Annie O’Neil, Mike Jurkovic and Matt Maley provided incredibly thought provoking works which facilitated some wonderful exchanges between the attendants of the event. Keep reading to see what each artist showed and what people thought of their work!
First to present at this past Sunday’s artist salon was the very talented Annie O’Neill. Annie embodies the true spirit of the artist not only as a skilled painter and ceramicist, but as a visual storyteller. Her pieces are vivacious and inquisitive. There is a familiarity with her colorful platters in that even if you have never seen her work, the subject matter and playful decisions she makes in rendering animals resonates deeply with the viewer. Throughout the evening many commented on the likeness of her work to South American styles which was undoubtedly informed by O’Neill’s time spent in Mexico. Her artistry truly comes alive in her skillful interplay between precision and playfulness, while it is clear from the overall quality of the work that she is a serious creator, O’Neill’s work never feels defined or trapped, but personable. The mood her art exhibits was supported by her own humble yet direct feelings toward her work when she discussed the desire to distance herself from the oftentimes pompous attitude of those who deal with ‘high art.’ She allows real, unfiltered life to be breathed into the clay through the colors and textures of her pieces. One of my favorites, the final image of the human and fish plate, begs the question of the relationship between people and animals. It is a curious and complex one, a relationship riddled with deep history of power imbalances and coexistence. As creatures at the ‘top’ of the food chain, we must consider our role in protecting and not exploiting the living beings that inhabit this planet with us, for they are intelligent and complicated, as we all are. This is what I think about when I see Annie’s work and I enjoy probing these ideas in a beautiful manner.
