July’s Virtual Tiny Gallery Features Lucas Sams’ Acrylic & Glass Ruminations on Past and Future

“If I can make any impact on other artists it would be just to encourage them to create whatever it is they want, create their own world, and don’t worry about how it will be perceived or try to compete with what is accepted or popular, or even if it ends up being ‘good.’ Make what makes you happy.”

—Lucas Sams

Artist Lucas Sams

Last month, Jasper transitioned our Tiny Gallery series online in a show featuring ceramic artist Vanessa Hewitt Devore. This month, we’re thrilled to feature our longtime friend artist, Lucas Sams, and his new collection, Paintings on Glass.

Sams, 30, is an award-winning Columbia based multi-media artist working in painting, sculpture, film, digital/multimedia, and installation art.  He was born in Greenwood, South Carolina and has resided in SC for most of his life, except for a year spent in Tokyo, Japan. “I think both of these facts have greatly influenced me in ways I am not yet fully aware of,” Sams shares.

Sams has been drawing since he could hold a pen, constantly supported by his family; specifically, his father, Carroll Sams of Greenwood, SC, and grandfather, John Proctor, both of whom helped teach Sams some of the basics. Sams shares that a lack of art classes at his Christian school made him have to search for ways to be self-motivated. “I drew during most of my classes whenever possible,” he says, “Drawing cartoons and comics before slowly transitioning into a shudder ‘fine artist.’”

Despite the lack of classes, Sams exhibited work throughout middle and high school, going on to attend the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities and the University of South Carolina, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Painting and Art History.

Sams started showing work “professionally” in Columbia in 2009. In the past decade, he’s worked in a variety of 2D and 3D mediums, including film and installation art. These days, however, he’s mostly painting and drawing or working with ceramics. “This show with Tiny Gallery consists of paintings on glass,” Sams details, “using a technique of painting images in reverse directly on glass taught to me by my father when I was a kid.”

Madonna and Child

This technique, which Sams’ own father used extensively in his work nearly 50 years ago, is not the only thing he taught him. “My father taught me how to paint more than any art teacher or professor, by teaching me not to be afraid of painting,” Sams illuminates, “The worst that can happen when painting is something has to be painted over, and glass is an even more forgiving medium, where mistakes can be simply wiped away.”

This approach carved a new perspective of art for a young Sams, who admits once upon a time, he hated painting. “I couldn’t get a grasp on the medium despite excelling with pen and ink and other media, until I learned how to do it in reverse,” Sams reflects, “The painted surface itself is messy, layered over with many layers of paint, and there is no definition, but flip it over, and it makes sense – the image has clarity, depth, and definition.”

Fault and Fracture

Many figures and ideas have emerged from the depth of the images on Sams’ glass, inspired by a mix of science fiction, anime, pop culture, modern art, religion, psychology, and history. Born in 1989, he grew up playing with '80s hand-me-downs, constantly experiencing a decade he never lived in. “I think nostalgia, even a hireath-like nostalgia for a world that never really existed, has always been under the surface,” Sams ruminates, “Being a small-town kid with big dreams and ideas led to creative world-building, of the past and future of imagined realities that are never fully realized.”

The imagined realities that exist in this crux of past and future are represented across panes of glass in Sams’ exhibit for Tiny Gallery. Drawing on memory, history, and current times, the paintings tread a multitude of different waters. In this collection, you’ll find various faces in different modes of contemplation, diptychs with bodies in conversation with one another, and vivid colors coming together to tell their own stories. Specifically, Sams works with an “almost manga-like visual style” that he’s been returning to recently. 

Masked Girl with Flowers

“My work draws from the unconscious, and from conscious repetitions and explorations of various interconnected but vastly diverse symbols and archetypes,” Sams shares,” Most of the figures or portraits are some of these archetypes, often a personal twist on a historical or mythological character/idea used as a framework to explore.”

Sams’ works have been exhibited locally and regionally in major art festivals, galleries and alternative spaces, and featured in Jasper Magazine, the SC State newspaper, Garnet and Black Magazine, and the Timber Journal of the University of Colorado, Boulder. He’s had about 30 formal shows, 8 solo shows, and 4 two-man shows with his good friend, and recent JAYS visual arts winner, Michael Krajewski. 

His favorite memory in all of these was the first time he won something. At the 2006 McCormick Arts Council’s Juried show, he won 1st place for an installation of ceramic masks, and somebody offered him a solo show at USC upstate…or at least they thought they did. “They actually offered it to my Dad, who they thought was me, and who was there accepting the award for me because I was in still high school, out of town,” Sams recalls, “When they found that out, the offer was rescinded. We laughed about that a lot and still do; it’s a good memory.”

Candy Colored Clown

Whether it’s experiments with new mediums or cases of mistaken identity, Sams has one piece of advice for fellow artists: “If I can make any impact on other artists it would be just to encourage them to create whatever it is they want, create their own world, and don’t worry about how it will be perceived or try to compete with what is accepted or popular, or even if it ends up being ‘good.’ Make what makes you happy.”

Lucas Sams’ show, which holds 17 pieces ranging from $75 - $150, will be up until August 9th. You can see the works 24/7 at the following link: https://the-jasper-project.square.site/tiny-gallery

While he says it’s impossible to know what the future holds, for further viewing you can visit his website https://lucastsams.wixsite.com/sams, his weekly updated webstore https://lucassams.bigcartel.com/, and follow him on Instagram @trianglezero.

-Christina Xan

*Are you an artist interested in showing your work for a Virtual Tiny Gallery show? Email Tiny Gallery Manager Christina Xan at JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com.

To support the work of Jasper, including articles like the one above,

please consider becoming a member of the Jasper Guild at www.JasperProject.org

DR. JO ANGELA EDWINS TALKS EDUCATION, POETRY AND THE NEW NORMAL by Dana Nickel

The Pee Dee’s first poet laureate explains the importance of art in an uncertain era.

“I was always really taken with art, but I was never quite good at it,” Dr. Jo Angela Edwins explains with a laugh. “I tried different instruments, even played the piano for three years. Nothing stuck.”

It wasn’t until a young Edwins saw a poet on the PBS channel giving out writing advice that she considered poetry. The advice was to write one poem a day, everyday in order to develop poetry skill. “For a long time as a kid, I wrote really bad poetry everyday,” she says. “I do think that it  made me really attuned to word the sounds of words and how words fit in a phrase.”

Today, Edwins is a professor of poetry for Francis Marion University’s English department. She usually teaches three to four classes a semester. This spring, she taught two classes on advanced poetry writing and American women authors. Her courses are reading and writing intensive, and COVID-19 really affected how she was able to foster a connection with her students.

“One of the things we do in creative writing is workshopping and feedback.” Edwins continues, “Getting feedback face-to-face is a whole lot different than getting [feedback] through notes on Blackboard.”

To remedy this, she started doing video calls through Zoom with some of her students to go over their work in a more in-depth fashion.

“That was really helpful for the students who [attended] those sessions, I think,” she recalls.

In addition to navigating the pandemic as an educator, Edwins also works on her craft. She explains that one of the main challenges of writing during the pandemic is the reliance on publishers. “I had noticed that it seems like it's taking publishers a lot longer to respond because of the pandemic,” she says.

Edwins also expresses her belief that the arts have gained prominence since the start of the pandemic. As the Pee Dee’s first Poet Laureate, she takes this idea with her when she considers methods to get readers to engage with literature and poetry.

Though this has been a difficult task because of the pandemic, she started a Facebook group, Poetry Across the Pee Dee, to connect readers and writers alike through virtual readings.

“[I’m] having to find alternative methods to let mostly depend on the internet to try to inspire people to consider poetry,” she says.

However, Edwins explains that the pandemic has provided a way for people to discover new interests in art, especially poetry. “If you don't think that the art should be funded ... think about what’s sustaining you right now,” she says. “All of these artists who are writers and directors and actors and singers and songwriters, who wouldn't have an opportunity to create that if their talent hadn't somehow been encouraged and nurtured at some level.”

Throughout our conversation, Edwins repeats the sentiment that art is truly all around us everyday, and art keeps track of our history. “We are living through something that hasn’t happened in anyone’s living memory,” Edwins says, siting that both the pandemic and the current “historical moment” that is bringing Black Lives Matter back into focus. “Both of these events really highlight how much humankind depends on art in general, and particularly poetry, to help us through moments of crisis.”

To help provide a sense of comfort and strength during this uncertain time, Edwins is working with a group of writers to compose Poetry in a time of crisis. “Sometimes with poetry, we can find ways to salve the wounds of the spirit at a time when the physical life feels out of balance,” the poet says.

Her poem, Outbreak, was included in the collection, and it provided an inspiring vision of the pandemic’s conclusion.

“In a world full of fear and profiteering hoarders,

look down at your hands, folded now, skin parched,

and know that they are powerful.”

-By Dana Nickel

Corona Times: Lauren Chapman Transforms Dining Room into a Whimsical Wonderland

In these constantly fluctuating times in which we live, Jasper continues to interview artists, checking in on them and their work and sharing their creations and processes with the community. I got the chance to talk to local artist, Lauren Chapman, about the three-month journey she took to paint a mural on all four walls of her dining room.

JASPER: You’re such a wonderful artist – what first got you into art?

CHAPMAN: I’ve always loved art since I was a child. My family always called me an “artist”, so I never questioned whether or not I was going to be an artist because I have considered myself one my entire life. They have been very supportive of my love for art, and my mom even went as far as to signing up for adult oil painting classes when I was twelve.

JASPER: Beyond your family, did you have other important supporters that helped define your work?

CHAPMAN: After moving to Iowa, I had two incredibly influential art teachers in high school who always treated what I was doing seriously. Hank Hall, whose work I would compare to the American Artist, Cy Twombly, would find creative ways for us to draw like tying string to pencils as we attempted shapes from still lifes and blind self-portraits where we would stare directly at ourselves in the mirror and draw without looking down at the piece paper. This taught me how to connect my eye with my hand so I’m not simply drawing what I believe is the shape but instead moving my hand with what my eye sees and creating that shape. 

My other high school art teacher, Brad Travis, made sure I could work with oils, going out of his way to find large boards for me to paint. I had total artistic freedom and painted with oil paint before I fully understood how the materials worked. We had several critiques each week, and I began to learn how to speak about my work and understand what it was I wanted to do with it. I would compare my work at this time to aboriginal art as it was vibrant with repetitive marks. 

JASPER: So you studied art professionally then?

CHAPMAN: I started becoming very serious about being an artist in 2015 when I switched my major from Art Education to Painting after studying abroad in Italy. Taking classes in the SVAD Painting department I learned much more about oil paint as a material and the process of working with this material. I took classes from Pam Bowers and Jaime Misenheimer who were the most integral part of my growth as an artist at USC. I developed a much broader understanding of the process of painting with oil paint as a material and what mediums worked best for me. 

JASPER: You say you’ve been creating art pretty much your entire life – how have recent events like COVID-19 challenged creating for you?

CHAPMAN: I was in New York City the week they began shutting everything down and started quarantine. My fiancé, Nathan Casassa, had proposed to me at the MET, and while we were taking engagement photos, we heard it was the last day they would be open. It was really crazy how quickly everything shut down and the fear of this virus settled in.

When I got back to Columbia, my work felt a bit pointless. I couldn’t get myself excited about what I had considered doing when I got back from my trip. I tried doing a large painting symbolic of COVID, but I ended up hating it. Although I’ve always felt this sort of judgement being an artist and not being an “essential” worker, I felt even less of a reason to be painting during a full out pandemic. 

JASPER: Was this project a way to break free of that? Or was it an endeavor you had been planning on?

CHAPMAN: I was feeling my work was rather pointless. I was running low on oil paint materials, and a house full of family pretty much killed my work ethic. This seemed to be a good time to slow down and take a little break from my normal studio days. 

Last August we purchased our first home, and we are still working on decorating the place. Having my mom, Tracy Howard, in town seemed like the perfect time to focus on picking paint colors for rooms since she is absolutely incredible at interior design. I painted the living room a royal green and our little library “magician’s cloak,” a deep manganese violet-reddish color. I want each room in the house to complement one another and feel like its own separate entity, and I always knew I wanted to do a mural in at least one room of our home.

 JASPER: So why the dining room then?

CHAPMAN: The dining room is where we spend the most time entertaining company in the house.  It is right off of the kitchen, and I’ve added a couch and two comfy chairs. I was inspired to add more seating to this room because of my grandparents’ house. Visiting their farm as a child, my Grandma Kay would always be in the kitchen, and we would all sit around her and talk for hours. They had a double seated rocking chair, and I can remember falling asleep on it while my mom, aunt, and grandma would talk long into the night. If I was going to do a mural in my home, I wanted it somewhere we would all congregate, so the dining room was the spot.

JASPER: Have you ever created a mural or something of this size before?

CHAPMAN: In 2017, I had a studio at Tapp’s, and Caitlin Bright came to me one day and asked if I’d like to do an exhibition. She said she was thinking something Alice in Wonderland inspired. There was a large wall at the entrance of Tapp’s, and I did my first mural on it. It was the entrance to the show, and the door was turned into a rabbit’s hole that one had to duck down to go through. Surrounding the door were massive snakes, stars, a rabbit eating one of the snakes, and the title of the show, written in a cursive style inspired by carnival writing, was “Wild in Wonderland.” For that particular mural I used acrylic paint.

 JASPER: What was different about the experience with your dining room?

