Film - Revisited, Reviewed, Reflected: Lauren Wiggins and Discovering "But I'm a Cheerleader" in Small Town SC

Cindi Boiter February 2, 2021

It’s strange, but logical, that film has become such a large part of our lives during these pandemic days even for folks who don’t identify as cinephiles.

Stranger still is the recognition that, as hungry as we are for film art, a lot of what we’re getting from the plethora of studios producing work now is leaving us dissatisfied. (Watch this space for more on this subject coming soon.)

Consequently, many of us are going back to the vaults and revisiting films from earlier days that we either missed when they came out or that came out before we were even born.

In the case of the former, it’s impossible to approach these movies with truly fresh eyes (is this ever really possible?) because we don’t just watch a movie, we experience it with all the temporal baggage (and the lack thereof) that accompanies being a human of a certain age.

Lauren Wiggins, a friend and former student of mine (USC class of ‘09 WGST) found this to be the case when she revisited the 1999 comedy, But I’m a Cheerleader, starring the intoxicating Natasha Lyonne (check her out in ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK and RUSSIAN DOLL) and directed by the equally brilliant Jamie Babbit. We happened upon Wiggins’ blog post detailing this experience and wanted to share it, with her permission, with our readers (below). - CB

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You Can't Make This Up, #4: Discovering But I'm a Cheerleader in Small Town SC

A queer camp cult classic anniversary celebration extravaganza!

The year 2000 is a fine vintage for movies that I still love. Drowning Mona, Memento, American Psycho - all classics! With the exception of darker titles like, Requiem for a Dream, several of the best ones from that year were inspirational for young women. They were the kind of films that made teenage girls want to become something and trust their instincts. Center Stage left me to ponder if 14 was too old to start ballet lessons. Coyote Ugly taught me that I could be a badass bartender on the side and the compensation from that one job would surely bankroll my passions and cost of living. Miss Congeniality showed me that I didn’t have to be girly to make friends that were girls. Let me tell you, it was a real coming of age summer.

When I entered Freshman year of high school that fall, my cousin Tiffany took me under her wing. She was a cheerleader and she played soccer. She was a senior with a million friends, and she was about to get a car! Plus, she let me hang out when her friends were around and they said I was funny, which of course cinched a top spot in the hierarchy of cool Freshmen.

When we got bored in our three stoplight town, as all apathetic teenagers across the USA did; we flocked to the beautiful blue and yellow beacon known as Blockbuster. There, amongst the over-priced candy, we’d sometimes spend an hour selecting our film. One particular visit to our local Blockbuster, But I’m a Cheerleader caught Tiffany’s eye. She was chasing the Bring It On high from that summer, and the word ‘cheerleader’ was all she needed to read; certainly no reason to flip it over and read the synopsis.

Allow me to pause the story to tell you what But I’m a Cheerleader actually is. It’s a queer camp film directed by Jamie Babbit, which follows a protagonist who doesn’t know she’s a homo, as she’s forced by families and friends to go to ‘True Directions’, a conversion therapy camp run by Cathy Moriarty and RuPaul. And this past year, this movie turned 20 years old. Vintage queer camp.

Again, since I had proven my coolness, I was invited to come along to Tiffany’s ultra-cool friend’s house. Jessica did pageants, but she had the kind of sense of humor that made you think she was doing them ironically, like a joke that only she was in on. She was tall, her hair was always pretty, and she had an endless supply of Roxy t-shirts that I silently coveted. I studied them and all the hair products I had no idea existed strewn across her room, as we cozied up on a floor pallet with snacks.

Flags were quickly raised that this was not a movie about cheerleading, but there were pom-poms, so I kept my mouth shut. Just to see. I could be wrong. Nobody else had said anything yet, and in my angst, I quietly hoped they’d want to watch the whole thing.

We did end up watching the whole thing, mostly because up until the end of the movie, I think we were all still expecting that it would eventually work out to be the farce on cheerleading that we rented. After all, I might not have been the cinema hound I am today, but I knew about parody and the low-budget looks of the box were on par with a poster for a Leslie Nielsen movie.

The longer I waited for the movie to be more relatable for my cousin the cheerleader, the more it struck me that this movie was a kind I had never seen before. I had seen Rocky Horror Picture Show a million times with my mom, but that was blatant, flagrant queerness. This movie was speaking some new language, and even though I was missing a few words, it was a language made for me. The entire duration of the film evoked that weird feeling that was a bit like watching a sex scene with your parents, and we passed through the real moments that made us feel awkward by acknowledging the other movies we had seen these actors in.

“Holy shit, it’s Rufio! What’s that guy been up to?!”

“Is that Stokely from The Faculty?!”

“Oh, it’s the chick who dances with the vibrator in Slums of Beverly Hills!”

“Yeah, she’s the friend in American Pie too!”

I concealed my interest during the actual sex scene, but if there had been any doubt in my mind before I watched that very thoughtfully directed moment between two women, I knew I was gay then and there. I also wondered if my mom paid very close attention to our Blockbuster rental history.

I remember the first time I secretly studied it alone in my room. Not a euphemism. I wanted to understand the color coding but was so nauseated by all the blue and pink. I was equally repulsed at the pukey browns in the parents’ house, but I mainly took issue with the queer characters being stuck in these institutionalized style uniforms of what I felt were baby shower colors. It wasn’t until many years later that I got to talk to other queer people and unpack Dir. Babbit’s commentary on gender roles being artificially grown in a heteronormative laboratory.

Conversion therapy was back in the news a few months ago, for good reasons. If you haven’t heard, 370 religious officials signed a declaration to ban conversion therapy. In my mind, it’s unconscionable that anyone would still support such a crazy idea. I’m friends with deeply religious people, but I can’t imagine that they’d look at me and think there was any “going back” or some different life for me. Then again, I don’t know what they say when I’m not queerly taking up space in a room.

On the 20th anniversary of this excellent piece of film, I celebrate But I’m a Cheerleader, not only as my root and an instant classic in queer camp, but as something that made me begin to analyze everything I watched and listen out for the languages of the oppressed. After all, those are the tools I have now to truly own the space in the room.

Thanks for coming to my super gay Ted Talk.

LAUREN WIGGINS AT

YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP.

Announcing the 2021 Tiny Gallery Artist Line-Up!

Cindi Boiter January 23, 2021

TENNYSON CORLEY K. WAYNE THORNLEY

SHELBY LEBLANC BETSY KAEMMERLEN

B.A. HOHMAN GINNY MERRETT

RON HAGELL ASHLEY BENNETT

BOHUMILA AUGUSTINOVA RENEE ROUILLIER

LORI ISOM

Jasper’s Tiny Gallery began in October 2018 as a fresh opportunity for artists and art lovers alike. With the goal of offering small pieces at small price points, the Tiny Gallery series provides artists the chance to create special worlds in compact dimensions and provides patrons, who may have smaller budgets, be burgeoning collectors, or longtime collectors with little remaining wall space, to enjoy new artwork.

