Art Community to Honor Celebrated Local Artist Evelyn Sullivan

Art Community to Honor Celebrated Local Artist Evelyn Sullivan with Tribute Art Show of her work at JG Design Studio in Sonora

Friends of celebrated Jamestown artist, the late Evelyn Sullivan, will be holding an exhibition and sale of her work at JG Design Studio on October 10th -11th 2009. The show will celebrate the artist’s creative energy and the many styles and media that she worked with. From ceramics, painting, computer generated images and, of course, her wonderful found-object creations, she worked with it all. Evelyn Sullivan was a victim of cancer and passed away in January of this year.

Sullivan described her relationship with her art:

“My creative mind seems to work in bits and pieces, every object I see I visualize a work of art. I’m a free spirit experimenting with different materials, found objects, not limiting myself to one medium. My works vary from realism, to abstract, to the very humorous. I find the challenge in creating a work of art most gratifying, and most humbling. For the past two years my digital camera and computer have been a new learning experience. These pieces evolved from this process which I find very exciting.”

The show will be open from noon to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday, October 10 th and 11th 2009. Works will be displayed indoor and on the street-side entry to the studio.  The pieces will include new watercolor, sculptures and stacked ceramics not previously displayed, along with digital images that Sullivan was working on for the past two years.

The exhibition is sponsored by Judy Grossman’s Studio, JG Designs  and by Don Hukari, who collaborated with Sullivan on the popular Christmas shows at the Bradford Building during the 1990’s until 2005. Bill Sullivan, Evelyn’s husband and now curator of Evelyn’s work, is helping to select pieces for the exhibition. Evelyn Sullivan’s many friends in the art community are joining in providing refreshments for a fun celebration. The public is encouraged to attend and view the artwork of Evelyn Sullivan!

JG Design Studio is located at 226 West Jackson at Seco Streets, Downtown Sonora.

Artist Survey #16: Travis Logan

I met Travis some time after his brother Derrick and I became good friends which would have been sometime late in my elementary school career. He is older than us and was keen to a whole world of things we had yet to discover. He has greatly influenced Derrick’s life and as result mine too. I was introduced to heavy metal, psychotic cartoons and violent comics because of the Logan boys and I haven’t been the same since. Look for some of his work to return to Tuolumne County in the near future.

SELFPORT

{Digital Collage : Self Portrait}
CONSTRUC
{Ceramic : Constructing Deconstruction}
GAMBLEWI
{Mixed : Gambling with Everything}
TIBETSWE
{Digital Art : Tibet Sweat}
Tri
{New triptych in progress : Acrylic on Canvas}

Name: Travis Logan

Location: Las Vegas, NV.

Medium(s): Oil, water, and acrylic Paint; Ceramic, plaster, steel and fiberglass sculptures; Graphite, charcoal, and ink drawing; Photography, digital and S.L.R, digital image creation, film-making and cartooning.

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? I am an artist but I still have trouble labeling myself as one. I know I’m an artist but feel that there are negative connotations as well as certain stigmas connected to being an artist.

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Travislogan.net when my web page is up. Right now I’m working on updating it and have taken it down.

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? When I was very young, maybe 4 years old.

Who/What inspired your interest? On the surface, I originally wanted to draw and make things that I thought looked cool and that others might like as well. I can’t name one individual inspiration because the list would probably be several pages long. Deep down I’ve always had the desire to create and turn ordinary items into art. Whether that is a painting with hidden images and meaning or sculpting something unnatural but visually intriguing.

Where do you first remember being exposed to art? I would say preschool. The first project I remember was tracing my hand on a plate that would be made into a dish. Of course this was something Cavemen did well before I had this idea but none the less, that got the gears turning and they haven’t stopped since.

What is your day job? Artist

Why do you create? I just have to! No matter where I am, good or bad, if I can at least draw it has a calming effect on me and gets me into a peaceful state of mind.

Is there any recurring theme in your work? I like to create images inside of larger images or objects. The idea is: nothing is what it seams! The material I use and the imagery may be different and constantly changing style but there is always a “surrealistic” dreamlike theme to my work.