CHAPMAN: For the dining room mural, I decided to try watercolor. I did a little research and found that the original paint I had in the dining room was a perfect prime for watercolor – a matte coat which allowed for the watercolor paint to absorb into. So, for me, this mural still felt like new territory as I was using a material I rarely use in the first place on a wall instead of paper. I have never painted anything large with watercolor before. In fact, anything I’d done in the past had been on a tiny piece of paper. Since I prefer working larger, being able to do this mural in watercolor and paint life size anatomical structures, I now feel a freedom and new confidence painting with this material and will most likely continue testing its waters. 

JASPER: There are so many wonderful colors and details in the paintings. How did you pick the theme?

CHAPMAN: As a child I lived in my imagination and was always pretending. You could find me deep in the ravines of the neighborhood creating characters and stories I told myself. Painting has become a way I can once again pretend and create narratives within fanciful realms.  Since I lived in my own fairytale land as a child, as an adult I have begun to recreate fairytale lands, although in my oil painting series the characters within them have been much darker as dragons become symbolic for rape culture, snakes the patriarch, crying unicorns who know innocence isn’t forever, and jaded sirens haunting the seas. Each piece a whimsical character and landscape filled with tropes and symbols I had created as warning signs - what I’ve learned about being a woman up to this point. With the mural for my dining room I wanted to create something whimsical and calming - a place that reminded me of where my imagination took off as a child, outside, in the woods.

JASPER: Did you sketch the scenes out, or did you let it come organically as you went?

CHAPMAN: I am not a fan of making plans. I guess I hold on to this child like quality in that way. Nothing exciting ever happens if you know it’s about to happen. 

I started on the right side of the door in the corner next to the window. I did a few different drawings, and then once one felt right, I continued on the Scientific Illustration path. The blue heron was the first figure. We have a pond in the backyard, and I’ve seen many herons scoping it out for fish. They’re magnificent.

JASPER: And did the rest of the mural continue like that? What was the process as a whole like?

CHAPMAN: I started with a little green caterpillar I had found in one of my favorite Alice in Wonderland editions illustrated by Salvador Dali; after that a butterfly; I painted over the caterpillar, left the butterfly. This is my normal process. Just jump right in and paint over whatever doesn’t work. I painted the eyes Saint Lucy holds in the painting by Francesco del Cossa and then a ton of flowers surrounding it. Although I wiped away the Saint Lucy piece – it reminded me of frescos. This made me consider the entire space I would be working with differently. Instead of painting one area at a time I began thinking of all of the walls as one composition and how one figure would react to another across the room.

For example, I painted the fox in the middle of the room. Originally, I painted her straightforward so when you turned to her, she was staring directly into your soul. Something about it seemed to break the circular motion of the mural so I wiped her away with water and recreated the fox on a hunt. The irony of the fox hunt is the rabbit, a Young Hare created originally by Albrecht Dürer, the German artist. The fox pushes onward unaware of the nice tasty treat right under her nose. I only worked on the hare once with plans to go back and work on her again. Alas, I abandoned the plans. This became a much bigger project than I ever could have imagined. 

JASPER: It is definitely a big project! How long did it take you?

CHAPMAN: People always ask me how long something takes. I never really know because time passes by so quickly when I’m working. For instance, I would work a whole day simply on tiny lines within leaves on the magnolia tree. I started the project mid-March and finished mid-June. So, a total of three months with most of my weekdays and a couple of weekends dedicated to it.

 JASPER: Would you do it again?

CHAPMAN: I most definitely want to do another. If only there were more of a market for murals, I’d love to make a business doing it! 

JASPER: What would you say has been the most special part about creating this?

CHAPMAN: There’s a quote from my favorite book, The Chronology of Water, by Lidia Yuknavitch that says, “If I could go back, I'd coach myself. I'd be the woman who taught me how to stand up, how to want things, how to ask for them. I'd be the woman who says, your mind, your imagination, they are everything. Look how beautiful. You deserve to sit at the table. The radiance falls on all of us.” This quote has really followed and pushed me through the past decade of my life as I continue to remind myself that I am deserving to sit at the table in all aspects of life. To have my own table, surrounded by something beautiful that I’ve created, I like to believe would make my favorite writer, Yuknavitch, proud. 

JASPER: Has the journey taught you anything about yourself as a person or creator?

CHAPMAN: It’s crazy – three months isn’t much time, but it’s felt like an entire year. Doing this mural has been such a great experience. I feel like I let myself try something new, and because of it I have evolved as an artist. It can be hard to do as sometimes you feel stuck defining yourself as this or that, “Oh I’m an oil painter.” Now I can add experience with watercolor and creating a mural. I’m glad I continued creating during a time I desperately needed and decided not to give up even though it felt so pointless to me at times. It’s given me purpose and kept me calm when I feel like I could just scream most of the time. 

JASPER: For creators who are also struggling with motivation or the feeling of creating being pointless, what advice would you give them?

CHAPMAN: My only advice: paint the walls! If you’re going through a rut of inspiration and motivation right now, I can definitely relate. These past few months have felt like a restart button for most artists I know, but also on that note a restart for our country, and the entire world!  It’s a wonderful time to humble oneself and be open to learning. Educate yourself on the Black Lives Matter movement, wear a mask, stay home as much as you can, and use art as a form of therapy.

— by Christina Xan

Christina Xan is a writer, a doctoral student at the University of SC, and a member of the board of directors of the Jasper Project where she manages the Tiny Art Gallery Project.

To support the work of Jasper, including articles like the one above,

please consider becoming a member of the Jasper Guild at www.JasperProject.org

Clay Artist Vanessa Hewitt Devore Kicks Off New Virtual Tiny Gallery Series for the Jasper Project

The Jasper Project kicked off our Tiny Gallery Series back in October, 2018 with the express purpose of affording artists an opportunity to show a selection of their smaller pieces of art at affordable price points. With a variety of work priced at $250 or less, our shows have attracted seasoned buyers and budding art collectors alike, featuring top Columbia-based artists like Thomas Washington, Christopher Lane, Michael Krajewski, Olga Yukhno, and Eileen Blyth.

While safety concerns related to COVID-19 may prohibit us from welcoming artists and their patrons in person, Jasper is excited to announce a new component of the Jasper Project – the Virtual Tiny Gallery Series! Upcoming artists include Lucas Sams, Gina Langston Brewer, Lindsay R. Wiggins, and more later as the year progresses.

Today, we’re delighted to announce our first Virtual Tiny Gallery artist – Columbia-based clay artist, Vanessa Hewitt Devore. Devore grew up in Columbia before attending Winthrop University, the place she fell in love with ceramics. After kindling that relationship, she made it concrete with an MFA in Ceramics from GSU in Atlanta.

Devore isn’t the only artist in her family, though. In fact, she is a fourth-generation artist—her great grandmother was a painter; her grandmother was a potter and painter; her father is glass artist, Steve Hewitt; and her mother is renowned artist and educator, Mana Hewitt (one of our featured artists at the Supper Table, whose metal-worked place setting for Eartha Kitt became the cover of the book, Setting the Supper Table).

The work Devore creates is often inspired by her love of nature, plants, and animals. Some of her earliest memories are of her grandmother’s backyard. “Every day, [I] would help her plant and tend her flowers, and she would point out to [me] all the different birds and animals that would visit her garden,” Devore says. 

Beyond pottery, Devore has experimented with stained glass and metalsmithing and is drawn to needlework and quilt making. “Colors and simple shapes really appeal to me,” she says. “My ideas center around creating a whimsical, fun object.”

All the work exhibited in the Tiny Gallery show is porcelain, carved using the sgriffitto technique, and made on the same wheel on which her grandmother once threw.

In her collection of 8 pieces, including bowls, vases, and jars, Devore demonstrates her color mastery with hues of terracotta and turquoise traced in black amongst a stark textured white background. According to Devore, “I like that my objects are usable, and I hope the work I make makes people smile.” 

You can see Devore’s work on the Jasper Project website until Monday, July 13th. All purchases can be made directly from the site. Upon purchasing, your info will be shared with the artist to arrange delivery of the artwork.

*Are you an artist interested in showing your work for a Virtual Tiny Gallery show? Email Tiny Gallery Manager Christina Xan at JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com.

An Interview with Board Member Bert Easter on the Jasper Project Galleries at Meridian

With the Street Gallery concept, the public can visit the Jasper Project Galleries windows and not have virus concerns.  Viewing artwork at these windows can be done safely from the sidewalk; someone could even drive by and take a peek at the artworks from their car. 

-Bert Easter

Board Member, The Jasper Project

Bert Easter - courtesy of Ed Madden

Last April, The Jasper Project opened a new gallery in a prominent downtown Columbia building. Though the Meridian Building opened its doors in 2004, it was built from the facade of the 19th century Consolidated Building. This coalescence of elements externally can also be found internally, through the art featured in the lobby and the display windows that line Sumter and Washington Streets.

courtesy Historic Columbia

I was able to chat with fellow board member Bert Easter, who started and organized the gallery, about what this first year has been like, what artists are currently being featured, and how the public can interact with this significant space and the art within it.

JASPER: It’s been just over a year now that you’ve been working on the Meridian. How has it been?

EASTER: I really have had great luck with the Meridian hosting and being very helpful with my little idea.  It’s actually been a lot of fun, and some work, pulling together artwork to offer in downtown Columbia. And we have been very lucky to develop a partnership with Virginia Scotchie of USC to show student work alongside her artwork.

JASPER: What made you first walk past this building and think, “This is the place for a gallery”?

EASTER: I saw the windows as a missed opportunity for both the city and the arts community.  When I approached the Meridian, I was pleased that they were excited with this idea and even offered the additional space of the grand lobby area to be opened up for local artists. 

JASPER: Did you have any specific goals for it then?

EASTER: I hoped then, and now, that at the Meridian we would have business folks who might see, connect with, and purchase local art.

JASPER: With such a great pool of artists in Columbia, how do you select artists to meet the gallery’s goals?

EASTER: Thus far I have contacted the artists and helped select artwork that I hope works well and complements the other artists’ work.  I try to also have a few pieces that challenge the traditional ideas of artwork – to offer abstract paintings or a brutalist sculpture or a pottery vase that you would never use for flowers.   

JASPER: Have you had any highlights in this journey of merging art styles and voices?

EASTER: Pulling together Assemblages by Susan Lenz, with plastic assembled work by Kirkland Smith, alongside found metal items sculptured by Andy White was one of my favorite window displays show in our first show.  I have also enjoyed showing pottery by Paul Moore with carved palmettos on the side of the vases placed by landscape paintings.  

JASPER: Well other than great art, what should people expect when going to the gallery?

EASTER: The windows are just like storefront windows for a department store.  They are lighted at night, and I actually tell folks that the windows look better at night from the street and sidewalk.  The lovely Main Street lobby is limited to weekday business hours (8-6) due to the security concerns of the Meridian. Currently, once you enter through the revolving doors on Main, you’ll find pottery on pedestals by Virginia Scotchie and USC students and paintings on canvas by Nikolai K Oskolkov.

 JASPER: Has COVID-19 impacted the way people visit the gallery?

EASTER: With the Street Gallery concept, the public can visit the Jasper Project Galleries windows and not have virus concerns.  Viewing artwork at these windows can be done safely from the sidewalk; someone could even drive by and take a peek at the artworks from their car. 

JASPER: You mentioned it briefly before, but if people want to stop in or drive by, what artists can they expect to find currently? And how long will the current artists be up?

EASTER: The current show has 10 different artists being offered with a large collection of paintings by Nikolai Oskolkov in each of the 3 galleries on this block. We have been switching out artwork every 3 months so that we would have 4 shows each year.  When the virus hit, we stopped, and the current show has been left up, but I plan to switch out the artwork after the virus is less of a concern. This show includes art by Nikolai K Oskolkov, Bohumila Augustinova, Michael Krajewski, Eileen Blyth, Virginia Scotchie, and USC students from the School of Visual Art and Design. 

JASPER: What should people do if they see one of these pieces of art and fall in love with it?

EASTER: The signage will provide the cost of the artwork and my cell number where folks are able to ask any questions, arrange for me to come to the Meridian and meet with them, or to arrange purchase of the artwork. As far as pricing, we have offered original artwork starting with prices at $200 and going up to $2,500.  

JASPER: Well, to round all this out, tell me: Columbia is a city full of artists & galleries — what makes the gallery at the Meridian special?

EASTER: We have established this partnership with the Meridian to offer artwork outside the gallery setting to bring local artworks to the people who might not visit galleries with the intention of purchasing artwork – in a hope that downtown folks might see, connect, and enjoy art by local working artists.  We think that the display window setting might allow someone just headed out to a meeting, dinner, or a local church service to view artwork in downtown Columbia.

The Jasper Galleries at Meridian is located at 1320 Main Street. If you’re feeling cooped up at home and want to feel inspired, take a drive down Washington or Sumter Street and see the selection of artists that Property Manager Amy Reeves stated “brought life to our windows”, and maybe even take a piece home to keep you company.

 -Christina Xan

Christina Xan is a writer, a doctoral student at the University of SC, and a member of the board of directors of the Jasper Project where she manages the Tiny Art Gallery Project.

The Jasper Project operates public space galleries at Harbison Theatre, Motor Supply Company Bistro, and the Meridian Building in downtown Columbia. If you’re interested in developing a gallery area in your public space, or you’d like to exhibit your art, please contact Laura Garner Hine, Bert Easter, Christina Xan, Cindi Boiter, or Wade Sellers.

To support the work of Jasper, including articles like the one above,

please consider becoming a member of the Jasper Guild at www.JasperProject.org

Corona Times - The Multi-Talented, Multi-Faceted Katrina Blanding

“Right now, more than ever, that is where my passion is. I want to see us all grow together.”