In June of last year, Jasper decided to re-focus Tiny Gallery into a virtual show so that artists could tell their stories and continue to do the work they love in challenging, unprecedented times. We are so glad that, in 2021, we will be able to continue this journey with over 12 wonderful artists.

Get to know them and their work below, and be sure to mark your calendars for their shows!

January: Tennyson Corley

Our year has already kicked off with Tennyson’s Corley’s show, Microcosm. Her show of nature paintings sold so quicky, she had to add more pieces to her exhibit.. You can still view and purchase pieces from her show until January 31st: https://the-jasper-project.square.site/tiny-gallery

Corley is a contemporary painter living and working in Columbia, South Carolina. Showing professionally since 2010, she has been honing her painting style in acrylics and mixed media. She works out of her studio on her small farm minutes from city proper. Corley attended Columbia College for a degree in Fine Art.

Tennyson captivates her audience with depiction of native flora and fauna. Her pieces pay homage to her work as a horticulturalist and love of nature. Seeking out new inspirations through her travels, she strives to portray the beauty of the South East region to her viewers.

You can see more of her art on Instagram at @tennyson_corley_art and on Linktree at linktr.ee/TennysonCorleyArt

February: K. Wayne Thornley

K. Wayne Thornley’s show is coming up in just over a week, starting Monday, February 1st.

Figure Studies serves as an initial purview into larger works that will be shown at Stormwater Studios in May 2021 alongside the clay work of Lucy Bailey. They also continue a theme he has worked on for many years, “figures surrounded by or floating within minimal, barren landscapes—emerging from my father’s Alzheimer’s experience.”

Thornley is an artist working in mixed media painting and assemblage and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina where he studied art, design and marketing. His award-winning work has been shown in group and solo exhibitions throughout the Southeast and purchased for several private and corporate collections including The Greenwood Genetics Center and Wells Fargo.

Recent juried exhibitions include the South Carolina Watermedia Society Annual Exhibition (Signature Member) and the Greenville Artists Guild Annual Small Works Exhibition. Mixed media work by the artist has been selected for exhibition at Artfields (2018 & 2019), an annual art competition and survey of Southeastern art held annually in Lake City, SC.

Check out Wayne’s work on his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kwaynethornley/?hl=en

March: Shelby LeBlanc

Shelby LeBlanc’s bright colors and beautiful imagery will decorate “little pieces” in the month of March.

LeBlanc is a contemporary painter from Columbia, SC, and has been active since 2015. She favors acrylic paint for most of her work, however some of her works delve into watercolor, inks, crayons, or mixed media incorporating book pages, maps, or glass.

Much of her works are inspired by the time spent away from home, from the Low Country of South Carolina to her trips to Africa, Costa Rica, Mexico, Europe, and Thailand. LeBlanc paints in a variety of styles and mediums over many different subject matters, however, her work is always recognizable- beautiful, dramatic, and demands attention.

You can see Shelby’s work on her Facebook and Instagram as well as her website: https://www.shelbyleblancart.com

April: Betsy Kaemmerlen

Betsy Kaemmerlen’s striking ceramic creations will take us through the month of April.

Kaemmerlen is a Landscape Architect with strengths in graphics and planting design. As an outgrowth of her profession, she has been working in clay since 1994. Originally taught on the wheel by John Macomber of Greenleaf Pottery, Betsy turned to hand built forms soon afterwards. She originated an active potters group called Clay Arts East in Connecticut and organized the Open Studio Tour of Northeast CT with up to 75 artists, for many years before moving south in 2006.

Concentrating on functional ware, surface texture and decoration are key to her clay forms, with transparent glazes pooling in the depths. Her inspiration for exploring textured surfaces comes from the origins of pottery when clay was used to protect cooking baskets from the fire. As food was cooked, the clay was fired and so the basket weave impression remained.

In 2013, Betsy won an Artist Residency in Little Switzerland, NC at Wildacres Retreat to work on both functional pots and sculptural pieces. She enjoys both taking and giving workshops and has learned many hand building and carving techniques. As a garden designer, leaves and natural designs play heavily in her work. And having studied the gardens in Kyoto Japan for five months in 1979, her fascination with Asian motifs is ongoing. She carves roller stamps with cloud, water, Chinese, and Celtic motifs to add richness to her pottery. Lately her focus has been on tiny teapots and vases, along with Ikebana vessels for Japanese flower arranging.

You can check out some of Betsy’s work on an interview Jasper did with her last year: http://jasperproject.org/what-jasper-said/tag/Betsy+Kaemmerlen

May: Ginny Merett

Known for her quirky collage pieces, Ginny Merett has been an artist in the Columbia community for over thirty years. She has used various media to create art but for the last decade chooses collage techniques and processes to represent what she calls “characters.” These characters will be ready to walk into your life throughout May.

Ginny’s work has won several awards and accolades. Recently, Ginny exhibited her work in the Alumni Exhibit at the University of South Carolina School of Visual Arts and Design McMaster Gallery. She is the cover and featured artist in The Jasper Magazine, Spring 2019 edition; and received First Place and Second Place Awards at the Rosewood Art and Music Festival, Best in Show at Time for Art sponsored by the Jasper Project; and participated in Women Speak Art Gallery at SC State Library 2017, ArtFields 2019, and numerous other exhibits.

Ginny was born and raised in Denver and has lived in South Carolina since 1987. Art sustained Ginny throughout her life and is the cause for her every success. She constantly sewed, created, and treasured drawing as a child, and sought out every art opportunity in school. Because art was such a passion of Ginny’s youth, she pursued a BS in Art Education from the University of Georgia. She later went on to earn an MA in Art Education and MEd in Educational Administration from The University of South Carolina, where she also served as adjunct for several years. Among some of her greatest accomplishments, Ginny taught art in public schools for 30 years.

Her influences include David Hockney’s joiners, Robert Rauschenberg’s combines, Hannah Hoch’s timeless collages, and the beautiful execution of John Singer Sargent’s portraits. Ginny is a member of FigurativeArtists.org, the SC Arts Alliance, and South Carolina Artists groups.

You can preview Ginny’s work at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and at www.ginnymerett.com

June: B.A. Hohman

B.A. Hohman’s unique and soulful perspective on life, often seen in grand murals, will make their way into smaller selections in the summer month of June.

Hohman grew up in Ohio and graduated cum laude from Ohio University with a BFA. Art has always been her ground. She met her husband, Bob, there, and after her graduation they married and embarked on a new life, moving to West Columbia, SC, in 1981. Their two girls, Haley and Taryn, were born here several years later. She moved back and forth across the country before settling back in SC where she taught. Teaching Art was both gratifying and frustrating due to the vast scope of student abilities and behaviors grouped together in often overcrowded classes. Several years later, B.A. made the decision to leave teaching and become a successful muralist and trompe l’oiel artist, painting for clients too numerous to mention, across the state. As the subject matter knew no bounds, B.A. discovered her hidden ability to adapt both subject and style to client desires. Her Art had never had a specific style so this vocation fit well.

