Durango artist curates exhibit at Lost Dog in search of ‘fearless’ art

Images:
“What?!” by Thaddine Swift Eagle; “Winter Pressing 2003-04″ by Mary Ellen Long; “Black Cloud” by Mary Ellen Morrow.

February 23, 2007
By Leanne Goebel | Special to the Herald

The painter Tirzah Camacho is frustrated by the redundancy of stylized western art and what she calls “safe” contemporary art in Durango. So, the local artist decided to curate an exhibit that would prove Durango is filled with high-quality artists capable of producing fearless, conceptual art.

Lamenting that Durango lacks progressive venues to display such work, Camacho enlisted the Lost Dog Bar & Lounge to provide its space. She invited a committee of unidentified local artists to jury the show. Why not say who they are?

All submissions were supposed to be in response to Camacho’s article “A Response Ability” in the fall 2006 issue of Arts Perspective magazine.

My reaction?

There is little new under the Durango sun.

“Show Reaction” features the work of 16 artists, most with recognizable names.

Mary Ellen Long’s “Winter Pressing 2003-04″ was shown at the Shy Rabbit Gallery in Pagosa Springs.

Mary Ellen Morrow frequently exhibits at the Durango Arts Center. A traditional, plein-air painter by training, Morrow won “Best of Show” at the Four Corners Commission show at DAC. At Lost Dog, “Little Black Cloud,” an oil on canvas of golden treetops, mountains, sky and a black cloud shows Morrow’s ability to explore shape, color and form in landscape.

Rebecca Koeppen has three pastels in this show; she has shown similar work at Shy Rabbit and DAC. Ron Fundingsland has shown his prints at Shy Rabbit and briefly at Karyn Gabaldon Fine Arts.

A small lithograph by Kristina Butler from El Paso, Texas, explores perception and how we interpret what we see. “Anala & Montezuma at the Fair” provides two views of a gypsy woman and a snake. On the left, the snake is touching her forehead, on the right she seems to be swallowing the snake. It’s a decent print; unfortunately, the mat is uneven and the print is not centered in its frame.

Thaddine Swift Eagle steals the show with her two acrylic paintings. “Well?!” features three abstracted figures staring at the viewer as if to say “What are you looking at?” The painterly style, truncated arms, exaggerated hands and simple clothing of these dark-skinned figures conveys attitude, emotion and life. In “Welcome to Durango,” a vibrant female figure dominates the canvas. It tells the story of a woman who jumps into the river after her baggage and hangs on to every bag with her head barely above water.

Welana Fields is in the viewer’s face with “Let’s Make Her an Indian, Let’s Put on Her Osage Clothes” a mixed-media piece of giant paper-doll clothing, complete with beaded jewelry.

Camacho disappoints with her predictable painting so tied into the theme of the show that it leaves no room for reaction. “This Is Only the Beginning” features railroad tracks and a heart, symbols seen repeatedly in Camacho’s paintings.

Much of the work in “Show Reaction” is mediocre. It’s not fearless. It’s not revolutionary, and some is not even well executed.

Art should move the viewer, not briefly, but over and over.

I, like Camacho, long for art that affects, that isn’t old-fashioned, that makes me nervous and uncomfortable, that makes me laugh and perhaps even smile. I didn’t find it at the Lost Dog.

“Show Reaction,” the work of 16 artists, through March 16, Lost Dog Bar & Lounge, 1150 Main Ave.
artsjournalist@centurytel.netLeanne Goebel is a freelance writer specializing in the arts.

State arts council offers more grants

Dan Appenzeller from Folkwest, Inc. talks with Colorado Council on the Arts education consultant Sheila Spears after a free workshop on applying for grants from the Council. Folkwest organizes the Four Corners Folk Festival and Indiefest, both held in Pagosa Springs. The organization has been supported by CCA grants for several years.

February 20, 2007
By Leanne Goebel | Special to the Herald

The grant budget for the Colorado Council on the Arts doubled this year. And the agency anticipates that grant applications will jump dramatically.

To help artists and arts organizations interested in applying for state funds, the Council sent consultants Maryo Ewell, Sheila Sears and Ronna Lee Sharp to Durango earlier this month to provide tips on how maneuver the grant process successfully.

Close to 20 people from Cortez, Ouray, Pagosa Springs, Dolores and Durango showed up for the free session.