-Katrina Blanding

As COVID-19 continues to impact the way artists create their work and the way the Jasper Project covers that creation, Jasper is bringing you a series of interviews with artists whose work you might have been seeing in person were these different times. I loved learning more about one of my favorite actors and vocalists in town, Katrina Blanding, and I think you will, too. - cb

~~~

JASPER: I know you graduated from Columbia High School in 2001 and then went on to attend Queens College where you majored in Business Administration and Theatre, graduating in 2005. Did you grow up in Columbia? Did you always know you wanted to go into theatre? When did you start acting?

BLANDING: Yes, I grew up in Columbia, SC. I attended schools in District 1 with some amazing teachers! I first realized that I had a knack for singing and acting when we did our 5th grade play about the 1940s where I sang “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun” from Annie Oakley. There’s nothing like that instant gratification! After that I went onto middle school and joined the band and chorus, which didn’t leave room for theater. I was blessed because the drama teacher saw my potential and would occasionally sneak me into her class when they were doing acting warmups. I was always singing at church and school, as well as taking ballet and performing with the Carolina Ballet in their apprentice company. These activities took up most of my time. The acting bug still didn’t really get me until, once again, the theater teacher at my high school begged me to audition for the school musical “Grease”. I snagged the lead role of Sandy in our all black production! It was so challenging and exciting that I couldn’t let it go.

I went to college in Charlotte, NC and just knew I was going to be a neurosurgeon, but God had other plans. I switched majors to business and minored in theater, thinking that I would get into Business Entertainment, but once I started the classes, I knew that I had to dive in completely.

Right now, I sing with 3 different groups, I have written and produced soundtracks for two original stage plays. I have been the Musical Director for two plays. I am a classically trained singer and dancer. I teach voice and acting. I have stared in a nationally distributed play (“Yesterday is Still Gone” rent at Walmart.com, Amazon, Redbox, and also available for purchase) that was written and produced by SC’s only Urban Black Box Theatre (WOW Productions). I’ve done a few short films, commercials, and voiceovers. I have been in numerous shows all over the midlands in every major theatre. If I sound like I’m bragging, I am. I’m bragging on every teacher and adult that saw something in me that I didn’t. It’s because of them that I am where I am. For them, I still try my best every day.

JASPER: You are also a brilliant vocalist – does that come naturally, or did you train in vocals, or is it a combination of both?

BLANDING: My mom always tells people that I was singing before I could talk! I am not unlike most singers that started in the church, where I was encouraged and cultivated. I took my first formal vocal lessons in college where they tried to push me into opera. I can do it, but that’s not my cup of tea. I will say however, that classical training has helped to push my gift to a different level.

JASPER: How do you spend your time when you aren’t performing?

BLANDING: When I’m not performing, I spend time with my mother and my kids, Tripp 12 and Madison 3. They really keep me on my toes. I am also in the process of writing two books (be on the lookout) and learning the stock market.

JASPER: You are a member of a beautiful performing trio called IndigoSoul – can you tell us more about Indigo Soul and your partners in the project? How long have y’all been together? How often do you get to perform? What’s it like working with Terrance Henderson and Kendrick Marion? What are some of the highlights of your work with Indigo Soul – what type of performances are your favorite?

BLANDING: IndigoSOUL is my music family made up of me, Terrance Henderson, and Kendrick Marion. We have performed together in part since 2010. I performed in “Ain’t Misbehavin” for the first time with Terrance Henderson in 2006 at Workshop Theater. Then after a long break, I did “Hairspray” at Workshop Theater in 2010 with Kendrick. We performed in the same show for the first time at Trustus Theatre doing “Passing Strange.” Here’s where they messed up. In 2014, Trustus asked the three of us to MC the “Henderson Brothers Burlesque Show” and we just clicked! We did a few other shows together after that. In 2015 Terrance pulled Kendrick and me in to work on the Harbison Theater ‘s Annual “Incubator Project” where he created a new piece called “Ruins”. This piece is a mixture of dance, poetry, music, and symbolism, that explores the human condition, what it means to live, and what we leave behind.

After we spent so much time together creating and collaborating, we knew we had something special together. There’s a unique and wonderful synergy that happens when we work together that cannot be duplicated.  We love exploring the beauty of art, life, and our place in it. This is what makes us work. Terrance dubbed us “IndigoSOUL” and the rest is history.

Rehearsing with these two can be challenging because all we do is laugh and play. I’m not really sure how we get ANYTHING done. I always leave their presence happier then when I came.

For the past 3 years, we have been performing an “Original Musical Fable” which we call “Shine” which is truly a spinoff of Ruins. With Terrance at the helm, we created this show to speak to young people and the young at heart about their unique purpose and about how they can use their purpose impact in the world.

My favorite part about performing with IndigoSOUL is meeting people in our communities. We don’t just perform and run. After school performances, we try to have talkbacks with the students to allow them to ask us about the performance as well as the work that we do in the community. Sometimes they ask us very poignant questions about how we have overcome obstacles in our lives, which is really the most rewarding part. We love being able to pour back into our young people the way that we have been poured into by our ancestors and loved ones.

L-R Kendrick Marion , Katrina Blanding, Terrence Henderson

JASPER: How has COVID-19 and the quarantine requirements impacted your ability to rehearse and perform?

BLANDING: COVID-19 hit while I was smack dab in the middle of rehearsals at Trustus Theatre for “Fairview”.  Terrance was directing this project and had to make the very hard decision for us to stop rehearsing in person. We rehearsed for about a week online and via telephone conference before he handed down the sad news that Trustus would be shutting down all performances and rehearsals until further notice.

We actually began rehearsing for “Fairview” in November because of the subject matter. We wanted to be uber prepared and truthful in our performance. It has been hard to set this piece aside, but we look forward to joining together again next year to mount this production with new eyes, ears, and hearts.

I have been extremely blessed in that I have had a constant flow of opportunity coming my way since the quarantine began from voiceovers to virtual concerts. I am so grateful.

JASPER: If I recall correctly, I’ve noticed that you have a large support network of family and friends when you perform. Can you talk about the importance of having family and friends in your corner as an artist?

BLANDING: Most of my supporters are my blood family and my theater family. They really keep me going. I can’t honestly say that I have all of the support that I would like to have, but I have the support I need. I feel like it is important to have people around you that genuinely support you because they believe in you because they recognize the hard work that you put into what you do. It’s cool having fans, but fans come and go. They are with you when you are up but not necessarily when you’re down. I love the people that are in my circle. They make me what to be better. The other day I posted on my Facebook page that I wanted to get into film acting, but I wasn’t sure that I could do it. My theater family swooped in and offered advice from “Suck it up and do it!” to “Why don’t you try to record yourself and get used to seeing yourself on camera.”. Whatever I chose to do, I know I’m never alone, and that keeps me grounded and grinding.

JASPER: What have been some of your favorite theatrical roles that you’ve been able to perform?

BLANDING: That’s such an unfair question! I would have to say my favorite lead role was Delores Van Cartier in Village Square’s “Sister Act”. This was my first main leading role in a musical. It was challenging but it was a challenge that made me a better singer and performer. Singing almost 2 hours nonstop is not for the faint of heart. I also LOVED playing Shug Avery in Workshop Theatre’s “The Color Purple” for obvious reasons. Come on! Its SHUG AVERY!

My favorite ensemble roles were in “Passing Strange” as the mother and “Ain’t Misbehavin” as Nell Carter. “Passing Strange” allowed me to explore the anguish and heartache of a mother that just wants what’s best for their child. “Ain’t Misbehavin“  transported me into another time. Those two shows allowed me to bond with those casts in a way that was truly life changing. I would do all of these plays every year if I could.

JASPER: Any advice for young artists just getting started in theatre and musical theater?

BLANDING: Sometimes you can be your own worst enemy. There will be times that you don’t try because you feel you may fail. My advice to you is this: Go to every audition. Take voice and acting lessons. Read plays. Go to plays. Sing. Dance. Do it!

JASPER: Finally, what’s next for Katrina Blanding? Where will we get to next see you perform?

BLANDING: I have a lot cooking in the pot. I am currently working on my books and trying to get comfortable in front of the camera and off stage. I am going to be joining a board that will be addressing how we can encourage diversity and equity in our theatres. Right now, more than ever, that is where my passion is. I want to see us all grow together.

Thanks, Katrina!

-Cindi Boiter

Cindi Boiter is the editor of Jasper and the founder and ED of the The Jasper Project. To support the work of Jasper, including articles like the one above, please consider becoming a member of the Jasper Guild at www.JasperProject.org

Jasper Project Galleries Adds New Location at Motor Supply Company - Curated by Laura Garner Hine

The Jasper Project is pleased to add Motor Supply Company Bistro in Columbia’s historic Vista to our growing list of Jasper Project Galleries, including Harbison Theatre Gallery and the Meridien Building Sreetside Galleries (curated by Bert Easter) at Washington and Sumter Streets in downtown Columbia.

Jasper Project board member and Jasper Magazine visual arts editor Laura Garner Hine will be curating the series for the Jasper Project and is opening the series with a selection of her own work beginning this week.

Below, please find an excerpt from a story featuring Hine written in 2019 for Jasper Magazine by Christina Xan.

Laura Garner Hine

Though many people struggle to decide on a career path, Hine knew she was going to be an artist for as long as she can remember. “It's my strongest sense,” Hine says, “There was never a question, my whole life.” 

Hine started seriously studying art as soon as she became cognizant of her choice to commit to it. Upon graduating high school, when she got a scholarship for USC, she knew immediately she was going major in art studio. “I didn't know what I was going to focus on yet,” she recalls, “but eventually it became oil painting. You can make it so many different things.”

Hine is indebted in large part to her mentor, Pam Bowers. She remembers her and Bowers harvesting dirt from which they would make their own paints: “I felt like I was doing alchemy,” she said. This is when she ended up minoring in art history.

After Hine graduated, she studied abroad in the Netherlands. While there, she heard of a conservation course happening in Maastricht, and she decided to go – a decision that would change her life. Hine reflects on her first experience with conservation: “It was the marriage, to me, of all the things that I'd loved: art history, that alchemy, and the science behind art.”

Although this trip was the first time Hine had experienced conservation hands on, she believes she was always meant to conserve art. She remarks that, “I think I'm in the business of seeing. Everybody has the capacity to look, but there's merit and thought behind really seeing. It's kind of a fantastical thing.”

Hine believes her relationship to seeing beyond the surface of an image or object is really what led her to first her path as an artist and then her job as a restorator, a process she is incredibly lucky to be a part of: “It's quite meditative,” she ponders, “I think it transcends you into this moment of this dissolving of perception, and you become one with it.”

The process of conserving and restoring art is a multistep process, and it’s not formulaic. However, there is a system to work through. First, Hine has to do research, find out what the materials are and what they're sensitive to. After preliminary research, Hine begins testing to deduce what would be safest to use on the art piece. Grime or dirt can be removed with something as simple as distilled water to something as damaging as toluenes, but Hine avoids using anything toxic unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Sometimes, though, the painting is further compromised. If there is a tear or severe damage, Hine must remedy that first. These losses need to be fixed by covering cracks and shaping areas that have lost texture. Last, it’s time to color correct, which is where “the fun starts” for Hine and where her jobs as artist and restorator most closely overlap. When just a little color is missing, she looks at the surrounding area and mimics, but if something major like a face is missing, then she has to do more detailed research to create an impression as close to the original as possible. From start to finish, on average, it takes Hine around 8 hours to restore a painting.

Hine worked at the CMA as an Assistant Preparator for two years, but now she works full time for Carolina Conservation. For her, restoring art is just as intimate as creating it: “I want to hear the paintings talk to me. I want to know what they've seen. I'm a firm believer that energy never dies. People always come back through the ethers.” This conversing is one aspect that strongly connects Hine’s restoration and personal creation.

Hine laughs when trying to pin point herself as an artist, claiming people will go into a show of hers and think the art is from multiple different artists. One continual tether Hine has with her art, however, is her sensitivity and how once something has touched her, she has no choice but to create in inspiration of it. “My inspiration can be pretty; it can be grotesque,” she muses, “Any moment that arrests you, whether it's disgust or awe, I like those moments.”

While she might feel all over the place as an artist, she feels a strong importance in her work: “I think that what really inspires me is how people are inspired by me. I feel that anybody I meet likes to listen to my story, and I like to listen to their story.”

-Christina Xan

Motor Supply Company Bistro is located at 920 Gervais Street in Columbia, SC’s historic Vista

Find out more about Motor Supply at

www.motorsupplycobistro.com

To support the work of Jasper, including articles like the one above, please consider becoming a member of the Jasper Guild at www.JasperProject.org

Corona Times - Profile of Portraitist Lori Isom

…as if a worldwide virus killing thousands of people weren't enough, now the news of not one, but a string of black people being killed by police and others in succession - Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd. … I went numb.

— Lori Isom

——-

Jasper continues to check in with Columbia artists to see how we’re all doing during these strangely hypnotic times in which we’re living. Jasper editor Cindi Boiter had the opportunity to chat with Columbia-based portrait artist and fascinating human being, Lori Isom.

Here’s what we learned from Lori.

Artist and baker Lori Isom

JASPER: You and I met when you joined the Supper Table arts team last year, and I know you are originally from Brooklyn and that you studied at Parsons School of Design. What else can you tell our readers about your background and how you came to live and work in Columbia?

LORI ISOM: I like to tell people that I've had experience with just about all the arts. I had a love of drawing from a young child, and a strange obsession with cooking programs like The French Chef with Julia Child.  I studied fashion illustration in high school and then portrait and figure drawing at Parsons.  Due to an injury that my dad sustained on his job, I was unable to afford to continue going to Parsons, but I felt it was serendipitous because I'd really been wanting to explore my newest obsession which was dance! I went on to study and perform for several years, even creating and performing with my own dance company.   I did go back to college eventually, Hunter College, but again got pulled away following the siren's song of show business.  I spent about two decades of my life as a performer which included some touring and living in different states.  I've acted in several plays, done musical theater, appeared in a handful of T.V. commercials, and even a couple of music videos.

I have lived in Columbia on a few different occasions. My parents left New York and moved here in the late ‘80s, and it was kind of a respite for me at times. During one of those stays I began to earnestly pursue my art again.  I had the opportunity to exhibit my work, created a small business as a portrait artist, and taught children’s' art classes.  I eventually met my husband at Fort Jackson. He was a Drill Sergeant there, and I would set up at the PX to do portrait drawings and paintings of the cadets and other military personnel.   As a result of him being in the military, we lived in a variety of places, and I would navigate my way into the art community so that I could continue to work as an artist.  We moved back to Columbia in 2011 and have been here ever since.

JASPER: Do you consider yourself to be primarily a portraitist? What medium do you prefer?

LORI ISOM: I do consider myself to be a portraitist. I have always been interested in the anatomy of the human face and figure.  Capturing different expressions is also something that I'm very passionate about because facial expressions and body language are instantly relatable.   That said, for my non-commissioned work, I prefer natural expressions rather than posed. My preferred medium is charcoal - it's what we worked with the most in school because knowing how to draw was essential.  Also, to be honest, I really find having to mix colors to get the right skin tone and values to be tiresome.  Charcoal is so immediate, and uncomplicated.  I also really enjoy a simple number two pencil - the retractable kind because the point is always sharp.

Woman 12 by Lori Isom

JASPER: You've just finished up a beautiful project called Grey Matters. Can you tell us about this work - how the project presented itself to you, how long you worked on it, what your work entailed, and where we can see it?

