Abstract Artist Working in the Realm of Digital Media
click on images to enlarge (except mobile devices)
click on image to enlarge (except mobile devices)
I put a little twist of the hash symbol in this piece. Normally in the hash symbol, the horizontals are straight across and the verticals are slightly angled but here I made the horizontals slightly angled and the verticals straight up and down. This gives the composition a energy and movement.
For nerds out there like me who may be interested in the history of the hash symbol (also known as Pound and Number symbol), I refer you to this article in the New Statesmen #History: the journey and many faces of the hash symbol. But the article doesn’t go into its modern history.
The asterisk or star (*) and pound or hash (#) key was added in 1968 to the push button phone keypad invented by Bell Technology engineers drawing it from the ASCII character set. When Bell labs were designing push button phones, they added these symbols to allow for access to telephone based computer systems, exactly how they’re used today. In 2007 it was Chris Messina, an open source technology evangelist who first suggested using the hash symbol on twitter to assign metadata to group and categorize discussion feeds. And the reason he chose this symbol: because before the iphone and android phones came out and texting was done on a qwerty keypad you had to use the phone keypad and it was easy to get to on his nokia phone.
I’m proud to be part of the exhibition CONVERGE. The brainchild of artist and Collection’s Registrar of the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, Kelly Pontoni, the following are excerpts from the AAWR’s website:
CONVERGE features 71 regional artists of all ages, backgrounds, and identifications, creating a vibrant cross-section of the LGBTQ experience. Conceived by Kelly Pontoni, and co-curated by artists Sam Butler, Tony Williams, and Mark Yasenchack, with assistance by Mary Proctor, over 140 pieces were selected in a staggering array of media including painting, photography, textiles, glass, fashion, assemblage, and immersive installations which transport the viewers while transforming their perspective.
In addition to its support of local LGBTQ artists, CONVERGE also marks the first effort to extensively document their contributions to the important visual culture of Northeast Ohio.
Click here to read more about the exhibition on AAWR’s website.
click on images to enlarge (except mobile devices)
The work ASTERISCUS I embodies the things I strive to convey in my art. Starting with a geometric construct, in this work the form of the asterisk, I weave color and striped patterning to optically energize its geometric forms. Each asterisk is embellished with varying secondary forms that creates a playful dialog with its surroundings. Cut out on a cnc router, its composition is further geometrically energized. This energy is a proxy for my inability to move freely through the world without pain and represents a little piece of me that has been freed.
My husband Bruce Baumwoll (on left) and me
This artist was awarded the Ohio Arts Council’s ADAP Grant (Artists With Disabilities Access Program) for Fiscal Year 2022.
I’m proud to be part of the upcoming exhibition CONVERGE. The brainchild of artist and Collection’s Registrar of the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, Kelly Pontoni, the following are excerpts from the AAWR’s website:
CONVERGE features 71 regional artists of all ages, backgrounds, and identifications, creating a vibrant cross-section of the LGBTQ experience. Conceived by Kelly Pontoni, and co-curated by artists Sam Butler, Tony Williams, and Mark Yasenchack, with assistance by Mary Proctor, over 140 pieces were selected in a staggering array of media including painting, photography, textiles, glass, fashion, assemblage, and immersive installations which transport the viewers while transforming their perspective.
In addition to its support of local LGBTQ artists, CONVERGE also marks the first effort to extensively document their contributions to the important visual culture of Northeast Ohio.
Click here to read more about the exhibition on AAWR’s website.
click on images to enlarge
ASTERISCUS I will be on display at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve’s Gallery
SHINING LIGHT will be on display at the LGBT Center of Cleveland
Artist Statement
The photograph in SHINING LIGHT in which I overlaid color, forms and texture, is of my husband Bruce Baumwoll .We will be celebrating 40 years together this December. It was taken by me in 1984 at the entrance to the Christopher Street subway station in Greenwich Village, New York. We were living in Greenwich Village and I was studying architecture at Pratt and taking photography as an elective. Shining Light is a visual love letter. The light above Bruce’s head softly illuminates him like a halo, a metaphorical angel, while my “whimsies” move towards him, attracted to his beautiful essence. SHINING LIGHT speaks to the simple universal notion of the deep love and commitment of two men spending a life together and the homage one man pays to the other he loves so deeply.
The work ASTERISCUS I embodies the things I strive to convey in my art. Starting with a geometric construct, in this work the form of the asterisk, I weave color and striped patterning to optically energize its geometric forms. Each asterisk is embellished with varying secondary forms that creates a playful dialog with its surroundings. Cut out on a cnc router, its composition is further geometrically energized. This energy is a proxy for my inability to move freely through the world without pain and represents a little piece of me that has been freed.
Special Events:
This artist was awarded the Ohio Arts Council’s ADAP Grant (Artists With Disabilities Access Program) for Fiscal Year 2022.