Painting murals was lifesaving before, during, and after the sudden death of her husband Bob in 2005. Her amazing friends are more precious than gold. Attending art and music events kept her sane and provided well needed inspiration. Finally selling the family home in Irmo, finding her perfect little West Columbia home and studio in 2015 was tonic for the soul. She met more and more of the creative folks who encompass the Art community in and around Columbia and lasting friendships were formed. She continues to revel in their caring inspiration.

B.A. has struggled to create during this past year. Searching for a deeper connection has helped find a sense of peace and hope. Her current artistic goal is to focus on the little things that bring joy as well as the rambling depictions of a mind grasping for meaning. Her new pieces will be depictions of her inner wanderings and glimpses of the small things that keep her mind from spinning off into the gaping chasm.

Check out B.A.’s work on her Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bahohman/?ref=page_internal

July: Ron Hagell

Ron Hagell’s artwork, which is largely narrative based on social issues, portraiture and dance, will take us through July.

Hagell is a media artist. His primary work in the past was in film and photography. Ron became an artist so that he could work more individually and creatively across a variety of media. He taught media art practice at Royal Holloway - University of London and at the Rhode Island School of Design, Columbia University and on a Fulbright grant in Germany. He has exhibited work in Europe, Canada and the US. His most recent exhibitions were in the UK, Berlin and South Carolina at Artfields 2016, 2018 and 2019.

Recently Ron has been experimenting with bold color figurative and portrait works in acrylic on canvas as well as revisiting still images from his former dance productions as small individual statements on creative movement.

Ron has a Master of Fine Art degree from Columbia University and studied at UNC, Rhode Island School of Design and American University. He now lives in Columbia, SC, and has a studio at the Tapps’ Outpost where he invites visitors to see his work by appointment.

In another life, Ron was an Army Captain with service in Vietnam after which he created many hours of arts and documentary programs for PBS stations including the only ever nationally produced jazz music series, At the Top.

You can see Ron’s work on his Facebook and his website: http://www.ronhagell.com/

August: Ashley Bennett

Spirited dancer and jewelry artist, Ashley Bennett, will finish off the summer with her August show.

Bennett moved to Columbia, by herself, in 2007 and made it her home. She danced in the city's first fringe arts company, Columbia Alternacirque, and became a well-known performer at the Art Bar. For several years, Ashley was a staple shop girl for secondhand store, Sid & Nancy, where she consumed countless iced cappuccinos from Adriana's and smoked a small mountain of cigarettes on the busy sidewalk in front of Delaney's Irish pub.

Over a decade later, she opened her own artist studio at Tapp's Arts Center, started the Movement Arts Co-op there, and later served a short term as Director of Operations. In 2019, Ashley opened her own communal artist space in West Columbia, Sage Studios. Thanks to the pandemic, the company's vital signs are weak, but stable. She spent the majority of 2020 pacing her house, homeschooling her 5-year-old, eating cheese, and soldering jewelry from sterling silver.

Check out Ashley’s jewelry on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/covenitesilver/

September: Bohumila Augustinová

Bohumila Augustinová’s fantastical wire work, often coupled with her clay creations, ranges from mugs and bowls to gallery pieces. This unique variety of work will be featured in her September show.

Augustinová was born and raised in communist Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic. She has a degree in fashion design, and she was always an artist. Bohumila came to the United States in 1998, and after winning Runaway Runway, she quickly became part of the Columbia Art scene. In 2015, she took over Anastasia & Friends Gallery, which closed in 2019. Bohumila is a leader of Yarnbombers of Columbia. She works at the Columbia Art Center where she not just makes art, but also teaches art to others.

See Bohumila’s art on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art_by_bohumila/

October: Renee Rouillier

Renee Rouillier’s sculptural explorations will unravel their stories in October.

Rouillier has been involved in the arts since her twenties. Raised in upstate New York, she received an MFA in Ceramic Sculpture and 3D Study from the University of South Carolina, BFA with a concentration in Ceramics and a BS in Interdisciplinary Arts for Children from SUNY College at Brockport, and a Certificate of Fine Arts from Rochester Institute of Technology.

She strongly feels art not only defines who she is, but also mirrors her personal life as well as worldly events and outcomes. In reflection on 2020, she is emphatic that the deeds of humanity will continue to have a profound effect on harmonious existence and the survival of all. The past year, 2020, has proven that nature and all forms of wildlife can flourish without human interaction and she questions this relationship within her artwork. Rouillier also believes a resurgence of mythology, folklore, magic, and wonder would add a positive dimension to today’s world.

You can explore Renee’s art on her website: https://www.reneerouillier.com

November: Lori Isom

Lori Isom’s distinctive reflections on life through portraiture will be up to view throughout November.

Isom has experienced a varied career as an artist, dedicating years to professional dancing, singing and acting. A figurative and portrait artist for over 20 years, she has been commissioned to do hundreds of individual & family portraits.

Lori's work has been featured in a plethora of places including American Art Collector. She recently completed a one-year artist residency for the City of North Charleston, during which she had the privilege to work on several community-focused projects. She is currently working to grow in greater artistic expression that moves beyond the influence of societal values.

Check out Lori’s work on her Instagram and her Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artinthenow/

December: Multiple Artist Ornament Show

For December, we are offering a holiday-oriented show sure to get you in the spirit for your favorite holiday, whichever it may be. Whether you want something to hang on your tree, set on your mantle, or show as a keepsake from 2021, support a local artist with an irreplaceable piece.

Look out for our upcoming announcement of our list of artists for our December show!

Tennyson Corley Invites All to Experience the Natural World Anew in Jasper’s First Tiny Gallery of 2021

Cindi Boiter January 17, 2021

In 2020, Jasper moved its Tiny Gallery online to give artists a space to tell their stories safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. This month, native South Carolinian Tennyson Corley has kicked off a new year of these stories with her show, Microcosm.

Corley was born and raised in Columbia, dwelling with her family on a large horse farm on the outskirts of the city. She has never felt a pull to leave the state she calls home, sharing, “I have a strong connection to our state, the landscape, the proximity to the mountains, the forest, the beaches, the wildlife.”

Amongst these connections to the natural world, art also surrounded a young Corley. Her mother was a prominent illustrator and portrait artist who Corley had the fortune to watch create, collaborate, and travel. She now watches the same stories unfold in her own life.

“I got to witness firsthand all the inner workings of being an actual ‘working’ artist,” Corley says, “It definitely had a glamorous side, but I wasn’t jaded to all the other things that go along with it, long nights, rejection, unhappy clients—those experiences really taught me things I could never learn in a formal setting.”