The session was practical and went step-by-step through the online application. Most of the information is readily available on the grant Web site and through the tech tips section.

Following instructions is key to applying for a grant. Answering each question posed is also important.

Grants are reviewed by panels and ranked based upon the standards of excellence available under the grant application tools section of the website.

Best tips of the day were:

• Write as if no one has ever heard of the organization, because it is likely that they haven’t.

• Use the red save button frequently while filling in the online application.

• Draft the narrative in a word processing application and then cut and paste the text into the online application.

• View the document as a PDF file to see how it will print out.

• Don’t overwhelm the panel with too much support material, but highlight specific information.

A grant application should be passionate, literal, easy to understand and easy to read. It should show the reader what the organization intends to do with the money, share data and stories and provide a clear idea of how the organization will evaluate the difference their program makes. Evaluation techniques can be as simple as an usher counting the number of empty seats at curtain and then after intermission to see how many people leave a performance early.

Tips on support material included:

• Have several people sign a single support letter rather than submitting multiple letters.

• Send live video of theatre work rather than still photos.

• Be sure the quality of the films or DVDs and the quality of the performance being recorded are compatible.

• Place the highest impact images in the first few minutes of a video.

The panel review process is open to the public and can be valuable in gaining insight on how the process works.

CCA Grants to artists and organizations are available to fund the following programs:

• Learning in the arts for children and youth.

• Increasing cultural participation in communities.

• Preserving and promoting cultural heritage.

• Professional development services for artists and organizations.

Ewell, Sears and Sharp are all available online to help and answer questions during the application process. The deadline is March 15 and all applications require use of the online form.

Visit: Coloarts.state.co.us or call (303)892-3802.

artsjournalist@centurytel.net Leanne Goebel is a freelance writer specializing in the arts.

Durango Arts Center exhibit reflects female lives

“Sarina, the Boreal Toad (Bufo Boreas Boreas)” by Amy Vaclav-Felker. Papier Mache and celluclay mixed media sculpture.

“Woman in the Windowsill” by Bethany Bachman. Soft pastel on paper.

“Camisa de Frida (Frida’s shirt)” by Perla Kopeloff. Mixed media collage.

February 13, 2007
By Leanne Goebel|Special to the Herald

Vibrant. Playful. Quirky. Words that describe the weirdly titled “Women at Work” exhibit at the Durango Arts Center, featuring the work of: Bethany Bachmann, Amy Vaclav-Felker and Perla Kopeloff.

I hesitate to call this work feminine, but the subject matter reflects the lives of women and will appeal to women.

Perla Kopeloff is an artist born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Currently working in Alamosa, Kopeloff’s collage and mixed-media work is about textiles and clothing. Her work is ethnic with a hint of Inca. I was particularly interested in her large, cone-shaped vessels: “Cono Norteamericano” ($800), “Nido #1″ ($350), “Nido #2 ($350) and a woven paper rug titled “Rug for the New Millenium,” ($1,000).

Some of Kopeloff’s work includes handwriting, and she writes in her artist statement that these written words “represent letters to myself in which I’m reminded to keep in touch with far away friends and family.”

Two collages hang together, one titled “Camisa de Frida (Frida’s shirt)” ($850) and the other “Me Gusta Escriber (I like to Write)” ($850). These are layers of warm-colored handmade papers, fabrics and found objects hanging from red willow, the second with metallic script.

Kopeloff’s work brings together fragments of cultures and attempts to integrate them into a garment. She writes that this work is about “traditional and untraditional vestments that cover our naked self.”

Bachmann’s female figures often are naked. She uses soft pastel to create images that are rich and vibrant in oranges, purples, blues, greens and yellows. The work on display is a collection of abstracted female figures in moments of contemplation and solitude. Bachmann explores how women relate to themselves, others and their environment.

The elongated, slouching form of “Woman in Windowsill” ($875) captured my attention. Her curved position, closed eyes, looking away from the window captures a protective, melancholy mood. “Garden” ($625) is in vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow and captures a woman amid flowers, long arms clasped, knees bent and open, head tilted as if prayerful, thankful, basking in the warmth of the sun.

Bachmann’s figures are reflective, yet no matter the emotion conveyed, the work is positive and warm, a colorful expression of time alone in quiet contemplation, something our society doesn’t seem to value.

Vaclav-Felker’s papier-mâché and celluclay sculptures of animals make up the trio.