What do you want from your work? A feeling of completion, satisfaction, accomplishment and pride is probably what I look for most with a finished peace.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? I would like viewers to be entertained. I want the viewer to get caught up in the image or object and truly take some time looking at it and possibly become transfixed; not just glance and say, “oh that’s nice, this would go well in the bathroom next to the shells and candles.”

How often do you work on personal projects? Everything I do is personal, some pieces are more heart felt than others but they are always personally meaningful; However I work on art projects not related to galleries or work daily. Unfortunately I have to many ideas and not enough time.

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? In the past I have not worked on anything besides the ideas that came to mind with the exception of school projects. Recently, I have been working on paintings and some clothing designs for a couple of individuals who have commissioned me for my services. I would say fifty percent of my time is spent on projects for others.

Does your art support you financially? For the most part no, I could survive on what I make but I would have to sleep in my car and eat bugs for lunch (haha).

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? Yes but not in a negative way. Art is just part of life. I analyze the shapes, colors, images, and composition of every thing around me. I often wake up in the middle of the night or can’t sleep because I have to get ideas out or create something. I often feel like I have too many projects going at once and more ideas surfacing all the time. Life is too short for everything I want to create!

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? I enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, backpacking and rock climbing. I used to love to go to the movies and still do occasionally; however I can’t stop my self from criticizing and picking apart all the flaws in the plot, editing, and cinematography. Blockbuster films have far too large of  budgets to be pumping out such crap, but I digress.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? NIN, Pearl Jam, Black Crows, Mudvayne, Beastie Boys, Tool, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Frank Sinatra, Digital Underground, E-40 and Credence Clearwater. I am really interested in the Beastie Boys most of all.

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? I don’t have anything planned but I would like to go see Dov Davidoff, the comedian, soon.

How long do you generally take on a piece? It can take me any where from a few weeks to a few years to complete a piece. If I really don’t like the way something is coming out I will put it up for a while and wait for inspiration. If it ends up I’m not feeling right about it after a while it becomes recycled in to another project.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? Yes, I guess you could say that I didn’t see eye to eye with the last company I worked for. I was framing and matting art at the time. In short, they wanted to make a profit any way they could and I didn’t think the corners being cut (No pun intended) were ethical.

Do you work on multiple projects at once? Yes, I have to work on a few at a time. I bounce around from piece to piece, partly to keep myself thinking but mostly because I have a short attention span.

Josh Ryan, my friend

I see that many people have been searching the blog for information on the sad story of Josh Ryan. Here is what I have for you:

A few weeks back I posted an excited rant on the new screen printing business my friends and I were working on. Josh Ryan, the guy who brought us all together to get excited about the project ended his life last week, Tuesday the 24th of February. Josh was one of the nicest, most out going and personable people I have ever had the pleasure of calling friend. We met in high school and got to know each other on the wrestling team. We were the same weight so we had to wrestle off for the varsity position every week.  We lost connection (like I did with most people) when we parted ways for college. We reunited when we both moved back to Tuolumne County. He would always ask me about graphic design and screen printing and propose the idea of working together. It wasn’t until recently that we really started working together and setting up the business plan with our partners. We had met with potential clients, attended community meetings and signed up for volunteer work together. He was always talking about the future and setting up plans for us and the print shop. The last day I saw him I had brought him to the print shop I use for my relief printing. He was really excited to learn the craft and start a new painting. We made plans to meet the next day to work on a project together. The next day came and I couldn’t get a hold of him. I didn’t think much of it because Josh didn’t have a working cell phone. Later that night Calen called me and told me of the news. I was in a state of disbelief and denial for the rest of the week. It is still hard to believe that my friend, someone whom I had been working so closely with, could be feeling how he did without ever showing the slightest hint of depression, distress or angst. Know that nothing is so bad that you need to end your life. Attend his memorial and you will see the hundreds of people loved Josh and would have done everything in their power to keep him here with us today.

A memorial will be held in Josh’s honor this Sunday, March 8th at 1:30pm at the Sierra Bible Church.