S.R. Wild: Artist and Graphic Designer

Cassatt and Other Old Things

I went to the Shelburne Museum today, mainly to see the Mary Cassatt exhibit. Impressionism and portraiture isn’t my cup of tea, but there were plenty of other old things that tickled my fancy, like the old medical implements and the print shop.

Ah yes, it was lovely day for wandering around and looking at old things.

Many of the exhibits are in low light and the museum doesn’t permit tripods, so I wasn’t able to photograph a lot of things I wanted to.

Soft Machines, Mushroom Clouds, and Masks or: Five Bucks Well Spent

This evening, I went to the opening reception for three new exhibits at the Fleming Museum: Between Soft Machines and Hard Science: The Interstitial Art of W. David Powell, Michael Light: 100 Suns, and Actors and Exorcists: Masks of Sri Lanka.

Between Soft Machines and Hard Science: The Interstitial Art of W. David Powell is an installation of digital collages produced in 2007 alongside historic scientific instruments. He used appropriated medical, scientific, and industrial illustrations; typography; and his own drawings to explore his interest in the human mind and body, relationships, and obscure sciences, such as phrenology. The scientific instruments that accompanied the collages were equally as interesting: x-ray tube, phrenology head, electronic apparatuses, and other odd devises.

I wish I had more examples of his work to show you. I have a few hanging in my living room, but that doesn’t help you. The main reason I went tonight is because W. David Powell is my former graphic design professor. He helped me land my first “real” job — a job he once had and I was laid off from last year.

Michael Light: 100 Suns, the largest of the three exhibits, is a collection of photographs taken mostly by anonymous government photographers of atomic explosions that the United States did in the 1950s and 1960s. The photographs were eerily beautiful. It was easy to get lost in the clouds and intense lighting. Most of the photographs were just the explosions but a few were of soldiers with the explosions behind them. It was a bit disturbing because the expressions on their faces were blank and you know they were thinking, “What the fuck are we doing here?”

Looking at the instalation, I couldn’t help but think about Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. At the end of the installation, there was a list of places grouped by year of all the atomic detonations. I was surprised to find that the last one on the list was in 1992.

The last exhibit, Actors and Exorcists: Masks of Sri Lanka, I didn’t look at long because I was overstimulated from the other two, so I don’t have much to say. They were interesting and creepy. I’d like to go back and draw a few.

I didn’t mingle much because I’m still nursing the remnants of a cold: It’s difficult to speak when one is constantly coughing. Plus, whenever I see an art exhibit, good or bad, I always want to get back to my workspace and work.

Montréal and Body Worlds 2

I can’t think of a better follow up to a weekend of cabaret than to go look at dead bodies.

Today, Special K and I went to Montréal to see Body Worlds 2. As expected, it was amazing. I’d say more but I’m tired and still trying to process it all. Besides, I wrote quite a bit about it already.

After the exhibit we had lunch at the usual Vietnamese restaurant (the exhibit made us very hungry for some reason), walked around, looked for a costume in a few sex shops, bought some erotic wood carvings at an Indonesian shop, and ended the day with the usual visit to the photobooth. Below are a few images from the day.

Art Nouveau Posters at the Firehouse

Les Affiches Illustrées: Art Posters from the Late 1800s is showing at the Firehouse Gallery for five days only (April 17–April 21). I plan on checking it out today. I wish I had extra money because I’d love to go to the Burlesque Ball too.

UPDATE: I went and it was great. Two floors of amazing posters—many of them by Alphonse Mucha. I’ve seen a lot of these posters in books and magazines, but reproductions don’t do them justice.

Stuck in Vermont 7: First 50

That was quick! Less than 24 hours after the opening reception, Stuck in Vermont 7: First 50 is online. Good gawd woman, do you sleep?

First 50

Earlier this evening, I went to the opening reception for First 50 at Kasini House. To be honest, my expectations for large group shows are pretty low, but this was a damn fine show. As is usual at opening receptions, I didn’t get to check out the work that much. I definitely need to go back for a second look.

I was a bit nervous about going because I haven’t shown in awhile and it was my first time showing in Burlington. Plus, I wasn’t ecstatic about the piece I submitted. Once I got there I was fine. I was fashionably late because I decided to make business cards at the last minute. I’m actually happier with the cards than I am with my piece.

Afterwards, I went down the street to Studio STK to check out a sneak preview of the upcoming fashion show Designer Logo. I pre-ordered a silkscreened t-shirt titled "DADA DA DUM”. It has an image of an updated version of Marcel Duchamp’s “R. Mutt” piece using a modern urinal. Lovely. Now I have one more addition to my Duchamp t-shirt collection.

Yup, just another night on North Street. Apparently, my street is becoming quite hip. A Starbucks should be coming any day now.

Junk Aesthetic

I’ll have some new work up here soon. For now, here are some pieces I did for a show in 2003.

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