Being steeped in these experiences resulted in Corley deciding to pursue a career in art herself, attending Columbia College to study Fine Art before taking time off to grow into the role of mother to her son, Jasper. When Corley returned to work, it was as a horticulturalist, but one day her husband arrived home with a surprise—a new easel. And that was the push she needed to re-envelop herself in art.

As an artist, Corley lends herself to experimentations. She has worked in printmaking, acrylic, oils, gauche, watercolor, ceramics, indigo art, and more. For Corley, though, painting is her home, what she always returns to.

“I specifically love working in acrylics—the way you can manipulate the paint is practically endless,” she explains, “Recently I have been playing with textures, building up my canvas with recycled materials and different mediums. The process has been cathartic.”

One theme Corley continually finds herself returning to is rooted in the home she has never left—nature and the natural world, specifically within the Southeastern United States. Even outside of visual art, Corley is a strong supporter of protecting the environment and the living beings that dwell in them.

“Through my work, I want to highlight the places and animals we pass by in our daily lives in hopes that connection leads to preservation,” Corley contends, “I hope my paintings can bridge a connection without being too in your face, because sometimes only the quietest voice is heard.”

Her Tiny Gallery show, Microcosm, is an exploration of the natural world via a uniquely insightful lens. As you take a virtual walk through the show, you will see portraits of birds caught in reverie, bees dancing circles around flowers, open oysters marked to receive something unknown, and more.

The show sold out half of its items in the first week. Overwhelmed by the wonderful response, Corley has decided to add 8 more pieces to the show, which will have just gone live when this article is published.

“This show is, in its essence, a compendium of my work through 2020, arranged by various series inspired by travel, work, and my affinity for texture and the evolution it has taken in my recent work,” Corley says. “I want to use the show to highlight my growth as an artist over this past year.”

Reflecting on this past year, Corley admits she was frightened when the pandemic started, not just for herself but the entire art world. However, she gave herself daily painting goals and challenged herself to create small scale work, leading to Microcosm, among other new adventures.

“I ended up being a part of The Crisis Residency, with other artists going through the same gambit of emotions and it helped me find my footing,” Corley accounts, “I mean, artist are innovators and hold the ability to constantly evolve in changing circumstances, right?”

Corley also had the privilege of being the Artist in Residence at Oconee Parks, which she notes as a highlight in her artistic career. Her favorite memory as an artist, though, has been the magic of watching her son follow in her footsteps as she once did her mother’s.

“He has been to my art openings, worked alongside me daily, studied the same books, and had long ‘art talks’ with me,” Corley shares, “It brings back my memories for me to bask in from childhood, and I hope that I leave these we are making with him so that he can one day pass that on if he decides to take that path as well.”

Corley is not sure what the future holds, but one concrete plan she has is an upcoming show with 701’s Hallway Gallery in March.

For now, you can experience Corley’s walk through nature with her show, Microcosm. You can view all the pieces, sold and available, at any time, and you can purchase the available pieces 24/7 as well, up until the gallery’s close on January 31st: https://the-jasper-project.square.site/tiny-gallery

If you want to follow Corley after the show, you can check her Instagram at @tennyson_corley_art and her Linktree at linktr.ee/TennysonCorleyArt

Welcome Tennyson Corley to Jasper's Tiny Gallery

Cindi Boiter January 5, 2021

We’re loving the precious little pieces of art Tennyson Corley is sharing with you this month via Jasper’s Tiny Gallery.

Tennyson Corley is a contemporary painter living and working in Columbia, South Carolina. Showing professionally since 2010, she has been honing her painting style in acrylics and mixed media. She works out of her studio on her small farm minutes from city proper. Corley attended Columbia College for a degree in Fine Art.

Tennyson captivates her audience with depiction of native flora and fauna. Her pieces pay homage to her work as a horticulturalist and love of nature. Seeking out new inspirations through her travels, she strives to portray the beauty of the South East region to her viewers.

These small pieces are offered at an affordable price and, while they stand alone beautifully, they also complement gallery style displays of larger pieces by adding interest and detail.

We’ll be writing more about Corley later in the month but , since her work is selling fast, we wanted to make sure Tiny Gallery lovers don’t miss out on this lovely art.

Visit MICROCOSM BY TENNYSON CORLEY at the Jasper Project’s Tiny Gallery.

Roger Reed’s Tiny Gallery Show, The Magic Universe, Invites All Into Its Celebration of Color, Shape, and Perception

Cindi Boiter December 17, 2020

By Christina Xan

Ever since Jasper took its Tiny Gallery Series online in June, we have received an outpouring of love for our artists. We are grateful for all the artists who have shared their stories and to the community that has joyously received them. And we’re excited to wrap up our year with a magical show from local artist, Roger Reed.

Reed was born and raised right here in Columbia and attended CA Johnson High School before moving to Richmond for college. “My father loved to draw when he was in grade school, and my stepmother loved to fool around with puzzles, “Reed shares, “But for the most part, art was not in my family.”

“…it was so beautiful it made me want to create something beautiful myself,”

Regardless, the now 69-year-old started drawing when he was only five or six. “A big brother friend of mine showed me a walking stick that he had just made, and it was so beautiful it made me want to create something beautiful myself,” Reed reflects. “The universe must have sent him to me because I was very poor and needing something to believe in.”

After this interaction, the then elementary school boy experimented with drawing before moving onto soft pastels in high school. Though he enjoyed a variety of genres, portraits were what he practiced in the most. “When anybody needed artwork for their class project, they would come to me,” he recalls.

Due to this, Reed considered art school, but fate had different plans. “My art teacher in high school wanted me to go to art school, as did I, so I went to Virginia Union University thinking they had an art school and they didn’t,” he reveals, “They told me a lie to get me to play football for them.”

Since then, the self-taught artist has experimented with a variety of mediums. While he has worked with pencils, charcoals, ballpoint pens, oil pastels, and soft pastels, acrylics are his current go-to. “Acrylic on canvas gives me what all the other mediums give me and more,” Reed explains. “Acrylics dry rock hard, are cleaner, and the canvas is more durable; with acrylic I can paint over what I do not want and replace it with what I do.”

Reed has chased his passion in a plethora of ways, and for sixty years, he did realist work—portraits, buildings, houses, and still-lifes. However, recently, he decided he wanted to switch the normal up, and for nearly 5 years, he’s been growing with abstract work.

“I went to abstract because I wanted to play a little bit more, not be so serious,” Reed says. “Sometimes I feel I'm working on the same subject all the time, but on the other hand, I keep moving to a new ideal—I have heard it said that real art has nothing to do with realism.”

Reed’s current show, aptly titled The Magic Universe, is a fresh interaction of color and shape. Startling turquoises weave within honeyed yellows. Sunset bulbs sit among twisting vines. Slivers of blue slip between collaged teardrops. Tendrils, spirals, and spheres reach out and invite you into their world.

