Charles Martin's Blog, page 8

Feel Free To Redraw This-Superhero Cape

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Feel Free To Redraw This-Story Of Us

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New Foldable Zine By Denise Duong

Flux

Opening Reception: 6-10 pm Friday, December 4

JRB Art at the Elms

2810 N. Walker in OKC

In 2003, Denise Duong and Eileen Papero made their way from Eugene, Oregon to Boston, Massachusetts by hitching rides with 39 different drivers. They encountered a forlorn lover, an atheist pirate house, and screaming animals in Yellowstone National Park. Duong’s art exudes a magical whimsy and her multimedia, narrative artwork has been shown in galleries around the world. Following her two-month hitchhiking trip, she created three large-scale scrolls to document the characters she met along the way.

This is the first of three short zines about her trip. Each issue is printed locally and cut and folded by hand. They also unfold into an 11.75 x 27.75″ print. They will soon be available in stores, but you can buy them now from Storenvy HERE. The new zines will be unveiled at JRB Art at the Elms during the First Friday art walk in the Paseo. Duong will also be debuting a new series of illustrations entitled Flux and has also painted this amazing mural in the gallery’s side room:

108 Contemporary places fine craft on a national map

Cultivating Craft

the unbearable absence of landscape

Opening Reception: Friday December 4, 6-9pm on First Friday in the Brady District

Panel Discussion: Beginning An Art Collection, Thursday, December 10, 6pm

108 Contemporary

108 E Brady St, Tulsa

This Friday is the grand opening of a project a year in the making. With over 300 participants, the unbearable absence of landscape is the biggest knitbomb project created in Oklahoma, and one of the most ambitious in the nation.

Each participant created at least one knit square in hues of green or blue to create a horizon of land and sky. These individual squares were then seamed together to create over 3,240 square feet of knitting to blanket the exterior of the 108 Contemporary gallery in Tulsa, a space dedicated to showing handmade contemporary craft.

When viewing the installation head-on, the immense expanse of blue and green interrupts a section of the block-wide brick warehouse in which the gallery sits. Getting closer, the composition deconstructs into its parts, with each rectangle dancing into the next in an undulating pattern. The execution varies in each individual square, but they combine to make a consistent whole.

Bringing people together was one of the main goals of this endeavor, says Krystle Brewer, Interim Director of 108 Contemporary. “The project united individuals from differing social, political, and economic backgrounds for a common goal.”

“the unbearable absence of landscape” knitbomb project installed at 108 Contemporary in Tulsa

Covering the facade of the gallery in the Brady Arts District, this program from 108 Contemporary contextualizes a street art technique as a vehicle for fine art. Knitbombing is a non-damaging style of graffiti, typically consisting of colorful yarn patterns that cover everyday objects, challenging normal interaction with our surroundings.

With lead artist romy owens’* concept and oversight of quality, this undertaking is more than decoration of a building. “Where the separation lies [between pure craft and fine art craft] is in intent and focus on craftsmanship,” Brewer said.

The work disrupts the field of vision and transforms the exterior space into a continuation of the skyline. According to the press release, the intention of the unbearable absence of landscape is to challenge visitors to pay “attention to the increase in diminishing landscapes.” “I manufacture landscapes using mixed media,” says owens. “I do this to generate conversation about synthetic vs. authentic experiences.”



The opaque knitting obscures the windows, hiding the work going on inside. Upon entering,the detailed work pops as lit from behind in a muted, cool glow. This exhibition, Cultivating Craft, is 108 Contemporary’s statewide member show, juried by Mary Kathryn Moeller and Lauren Scarpello. “The annual members’ exhibition is a great way to show a variety in the types of contemporary fine craft being made throughout the state,” says Brewer.

Laurie Spencer, “The Matriarch (whistle),” ceramic

In conjunction with these two exhibitions, the gallery hosts a panel discussion. “ We have found that there are people interested in collecting art, but aren’t sure where to start,” Brewer says, “We are hoping that by pairing this discussion with the exhibition, we can provide an educational opportunity and the visual examples of how diverse artworks and their collections, can be.”