LORI ISOM: A few years ago, it began becoming obvious that my aged parents would start to require more of my attention and help than just a few short years before. Of course, as time moved on, their mental and physical health continued to decline which made them increasingly reliant on me. These are my parents and I would do anything I could to maintain their quality of life, however I didn't realize it at the time how deeply I was being affected by their deteriorating health issues.  Simultaneously, I started looking at my own life and asking myself questions like am I pleased with where I am at this stage of my life? And, more importantly, WHO am I at this point in my life'?

The "Grey Matters - Women in Progress" series developed out of the reality that I had in fact crossed over into a new age group.  I was now a senior, and that was a shock to my system.  I started journaling my feelings and sought out voices of other women whom I could relate to and receive inspiration from.  So, I went to social media and asked women of my age group and beyond if they would send me photos of themselves participating in things that brought meaning to their lives, of course getting their permission to utilize them in a series that I was going to be working on.  It took the better part of 2019 to do the paintings, however, it might not actually be completed.  The work is not currently on display, but I did exhibit them this past February in North Charleston at the City Gallery. 

Woman 4 by Lori Isom

JASPER: And I understand that not only our current COVID-19 situation, but also the myriad other challenges humanity is now facing has brought a new influence on your work. What can you tell us about what you've been pursuing lately?

LORI ISOM: Indeed. The onslaught of the Corona virus was something I took very seriously right from the start.  No one had to persuade me to take precautions since I'd started following the news about it quite early on.  As a matter of fact, they laughed at me at my job because I came in talking about it AND wearing a mask as soon as I was able to get one! A couple of weeks later as more information started coming out on an ongoing basis, the laughing subsided.  I was, however, taken aback by the initial lack of response, and then the slowness of action by my employer.  It confirmed for me how much you must take ownership of your own behavior and actions.  No person or entity can do your thinking for you. If you see things going on around you, and you try to seek out as much information about it, then you have to weigh it through your own filter, and do what's best for you.  I learned that from my momma!

Then, as if a worldwide virus killing thousands of people weren't enough, now the news of not one, but a string of black people being killed by police and others in succession - Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd. Then toss in the performance of the young woman making a call to the police alleging that an African American man was assaulting her in the park, as she practically hanged her dog on live video.  I went numb.

So, one of the pieces that I recently finished is a self-portrait drawn in charcoal over a background of words that are partially covered by white gesso.  Words like climate control, racism, poverty, mass shootings, and other issues of the day. It's drawn on mixed media paper that I fashioned like a piece of loose-leaf paper.  The current title is "What Will We Teach Them. What Will They Learn", but it may change.  Right now, I've been taking photos of as many people as I can - all ethnicities, ages, and backgrounds - with their faces behind masks.  I'm still waiting for inspiration from my muse for this one!

JASPER: Your work is so empathetic, sincere, and authentically moving. When something as horrible as the murder of George Floyd happens, are you compelled to address it with art? To do so must be heart-crushing - does it help or hurt more? Do you have advice for others who are grappling with how to use their art to try to place such wrong-minded act of inhumanity somewhere in their world?

LORI ISOM: Thank you for that beautiful compliment.  I would say that in the past, I never really tried to express my feelings in response to anything I'd seen or heard about in the news or elsewhere.  Honestly, I felt incapable of taking my emotions about something external and successfully interpreting them on canvas. Even now, it continues to be a learning process for me; but at least I'm no longer running from it. I allow myself time to sit with my feelings in response to something that captures my attention and figure out how to best interpret those feelings in a way that's sincere and honest. I also find it helpful to write down ideas, descriptive words, and random thoughts about a new piece, even if they seem unrelated. I suppose the biggest piece of advice I would offer other artists is to keep working through things that are uncomfortable for you. 

JASPER: What drives you as an artist? What makes you create?

LORI ISOM: As an artist, I am driven by the need to express something in a different way each time I venture to my easel.  I don't ever want to feel that my work is stagnate and predictable.  When I see the work of artists who I admire, or listen to music that moves me, or read something that uplifts me, that's what keeps me wanting to create and keep improving.  I really want to know how far I can go as a creative person.

Woman 2 by Lori Isom

JASPER: What is your favorite piece that you have created during our sheltering in?

LORI ISOM: During our time of sheltering in, I have been drawing or painting something pretty much every day. I've had the pleasure of doing several commissioned charcoal and pencil drawings, and finally completed and delivered a large painting of two sweet little boys. 

However, there are a couple of original pieces that I really enjoyed doing, each for a different reason.  One is titled "Teaching My Sons to Swim" and the other is called "Banjo".  The first piece was inspired by an old photograph I found amongst my parents' enormous photo collection.  It seems to be from around the 1940s or 50s, and it has three young boys and an older man, all in swimming trunks.  The photo is taken in front of one of those backdrops that used to be so popular in that era.  The idea came to me that this man, who I felt could be their father, wanted to teach his sons something as basic as swimming. This seemingly ordinary skill that he could pass on to them, could not only save their lives, but possibly could help them see themselves and their place in the world differently.

The second piece, "Banjo" is a friend’s dog that I had just recently had the pleasure to meet. I completely fell in love with this lively creature, and he was the first doggie that I'd had close contact with since the loss of my own dog a couple of months earlier.  I took several pictures of him and couldn't wait to do a painting that would capture his joyful personality.

Teaching My Boys to Swim by Lori Isom

JASPER: Where can we see more of your work now and in the future?

LORI ISOM: As of this moment, I have several pieces hanging at the public library on Assembly Street in downtown Columbia.  However, due to Covid 19, the library has been closed for the last couple of months.  I'm not sure what their plan is regarding the artwork that's been hanging during this time.  I post work quite frequently on my Facebook page (Lori Starnes Isom) and on my Instagram page (artinthenow). 

-Cindi Boiter

Cindi Boiter is the editor of Jasper and the founder and ED of the The Jasper Project. To support the work of Jasper, including articles like the one above, please consider becoming a member of the Jasper Guild at www.JasperProject.org

Corona Times - Inside Clay Wooten's Celebration of the Life & Heart of Anastasia Chernoff

“Honestly I couldn't believe it when they reached out to me about this and I was extremely honored.” — Clay Wooten, sculptor

Artist Clay Wooten pictured with his sculpture, “Her Heart,” honoring our late friend, artist, gallerist, and arts advocate, Anastasia Chernoff

Last week, One Columbia for Arts and Culture announced the completion and installation on Senate Street in the Congaree Vista of the latest piece of public art to punctuate the landscape of Columbia, SC.

“Her Heart” is a metal wire sculpture of a human heart, designed and created by Clay Wooten to honor the late Anastasia Chernoff, who died in 2016 after an extensive battle with cancer. Anastasia was an artist who used her gallery space on Main Street, Anastasia and Friends, to sometimes show her own quirky and imaginative sculptures, but primarily to exhibit the work of artists friends, old and new.

Wooten was selected by Chernoff’s family to design and create the memorial which was funded through contributions from family and friends.

According to One Columbia, the organization “provided administrative support in accepting contributions and working with family members and close friends to assist in the selection and installation of the piece.”

While everyone looks forward to the opportunity to gather together to welcome the art to the city in an official celebration and dedication, the Jasper Project wanted to take a moment to chat with sculptor Clayton Wooten and get some inside information on the creation of this important and moving work.

Here we go —

Jasper: Hi Clay, thanks for talking to Jasper, and thanks for adding another interest point to the growing collection of public art in Columbia. This piece is special to so many of us because it honors our late beloved friend and colleague, Anastasia Chernoff. What can you tell us about your relationship with Anastasia?

Wooten: My relationship with Anastasia started when her daughter Lauren (Melton) and I became friends back in 2010. I would go to dinner parties at her house, she was always welcoming friends into her home. The amount of amazing art she had really blew me away.  I met a lot of creative people at these parties. She then asked me to exhibit some of my paintings in her gallery and of course that was an honor in itself. 

Jasper: How did it feel to be the artist selected to honor someone so beloved by her community?

Wooten: Honestly I couldn't believe it when they reached out to me about this and I was extremely honored. I felt excited and nervous at the same time, I knew that I would have to create a piece that represented her contributions to the art community in Columbia.

Jasper: Tell us about how you arrived at the concept of your sculpture. Did you receive direction from Anastasia’s family, One Columbia, or the Vista Guild, or were you able to approach the project carte blanc?

Wooten: The first time I met with the committee, they explained to me that I would have complete artistic freedom. I sat down and thought about Anastasia and came up with three or four concepts. When I presented the sketches to the group a unanimous decision was reached almost immediately. I then created a small scale model of the sculpture that was used to drum up interest in the last show held at Anastasia and friend’s gallery. 

Model of “Her Heart”

Jasper: Can you share some of the specifics of the piece with us? Like – how long did you work on it? How large is it? How much does it weigh? What is the material?

Wooten: The heart is made of 1/4 inch steel rod. I used a number of different methods to bend the rods but ultimately ended up using my hands and some elbow grease to get the shape I wanted. I worked on it for several months on and off. It took longer than I thought but in the end i'm very happy with the finished product. It stands over 12 feet tall and 9 feet wide, weighing around 150 pounds and that does not include the two large stands that connect to the sides. 

Jasper: How did you arrive at painting the piece with sparkling lavender? Is the color representative?

Wooten: The sculpture is actually powder coated in that sparkling lavender color, thanks to the guys over at the Stuyck company. The committee wanted to go with a lavender because it was Anastasia’s favorite and we thought it would blend well with the natural greens surrounding the location.

Jasper: What kind of upkeep of the sculpture require? Is it malleable at all? Will it change with age and weathering?

Wooten:  I'm hoping the sculpture will last forever! I'm sure it will see some discoloring and rust over the years but it will not need much maintenance.

“Her Heart” by Clayton Wooten

Jasper: I know the pandemic has kept us from celebrating the official unveiling of the sculpture, but we hope to be able to come together to celebrate your art and all the visions Anastasia left us with soon. Are there any plans for this yet?

Wooten: We are still waiting to see how all this plays out and have not planned the official unveiling.

Jasper: Where can we see more of your work and what’s your next project?

Wooten:  I build and design exhibits at EdVenture Children's Museum as a full time job so you can see some of my work there. I also have a woodworking instagram @spruce_creations along with my art page @wooo10_art.

Thanks Clay!

By Cindi Boiter

Cindi Boiter is the editor of Jasper and the founder and ED of the The Jasper Project. To support the work of Jasper, including articles like the one above, please consider becoming a member of the Jasper Guild at www.JasperProject.org

Anastasia Chernoff, photo credit unknwon

Corona Times - Have you met Noah Van Sciver?

“Noah Van Sciver is an Ignatz award-winning cartoonist who first came to comic readers’ attention with his critically acclaimed comic book series Blammo. His work has appeared in Spongebob comics, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Best American Comics, as well as countless graphic anthologies. Van Sciver is a regular contributor to Mad magazine and has created many graphic novels including The Hypo, Saint Cole, and the three part Fante Bukowski series.”

- Fantagraphics — Publisher of the World’s Greatest Cartoonists

Noah Van Sciver

Of the unending ways in which one can tell a story, comics, cartoons, and graphic novels number among the most fascinating and yet, possibly, the most underappreciated.

This writer’s experience with graphic storytelling began, like most people’s, when I was a kid in the ‘60s and early ‘70s and my allowance was just enough to purchase two issues of Archie Comics from the gift shop at the airport where my father worked. I loved Betty and hated Veronica. By the time I had lost interest in Jughead and the gang I had fallen in love with a nerd-boy who read and collected every single copy of Classics Illustrated he could find. Sadly, the boy’s parents threw away his comics collection when he went away to college, but happily, he and his new family, our family, have replaced all but one issue.

I also remember the naughtiness of Robert Crumb’s Fritz the Cat from when I was too young to understand how Fritz wanted to occupy most of his time, (getting stoned and getting laid), but I didn’t see the film until I was much older.

The next time I think I thought about comics was in 2003 when the strange, but mesmerizing indie film, American Splendor, came out. The film American Splendor was a biopic on the day-to-day life of Harvey Pekar and was taken from the series of comix by the same title. In addition to the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize it won a slew of additional awards.

Since then, actually starting before then I’m sure, comix and graphic novels, even the underground kind, have played a much more mainstream role in literary culture. The little this writer knows about that culture has led me to the conclusion that there is so much more to learn., and I’m working on it.

To that end, I asked Columbia-based cartoonist/illustrator Noah Van Sciver to answer a few questions for the Jasper Project blog as an entree to a more detailed profile of the multiple award-winning author which will be published later this year in Jasper Magazine.

Let’s get started.

Preorder for 12/15/20 see below

JASPER: Hi Noah and thank you for agreeing to talk with the Jasper Project. First, am I using the correct terminology? Do you describe yourself as a cartoon artist or something else?

NOAH: Hello! Yeah, I describe myself as a Cartoonist around most people and an Illustrator around anyone i’m trying to impress.

JASPER: How did you become interested in this work? I know you were influenced by R. Crumb who gave my generation Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural. Can you speak to that influence and others?

NOAH: Well, I’m from a family that read a lot of comics. My father was a comics reader since he was a child and continues still. So he took myself and my brothers to the comic shops with him and from as far back as I can remember we all had our own collections. I drew my own cartoons in notebooks growing up, mostly to amuse friends of mine, but it was after seeing the documentary “Crumb” that I realized that this was something you could do seriously. And since then I’ve been publishing my stories and luckily have built a small cult-following of readers.

JASPER: You were born in New Jersey, but am I correct that you got your start in Denver? Can you tell us about starting out and how you were able to break into the art form?

NOAH: Yeah, I moved to Denver when I was 22 and immediately began self-publishing small comic books with a xerox machine, which I’d sell or give away on the street or in coffee shops, record stores or boutiques. Doing that brought me to the attention of the Alternative weekly newspaper (Westword) who hired me to draw a weekly comic strip, which I did for the next 7 years, all the while writing graphic novels and submitting to book publishers. It was an obsessive period of time but all of the hard work got me a lot of attention within the world of graphic novels and I soon began making a living from my comics.

Van Sciver’s debut graphic novel, 2012 — Ranked #1 on MTV Geek's "Best Graphic Novels of 2012" — One of Library Journal's "Best Books of 2012: Graphic Novels" — Ranked #3 (tie) on Boing Boing's "Best Damn Comics of the Year" survey

JASPER: Like many of our most successful artists you are self-taught, right? Can you talk about your auto-didacticism and how you accomplished it?

NOAH: Oh yes, I am a self-taught artist and I’m still learning. I learned by carrying composition notebooks with me and drawing at every chance I could. I recommend using cheap notebooks to draw in because the more expensive and beautiful the sketchbook, the more pressure you’ll feel to draw great. But you can’t draw great. You have to draw bad for a long time, and you have to do it often!

JASPER: I’m curious about your process. What is your workday like and how do completed comics come to you? What comes first, the words or the drawings, or do they happen at the same time?

NOAH: I try to work from 9-5 like most jobs. I wake up in the morning, answer emails and sit at my desk to write or work on a drawing that’s in progress. I write visually with loose drawings. When it comes to my comics I need to think on paper.With comics you need to think visually, because so much of it depends on what the art is doing. But if I’m working on a true story I’ll spend most days taking notes and drawing doodles in a notebook before I feel confident enough to jump into the drawing part.

 JASPER: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your work in terms of creation,  content and marketing?

NOAH: I think the affects will mostly reveal themselves over the year— I did have a new graphic novel released on the day the bookstores closed down so that was a big dent, and I had another book held up until autumn because of the closures. So much of the book events planned for 2020 have been canceled. Instead I’ve spent my time at home in front of my desk or in my office drawing a new story about my first apartment and first roommate, which was a helpful distraction. Another thing I’ve done is to start a Youtube channel to record casual conversations with cartoonists that I admire and that’s been helpful as a way to check in with each other during this isolation.