“I hope what people get art out of the show is nothing but art. I hope my art brings them joy and no pain. I hope they have fun just like I do,” Reed says. “I call the show Magic Universe because I see the magic in the work, and I see the Universe also.”

Reed has been sharing his love with Columbia for years and reflects back on a highlight of his career—a large acrylic painting he donated to an art auction in West Columbia was auctioned off for three thousand dollars. “The money was used to pay for scholarships,” Reed remembers, “The painting was a picture of the Kids Museum on Gervais Street.”

When it comes to the future, while Reed does not know what it will hold, he can say one thing confidently: “I do not think I will stop creating.”

Two weeks are left to treat yourself or a loved one to a unique and irreplaceable holiday gift.

The Magic Universe, will be up until December 31st on the Jasper website: https://the-jasper-project.square.site/tiny-gallery

After the show, you can view Reed’s work on his Artrepeneur site: https://artrepreneur.com/p/7H9wnth9qMtTX9vME

Tiny Gallery will continue in 2021! The purpose of the Tiny Gallery Series is to allow artists an opportunity to show a selection of their smaller pieces of art offered at affordable price points attractive to beginning collectors and arts patrons with smaller budgets. If you are interested in showing at Tiny Gallery, please email Christina Xan at jasperprojectcolumbia@gmail.com

Gina Langston Brewer Expands Her Popular Tiny Gallery Show Incohesive, A Collection Rife With the Importance of Creation

Cindi Boiter November 17, 2020

“Mostly I create out of a need to process my emotions about the world around me.”

Tiny Gallery Featured Artist Gina Langston Brewer

We are halfway through our November Tiny Gallery with Gina Langston Brewer, a local multi-media artist. We’ve been overwhelmed by the love towards the show so far—in just the first 24 hours, nearly 50% of her show, Incohesive, sold out.

Brewer was a self-proclaimed “army brat” towards the beginning of her life, but she spent most of her formative years in West Columbia. Her family home was filled with art, but the idea of having a career as an artist never presented itself as an option.

Regardless, Brewer found herself continually inspired by her Grandmother Langston, a multi-media artist herself, who worked with themes surrounding nature, flowers, and the ocean.

“She made art out of everything. My dad was a contractor and brought her scraps of wood, that he beveled, to paint on,” Brewer recalls, “She gave me a love and appreciation for art, nature, and using what you have available to you.”

However, when Brewer first ventured to Winthrop University, she wasn’t planning on going down the same path–her eyes instead set on teaching. Then, she started taking art classes as electives, and before long, she graduated with a B.A. in Art.

“Though I have taken college courses, I feel somewhere between a fine and a folk artist,” Brewer ruminates, “Mostly I create out of a need to process my emotions about the world around me.”

Like her grandmother, Brewer works with the materials that are closest to her in the moment. “I will, can, and have worked in most mediums, yet I mostly work with acrylic paints,” Brewer shares, “I have also been working on several copper wire sculptures, recycled lightbulb/cork insects, wood assemblages, and altered books.”

Within these various creations, Brewer seems to often return to one dominant theme: the female form. “Mother and child, Life, the creators of life,” Brewer intimates, “I have always painted voluptuous women, body positive, having always been quite zaftig, myself.”

Brewer also reflects on how her art is a powerful tool of distraction in the time of COVID and worrisome news updates pervasive across multiple channels. This collection stems from both Brewer’s standing loves and these new emotions.

“I told a friend when I had my next show it would be called Incohesive, because my work has just been all over the place,” Brewer remarks, “I've chosen mostly smaller recent works and a few pieces just to show the spectrum of what I've been up to.”

Two of Brewer’s pieces are COVID Collaborations that she started with Kristine Hartvigsen just before lockdown, who wrote Brewer’s artist bio and statement for the show. Brewer also has featured a handful of her new recycled insect experiments, and ruminations on the female pervade the show.

As mentioned earlier, the show has been largely popular, and upon bathing in her gratefulness, Brewer has made an exciting decision: she will be adding a handful of new pieces to the show.

“Being a part of [this show] has, in a way, reinvigorated my interest in being a part of the art ‘world,’” Brewer admits, “The past four years, I have shut down with my engagement and the art community—I'm very thankful for this opportunity and for the patrons of this incredible venue.”

Throughout this week, on the Jasper Project social medias, we will be announcing and showing some of the new pieces Brewer has chosen to add to her gallery. While an inconhesion, all these pieces come together to tell a story: about femininity, about life, and about survival.

“I never really plan what I am about to create. All that I know is that I must.”

Gina Langston Brewer’s Tiny Gallery show runs through November 30th on the Jasper website and is the perfect opportunity to support local art and get your special someone an irreplaceable gift for the holidays.

Be sure to follow Brewer’s Instagram @metamorphosisters for updates on her art during and after the show.

By Christina Xan

CORONA TIMES - Jasper Talks with Dre Lopez about Designing During COVID

Cindi Boiter November 14, 2020

Please don’t give up. Your worst days will always pass, even if that is difficult to see sometimes. If you won’t do it for yourself anymore, do it for your loved ones. Always keep fighting.

In keeping with Jasper’s coverage of arts and artists during these weird quarantine times, we had the fun of a virtual interview with Columbia-based artist Dre Lopez last week. Catch up with Dre below & see what he’s been up to in this parallel universe we’re calling 2020.

JASPER: Dre, you’ve been a stalwart figure on the Columbia arts scene for a while now, but not everyone knows your story. Can you tell us about where you grew up and how you came to be the artist you are now?

DRE: Thank you for having me! Well, my family moved around a good bit when I was a child so there’s several places that I sorta grew up in. That said, I moved to Columbia from Miami. In regards to my journey as an artist, it’s a big mixed bag of experiences and influences. I’m self-taught so I’ve been creating since I was a kid and have pulled my lessons from all over the place. Illustration of different kinds, renaissance painters, Graffiti writers, animation, graphic design, fashion design, etc. I’ve always been a student of the craft so I just kept practicing and experimenting but forayed into professional waters as a freelance illustrator in 2003 and started doing professional graphic design around 2007. I’m lucky to have dove into so many mediums and methods which allowed me to become a fairly versatile artist. I’ve been able to work in several different fields which is so important as a freelancer, to stay productive and busy. I’m still learning (which I love), so the journey to “master” what I do will end when I die. That feeds me, keeps me excited, seeing that there is so much more that I can add to my tool belt as I see improvements still after all these years.

DRE: You are a designer, illustrator, graphic artist and more – where do you spend the bulk of your time and what would you rather do if you could do whatever you wanted?

DRE: The bulk of my time is split between graphic design and illustration. Depends on the season, it varies. I love doing it all and prefer the variety. It keeps things fresh and challenges my mind to work in different ways, from one project to the next. Helps with boredom as well, my mind gets bored easily. Now, if I had the ideal conditions, I would add even more variety, lol. More illustration, more design, more painting, murals, sculpting, custom fashion, etcetera, etcetera.