Maurice Clyma, “Chaos Theory,” segmented wood turning, 610 pieces, mahogany, maple and walnut

By planting the seed in the minds of Oklahomans that local art is available, accessible, and nationally significant, these programs aim to raise the local pride in, support for, and purchase of art.  Moreover, 108 Contemporary shows bold ambition in opening a large-scale, fine art knitbomb alongside a juried exhibition of local handmade expertise. These programs, implemented in a gallery that regularly shows international artists, have the potential to connect Oklahomans to art in significant ways. It can also place Oklahoma artists, and their work, on the national map.

Molly Murphy Adams, “Form-Series,” beadwork on Bristol board

*romy owens spells her name in all lower case type

Jack Fowler Vs. Feel Free To Redraw This

Jack Fowler reimagines Such Joy as part of the Feel Free To Redraw This! To see more of Jack’s work, follow @jackfowlerart on Instagram and Twitter. Also listen to him on KOSU on Sunday nights for Tumbleweeds All The Way Down.

Here is the original.

Feel Free To Redraw This-Such Joy

Think you can do better? Have at it and email it to charles@literatipressok.com or post it on Instagram and tag @literatipress. Maybe we’ll post it on the site. Maybe it’s your shot at fame and fortune in the lucrative field of web comics. Who knows? Not me, that’s for damn sure.

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Feel Free To Redraw This-Black Hole

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Feel Free To Redraw This-This Is My Mire

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Feel Free To Redraw This-Lonely

Think you can do better? Have at it and email it to charles@literatipressok.com or post it on Instagram and tag @literatipress. Maybe we’ll post it on the site. Maybe it’s your shot at fame and fortune in the lucrative field of web comics. Who knows? Not me, that’s for damn sure.

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Norman Alt Rockers Take It Slow On Promising Debut – Costello Review

Costello w/ Em & The MotherSuperiors and Trap Queen

Album Release Show

10pm Saturday, November 28

Blue Note

2408 N Robinson Ave

costellobandok.bandcamp.com

Sparse rock instrumentation and expansive production provide more than ample room for Costello’s sprawling full-length debut, Manifest, to breathe. There is also space in the song structures, which can sometimes clock in at over eight minutes. At times, there’s so much space that it’s rather inviting, as if the listener might crawl into the field of reverb and curl up alongside the songs as they unfold.

For a band that identifies as psychedelic blues rock, the breadth of Manifest is a favorable attribute. The typically slow tempos encourage a sort of loud-speaker spaced-out listening experience, something to be accompanied by floor pillows, or at least a well-weathered sofa. This speaks more to the psychedelic side, of course; the blues element only shows itself in a few key moments over the album. Manifest actually feels more akin to shoegaze music, at least conceptually. It could probably pass on a sonic level, too, if its aforementioned expansiveness were to become lathered in a certain handful of hazy effects.

The Norman-based three-piece band is actually a recent extension of solo artist Clare Costello, whose emotionally-charged lead vocals and songwriting are the core of Manifest. Those familiar with her 2013 solo Halloween EP can expect more of the same heavy atmospherics and soulful vocals. Manifest, however, widens the brisk directness of that release to incorporate an edgier, more free-form band dynamic. Clare’s voice feels at home in its new domain and is often very comfortable sharing the spotlight with Costello’s lead guitar parts.

There are a couple of musical twists on Manifest, like the bright rhythms on “Kids” or the otherworldly vocal harmonies on “Demon.” For the most part, though, the album is best enjoyed as a broad tonal work. While the lead vocals carry a lot of the weight of this LP, they’re just distant enough to allow the songs to sink into the subconscious (with exception to “Yard,” which completely clears the air for some intimate, powerful songwriting).

All of this works in favor of a moody, meditative listen, and if the frequent, indulgent instrumental breaks are any indicator, that’s the aim of this album. It manages to be spacey and intimate without going soft, angsty without being abrasive. The tracks have a tendency to blur together, but that only adds to the smoky, atmospheric soundscape. Manifest is a fine album to drown into for an hour, and there’s plenty of room to go around.

Manifest by Costello