2929 — "At its deepest, Fante Bukowski stands as a commentary on hordes of recognition-hungry artists with nothing to say, but as a straight parody, Fante Bukowski is hilarious enough to summon tears." — Paste Magazine

JASPER: You are a busy artist. Can you tell us about the projects you are working on now and how we can see more of your work?

NOAH: I’m currently working on a graphic novel called Joseph Smith and his Mormons all about the origins and foundations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It’s a history that I’m personally invested in learning, after being partly raised in the church (and later leaving). Besides that mostly just illustration work that comes my way!

JASPER: I also know that you have quite a few accolades to your name. R. Crumb said of your 2016 graphic novel, “I thought [My Hot Date] was one of the best autobiographical comics ever.” Take this opportunity to brag a bit about your accomplishments.

NOAH: (Ha ha ha) Well, it’s been an uphill battle for most of my time drawing comics, but there have been some successes. I’ve won a few awards, I’ve done some artist’s residencies, and I’ve traveled all over the world because of what I draw, but it’s true there is nothing quite like getting praise from people whose work you’ve admired for so long.

JASPER: There’s a lot to know about the world of cartooning, comics, and graphic novels – will you talk with me again for a more in-depth interview to be published in Jasper Magazine?

NOAH: Of course! Anytime you want!

 To order books by Noah Van Sciver please visit

Fantagraphics.com

To follow Noah’s blog please visit

Noah's Blog

By Cindi Boiter

Cindi Boiter is the editor of Jasper and the founder and ED of the The Jasper Project. To support the work of Jasper, including articles like the one above, please consider becoming a member of the Jasper Guild at www.JasperProject.org

Corona Times - Profile of Virginia Scotchie

It’s good to know I’m not the only person to think of the exquisite ceramics of Virginia Scotchie when I first saw an artist’s representation of the Coronavirus. There’s something about the pieces that fit so perfectly together into a whole but, at once, beg to be seen as separate entities. In any case, it seemed like a perfect time to catch up with the Columbia-based artist and academician to see how she has been continuing her work during our time of sheltering in.

Educated at Chapel Hill, Israel, and New York City, Scotchie has served as a professor of ceramic arts at the University of SC since 1992. Her work has been shown and studied in numerous papers and exhibitions finding homes internationally with an apparent affinity for embassies, including France, Italy, Wales, Kosovo, Australia, and China to name a few. Scotchie’s work can be seen on the Hidell/Brooks Gallery website hidellbrooks.com and her own website at virginiascotchie.com.

But let’s check into how the world is treating Scotchie now.

Jasper: How long have you been in isolation and what is your isolation situation?

Scotchie: I have been in isolation since the USC Columbia campus closed in March. Thank goodness I have my ceramic studio in my backyard!  I have been extremely fortunate that I can continue to make my ceramic work especially since I have two solo exhibitions coming up in the Fall. I am also grateful that I am not alone as I live with my partner, Milton Oates and my godson Josh Scott….oh, and three dogs and four cats….

Jasper: Were you teaching classes this semester? If so, how did you resolve the challenge of teaching during a quarantine?

Scotchie: Yes. I have been teaching graduate students at the School of Visual Art and Design at USC during the pandemic along with two undergraduate advanced ceramic classes. Fortunately, the students had been able to complete a good deal of artwork before the buildings on campus were closed. The ceramic students were able to participate in our Annual Student Art Exhibition at McMaster Gallery in early March with their completed pieces. In fact, one of our MFA students in Ceramics, Patrick Burke, won best of show for his ceramic sculpture. Since the closure we have been meeting on Zoom which is ok at first but is not at all like actual contact with my students. This semester was the first time I experienced a Zoom Oral Exam with graduate students whose thesis committee I am on. They actually did an amazing job!

Jasper: Has the pandemic affected your work habits? How so?

Scotchie: Since my studio is in my backyard I can work there in between Zoom meetings, answering student emails and being available to my students during class time. It has been an amazingly productive time for me with lots of experimentation, new ideas coming to fruition and time to just sit and think in the studio ….oh and of course pulling weeds and planting flowers as I talk the walk from the house to the studio! My yard has never looked so good!

Jasper: What about the art you are creating? Does your current work reflect our current situation as a culture in any way? Or are you escaping from our current situation in the art you are creating?

Scotchie: For many years my work in ceramics has made reference to nature, architecture and the vessel through minimal abstraction. I am not sure that the current situation has impacted my work yet although one of my friends mentioned on Instagram that a piece of mine that I had posted reminded him of the virus. Its actually one of my “go to” objects that I have revisited for years. Much of my work has involved groupings of objects on the wall so who knows maybe the work will become more signaler or groupings of no more than three.

Jasper: Has our situation impacted you as an artist -- have you grown or has your viewpoint changed or anything like that? Have you learned anything about yourself as an artist?

Scotchie: I have really enjoyed the solitude in the studio. Normally I am at the University at least 4 days a week teaching, organizing the ceramic studio, making art with students and actually doing my own work at the University. With all this new “alone time” there is so much room for reflection, imagination and creating new work. However, ceramics is in so many ways a communal studio activity. There are a multitude of activities we do as ceramic artists where you need more that one person…. for example: loading kilns, making clay, mixing glazes. It is an extremely physical studio practice and in many ways community based. My partner has become a big participant in my studio helping me with certain pieces I am making so if something is too heavy or I need a hand with a piece of work he is always there to help. I have learned that I miss the students though and the ceramic studio at USC that I have built up since 1992.

Jasper: What would you be doing now if we weren't sheltering in? Did the quarantine cause you to change any plans to show your work, study, or travel?  

Scotchie: Sadly yes. A huge solo exhibition of my work that was to be shown during the 2020 National Ceramic Conference (NCECA) in Richmond Virginia was postponed until the fall. Literally one week before the exhibition was to be installed the conference was cancelled and the gallery where my exhibition was to be held decided to postpone the opening until the fall. In late May through June I was to be Artist in Residence at the National Sculpture Factory (NSF) in Cork, Ireland. Needless to say I was very excited about this opportunity to make work at the NSF! However, this has also been postponed until May of 2021. I am very grateful that the financial support for this residency from the Deans Office in the School of Arts and Science and the School of Visual Art and Design will move forward to 2021 so that I will be able to work at the NSF in Ireland.

Jasper: Can you share any advice or tips for other artists on how to be productive or motivated while sheltering in?

Scotchie: Regardless of any situation artists must keep on being productive and motivated. Even during normal times all artists have slumps or periods of uncertainty with their work. but the only thing to do is to get in the studio. As they say, half the battle if just showing up! The best thing to do is just to start something. Not everything is going to be a masterpiece. We all create many pieces that no one will ever see but these pieces will hopefully lead us to the next and the next, etc. Current pieces artists are working on will inform future work. For me making art is like breathing….

Artist Statement - Virginia Scotchie

Recent work has dealt with the relationships of whole forms to that of their components.  The act of taking apart and putting back together has contributed to the accumulation of a personal library of fragmented images.  My current interest is in the exploration of new forms derived from rearranging fragments of disparate dissected objects.

With this new body of work I have continued my on-going visual investigation of man-made and natural objects. Usually these consist of small things; ordinary in many ways, but possessing a visual quirkiness that pulls me to them.  In some cases I am not familiar with the particular purpose, function or origin of the original object.  Often this lack of information allows me to see the object in a clearer light.

In some of the pieces, I have "borrowed" fragments of personal objects that have been passed on to me from a family member. Usually these are things that have only sentimental value: An old pipe of my fathers, a funnel from my mother’s kitchen an old bulb from the family Christmas tree. A recent object that falls into this category is a handmade wooden tool that was fashioned by my Italian grandfather to plant his garden. Slender and pointed with a stump of a side handle this small tool fit the hand of my grandfather and served him well. For me it not only holds visual intrigue but also a connection to my memory of him and the things he loved.

The worn, crusty surfaces on many of the pieces are created to give a sense of how time acts to make and unmake a form. This process can be seen in both natural and manmade objects.

While drawn from specific sources of interpretation, the work in this exhibit is primarily abstract and formal. Form, surface and color take precedent over any perceived emotional content. While the work may trigger a visual memory of familiar objects, the viewer is encouraged to have a range of interpretations.                 

Cindi Boiter is the editor of Jasper and the founder and ED of the The Jasper Project. To support the work of Jasper, including articles like the one above, please consider becoming a member of the Jasper Guild at www.JasperProject.org

How's your head? Anxiety & the Artist

“I am unable to describe exactly what is the matter with me. Now and then there are horrible fits of anxiety, apparently without cause, or otherwise a feeling of emptiness and fatigue in the head … at times I have attacks of melancholy and of atrocious remorse.”

— Vincent Van Gogh to his brother Theo

“My fear of life is necessary to me, as is my illness. They are indistinguishable from me, and their destruction would destroy my art.” - Edvard Munch, who painted The Scream while trembling after the inspiration for the image came to him in a vision.

It’s no surprise that science has found a multitude of connections between anxiety and the life and practices of the artist, leading us to believe that, during such a bizarre social period as the pandemic we’re experiencing now, our arts community would be comprised of a bunch of nervous Nellies witnessing each other puddle up and dissipate over and over at socially safe intervals of at least six feet.

Not all arts professionals have responded negatively to the forced quarantine, however, as several have found themselves leaning into the solitude social distancing provides. Jasper talked with a handful of Columbia, SC - based literary, visual, music, and culinary artists to find out how they’re both measuring and managing their anxiety and, hopefully, to glean some life hacks from those who are coming out on the upper side of calmness, goal direction, and mental health.

“It is hard to imagine anyone that hasn’t experienced some increased anxiety,” says Bruce, a visual artist. He goes on to explain where his lack of serenity comes from. “Partly I worry about myself and partly about the future of arts related businesses - the galleries , non-profits arts organizations, the whole support structure really.” Sheltering in has impacted the artist economically, as well. “I had two solo shows lined up for next year that seem to be in an indefinite holding pattern.”

Another anonymous visual artist agrees, “I’ve got way more anxiety than usual, which I have to say feels a little impressive considering how high strung I am on a normal day. It was really bad in the beginning of this. So bad I couldn’t function in my studio because of the constant existential dread. Eventually I motivated myself to make things again by offering free paintings to friends and collectors who donated to food banks.”

The fact that artists and anxiety can go hand-in-hand is nothing new. History is replete with anecdotes and actual accounts of artists suffering from emotional, and sometimes clinical, disorders with critics and observers attributing both artistic successes and failures to how well one manages the demons they lock up or allow to roam freely. It’s easy to think of Robin Williams, Sylvia Plath, and Vincent Van Gogh. But think also of Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, and Stephen Colbert, all of whom exemplify successful careers despite anxiety and other emotional baggage.

If anxiety is a daily factor in the lives of so many artists under normal circumstances, how do we cope when normality gets turned on its head during something as extraordinary as a global pandemic hitting in the middle of a climate crisis, without any semblance of effectual political or cultural leadership from the state or federal level?

“I feel more anxiety now. The back and forth vitriol is toxic,” says one visual artist who identifies a sense of anger coming from outside normal frustrations over health, illness, and economics. “People are making this political because that’s all they seem to know how to do these days. Perhaps if the federal government gave any sense of security people would not feel the need to know it all. Sanitizing everything, not knowing if I have it, hoping I’m not infecting my family is stressful.”

The chef and co-owner of a local restaurant says, “As this quarantine has dragged on, I've definitely caught myself lost in some very grim thoughts. I've had work nightmares and anxiety nightmares related to worries about my family. It isn't to the point where I feel debilitated by them, but it isn't good.”

While typical anxieties run the gamut from fears about feeding our families to insecurities about our own senses of professional stamina, many of us find ourselves anxious about what we can’t control, but even more so about not knowing what is waiting for us on the other side of the current situation.

Musician Christopher may explain it best, “I am not sure if the anxiety I am experiencing is tangibly greater or less, on the whole, but it is distinct. Having the time and flexibility to be able to practice, and organize my life around my practice schedule has been extremely liberating. This being said, I am not certain if I am more anxious about the Orwellian nightmare of wearing masks and distancing myself from others, or those who do not take part in the appropriate preventative measures despite pervasive warnings. The other day,” he explains, “while driving to the store, I felt an unsettling urgency to drive as fast as my car would take me, to which I did not succumb. Perhaps trapped or confined are better adjectives to describe parts of my experience than anxiety; a dichotomy comprised simultaneously of extraordinary liberation and confinement.”

But others are finding that, as time passes, so does much of the anxiety.

According to one writer, “I’m definitely more anxious, though I calmed down after the first few weeks. It was too easy to catastrophize and obsess about “what if” scenarios..”

How has she come to manage her stress?

“Three things: Structure to my day, volunteer work, and exercise.” she says. “Having somewhat of a schedule, like a set time to get up, get dressed, and go work, etc, has helped normalize things. And by go to work, I mean stagger downstairs to my writing nest to write, coffee cup in hand. Doing volunteer work with the Mutual Aid Midlands group has also been a huge help. I’m not just sitting around fretting about the virus, I’m doing something, and that’s gratifying. I also find exercise, even just walking, to be a good outlet.”

Gardening, baking, cooking, and cleaning out all the proverbial junk drawers in our lives are effective ways to manage the buzzing of anxiety bees, but once the family is fed and the house is clean, where is one to place her extra energy?

According to Christopher, “I have been diving into my work as a teacher, and spending copious amounts of time practicing, reading, and exercising. I am uncertain as whether these practices manage my anxiety or simply divert my attention away from anxiety provoking thoughts.”

Bruce says the same thing, “Painting has always been for me like a drug. When I get as far as picking up a paint brush, I’m pretty well under-the-influence at that point.”

Interestingly though, not everyone is experiencing waves of doubt and anxiety about what the future may hold. In fact, some of our colleagues have almost welcomed this time of reflection.

Ginny, who is a visual artist and a retired educator, says she feels less anxiety than during pre-Corona days, admiting she now feels “a peace without the demands of an appointment filled calendar and the hustle and bustle of every day. It’s given me uninterrupted time to reflect on how I want to live and how solitude plays a significant role in my life in a positive way.”

Christopher, our musician, recognizes “a greater connectedness to what is happening around me. It is rather easy to find oneself in a rut while all is normal, but being detached from normalcy has provided me the opportunity to be able to prioritize my attention and, more broadly, my time, interests, and aspects of my vocation.”

Other artists recognize a silver lining from sheltering-in unlike anything they’ve experienced before.

“My time at home has really transformed our living space, which is a good, wholesome feeling. I feel like I've been useful and productive,” says our chef.

A visual artists adds, “I have ALWAYS wanted to work from home. As a single parent I have always known that I would have to work a job in order to meet mine and my son's needs, but it has at times made it difficult (not impossible, just difficult) to be a working artist as well. However, this new experience of working from home has heightened my creativity because I'm getting the day job done and the mom-tasks done and I am finding more time in my day to create and market my work. I feel almost embarrassed by how well I have adjusted, but I should add I'm not an overly social person to begin with so this wasn't as huge a shift for me as it's been for others. ”

A local writer agrees. “I don't need much contact with anyone, just as I've always suspected. Contact with community is vital, but I feel the urge to read and write more, and to sit and stare outside more than I need to associate with people.”

And a local playwright and academician shares his own personal silver lining. “Less anxiety, much less,” he says, noting that “the sleep I'm getting is like nothing I've ever experienced. It's going to be hard to give it up.” And closing with a special source of joy - “‘hangin' with da wife. Turns out she's good company. “

