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Inspiration on a deadline
October 12, 2007
Silver-painted portraits cover the white walls and bursts of red and black add life to the exhibit in Ingram Hall’s University Gallery, which is on display through Oct. 17.
Created by gallery curator Kathryn Sparks, the exhibit is the end result of a frenzied weekend. She turned an unforeseen gap in the gallery’s exhibit schedule into a challenge for herself: completely fill the empty space with new work in less than three days.
“I was inspired by this unfillable gap,” Sparks said. ”I think it’s good to scare yourself every once in awhile.”
Sparks didn’t allow herself to conceptualize or plan for the show prior to Friday, Sept. 28, the afternoon she began piecing it together. She worked with the materials she had on hand, which included the objects and walls of the gallery, acrylic paint, housepaint brushes and markers.
Sparks worked right up until midnight Sunday, Sept. 30. Minus breaks to eat and sleep, she estimates spending 14 to 15 hours at the gallery that Saturday and Sunday.
“It was more fun than anxiety,” she said. “At the end of the long days, there was that fear of if I was going to complete it.”
The end product features a collection of large-scale, portraits painted in silver on the gallery walls, a few photographs and a some mixed media pieces sprinkled throughout. Titled “Instant Sparks,” the exhibit explores the sources and ways in which inspiration is sparked, she explained.
When creating the exhibit, Sparks said she turned to her longtime sources of inspiration: other artists. Some of those featured in the gallery were included because Sparks is a fan of their work, while others were included because she finds their personal story or achievements interesting.
For example, Sparks included a double portrait of Cindy Sherman and Laurie Anderson, two women artists who create unique projects every time.
“Both are strong women artists who reinvent themselves with each project and reinterpret the world around them,” she explained. “Each project is fresh.”
As an artist, it’s easy to get into a rut and create similar looking pieces, Sparks explained. She said she tries to emulate these two women artists by breaking out of her mold each time she creates new work.
Sparks also chose to include a portrait of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, both as an homage to the artist and as an inside joke with her friends and family. When she began her art career, many people assumed Munch was one of her sources of inspiration – she is 100 percent Norwegian and her work shared Munch’s dark imagery. The twist was that she didn’t find him inspiring at all.
While attending PLU, Sparks and her sister spent a semester traveling and visited the Munch Museum in Norway. It was there, seeing his work firsthand, that Sparks understood the connection others drew between her work and his. Plus, she realized she did like his work.
Most of the portraits were created by projecting an image on the wall, a technique that allowed Sparks to quickly sketch in a recognizable framework of the face. Then she filled in the details with her own personal touches or tweaks, she explained.
In addition to the gallery show, Sparks’ photography is on display throughout the University Center and marks her first long-term photo exhibition.
University Communications staff writer Megan Haley compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact her at ext. 8691 or at haleymk@plu.edu.
“I was inspired by this unfillable gap,” Sparks said. ”I think it’s good to scare yourself every once in awhile.”
Sparks didn’t allow herself to conceptualize or plan for the show prior to Friday, Sept. 28, the afternoon she began piecing it together. She worked with the materials she had on hand, which included the objects and walls of the gallery, acrylic paint, housepaint brushes and markers.
Sparks worked right up until midnight Sunday, Sept. 30. Minus breaks to eat and sleep, she estimates spending 14 to 15 hours at the gallery that Saturday and Sunday.
“It was more fun than anxiety,” she said. “At the end of the long days, there was that fear of if I was going to complete it.”
The end product features a collection of large-scale, portraits painted in silver on the gallery walls, a few photographs and a some mixed media pieces sprinkled throughout. Titled “Instant Sparks,” the exhibit explores the sources and ways in which inspiration is sparked, she explained.
When creating the exhibit, Sparks said she turned to her longtime sources of inspiration: other artists. Some of those featured in the gallery were included because Sparks is a fan of their work, while others were included because she finds their personal story or achievements interesting.
For example, Sparks included a double portrait of Cindy Sherman and Laurie Anderson, two women artists who create unique projects every time.
“Both are strong women artists who reinvent themselves with each project and reinterpret the world around them,” she explained. “Each project is fresh.”
As an artist, it’s easy to get into a rut and create similar looking pieces, Sparks explained. She said she tries to emulate these two women artists by breaking out of her mold each time she creates new work.
Sparks also chose to include a portrait of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, both as an homage to the artist and as an inside joke with her friends and family. When she began her art career, many people assumed Munch was one of her sources of inspiration – she is 100 percent Norwegian and her work shared Munch’s dark imagery. The twist was that she didn’t find him inspiring at all.
While attending PLU, Sparks and her sister spent a semester traveling and visited the Munch Museum in Norway. It was there, seeing his work firsthand, that Sparks understood the connection others drew between her work and his. Plus, she realized she did like his work.
Most of the portraits were created by projecting an image on the wall, a technique that allowed Sparks to quickly sketch in a recognizable framework of the face. Then she filled in the details with her own personal touches or tweaks, she explained.
In addition to the gallery show, Sparks’ photography is on display throughout the University Center and marks her first long-term photo exhibition.
University Communications staff writer Megan Haley compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact her at ext. 8691 or at haleymk@plu.edu.