JASPER: Do you mostly do freelance work or do you have a regular day job?

DRE: Yeah, for the most part I’m a freelancer. I’ve had other jobs throughout the years that are both in my field, as well as other areas that have nothing to do with being a creative.

One thing I’ve learned is that your goals can change as you go through your career, and allowing that perspective to take hold will open up so many other opportunities and accomplishments that you may not have realized were possible when you started.

JASPER: Who have been your greatest influences as an artist and what have you learned from them?

DRE: Hmm, that’s a tough question. I’ve researched, studied, and pulled inspiration and lessons from SO many creators and creative fields. With illustration most of my influences come from comic books, anime and editorial illustrators. I still use a sense of storytelling with most of the work I do, this being part of what I learned specifically from sequential illustration and animation. With my painting, the masters of the Renaissance and the Baroque Period were the main sources I looked to for technique and foundation to better my process. My graphic design is probably most influenced by German minimalist aesthetics. I would also say that Street Art and Graffiti have influenced all of my mediums as well. Honestly, I would say that all the fundamentals and techniques I’ve learned, no matter the concentration, all have crossed over into the many things I create on a daily basis. All of them have made me a more fundamentally complete creator.

JASPER: Do you have any great goals out there on the horizon or are you chill doing what you’re doing now?

DRE: Definitely not chill where I’m at. I’m not satisfied and know that there’s so much more to accomplish. I will always freelance and continue to create my own work, so I will ride that wave wherever it takes me. I’m also open and intrigued to work with art/design/illustration houses in the U.S.’s major cities, as well as Europe and Japan. That’s one thing I haven’t done yet so the possibilities and challenges of that excite me. I’ve done freelance work all over, but to work in one of those houses, especially overseas, would be amazing. One thing I’ve learned is that your goals can change as you go through your career, and allowing that perspective to take hold will open up so many other opportunities and accomplishments that you may not have realized were possible when you started.

JASPER: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your work as an artist?

DRE: It’s been weird. I think the constant stress of it has at times affected my focus. Many routines had to change as well, which threw off schedules and the consistency of how I did things. That’s been an adjustment, but not the worst part of it. With COVID and the turbulence of what this presidential election year has been, it really has been challenging some days to deal with both of those burdens riding you for months, on top of whatever my “normal” life stressors have been. I’m used to working under a lot of pressure, but it’s been mentally and emotionally exhausting on some days. Some of these heavier days have dwindled my creative energy, which has been something new and strange for me. I’ve never lacked in the creative energy department. That said, having done this work for many years, I’m thankful that I have picked up enough skills and experience to maneuver through creative slumps, pandemic and chaotic political climates be damned. Take breaks when your mind needs them, power through when you have the chance.

JASPER: For those of us who don’t have your skill sets, what words of wisdom can you offer us that would help us communicate with design artists more successfully?

DRE: One of the first and most important things I was lucky enough to learn early on, is to study and learn fundamentals. I always had natural ability and style, but I lacked in the fundamentals department which is common for many self-taught creators. Depending on which creative field will make a difference as to which fundamentals to focus on, but the rule applies the same to all of them. Then practice, practice, practice. Repetition in any skill is paramount. The idea is to get as natural and comfortable with the fundamentals, so that once you know them intimately, then you can play around, twist and bend them to your will. The beauty of creative fundamentals no matter your concentration, there’s crossover for many of them so you can use them across the board regardless of the work you’re creating. Examples like color theory, composition, the way you lead the viewers eyes on an image, texture, lighting, are among a few of the fundamentals that can be applied to most visual creations. Oh, and grow a thick skin as quick as possible.

Talent lives here, determination and passion live here. The money? The money does not live here, unfortunately. Figuring out how to embrace quality creatives that are serious about having a professional career and make Columbia their home base is the main problem.

JASPER: Can you tell us about any arts organizations you are affiliated with and what their mission is?

DRE: My most consistent collaborations and affiliations are with Palmetto Luna. They are a non-profit organization based in Columbia that focuses on the arts and Latinx artists in the southeast United States to expose communities to Latinx culture through art. I’m a Latinx/Latino artist so the collaborations have been a natural fit (being that I’m passionate about both of those parts of my identity), thanks to the wonderful efforts that Ivan Segura and Alejandro Garcia-Lemos have put forth throughout the years for that organization.

JASPER: What one thing could we do in the Midlands – something that is actually within our power to do – that would make life here so much better for artists?

DRE: This is one I’ve been trying to figure out for the many years I’ve partaken in the Columbia art scene. The main problem for most artists in this town is not being able to survive and succeed financially. Many artists I’ve known here have burned out on creating and/or moved to other cities give at least an opportunity to make a decent living. Talent lives here, determination and passion live here. The money? The money does not live here, unfortunately. Figuring out how to embrace quality creatives that are serious about having a professional career and make Columbia their home base is the main problem. I’ve seen several ideas implemented but nothing has been tangibly successful to make a real difference. The support from both the city and the arts patrons has to be with real money, not just platitudes and high fives.

JASPER: Anything else exciting going on in your professional life these days you can share with us?

DRE: Sure thing! The next thing I’m about to birth into the world and am excited about is an apparel line I’m releasing called Gutter Baby. It’s gonna be a lifestyle brand/fashion line of shirts, hoodies, hats, accessories, one-of-a-kind customs, and prints inspired by many of my influences in Punk, Hip Hop, horror, sci-fi, lowbrow, pop art and street culture. It’s more or less my uncensored, whatever the fuck goes art line. The store link, soon to be released, is www.gutterbb.com

Benzel front cover illustration by Dre Lopez

JASPER: And how can readers get in touch with you to learn more about your work?

DRE: Different ways, on IG look me up @infidel_castro_x and @gutter.baby.apparel and if you’re interested in my more corporate/conventional work my website is www.drelopezcreative.com

www.drelopezcreative.com

JASPER: Anything else you want to say or suggest or complain about – here’s your platform!

DRE: No complaints. Keep fighting, nothing is permanent. Many people in general and especially in these times of uncertainty with COVID and political unrest are dealing with great amounts of pressure, anxiety, depression, and PTSD of some form. Suicides are rising everywhere. Please don’t give up. Your worst days will always pass, even if that is difficult to see sometimes. If you won’t do it for yourself anymore, do it for your loved ones. Always keep fighting.

In His First Show Since COVID, Christopher Lane Considers the Necessity of Unity in Dividing Times - by Christina Xan

Cindi Boiter November 4, 2020

“A lot of people feel desperate out there,” Lane says. “And on a humanistic level, I get an idea of why people feel the way they do—they just feel helpless.”

It’s unusual for Modern Surrealist painter Christopher Lane to take such a large break from exhibitions.

Lane is no stranger to sharing the stories he weaves together on his canvases. In fact, 2020 started with a show in Minnesota, followed by acceptances to Art Fields in Lake City and Spoleto in Charleston.