~~~

Jasper wants to know HOW’S YOUR HEAD? Are you more stressed or more at peace than you were pre-Corona? What have you learned from sheltering in and how does that effect the way you see your future? What’s your theory? What will we do with all these epiphanies and new-found realizations? How can we BE BETTER? Shares your thoughts!

Further reading: https://thecreativeindependent.com/library/on-dealing-with-creative-anxiety/

https://artplusmarketing.com/why-anxiety-is-the-handmaiden-of-creativity-5a3e8c6e1a96

https://culturacolectiva.com/art/social-anxiety-paintings

https://www.tjwalshtherapy.com/blog/whats-the-link-between-anxiety-and-creativity

Cindi Boiter is the editor of Jasper Magazine and ED of the Jasper Project. She keeps her menagerie of demons on their best behavior by writing, giving reverence to the trees and wildlife that want so desperately to live healthily in the Muddy Ford woods, and 50 mg. of Zoloft once a day.

What Are You Reading? Kate Atkinson's Transcription, review by Cindi Boiter

“In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”

— Winston Churchill

I worked so hard to finish reading Kate Atkinson’s Transcription (2018) that I am damn well going to at least give it a quick and dirty review.

I chose this book from a magazine stand in some airport last summer because I had previously read Atkinson’s book, Life After Life (2013), and loved it. There was quite a bit of magical realism to Life After Life (a baby is born the same year she dies and continues to live and die time after time as the century progresses) which I love. I should have picked up A God in Ruins (2015) which I now understand actually continues the story of the Life After Life characters, but I did not. To cut to the chase, Transcription is nothing like Life After Life.

I didn’t want to finish this novel, but I have such a history of starting books and not finishing them. Remember Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch (2013)? Having loved—no, adored—Tartt’s The Secret History (1992), which is a brilliant book, I couldn’t wait to read The Goldfinch, knowing it was about a painting and a mystery and hidden lives. I was so devoted to Tartt’s writing that I bought it in hardback and tried to devour it before we left for an extended trip. It was just too heavy to take on airplanes and trains and cart all over Europe. But I failed to finish it, took off for a month, came home and continued to read the paperbacks I’d picked up along the way, watching The Goldfinch gather dust on my nightstand and then, the kiss of death, get buried beneath other books.

My memory being unreliable, at best, too much time passed, and I realized I’d have to re-read the whole book (784 pages) to reacquaint myself with the story. After a while I heard there would be a film made about this 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning book, so I took solace in this news, looked forward to seeing the film, and passively abandoned the book.

Of course, the film bombed. We’re talking something like 23% Metacritic on Rotten Tomatoes, and I haven’t been able to make myself watch such a botched adaptation of a beloved author’s work. (Same for Ron Rash’s Serena, but luckily, I ate that book up like a chocolate croissant and hated to reach the final page.)

Having learned my lesson, I vowed to try my damnedest not to abandon a book again, which is why I worked so hard to finish Kate Atkinson’s Transcription.

Am I glad I did? In terms of making myself follow through, yes. Did I like the book? Sadly, no. Which is unfortunate given the subject matter.

In 1940 a young woman named Juliet is oddly recruited into MI5. There is nothing about this woman that makes her a good candidate to be the kind of spy we think of when we think of James Bond and other famous fictional spies. So why was she selected? Because the espionage she was to carry out looked nothing like anything Bond would ever do. It was boring. She was essentially a transcriptionist who listened in on a group of British fascist sympathizers and typed up what they said. After she had proven herself a fit transcriptionist, she was enlisted to do various other MI5 tasks, including going undercover with her own secret identity, but never anything truly surprising or exciting. The story continues that once you’re in MI5, you’re always in MI5, and there you go. The end.