“Sarina the Boreal Toad (Bufo boreas boreas)” ($425) is a red frog with turquoise spots carrying a scepter and wearing a jeweled crown, necklace and bracelet, sitting atop a velvet pillow. “Lurlene the Lynx” ($625) is an orange lynx wearing a black radio collar, encrusted with crystals. “Myra the Striped Skunk (Mephitis Mephitis)” ($375) is an orange skunk with rows of green and orange silk flowers defining her stripes.

Felker’s work is fun, playful and doesn’t take itself seriously, yet the artist, who is a biologist by training, captures how an animal relates to its habitat, its personality per se. Most of the animals in this exhibit are native to Colorado, and Felker expresses how they interact with humans and how humans affect them.

A fourth artist, jeweler Peggy Maloney, was supposed to be part of this exhibit. According to Durango Arts Center Exhibits Director Susan Andersen, Maloney chose to withdraw from the show. Perhaps it was meant to be, because the exhibit is complete without an additional artist.

Art compels us to see things in a new way, or a way we may not have considered. Each of these women suggests through her art that we look at culture, clothing, solitude and wildlife in a new way.

artsjournalist@centurytel.netLeanne Goebel is a freelance writer specializing in the visual arts.

“Women at Work," through Feb. 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tues-Sat, Durango Arts Center, 802 East Second Ave., 259-2606, durangoarts.org.

“); Contents copyright, the Durango Herald. All rights reserved.

Award-winning GeeGuides’ art game goes to New York

This week, Durangoan Eric Guaglione, founder and CEO of GeeGuides, will be creating chalk drawings at the American International Toy Fair in New York to let people know about geeART16, the company’s “art game.”

GeeGuides started in Florida in 2003 among Disney animators such as Guaglione, but the company moved to Durango at the suggestion of Wayne Sabbak, now a Geeguide director, who had moved to town several years earlier.

GeeGuides is an online educational program that teaches art to children. Using a penguin named Tickles, her sister Ruby and a polar bear named Furnace, GeeGuides aims to make learning fun, either on the computer or using traditional methods.

“We would like to be seen as a company reinventing education,” Guaglione said. He added that educators are taking to the experiential aspects of GeeGuides and have asked for more subjects: math, science and history.

A passion for education and 18 months of research solidified what Guaglione and his wife, Lynne, an educator, already knew: Education should be fun, it should be challenging and it should be meaningful.

“If you nurture a child’s imagination, that turns into innovation and innovative thinkers are in high demand in the workplace. Innovative thinking comes from using your imagination,” Guaglione said.

The innovative geeART16 has been awarded an “Award of Excellence” from Technology & Learning, an industry award that recognizes outstanding education technology curricula as chosen by teachers across the country. GeeART16 also won the Flashforward Film Festival award for their use of Adobe Flash software for educational purposes.

GeeGuides launched geeART16 online last July and is now selling to schools. Guaglione said that the company would know whether it reached its sales goals by midyear.

During the past six months, they’ve listened to feedback and adjusted their pricing to help schools afford the product.

A Core School site license is now $995 and GeeGuides will help with that by providing information on grant funding. GeeGuides also offers a fundraising kit to help a school and PTA raise money.

Two schools in Colorado are using geeART16: Riverview Elementary in Durango and a virtual school in Branson.

As for the challenges of doing business in Durango, Guaglione said the biggest issue is travel.
“It’s very challenging when you can’t count on reliably getting out of town because of canceled flights,” Guaglione said.

Another challenge in the beginning was finding employees.

“The nature of what we do is talent specific,” Guaglione said. “But the majority of our staff is now locally recruited.”

And the staff of 15 enjoys the atmosphere of working at GeeGuides. They ski and hike in groups. They even take easels and markers and head to the park or the woods to have a meeting. Not something Guaglione did when he worked in Florida.

“The level of community support here in Durango is unmatched,” Guaglione said. “It’s been amazing.”

If only the community could do something about those canceled flights.

artsjournalist@centurytel.net Leanne Goebel is a freelance writer specializing in the arts.

Contents copyright ©, the Durango Herald. All rights reserved.

“Complimentary Relationship” an installation by Kate Petley is half of the two person show “Similar Differences” at the Art League Houston through March 2. Each component is 8 ft. high x 12 inches wide x 12 inches deep. T he entire piece is 26 ft. long.

