The Studio is tiny compared to some of the museums I've visited - it's only made up of two main galleries, and it showcases both local, national, and international contemporary artists. Right now, the two shows were those of Justin Thompson and David Schirm. When you first walk into the gallery space, you are greeted by a drooping sculpture of a tree. Thompson's installation is entitled Palms, and while I knew what it was a sculpture of, at first I couldn't figure out what it was made of.
Justin Thompson, Palms Installation, 2008
With the help of some gallery hand-outs and closer examination, I saw that what Thompson had created was a soft sculpture around a metal base. The trees were made of recycled quilts! I thought it was a really great and unique idea. Walking into the main gallery, you see that Thompson has created a "forest" of sorts around the perimeter of the room. Some trees are completely upright, and some are drooping so low they touch the ground.. The quilted trees seemed to be an allegory for the past and for memory, and there was something both touching, beautiful, strong, and sad about them all at the same time.
Justin Thompson, Palms Installation, 2008With the help of some gallery hand-outs and closer examination, I saw that what Thompson had created was a soft sculpture around a metal base. The trees were made of recycled quilts! I thought it was a really great and unique idea. Walking into the main gallery, you see that Thompson has created a "forest" of sorts around the perimeter of the room. Some trees are completely upright, and some are drooping so low they touch the ground.. The quilted trees seemed to be an allegory for the past and for memory, and there was something both touching, beautiful, strong, and sad about them all at the same time.
When you walk into the next gallery, it becomes clear that these two artists have absolutely no connections nor anything in common. First of all, David Schirm's preferred medium is oil paint. Second, and more importantly, the majority of Schirm's works deal with blood, violence, and the end of the world. I was actually uncomfortable around some of his paintings that bear names like Celebration of the Bone Yard, Blood of the Waters, and End of Days.
David Schirm, End of Days, 2008.
Many of his paintings show fountains, rivers, or oceans of blood. It was really unsettling. At the same time, there was one of his paintings that I loved, entitled Dome of the Poet. The painting shows a semicircle of blue against a dark background, and there are many light colored curlicues all over the painting. They are closer together and more prominent against the blue, and they seem like stars in a night sky. Over all, it really reminded me of Starry Night. There is a small red spot on the bottom of the painting, which reminded me of a star gazer, and someone looking out into an infinite void of stars. Unlike Schirm's other pieces, this one instilled a sense of hope in me.
David Schirm, End of Days, 2008.Many of his paintings show fountains, rivers, or oceans of blood. It was really unsettling. At the same time, there was one of his paintings that I loved, entitled Dome of the Poet. The painting shows a semicircle of blue against a dark background, and there are many light colored curlicues all over the painting. They are closer together and more prominent against the blue, and they seem like stars in a night sky. Over all, it really reminded me of Starry Night. There is a small red spot on the bottom of the painting, which reminded me of a star gazer, and someone looking out into an infinite void of stars. Unlike Schirm's other pieces, this one instilled a sense of hope in me.
Overall, I really liked the way the gallery was set up. You could walk in and out without ever seeing another person and you had plenty of privacy to view and appreciate the art in your own way.
David Schirm, Dome of the Poet, 2008.
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