Then, the pandemic hit.

Since the start of COVID-19, the painter has stayed mostly at home, quarantining with his partner, Lisa, and dogs, Loki and Samson. But that doesn’t mean he stopped painting. So, when friend and gallery-owner Rob Shaw asked Lane to do a show in his space, the fragments of United We Stand formed quickly.

The collection is a mix of pieces old and new, and either way, ever relevant. The 52-year-old artist has been painting in response to social and political events for decades, both as a way of working through his own mind and of sharing those inner workings. In recent months, this has only become truer.

“You know, I look around and ask what’s the disconnect,” Lane says. “I don’t understand the disconnect.”

Originally, Lane had titled this most recent collection Divided We Fall as he responded to this increasing disconnect in our country. However, as he continued to paint and watch, which he often does as he watches the news, his mindset shifted.

“I want to emphasize a unity amongst us, regardless of party, ethnicity, race, religion, and gender,” Lane shares, “My work observes the pitfalls of allowing division to thrive and grow amongst a people.”

This body of work builds on top of seeds sewn in his Resist Division exhibition last year, new vines and tendrils wrapping around sensitive and poignant issues.

“It’s election year, we are in the middle of a world pandemic, and we are so busy fighting amongst ourselves that we are no longer paying attention to them,” Lane says, “that small, yet powerful group of people who control our world.”

Lane has always spoken for those small individuals, held an eye in his head and his heart for those details in both people and their surroundings.

“A lot of people feel desperate out there,” Lane says. “And on a humanistic level, I get an idea of why people feel the way they do—they just feel helpless.”

These concerns have pervaded not only Lane’s work but his life, the product of a military household whose father served in three wars and a veteran of the navy himself.

“My greatest desire is that my paintings reflect the one truth, we are all the same. We are all one. And United We Stand.”

Some fights exist within physical places, but this fight traverses boundaries. With this exhibit, Lane desires to speak to all, to promote inclusivity and share humanity regardless of the lines that often separate.

“I like to paint to where someone in another country can look at my work and enjoy it,” Lane says. “You know, they don't need to speak English. They don't need to understand my colloquial behavior to get it.”

“The Grifters”, a featured piece from the show, conveys this desire in a Tower of Babel-esque push and pull of color, conversation, and performance—a struggle we all suffer the repercussions of.

“My greatest desire is that my paintings reflect the one truth, we are all the same. We are all one. And United We Stand,” Lane concludes.

United We Stand opens this Friday, November 6th, and runs until December 1st. The opening reception Friday evening begins at 6pm at the Rob Shaw Gallery in West Columbia. Masks, social distancing, and safety precautions will be in place.

To follow Lane’s work during and after the show, follow his Facebook page, “Christopher Lane Art,” and check out his website for available works and prints: https://www.laneartworks.com/

Tiny Gallery Highlight: Jennifer Hill Shares Creatively Creepy and Cute Life Reflections with New Collection of Creatures

Cindi Boiter October 18, 2020

This month, Jasper is delighted to be hosting Jennifer Hill, aka Jenny Mae Creations, for our October Tiny Gallery show. Hill is featuring a delightful array of little creatures: 13 needle felted, two plush, and one voodoo.

Hill grew up in Chapin on Lake Murray, and her aunt, an artist and a painter, introduced her to the Brian Froud Faeries book at a young age, which she claims left an impression that still affects her work today.

Before she found her way to dollmaking, Hill’s first love was theatre, which she started doing in middle school. “I can't really explain why I chose to do it; it was just something I thought I would enjoy,” Hill recalls, “And I didn't just enjoy it. I fell in love with it.”

Now, years later, Hill is a Company Member at Trustus Theatre, which she considers her home, and the people there, family. Since then, she also started performing on the street as a living statue.

“It's a whole other way of performing that I fell in love with,” she says on street performing, “There's nothing like sharing a theatrical moment on the street with a curious stranger — a performance that only requires me and whoever happens to walk by.”

This aspect of performance is similar to what Hill chases in her physical creations as well. “The relationship I draw between [performance and art] is that it's me expressing myself and putting it out to others and connecting with them,” she states, “Which is something I always feel the desire to do.”

It was in her early twenties that Hill made the venture that resulted in this connection. Between her performance projects, she wanted another creative outlet and found her way to crafting collages and voodoo dolls with found objects.

“I started with collage because I love the practice of taking things a part and creating something new out of it”, she shares, further saying, “I've always been weirdly obsessed by the idea of voodoo dolls ever since I saw an episode of Scooby-Doo when I was a kid that featured one.”

This is just one example of themes from Hill’s childhood popping up in her work. Because of a love of dolls from childhood, she was led to a DIY sock monkey kit at Christmas one year. From there, her love for fiber art sparked, leading to a plethora of creations representing a reflection of Hill’s inner self.

“When I'm making things, I'm often processing something that's going on inside me. I think that's why creating is so essential to me,” she ruminates, “And I really like the juxtaposition of something being cute but also a little unsettling and raw. There's often a dose of humor in my work.”

When it comes to the art of making, Hill is completely self-taught. One day during the process of self-teaching and experimentation, she decided to walk into an art gallery with a box of dolls and see if they were interested – they were.

“My big break came when the art director for the film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium emailed me that he saw my plush creations online and wanted to use them in some of their background shots,” she recalls, “I was STUNNED.”

Since then, Hill is always searching for new mediums and modes of inspiration, two years ago, she came across needle felting. For those who are unfamiliar with the process, Hill shares that you start with loose wool, mold it into a loose shape, and then stab it repeatedly with a barbed needle. As you stab more and more, the wool becomes more tangled and then firmer until you end up with a finished object.

“I really love the sculptural aspect of it. The freedom to start with a pile of wool and mold it into whatever I want,” she shares, “I love that it's fiber, but I can sculpt with it using a needle in a way I can't with regular fabric and sewing. I feel like I have more control in a way.”

Whether with needle felting, plushes, or voodoo dolls, Hill keeps walking her “fine line” between cute and creepy, making wounded creatures that don't actually exist and often come from her childhood.

Hill hopes that in showing these personal representations of her own hopes and fears, others might find a sense of reflection and thus comfort in her work.

“I hope that the wounded misfit inside them feels seen. That their inner child may be delighted or even soothed,” she pauses, “We're all strange and hurting in some way, and there's a human connection in that, and if nothing else, they may spend a few minutes with their childhood self that's still in there wanting to be seen.”

Hill has been opening this path to people for years, having been part of several art shows, some local, some in other parts of the country, and one in Italy. “The wonderful people at The Columbia Museum of Art gave me my first one night only solo show when Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium came out,” she remembers.

As uncertain as some aspects of living may be right now, Hill knows creating is her one constant.

“Since COVID, live theater, acting with others, and street performing has pretty much been put on hold,” she admits, “So, I feel very lucky to still have this other way of expressing myself creatively because it is essential in my life, and I plan to just keep creating anyway I can. It's what I need to do to be happy.”