“Similar Differences” is a collaborative effort between Sheila Klein and Kate Petley who are both known for their site specific work. The title of the exhibition refers to the combination of materials and ideas that the two artists work with, as well as their artistic approach. Thanks to Petley for providing the press release I’ve culled from below.

When Petley first saw Klein’s work several years ago, she noticed a similarity in materials but with a fundamental difference. While Klein used materials such as fabric to create soft forms, Petley took similar materials and hardened them through the use of resin. Furthermore, while there is a decidedly architectural component to Klein’s work and a more conditional or atmospheric approach to Petley’s, both artists are process oriented and technically experimental.

Transparent materials have dominated Petley’s work for over a decade. She first became drawn to light and reflection while working with artist Dave Carpender on his farm in Huntsville. At the time Kate was making large fiberglass “vessels.” One very dark night, Carpender projected light and pattern into Petley’s pieces, resulting in something that Petley describes as “stunning and weird.”

Many Houstonians are familiar with O House, created by Petley and Houston artists Dean Ruck and Dan Havel in 1995. O House was a large- scale installation that transformed a small bungalow in Houston’s Westend. Through the use of an interior circular room, earth floors, and pinhole projections, O House broke down the perceived barriers of reality, creating a fluidity between the inside and outside world, psyche and experience, spirituality and consciousness.

Petley’s latest work is created out of transparent materials such as resin or vinyl, combined with photographic films derived from reflected light patterns, transparent colors, and hand drawn elements. Central to the work is an emphasis on reflections instead of the actual object.

For Similar Differences, Petley has created a site-specific installation and a suspended sculpture. “Complementary Relationship” consists of fifteen 8-ft. high “tubes” that are covered in rich organic imagery, originating from a photographic process Petley uses to capture reflections projected from a handmade scrim. The reflections created by this installation will transform the simple structure of the gallery, as well as beautifully explore our fundamental expectations of objects in space. Nine Mala is created from plastic materials and beaded lace, and was modeled after Navratra Mala used in India to attract beneficial protection by the nine planets. A sacred instrument used for counting repetitive mantras, the mala predates the Catholic rosary as an integral component in spiritual disciplines. Each square of Nine Mala approximates the color of the semi- precious gemstones found in the original.

Sheila Klein lives in Bow, Washington, and has been creating work for 30 years. In the early 80’s, Ms. Klein practiced architecture; since that time she has been involved in creating major, high- profile art installations that defy any single categorization, combining elements of architecture, sculpture, conceptual art and design. She has been awarded over twenty major public art commissions, including Leopard Sky (2005), a dramatic transitional environment at the International Arrivals curbside at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, that has been lauded as one of the best projects of the year by Art In America (2005.) Klein’s “Comfort Zone,” created for Harborview Hospital in Seattle and woven from stainless steel yarn, was chosen for the 2005 Year in Review Award by Americans for the Arts.

Inspired by a trip to Asia in the 1970’s, Klein became interested in the sculptural and architectural aspects of jewelry, and was impressed by the connection between the different ways people adorn themselves and decorate their buildings. In 1983 Klein began creating photomontages which combined architectural landmarks adorned in jewelry. In 1989 she was chosen to participate in Sculpture Chicago with a monumental outdoor piece entitled “Commemorative Ground Ring,” which allowed her to test her ideas on a much larger scale. Since then she has build a gigantic Traffic Necklace as her contribution to Antoni Miralda’s Honeymoon Project, an on-going conceptual piece in which the Statue of Liberty in New York ‘marries’ the statue of Christopher Columbus in Barcelona; created XX Marks the Spot, a three-dimensional graphic made from 250 runway lights and based on the imagery of air traffic coupled with an abstraction of the endangered El Segundo butterfly, for a F.A.A. air traffic control tower at Los Angeles International Airport; and Bonnet Nave, a nearly room sized ‘rain bonnet” made of polyester organza and nylon mesh over an aluminum armature, to name a few.

For “Similar Differences,” Ms. Klein is creating a number of works designed specifically for the Art League Houston site. These will include a garter belt for the exterior of the gallery/office building, and a series of fabric columns which will hang within the building itself. Known for her urban-based site specific pieces that are both witty and beautiful, Sheila describes her main motivation in creating art as a desire “to dress the world.”

An artist wrote to me asking for clarification on my use of the term red herring in the introduction to the article on Ron Fundingsland.

