featuringMEY...

I have known Mey for ages. We went to kindergarten together, and then high school, but it was only after high school that we became the good friends that we are now. I have always known Mey to be creative and imaginative, and this weekend was the first time I remember in a really long time seeing her artwork up close and personal. It is so crazy to see the artwork of some one you know well, as it is an extension of the self that you do not always get to see. I just end up being amazed that I know such a talented person... my awe is often times followed by envy (but this is something else all together, art historian that can't make art).

I Spy With My Little Eye, detail

So Much To Say (2D in 3D), detail

The first thing I noticed about Mey's pieces she featured in the Hudson School stop of the Hoboken Studio Tour, was texture. I am a fiend for texture, especially in art (though it is important to me in food and clothing), and one of the greatest things about knowing artists and having previous experience in galleries, is being able to actually touch a piece of art work. Of course I asked Mey if I could touch the piece and she responded by rubbing her hand all over it. Texture and the layering of material, adds another dimension (literally and figuratively) to art. To me texture and the lay of materials add to the emotional element present in the piece, becoming a further descriptor.

I Spy With My Little Eye

I Spy With My Little Eye, detail

I Spy With My Little Eye, detail

The first piece "I Spy With My Little Eye" has a variety of textures, different levels of layering, as well as an area that seems to be afflicted by distress, which is evidenced in the crackling of the paint on the canvas. The colors, dark but still vibrant, contrast with a cracked white horizon. The play of the reds and blues, laid with dark dark purple and spotted warm yellows creates a distorted landscape in my mind. The white distressed gap in color plays the role of the horizon, and streaky horizontal colors form a skylike space. The lowest level of the canvas is very vertical, and is made to appear to be the run off of the level directly above it, which is heavy with darker colors and heavier application, whereas the upper most region of the piece is more airy and horizontal, chunky but lacking the over painting of below. It is that lightness and horizontal nature with the white open area that offsets the equilibrium of the piece. To me, it feels like fall.

So Much To Say (2D in 3D)

So Much To Say (2D in 3D), detail

So Much To Say (2D in 3D), detail

The other smaller piece, "So Much to Say (2D in 3)," does not display the same variety of color but creates an even more dense composition of texture. Mostly white (ish) with reds and ambers and burnt browns, the textures and what feels like gashes take control of the canvas. In my eyes it is more abstract, depicting raw emotion and sense of straightforwardness rather than an actual thing. The gashes and the punctures as well as the texturized areas seem rhythmic and intentional but also sporadic. The side of the canvas, as Mey pointed out as one of her favorite parts of the words displays more color but the same kind of heightened emotions. I really love this piece!

When I asked Mey about her work, this is some of what she said to me:

I guess I would say the one thing about my art is that I always try to be very honest about what I am making, sometimes it's catharsis sometimes a purging, sometimes just talking to a blank canvas. One time during one of my crits at Pratt someone said the sincerity in my work was at times hard to experience, leaving my viewer feeling as though they had just invaded a very personal moment. I think It is one of the greatest compliments I will ever get. I'm a sculpture/instillation artist at heart; everything I end up doing has a lot of texture and attention to the fabrication of things.

I feel like this sincerity and honesty she spoke of is very present in her work. Sometimes these qualities don't necessarily mean straightforward or in plain sight. The pieces serve as an internal exploration for both the artist as well as those viewing the works.

On another note... Not only am I jealous of Mey's artistic talents, but I love her personal style. It is hardly predictable and really unique. Her use of accessories and jewels are amazing, as well as her layering of old and new. Gotta love it.

Don't forget to check out her art website and her bloggy!
xx