I really wanted to like this book and I hate to give it a lukewarm review. Despite the tedium the book brought me I will argue that it gives the reader insight into the life of a lower level counter-intelligence agent during WWII who happens to be a woman. Metaphorically, I can see the alignment of Juliet’s conscription into this world of lies with the fully packaged roles many women took and take in the course of traditional womanhood.  But even when she has a Mauser in her purse, she’s still the person in the room who makes the tea.

~~~

In case I threw out too many titles in this less than quick but decidedly dirty review, here is a synopsis:

• Read Transcription if you are a fan of low-key, wartime, London spy novels and the many roles women play, emphasis on the word “play.” She gives us two pages of sources so no doubt the book is well-researched.

• Read Life After Life if you like British authors, also lots of WWII historical fiction but, this time, with humour, magical realism, and some pretty big thrills.

• Read The Secret History if you like to read because it will be one of the best books you’ve ever read in your life.

• Read A God in Ruins, and please tell me about it.

• And read The Goldfinch but, for the love of god, please just finish it

What Are YOU Reading?

Jasper Wants to Know!

Send your most recent book review to JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com with “JASPER READS” in the subject line and the title and author of your book in the body along with your own quick and dirty review.

You can review your book anonymously or you can share your name and possibly inspire an online book discussion. The point is to share thoughts and viewpoints, turn other folks onto what you’ve been reading, and maybe take away a tip for the next book you want to read yourself.

Remember: We’re not looking for academic or professional reviews or anything fancy at all, although academics and professionals are invited to submit, as are butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers and everyone in between. If you’re worried about your writing our editors will try our best to tidy up any little messes and sprinkle fairy dust on anything that needs a little love

Need some help putting your review together? Fill in the blanks for any or all of the following statements:

• I recommend this book for people who like ___________.

  (Examples: adventure, romance, intrigue, travel, horror, LGBTQ+ lit, feminist lit, non-fiction, sports, essays, poetry, biographies, drama, history, historical fiction, fiction, period pieces, foreign stories, mystery, comedy, YA, prize-winning, your descriptor here.)

• If you liked ___________, you'll like this book.

• This book is about a ____ who _____ and ____ ensued.

• This story takes place (where) ____________ and (when) _________.

• The thing I liked best about this book was ____________.

• I liked/disliked this book because ________________.

• The main character(s) is/are _________________________. (Need help? Were they charming, annoying, sexy, smart, adventurous, clever, crazy, looking for trouble – no need for fancy descriptors, just tell us about these people we’ll be spending pages with.)

• While I liked/disliked the book my mom/partner/bff would hate/love it because ___________. 

• Or just use your own words — as few or as many as you want. 

The point is to share what you recently read with the rest of the pandemic pack of folks who suddenly have time to read but may not know what to read next.

Submit your Jasper Reads review to

JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com

and we’ll share your words with the world!

Thanks!

What Are You Reading?

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72

by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Reviewed by Matthew O’Leary

In the midst of the insanity of the election cycle and the pandemic, I’m reading Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72, by Hunter S. Thompson. It’s about the 1972 elections, focusing first on the Democratic primaries, and then on George McGovern’s ill-fated attempt to unseat Richard Nixon. Thompson is in Washington writing these updates for Rolling Stone, and though it’s certainly not as batshit and drug-fueled as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his voice, and its refusal to pretend to be impartial, keep the narrative going, even when we know it doesn’t have a happy ending.

At the beginning of each month, I read the same section from the book, so I’ll be doing this well into the next year. This is my second time reading it, and my personal favorite part is reading about Thomas Eagleton, who was picked for McGovern’s VP, but was thrown under the bus when his past history of depression was revealed. Personally, I get a little bit of comfort from knowing that while our current circumstances are pretty rough, the process of elections hasn’t really changed all that much, for better or worse. At least George Wallace is dead.

What Are YOU Reading?

Jasper Wants to Know!

Send your most recent book review to JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com with “JASPER READS” in the subject line and the title and author of your book in the body along with your own quick and dirty review.

You can review your book anonymously or you can share your name and possibly inspire an online book discussion. The point is to share thoughts and viewpoints, turn other folks onto what you’ve been reading, and maybe take away a tip for the next book you want to read yourself.

Remember: We’re not looking for academic or professional reviews or anything fancy at all, although academics and professionals are invited to submit, as are butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers and everyone in between. If you’re worried about your writing our editors will try our best to tidy up any little messes and sprinkle fairy dust on anything that needs a little love

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• Or just use your own words — as few or as many as you want. 

The point is to share what you recently read with the rest of the pandemic pack of folks who suddenly have time to read but may not know what to read next.

Submit your Jasper Reads review to

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What Are You Reading?

Jasper Wants to Know!

What are you reading? Not only does Jasper want to know but it seems like every other person on social media wants to know, too.

Maybe we can help.

Send your most recent book review to JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com with “JASPER READS” in the subject line and the title and author of your book in the body along with your own quick and dirty review.

You can review your book anonymously or you can share your name and possibly inspire an online book discussion. The point is to share thoughts and viewpoints, turn other folks onto what you’ve been reading, and maybe take away a tip for the next book you want to read yourself.

Remember: We’re not looking for academic or professional reviews or anything fancy at all, although academics and professionals are invited to submit, as are butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers and everyone in between. If you’re worried about your writing our editors will try our best to tidy up any little messes and sprinkle fairy dust on anything that needs a little love

Need some help putting your review together? Fill in the blanks for any or all of the following statements:

• I recommend this book for people who like ___________.

  (Examples: adventure, romance, intrigue, travel, horror, LGBTQ+ lit, feminist lit, non-fiction, sports, essays, poetry, biographies, drama, history, historical fiction, fiction, period pieces, foreign stories, mystery, comedy, YA, prize-winning, your descriptor here.)

• If you liked ___________, you'll like this book.

• This book is about a ____ who _____ and ____ ensued.

• This story takes place (where) ____________ and (when) _________.

• The thing I liked best about this book was ____________.

• I liked/disliked this book because ________________.

• The main character(s) is/are _________________________. (Need help? Were they charming, annoying, sexy, smart, adventurous, clever, crazy, looking for trouble – no need for fancy descriptors, just tell us about these people we’ll be spending pages with.)

• While I liked/disliked the book my mom/partner/bff would hate/love it because ___________. 

• Or just use your own words — as few or as many as you want. 

The point is to share what you recently read with the rest of the pandemic pack of folks who suddenly have time to read but may not know what to read next.

Submit your Jasper Reads review to

JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com

and we’ll share your words with the world!

Thanks!

REVIEW: Kirk Hammett's It's Alive! at Columbia Museum of Art - by Christofer Cook

Hammett’s Panoply of Genre Treasures a Delightful Submersion into the Dark Fantastic

Merchant of menace, Vincent Price, once opined; “I trust people who are violent about art as long as they aren’t closed-minded. But, unfortunately, most art blowhards are also art bigots”. Price’s position on such observers suggests that the art world is forever infested with subjective perspectives on its ever-changing product. These so-called critics do nothing but praise that which they like and denigrate that which they find distasteful, gauche, sophomoric. But the real challenge is to seek the beauty, skillful craftsmanship, and precision within a work whose subject matter may very well be anathema to the beholding eye.

Thankfully, horror aficionados remain undaunted by their naysayers. These bastions of blood become impervious to criticism and continue to amass works of art that represent the absolute best of the macabre and the fantastique. Perhaps no one exemplifies these purveyors of genre art more so than Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist of those meisters of metal, Metallica. Hammett’s collection of horror and sci-fi movie props, costumes, and memorabilia has gradually and insidiously taken over his San Francisco home like the creeping crud in George Romero’s The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verill, based on Stephen King’s Weeds. In Hammett’s case, though, his growing horde is not an organic pestilence, rather it is a miscellany of fine objects d’arte.

An exhibit of Hammett’s select acquisitions can be viewed through May 17th at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina. It is an adventure through a portal of spellbinding wonder the moment one steps inside. We are first impacted by an immediate blast of visual splendor. Just beyond the gallery’s glass doors, welcoming us to the experience, is a mammoth title card in rich, vivid colors. It is the identical illustration that graces the cover of Hammett’s latest book by the same name; IT’S ALIVE! Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Posters from the Kirk Hammett collection.

The image is a nostalgic throwback to the pre-code era of the comic book covers of yesteryear. These dog-eared horrors in four colors were often secreted between the mattress covers of millions of American acne-ridden kids we now affectionately refer to as “monster kids”. The gargantuan signage prepares us for the terrors adorning the gallery walls beyond—an antediluvian cemetery features from end to end. In the foreground, an undead arm bathed in crimson light breaks through its terrestrial bonds. Worms crawl, wriggling about the extremity. In a show of rebellion that only a zombie could display, the hand brandishes the ubiquitous devil-horned symbol denoting rock-n-roll, metal mayhem, and all things dark and dangerous.

The sideshow-like mural is an effective precursor to the devilishly delightful designs to come. As one rounds the right corner into the gallery, stunning vintage posters hang in reverence to the by-gone age of German expressionism; Wiene’s 1920 The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Gade and Schall’s 1921 Hamlet,  Murnau’s 1922 Nosferatu, and Lang’s 1927 Metropolis. The process most commonly used to create these works of visual wonderment was stone lithography. Color was limited, the form was time-consuming and expensive. Few have survived. Hammett’s relics, however, those extant to us today, remain unphased by time or the elements.

The exhibit continues in a celebration of the advent of atomic energy, film noir, and drive-in picture shows. Our eyes are immediately drawn to the center of one salon wherein what appears to be an industrial-sized, copper-rust electric powered insulator from the set of James Whale’s 1931 fright feature, Frankenstein. It is breathtaking to behold and fits in perfectly with the surrounding lithoes.

Nearby is a glass case featuring a small selection of lobby cards. These were smaller photos on thicker stock that were used to dress the lobbies of cinemas. These lobby cards are mana to collectors and while there are still plenty out there in abundance, they are increasing in value as supply in the market begins a slow descent. They have been beautifully preserved and many of the images shown are actual screenshots from the films they promote.

The philosophy being, that if audiences were unsure of what creature feature to take in next, they would be inspired by the colorful action shots they were guaranteed to see on the big screen. No pretentious posing in the photos, what you saw was what you’d get. The lobby cards were also less expensive for Hollywood promotion houses to print and duplicate. Hammett’s are a joy to take in and are in the finest of condition.

No collection would be complete of course without a heaping helping of Karloff, Lugosi, and Chaney. Classic one-sheets from Hollywood’s golden age of horror cinema and into the 1940s are well-represented; Browning’s 1931 Dracula, Freund’s 1932 The Mummy, Waggner’s 1941 The Wolfman, and Arnold’s 1954 The Creature from the Black Lagoon all framed with care, stare back at us in monstrous malevolence. Featured in the show are two beautifully commissioned life-sized figures; Boris Karloff from Ulmer’s 1934 The Black Cat, and Bela Lugosi from Halperin’s 1932 White Zombie.

Hammett’s sheets from the 1950s reflect much of our fears and trepidations of the decade’s technological innovations; Korean War weaponry, hydrogen bombs, nuclear attacks, and the launch of the Soviet “Sputnik,” an innovation that effectively began the space race.

It was also about this time that the process of creating these advertising marvels moved from stone lithography to offset printing. Hammett himself has observed that a comparison of poster designs from the ‘20s and ‘30s and those of the ‘40s and ‘50s are as disparate in design concept as they are in topic. Whereas the earlier one-sheets exhibited a wide array of artisans, techniques, styles, and palettes, the later years conveyed a style more formulaic.

When atomic age epics such as Haskin’s 1953  War of the Worlds filled the silver screen during Saturday afternoon matinees, the cinemas were plastered with depictions of sci-fi scenes to assault the senses; damsels fleeing in fear, Martians invading rural America, interplanetary battles, infernal machines, and giant warships from outer space destroying everything in their path with death rays.

Hammett has these carefully protected artifacts in seeming perpetuity. His assessment is true. If one lines the posters up side by side it is possible to see the beginnings of the ‘floating heads’ phenomenon so rampant in our present-day distilled culture of quick, cheap, and fast photo-shop. The fonts used for titles are similar, almost identical in many cases, and the colors, a revolving palate of red, yellow, green, and black.

A few pieces are suspended in the glow of track lighting giving respect to the later films of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Polanski’s 1968 Rosemary’s Baby, Friedkin’s 1973 The Exorcist, and Scott’s 1979 Alien bring Hammett’s collection to a chronological stopping point at the twentieth century. For metal enthusiasts, a selection of Hammett’s monster-laden guitars are on display as well.

Though overall, the It’s Alive! experience is an excellently curated and crafted showcase of genre treasures, it is not without its challenges. This particular art show is theatrical in nature and would have benefitted from a few effects that would have enhanced the observer experience. Conspicuously glaring was the white-hot track lighting in the galleries. Though it is a common and standard approach to display (after all this is a visual artform), such bright light hitting the sheets, props, and costumes betrayed the genre. A dimmer setting of vintage incandescence might have provided an atmosphere more befitting the gothic milieu.

Absent from the experience was the use of low underscoring throughout the museum. Instrumental soundtracks and/or orchestrated music of the Wagnerian catalog would have set the mood at a higher level of stimulus. As it is, the absolute silence does nothing to benefit the tour. One oversight appeared to be an original standee promoting Cooper and Schoedsack’s 1933 King Kong. The cut-out is placed too close to a wall so as not to give the observing eye the benefit of depth and dimension. To pull it out from the back wall even a couple of feet would have made a marked difference in the illustration of Kong’s glory.

In the end, Hammett’s collected works are a stunning visual representation of a long ago time, in darkened cinemas, where the crunching of popcorn, the sipping of sweet cola and the screaming of teenagers at mutant, malformed Martians up on the big screen was as splendid a Saturday afternoon as one could imagine.

Christofer Cook holds an MFA, an MA, and a BA. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association, The Dracula Society, and the Dramatists Guild of America. His latest plays are Amityville, An Edgar Allan Poe Christmas Carol, and a stage adaptation of House on Haunted Hill. His published script, Dracula of Transylvania (Advised by Dacre Stoker), is the first theatrical treatment of the novel written in collaboration with a member of the Stoker family since the 1920’s when Bela Lugosi played the title role on Broadway. It is currently available at the Columbia Museum of Art’s gift shop.

REVIEW: Belles Ring True at Workshop Theatre by Patrick Michael Kelly

“… guided by the steady hand of Robin Gottlieb, whose extensive experience and sweet touch show through in this polished production .”

Workshop Theatre rings in the springtime with Mark Dunn’s Belles, a Southern comedy about keeping family ties over long distance. At a matinee on its first weekend, an attentive crowd laughed and cried along with the action at the Cottingham Theatre at Columbia College.

Belles weaves a story of six sisters spurred by an unfortunate encounter between their elderly mother and some bad tuna fish. Written in 1989, Dunn’s script is filled with zingers, one-liners, and Southern touchstones. Some humor doesn’t stand the test of time and makes for some awkward moments, but the play has a lot of heart, and it goes to some places you might not expect if judging a (phone)book by its cover. Underneath, Belles is a meandering portrait of a family broken by alcoholism and the telephone wires that, also, barely hold it together. The sisters are haunted by the ghost of their abusive father and scattered memories of their fading mother. The lives they choose all fall within the spectrum of trauma recovery. If this all sounds rather bleak, rest assured that there is plenty of hope to balance it out, guided by the steady hand of Robin Gottlieb, whose extensive experience and sweet touch show through in this polished production - her first in the director’s chair at Workshop.