“I don’t think it is always a given that: ‘Earning a living by making art is a red herring.’ ” The artist wrote.

He went on:

“I agree that money motivation is the lowest form of motivation and making money/ making a living can side track people from their dreams & compromise their integrity. One should certainly not alter their fine art in order for it to sell. At the same time, I’ve seen potentially good artists abandon the arts to become doctors, lawyers, and such in order to have a real job.

The artist then went on to mention Time magazine’s art critic, Robert Hughes and his book: Nothing if Not Critical.

“The idea that money, patronage and trade automatically corrupt the wells of imagination is a pious fiction, believed by some utopian lefties and a few people of genius such as Blake by flatly contradicted by history itself. The work of Titian and Bernini, Piero della Francesca and Pousin, Reisner and Chippendale would not exist unless someone paid for them, and paid well.
Picasso was a millionaire at forty and that didn’t harm him.” (Page 388)

The artist goes on to say that he is: “Proud of never having ‘sold out.’ I certainly know that lack of funding can take attention away from creating (lack of materials and food cancertainly limit the production of Art) (and creating art is what it is all about…the more one can create = the better). And, as you know, I hate the cute commercial crap that sells for Art and seek to prevent myself from selling through crappy commercial galleries.”

The artist said he wanted to make sure that we encourage as much supportof artists as much as possible.

“In a perfect world,” he wrote “all artists would be making a fine living and creating without restrictions of any sort.”

I wrote back to him the following:

Here here! I agree completely. To me, a red herring is a diversion–something misleading or distracting. I think too many artists get misled or distracted by the idea of making money, whether they give up their creative career for something more practical or they “sell out” to the marketplace.

Perhaps it would have been more precise to say that for most artists, earning a living by making art is a red herring. It is linked to the statement that such small percentage of artists actually earn a living. And there is this new celebrity fueled, Vanity Fair art market out there that is enticing people to get rich by collecting art. Too become a celebrity by being an artist. It’s more than Pop art. It’s a frenzy. Art students are plucked from art schools and people with too much money and not enough appreciation of art are buying work by some artist from a gallery in New York via digital picture because the gallery has made this new star. Are these kids “great” artists? No. Most of them are not.

My favorite comment from a recent article in Vanity Fair came from collector Ingvild Goetz: “Art should move you, it should make you think more than only one minute, and it should remind you again and again. The problem is that there is so much bad art on the market. I would say there’s very little that’s great. I would say 80 percent is not. It has been done, it’s a deja vu, it’s old-fashioned, it is boring, it doesn’t touch you anymore, it doesn’t make you nervous, it doesn’t make you hate it. Let’s say there is a lot of nice art around. I don’t like to collect nice art.”

There are too many artists in this area who take their work to market too soon, paint more of what sells and never move into creative exploration with little thought of the marketplace. And as you point out, too many who give up because they have to earn a living. Neither is good. You and Ron and others are finding their way–being true to the work and selling what they can.

I have not read Robert Hughes book, but now will look for it. But I could give an equally impressive list of artists who starved and were never famous until after their death, or later in life, who never gave up their art and just kept doing their work. It has to be first and foremost your primary passion.

I agree with Klaus Ottman who said at SITE Santa Fe on December 12: “This confluence of art and commerce is troubling.”

Ottman admitted to being an idealist and finding the recent “Art Issue” of Vanity Fair “troubling.” Troubling? I found it nearly appalling. The only glimpse of truth came from Ingrid Sischy in her telling article “Money on the Wall.” The art market is out of control and has become what Andy Warhol presciently predicted when he suggested that instead of hanging a $200,000 painting on the wall, one should just hang the money instead.

“Artist’s need to stand outside of the apparatus of celebrity,” Ottman said. “I believe in the autonomy of artists and art.”

Ottman acknowledged that it was Warhol who began this confluence of art and commerce, but that it didn’t become full-fledged until Jeff Koons. And Ottman laments the loss of what was in the 60s and 70s an inspiring crossover between art and science and dance and theatre.

“The crossover now is with fashion, movies and Hollywood,” Ottman said. “Artist’s today are producing merchandise–not art. If you make a handbag that is three foot by five foot, that is art. If you make a handbag and paint some little pictures on it, it is still a handbag.”

