Alexandria Museum of Art Displays Work of UAM Student
Tara Snider Coburn
Arts & Entertainment Editor
 |
| Courtesy of Tom Richard |
| Student's Work on Display- Jeffery Trotter, a senior at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, poses with his artwork. Trotter's work is on display at the Alexandria Museum of Art in Alexandria, La. |
The Alexandria Museum of Art in Alexandria, La, now displays the work of a University of Arkansas-Monticello student until Oct. 8.
Out of 203 pieces of artwork submitted to the 23rd September Competition, Jeffery Trotter’s “Perched Bird Among Vines” made the cut.
Trotter, a senior majoring in art with a concentration in drawing and painting, was among 91 artists who submitted works in the juried competition. With only 50 pieces of artwork being accepted and one judge, the 72” x 18” piece represents the universal symbolic meaning of birds, vines and trees.
“All over the world, birds have been long viewed as divine messengers and trees and vines both symbolize life,” Trotter said.
Trotter says by not identifying a particular species in his pieces, viewers from different cultural backgrounds can assign their own individual meanings of the artwork.
“I reference nature indirectly, working from memory and imagination. I observe nature without recording what I see, so I may focus entirely on observation. Later, I draw from memory without looking at my subject, so that I may focus on drawing. Then, I use my memory drawings as inspiration. I aim to create works that explore the ambiguous middle ground in the spectrum of abstraction by applying loose, organic marks to nonobjective shapes while also abstracting some shapes stolen from nature,” Trotter said.
“Perched Bird Among Vines” was completed by Trotter using sumi and watercolor on paper. Sumi refers to an ink used mostly by Chinese and Japanese in calligraphy. Trotter’s goal in the artwork concentrated on how ink and watercolor reacted to paper and water.
Kelli Scott Kelly, professor of painting and drawing at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La, judged the entirety of the competition.
Kelly says she judged each selection with artistic skills and the use of technique, the handling of materials and visual form. From the contemplation of issues and ideas, to the visual appeal, Kelly observed each piece carefully.
“Throughout the process, I kept in mind the overall look of the exhibition, and made it a goal to end up with a show that demonstrated the wide range of media, approaches and styles present in the application pool, and also reflected the pluralism present in art of the 21st century,” Kelly said.
The 23rd September Competition is Trotter’s first juried exhibition to enter. Many artists enter their works, but few become successful in having their works displayed for a period of time.
The Alexandria Museum of Art contains wide collections of art pieces on loan from all around the world as well as contemporary Louisiana collections, and the state’s largest variety of North Louisiana folk art. For more information visit the museum's website.
Have a comment? Please e-mail us.
©The Voice 2010
