over their not being physically real, I try to create them. As a "maker of things" I want to fold light into material and mold an object that has the capacity to last forever. Each work is a dialogue between artist and medium. The conversation is about how simply something can be said; how many marks, what colors, what texture communicates the subject most clearly. Like the Oriental ink brush master, I have chosen a seemingly simple medium that responds so broadly to manipulation that I may only hope to, after a lifetime of study, finally bend it with precision to my desires, and express the world in a brush stroke. When I was 30 I was a wastrel, without dedication or direction. It was about that time that I came to understand that my life was about creating what in this society is known as art. That realization has enabled me to guide and direct my life since then. This is a comforting stability to me. It allows me to face all kinds of decisions with a reliable guidepost in front of me, and has given my life personal meaning. Art is the detritus of the creative act, and creating is a worthwhile goal for my life. | ||||