Ottman talked about the young artists being plucked from art schools and given solo shows at galleries in New York. Shows selling out and drawings being auctioned for $800,000 before the artist is even 30.

It’s an evolution, Ottman told the crowd at SITE.

“It think its a development that has happened as our society became more and more affluent.”

Ottman blamed auction house, art fairs, and hedge funds (which he added had been a bad influence on many things–like real estate).

“Art has always been a commodity, art has never been innocent or completely autonomous. What has changed is the way art is being marketed and the reasons people buy art has changed. They buy art for investments. For the wrong reasons. You don’t buy art like you buy a car or clothes or furniture, but people do now. They buy it, get sick of it and sell it and buy something else.”

Saatchi comes to mind.

“The rules of the game have changed. The game has always existed, but the rules are different now,” Ottman said.

And there is a rampant case of amnesia in the art world. In art school, young artists learn by copying and mimicking their heroes. Plucked too early from school, few have developed their own style, their own unique vision.

“I’ve been around for thirty years,” Ottman said. “I remember. It’s been done before and not just once.”

Ingvild Goetz, a Munich-based collector echoed Ottman in Sischy’s Vanity Fair article. “Art should move you, it should make you think more than only one minute, and it should remind you again and again. The problem is that there is so much bad art on the market. I would say there’s very little that’s great. I would say 80 percent is not. It has been done, it’s a deja vu, it’s old-fashioned, it is boring, it doesn’t touch you anymore, it doesn’t make you nervous, it doesn’t make you hate it. Let’s say there is a lot of nice art around. I don’t like to collect nice art.”

What about the Biennial’s role in creating art stars someone asked from the audience. Didn’t Ottman perpetuate the art star movement by including Wangechi Mutu in the SITE Biennial?

“I’m not sure biennials create art stars,” Ottman said. “Some artists chosen for the Whitney or Venice biennials have never really lifted off and others do. It certainly helps to have a biennial on your resume, but it doesn’t make you an art star.”

How to be an art star? Sell your work for a record price at an auction house or have a mega-collector buy your work. Critics and curators have little influence on making art careers.

“It’s not really fun to be a curator right now,” Ottman said.

Fundingsland printed 25 copies of “Reeking” and sent them to the Red Herring portfolio exchange where he is showing his work.

Bayfield artist and jazz DJ Ron Fundingsland works on a project in his studio Jan. 30.

Earning a living by making art is a red herring, sometimes a necessity, but often a diversion that lures creative people away from their true vision.

Bayfield printmaker and jazz DJ Ron Fundingsland has not fallen prey to the fickle art market but has focused on his passion for traditional printmaking.

“The percentage of artists who actually make a living from their art is so small,” Fundingsland said as he sat in his carriage house studio in Bayfield last week. “I’m in it for the end game, the long term. I’m not concerned with making money from my art. I have to be true to myself and not care about the marketplace. I care about the work.”

His work is a form of etching that dates to the 14th century, but his subject matter is contemporary and contemplative, providing a commentary on American society and politics.
“In 1984, I started out with a blank resume,” Fundingsland said. He spent four years refining his technique and creating work before he approached a gallery.

“I knew I wanted to be in legitimate contemporary galleries. When I got around to showing people my work, everyone liked it. They said it was really original. If I’d shown them my work in those first few years, I don’t think I would have had the same response.”

Fundingsland’s voice is more recognizable in the Four Corners than his art. He is the host of Tuesday night jazz on KSUT and plays music on Wednesdays. He loves his day job, which he’s held for 11 years, working an average of four days a week.

Music finds its way into his work. He listens to new releases while working in his studio and then plays his favorites on Tuesday nights. Jazz aficionados may recognize song titles in his prints or find musical notes in the design.

Fundingsland believes that the isolation of Bayfield has been good for him because he didn’t visit galleries and museums, and he wasn’t influenced by what other artists were doing and what was selling.

“For me, if you start doing work for other people, you cease being an artist,” Fundingsland said. “You become a craftsman or a tradesman when you make things to make money.”

Though he adds that he isn’t criticizing anyone who goes in that direction, it isn’t the path for him. And he acknowledges that it takes time to find the galleries and the people who will appreciate what he does. But he doesn’t worry about people not accepting his work.

“Rejection is a myth,” Fundingsland said. “It’s the wrong word. When you enter a juried show or approach a gallery, it’s one person, maybe two, that say the work isn’t going to work in their gallery. One person is making a decision about hundreds of pieces of work. How absurd to think everyone is going to like your work and how horrible would you feel if they did?”