You can follow Hill on her Instagram @jennymaecreations or her Facebook page @Jenny Mae Creations.

Hill’s show will be up until the end of October, so be sure to check out her strange and wonderful creations on the Jasper website—perfect for Halloween and for anytime you want a fun little version of a part of you sitting on your shelf.

Street performer Jenny Mae - photo by Crush Rush

Jasper Galleries Welcomes Thomas Washington to Motor Supply Co.'s Walls (Copy)

Cindi Boiter October 5, 2020

For more interviews with the many exciting Artists of Color in the Greater Columbia Arts Community,

please search for

BLACK ART MATTERS

in the search box on the Jasper Project Blog Page

Artist Thomas Washington aka Thomas the younger

Jasper Magazine visual arts editor and board member of the Jasper Project, Laura Garner Hine, has been busy installing a brand new show of art in the gallery spaces at Motor Supply Co in Columbia’s historic Congaree Vista. Our featured artist this quarter — Thomas Washington, aka Thomas the younger!

It was my sincerest pleasure to interview Mr. Washington just before his show was installed last week.

~~~

Hi Thomas, and thanks for spending some virtual time with the Jasper Project. We’re excited about the show of your artwork recently installed at Motor Supply in Columbia’s Vista. But first we want to catch up any readers who aren’t familiar with your work.

JASPER: Tell us, please, a little about your background. I know you’re from Springfield, Massachusetts, but what brought you to Columbia, SC and did you go anywhere else along the way?

WASHINGTON: We moved south when my father’s job laid him off, starting a classic cascade of loss. This included the house we’d always known (to foreclosure); friends; community. My mom’s from this area, so we were—in a real sense—following her “home”.

JASPER: How did you get into painting – are you self-taught or did you study under someone else?

WASHINGTON: I’m self-taught...but every piece I’ve ever seen informs me. One way or the other.

JASPER: Who has influenced you most as an artist?

WASHINGTON: Amy Windland’s trees; Travis Charest’s details; Keith Tolen’s focus; Joe Madureira’s structuring; the tenebrism of Humberto Ramos; Stephen King’s storytelling, as well as Ann Patchett’s; Moebius (Jean Giraud); Giger; Whelan; everything about Lucas Sams; the depth of Darrell K. Sweets; Michael Krajewski’s economy; the exquisite technicians, Margaret & The Brothers O’Shea; The Brothers Hildebrandt; The Brothers Lopez; Michael Anastasion’s intensity; every woman I’ve ever loved too deeply, and every woman who returned it; my children; my sorrows and madnesses, too; every soul who ever appreciated anything I generated, especially when I want to wash my hands of it all—I owe much to many, and could not finish their naming in a sitting.

JASPER: how would you describe your work in terms of genre and what mediums and format sizes do you prefer to work with and why?

WASHINGTON: I must leave that “description” to others. I will work in any medium I can afford to acquire, and in any dimension(s).

JASPER: There is a dreamy, magical quality to so much of your work – as if you are telling a story with your paintings. Is there magic in your art? Are you telling stories? If so, what are your stories about?

WASHINGTON: I have a universe. Every project is connected to The One Project...and I imagine this is actually true for most creators, though the degree to which each of us engages that truth...varies. The tale cannot be told, nor summed—it’s a web, and still being woven.

JASPER: You go by Thomas the younger – can you please elaborate on this name?

WASHINGTON: My father—Thomas the Elder—is an artist, as well. (I don’t use “Washington” when I use “the younger”, and I don’t capitalize the initial letters. On occasionally doffing the family name: I’m a black sheep, and I can acknowledge that. When we needed less names, we were more human—I use the archaic moniker because it isn’t dead. Just buried. Capitalization...feels wrong.)

JASPER: I know that your children also influence your work as an artist – can you tell us about your children and how they influence you?

WASHINGTON: My children were born into a dark world. I have no clue how to brighten it—I am, perhaps, too acquainted with its darkness. They, themselves, are lights. Their faces, their spirits, their tableaux—my work is infused with these. Sometimes, in direct homage.

JASPER: You have a Jasper Project sponsored show up at Motor Supply Co. Bistro now. Talk to us about the art being exhibited at the restaurant. Did you paint specifically for the show or did you select from items from your inventory to show?

WASHINGTON: As of this writing, only new work is in the show. If 2020 serves up some 2020esque catastrophe—a flood; a fierce gale; a destructive fury, wherein which I destroy pieces—I’ll adapt. I’ve got too many pieces stacked up in here. Always.

JASPER: If there is a theme to the show, what is it all about?

WASHINGTON: I’m still tightening most of them...which means I’m afraid to commit to a theme. There’s more than one, anyhow. I suppose that description, too, should be left to others.

JASPER: How has the current BLM movement affected you and your work? Are you optimistic – why or why not?

WASHINGTON: There’s no victory without perfect victory...so there’s no victory. Humanity cannot grow out of this inhuman stage, it seems. That’s reality...and we don’t like reality.

JASPER: Artists across the color, gender, and discipline spectrums are particularly challenged now by both the COVID pandemic and the lack of support from the state and federal government. There is no question that it is more difficult to practice your art and make a living at it if you are an artist of color, correct? Can you please address this reality and offer your opinions or ideas on how our culture can better support and promote artists of color?

WASHINGTON: As long as we function under a capitalist model, people of color will merit “a blank check”. This will likely never be issued. Thus—without the interventions/intercessions of wealthy patrons and benefactors willing to pour millions (maybe even billions) into finally lending ballast to we outliers ... we outliers will predictably continue to flounder on the cusp of chaos. This is actually true for the entire swath of poor, marginalized, and systematically destroyed humans—not just “artists of color”. For now, we’re (instead) inundated via “trickle-down wreckonomics”. An incessant deluge.

JASPER: How do you feel about the strength and efficacy of the Black artist in the Columbia arts community? Are Midlands area artists as unified across racial lines as we should be? What needs to happen to create and nurture a racially healthier community of artists?

WASHINGTON: Humans are formatted to prefer an “us” over a “them”. It seems nearly impossible to convince “us” that “us” is the only category. Educate humans to that effect, however, and one could subsequently watch these issues rectify themselves. Effortlessly. There is one race. Regardless of what the colonialist elites enacted. Regardless of how well it worked on the freshly-minted category (“white”), turning them against their allies. Regardless of how we’ve been enculturated. One.

JASPER: What’s up next for you and your work and where can readers find your work on the internet?

WASHINGTON: My website’s thomastheyounger.com, and the work there is never done. Releases, updates, et cetera—betwixt that site and following my Facebook Page (“The Works of Water”), it’s relatively easy to keep up with pending projects.

— cb

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Jasper Galleries Welcomes Thomas Washington to Motor Supply Co.'s Walls

Cindi Boiter October 3, 2020