At rise, we meet Peggy, the eldest sister and caretaker of mama (whom we never see but whose influence permeates every scene) as she calls up each of her other five sisters to give them the latest news. Over the course of the two-hour’s traffic, we watch the sisters communicate - with each other, with friends, and even strangers - giving us a window into each woman’s life and slowly revealing to us a larger context of the bonds of family and the wounds of time. Belles is largely a series of interwoven monologues, but it’s at its best when it employs dialogue. The scenes between two sisters (and sometimes two pairs of sisters), with the characters talking to each other directly even though they are hundreds of miles apart, are when the play really sings.

As is any monologue-heavy play, Belles is a showcase for its actors, and Gottlieb has provided us with a solid group.

Allison Allgood shines as Audrey, the performer of the family, with a strong sense of timing and full commitment to her character’s passions. Audrey dotes on Huckle, her wooden partner and surrogate child, and polishes their act in preparation for their big break. When things go off the rails, Audrey finds solace in her strong marriage, and Allgood’s engaging quirks become grounded in love. 

Katie Mixon brings her all to the most out-there character as Dust, or the sister formerly known as Sherry. Mixon focuses on the fickle eccentricity of her character and it pays off. The ongoing drama with her various paramours - most of which she handles solo - provides a lot of levity to the play, and the scene where she gives baby sister Paige relationship advice is a standout.

Kira Nessel is winning as Paige, the baby of the family who is now a grad student with impossibly high standards and a chip on her shoulder. Paige tries her best not to get too emotionally invested in an eager suitor, holding out hope for a more perfect specimen, but her sisters’ perspectives challenge her to be open to opportunity. Nessel’s journey as Paige is relatable and we root for her every step of the way.

Krista Forster’s Roseanne is facing a dissolving marriage, transitioning from stability to doubt and uncertainty. As such, Forster is tasked with some heavy lifting and she answers the bell, bringing full emotional availability and curiosity to her character. She also does an admirable job of communicating many of the more dated jokes. A particularly successful scene finds Forster personifying her sisters as various items in her kitchen as she decides which of them to call.

Raia Hirsch is well-cast as the most successful of the sisters, at least in terms of bank accounts. Hirsch’s Aneece works hard and drinks harder to cover up the traumas of her upbringing. A particularly powerful couplet of scenes in the second act stir up the family drama and reveal the reason for Aneece’s prickly exterior, and Hirsch succeeds in truthfully relating her character’s pain. Hirsch’s speech imagining a phone conversation with her mother is gutting.

Zsuzsa Manna grounds the cast - and the family - in her turn as Peggy. Manna has the most scenes in the play as Peggy is the hub through which all information gets filtered. Manna displays a lot of range between a heated argument with Aneece over their mother’s parenting and lending a concerned ear to Roseanne and her situation, however a promising scene where Peggy receives a lewd late-night caller could have gone further.

Gottlieb’s production has a savvy production team behind it as well, and she blends their contributions nicely. Dean McCaughan delivers an eye-catching set, with multiple playing areas on different levels, each space featuring vivid colors and curated details to distinguish each sister’s world. McCaughan pulls double duty as sound designer, and the combination of clever and unobtrusive analog-era tunes with a chaotic array of dial tones, busy signals, and automated messages is becoming of the material. Lighting by Patrick Faulds is simple but effective. Amber Westbrook’s costumes help date the play appropriately and further define the characters for the audience.

The many roles the sisters in Belles play to overcome the trauma of their upbringing - the caretaker, the workaholic, the homemaker, the performer, the flake, the commitment-phobe - all serve to paint a complete portrait of a family in recovery. By the play’s end, each sister is a little closer and more empathetic to the others, and a reunion appears on the horizon. While this 31-year-old play doesn’t break any new ground, it does prompt examination of our own paths, and may inspire you to call your loved ones a little more often. Workshop’s Belles is well-worth ringing up.

Patrick Michael Kelly is the new Theatre Editor for Jasper Magazine. For more about Patrick read athe spring issue of Jasper releasing mid-April.

Belles runs through March 15th at Workshop Theatre at Cottingham Theatre on the campus of Columbia College.

For more information contact Workshoptheatre.com.

Laurie McIntosh's Beautiful Swimmers at Stormwater Studios

ARTIST LAURIE MCINTOSH OPENS EXHIBITION OF NEW WORK “BEAUTIFUL SWIMMERS” AT COLUMBIA’S STORMWATER STUDIOS

Visual Artist Laurie McIntosh will open a new showing of work called “Beautiful Swimmers” at Columbia’s Stormwater Studios, 413 Pendleton Street, February 27 through March 8, 2020 with an opening reception on February 28 from 5 – 8 pm. “Beautiful Swimmers” is a collection of more than a dozen mostly large-format oil paintings in addition to a brilliant display of papier mâché life from the sea.

Formerly of Vista Studios - Gallery 80808 from 2010 until 2016, McIntosh founded Northlight Studio in Camden, SC in 2016 where she currently works and paints. McIntosh is a SC native who earned a BA in Fine Art from the University of SC in 1982 and went on to train at the Center for Creative Imaging, Penland School of Crafts, and more. Previous noteworthy exhibitions include “All the In-Between: My Story of Agnes,” which served as the inspiration for an annotated art book written by the artist in 2012, the SC State Museum 30th Anniversary Juried Exhibition in 2019, and a number of juried and invitational solo and group shows throughout SC. In 2019 McIntosh was commissioned to create public art for the “Art Bus” for Comet Public Transportation, also in Columbia, and, in 2018, she exhibited a solo show, “Environmental and Poetic Abstractions” at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County.

An aquaphile by nature, the artist’s concept for the exhibition “Beautiful Swimmers” came from her passion for weightlessness and the freedom from physical and mental burden it implies. “My mom made me take synchronized swimming when I was a kid in Greenville, SC,” McIntosh says, and images of the art form appear in this collection. Recognizable figures from her 2012 series All the In Between also reappear. “Upon the winding down of my last series, ‘Environmental Abstractions,’ she continues, “I had a strong desire to simplify my images, introduce more pattern and invent more space within the painting. In the process of sketching and pushing these ideas around, figures, pattern, and open spaces began to make the images feel very light and weightless and my swimmers began to immerge.”

McIntosh’s “Beautiful Swimmers” offers the viewer a world of two-legged, four-legged and no-legged creatures expressed through an assortment of art mediums, inviting the viewer to suspend gravity and dive into an art setting where their terrestrial troubles will temporarily float away.

For more information on artist Laurie McIntosh please visit her website at lauriemcintoshart.com and to learn more about Stormwater Studios visit stormwaterstudios.org.

Opening at 701 CCA -- Greenville artist Kent Ambler: Into the Wood

In March 2020, 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, S.C., will open a solo exhibition of Greenville, S.C., artist Kent Ambler, presenting woodcuts, related sculptures, and architectural installation of woodblocks. The exhibition, entitled Into the Wood, will run from March 12 – April 26, 2020. The opening reception is Thursday, March 12, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., preceded by an artist’s talk at 6:30. 

Ambler is one of South Carolina’s most prolific and successful woodcut artists. His work impresses art professionals and more casual art lovers alike. Ambler’s surroundings provide his subjects, whether they are birds, dogs and goats; trees, mountains and neighborhoods; ice cream; or beer and bananas. His approach is intuitive and aesthetic rather than conceptual. 

The exhibition will be Ambler’s largest solo exhibition to date, with his largest-ever three-dimensional component. The show will present three dozen woodcut prints, 20 woodcut-collage house sculptures, and an installation of a shed-sized house structure built from old, carved wood blocks. 

“My work is autobiographical,” Ambler says. “It is derived from my life and surroundings, my observations. It usually starts with an observation or a quick sketch. While the imagery in my art is generally subject- or object-oriented, the visual appearance of each piece is of most importance to me. I try not to overthink or over-plan my work. I generally do my best work when my brain is ‘turned off’, so to speak. I am inspired by the simplicity of idea and image addressed by genuine folk artists.”

Hammond, Indiana, native Ambler (b. 1970) has been a full-time artist since 1997. He has had dozens of exhibitions, including solo shows in Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee, New York, Michigan and Virginia, as well as Taiwan.  Ambler is represented by eight galleries throughout the country and sells his work at high-end art fairs throughout the Southeast and beyond. He received a BFA from Indiana’s Ball State University in 1992 and did graduate studies at Clemson University in 2001-2002.

“Kent is an interesting case as an artist who is deeply respected by his peers for the quality and breadth of his work, and at the same time appeals to a very wide audience,” said 701 CCA board chair Wim Roefs, who curated the exhibition. “The everyday nature of his subject matter certainly helps with this appeal since it provides easy entry points into the work. But at the same time, Ambler often presents an interesting take and surprising angle, the latter literally and figuratively. And there’s a good bit of humor in the work, too, both in the imagery and in his use of text. The work possesses a lot of energy and movement, and shows mastery of the woodcut medium -- giving the work a raw quality, too.”

Opening Reception: Thursday, March 12, 7 – 8:30 pm

Artist Talk: Thursday, March 12, 6:30 pm

Exhibition: March 12 - April 26, 2020

Admission: Free; $5 suggested donation 

701 Center for Contemporary Art

701 Whaley St., 2nd Floor, Columbia, SC 29201

In the Round: An Interview with Chad Henderson on the Transformation of Trustus’s 35th Anniversary Season

Chad Henderson - photo Richard Kiraly

2020 marks Trustus Theatre’s 35th Anniversary Season. Artistic Director, Chad Henderson, knew he wanted to push the boundaries this year and bring concepts and shows to the audience that had never been done (or were rare) in Trustus’ history.

One of these ideas was to transform Trustus from proscenium to the round for at least one show – an endeavor that hasn’t been tackled in over 15 years. Henderson was willing to enlighten us on his inspiration for this project, what went into its creation, and why this endeavor started with A Streetcar Named Desire.

What was the impetus for transforming Trustus’ usual proscenium set up into the round? 

I was trained at the University of South Carolina and enjoyed many plays at Longstreet Theatre. Though many times it becomes transformed into a thrust (audience on three sides), the intimacy that is possible in these kinds of spaces is what is so compelling to me. I love Trustus’ unique no-fly proscenium, and I’ve learned some of my hardest staging lessons by working on it as a young director. As I’ve gotten a little older, and now find myself the Artistic Director of this organization – I sometimes feel envious of theatres that boast a malleable space. What I had to realize, is that we’re really only limited by our creativity – and I think we have some of the most inventive theatre talents in the state working here. What better way to celebrate 35 years of Trustus than to turn the whole thing on its head?!

I should also make clear that in the era before I worked with Trustus in 2005, the theatre did actually do shows in the round on occasion. The house used to be filled with Lay-Z Boy armchairs and could be oriented in whatever way a production team desired. So technically, it’s nothing new. But it is the first time we’ve gone to a round in over 15 years.

Why did you choose Streetcar for Trustus’ first experience in the round? 

Around the time we were beginning the plans for the “round,” we also knew we wanted to produce a 20th Century classic in our regular season. Trustus had produced Streetcar before in 2002, so it felt like ample time had passed and that a new production could stand on its own. I personally knew that Patrick Kelly (Trustus Production Manager / Streetcar Director) was a big fan of the piece and had a lot of deep interaction with the piece [regarding] analysis. After a few conversations, we finally felt inclined to put this show on the roster for this season.

I would say that strategy was more at play in the decision-making for scheduling Streetcar as the first piece presented in the “round” series. We wanted something that would attract many patrons from our market, so that we could introduce the newly oriented space to as many people as we could up front.

Artistically, we also expected this orientation to create a new depth of intimacy in the space - which we felt would serve the piece. The brutality in the script had the opportunity to create even more unrest for an audience member because they could possibly feel like they’re in the Kowalski apartment – a fly on the wall so-to-speak. We felt the play would be more visceral due to this intimacy and could potentially allow the audience to detach from previous versions of Streetcar, even the film.

How do you think theatre in the round further immerses, or even challenges, the actors of a show? 

While I certainly think acting in the round creates new challenges that may not manifest in a traditional proscenium situation, I believe an actor’s goal is always the same: to tell the truth by being vulnerable to the moment. Granted, different shows call for different approaches to this goal, but at the end of the day I feel that’s what an actor is working toward.

However, while the actors are maintaining staging set on them by a director, they might possibly feel more fluidity in the experience in contrast to proscenium performance. It’s an interesting question, and one that I haven’t had many conversations about with our current cast. Now that the show is open, I’m sure more will be illuminated on the subject.

Beyond the idea, how involved were you in the fulfillment of this project, and who helped you bring it to life?

I feel like I get to take one bit of credit for this project, and it’s that it was my wild idea. As an Artistic Director, it is often my responsibility to dream for the organization. Then the joy of what I do is that I’m able to present these dreams, and let creative people run away with them. My mind is very different from the 22-year-old who came on staff in 2007. When I was directing early in my career, I felt the most uplifting thing I could hear was “YOU were brilliant, YOUR ideas were so strong, YOUR show was amazing.” I don’t feel that I was unique in that aspect – I mean it IS all about “you” in your 20s.

Nowadays, I’m much more fulfilled by telling my colleagues about the sincere appreciation I have for their work. The gift of a job like mine is that I get to constantly be surrounded by artists, craftsmen, creative people and inquisitive people.

So, for me, as soon as I handed this project off to talented people, I felt uplifted and fulfilled. Executing this stage transformation was a huge job, and the credit goes to our Technical Director, Sam Hetler, and our Assistant Technical Director, Curtis Smoak. Theatre is exceptional when it’s truly collaborative, and it’s rare when an organizational goal (versus creating a play) can be met with the same sense of invention and teamwork.

What all has gone into the development of the physical structure itself? 

Curtis Smoak drafted the final ground plan with professional drafting software. This software allowed our technical staff to assess lumber requirements, measurements, and other information needed to execute this transformation. We also began to understand before the New Year, that this project would need electrical and sound adjustments along with extra staffing help to get to the finish line.

The deconstruction process began on Jan 5th, and our technical staff were able to bring on the assistance of one of our Company members who was a skilled carpenter. Over the course of the next two weeks, over 80 seats were removed and stored. Then the structure started going in place – being built on top of the incredibly substantial platforms that traditionally housed rows D and E in our Main Stage.

As this structure was being built, electricians were hired to run new breaker lines to the center of the house – an adjustment that will serve us long into the future due to our recent acquisition of extra sound equipment and our regular use of projectors.

New lighting lines had to be ran into the center of the house, because there wasn’t enough cabling to actually light where the new stage was going to be. One can imagine, with our traditional stage living on one side of the room, lighting the area that used to be seating was obviously unneeded. We worked with our lighting designer, Marc Hurst, to create solutions. Marc is also lighting all of the shows in the round series, so his involvement was essential.

We also procured new speakers for the space. I wouldn’t say this was necessary for the production of Streetcar, since all the cues are recorded. However, it will be essential for producing Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson in March because it’s a musical. This new equipment will serve our musicals once we transform the space back its traditional orientation, so I’m very glad BlueCross BlueShield of SC granted us funds to procure this equipment.

Finally, we knew it was necessary to create an ADA accessible ramp so that patrons with disability could have equal access to the seating. Thanks to the SC Arts Commission, the materials needed to construct this structure were granted through an ACA Grant.

I think a running theme of my responses is that it’s all in the “who you work with.” I’m pretty convinced I work with the best.

A Streetcar Named Desire is playing today (Feb. 21) and tomorrow (Feb. 22) at Trustus Theatre. Tickets are available here.

 - by Adam Trawick with Christina Xan