I Came, I Saw, I Ate Chocolate Cake

The Faculty Exhibit at VCSU
Tonight I attended the Faculty Art Exhibit in the Art Department at Valley City State University. It was entertaining and interesting to see teachers Linda Whitney and Jerrel Holm to show and talk about their work. Holm’s work was ceramic pots, while Whitney’s was framed prints. Holm’s work was inspired by the badlands of western North Dakota. The pots had tiny spikes protruding from them which are reminiscent of the harsh and prickly plains of the badlands. The pots were made out of porcelain, a fine clay to work with, but also very frustrating. “Frustration, frustration, frustration. But I guess, that’s what keeps it interesting.” Holm said about working with the soft, smooth clay. It seems that unlike the usual clay, in which he can throw all day with having success with almost every piece, with porcelain he can try and throw three or four pots before having a successful one.
Linda, whom everyone, including her students, call her Linda, hence the informality, had framed prints created by printmaking. A very elaborate and involved, time consuming process. I cannot explain every detail about the process, but I can tell you a few things I have learned. The procedure begins with a metal plate, in which a tool is used on the plate to “rock” grooves into it. Keep in mind this is done in eight different directions. After the plate has been rocked if she were to print it on paper it would be completely black in color. But after the plate has been rocked she takes another tool and uses it to smooth down a design of what she wants printed. Very smooth would come out white and slightly smooth would be gray in color. So, each plate takes about 6-8 weeks to complete, all but three in the exhibit have been completed in the last year, there were about 20. Linda has also received a national award in which she has her own solo show in a gallery.
Her pieces were inspired by the television shows she watched growing up and fairytales. She states, “The thematic content, in my work, is derived from the collision of my childhood memories of studied fairytales and early television shows with the political ramifications of those experiences.”
These are beautiful, inspiring pieces which I urge many of you to see. Plus, there might be some apple cider and chocolate cake left over. Well, maybe not the chocolate cake.