It may not be everyone, but Fundingsland’s work has been chosen by an impressive list of people. His prints are owned by the Denver Art Museum and the Seattle Museum of Art.
This year, he’s been invited to participate in the Southern Graphics Council portfolio exchange exhibit in New York City. Its title is, appropriately enough, “Red Herring.”

For more about Ron Fundingsland, visit ronfundingsland.com

artsjournalist@centurytel.netLeanne Goebel is a freelance writer specializing in the visual arts.

Contents copyright ©, the Durango Herald. All rights reserved.

Earning a living making art is a red herring: One of those diversions that often lure creative people away from their true vision. Bayfield printmaker Ron Fundingsland has not fallen prey to the fickle art market. Instead, he has focused on his passion for the traditional art of printmaking to create what Museums, galleries and collectors find to be some of the most original and technically superb work produced today.

“The percentage of artists is so small that actually make a living from their art,” Fundingsland said as we sat in his carriage house studio in Bayfield. “I’m in it for the end game, the long term. I’m not concerned with making money from my art. I have to be true to myself and not care about the marketplace. I care about the work.”

His work is a form of etching that dates to the fourteenth century, but his subject matter is contemporary and contemplative, providing a commentary on American society and politics.

“In 1984, I started out with a blank resume,” Fundingsland told me.

He spent four years refining his technique and creating work before he approached a gallery.

“I knew I wanted to be in legitimate contemporary galleries. When I got around to showing people my work, everyone liked it. They said it was really original. If I’d shown them my work in those first few years, I don’t think I would have had the same response.”

Fundingsland believes that the isolation of Bayfield was good for him because he didn’t visit galleries and Museums and he wasn’t influenced by what other artists were doing and what was selling.

“For me, if you start doing work for other people, you cease being an artist,” Fundingsland said. “You become a craftsman or a tradesman when you make things for other people in order to make money.”

Though he is quick to add that he is not criticizing anyone who goes in that direction. It just isn’t the path for him. And he acknowledges that it takes longer to find the galleries and the people who will appreciate what he does. But he doesn’t worry about people not accepting his work.

“Rejection is a myth,” Fundingsland said. “It’s the wrong word. When you enter a juried show or approach a gallery, it is one person; maybe two that say the work isn’t going to work in their gallery. One person is making a decision about hundreds of pieces of work. How absurd to think everyone is going to like your work and how horrible would you feel if they did?”

It may not be everyone, but Fundingsland’s work seems to be liked by an impressive list of people. His prints are owned by the Denver Art Museum and the Seattle Museum of Art. This year, Fundingsland has been invited to participate in the Southern Graphics Council portfolio exchange exhibit appropriately titled: “Red Herring.”

Fundingsland has built an impressive resume, yet he still feels like a black sheep. He’s the only artist in “Red Herring” who does not work for a University or head a print department at an art school. He was a visiting artist at the University of Nebraska last year and is pursuing more opportunities to serve in that capacity at other schools.

Fundingsland’s velvet voice is more recognizable in the region than his art. He is the host of Tuesday night jazz on KSUT and plays music on Wednesdays. Fundingsland loves his day job. He has worked for the radio station for eleven years an average of four days a week.

Music finds its way into his work. He listens to new releases while working in his studio and then plays his favorites on Tuesday nights. Jazz aficionados may recognize song titles in some of his prints or find musical notes in the design.

“None of us can take ourselves so seriously that we think we are special,” Fundingsland said as I prepared to leave his jazz and art filled studio.

I am humbled by his words and his work, but I know that Ron Fundingsland is special. Very special.

artsjournalist@centurytel.net Leanne Goebel is a freelance writer specializing in the visual arts.

For more on Ron Fundingsland visit http://ronfundingsland.com

Through March 3, 2007
Tues-Sat, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

“Colorado Gold”
Hagnauer Gallery
Business of Art Center
513 & 515 Manitou Avenue
Manitou Springs, CO 80829
719-685-1861

“Red Herring”
Through March 31
The Center for Book Arts
New York, NY

Feb. 5-March 8
Lewis Art Gallery
Millsaps College
Jackson, MS

March 21-24
Kansas City Art Institute

March 31-May 30
Southwest School of Arts & Craft
San Antonio, TX