The painting that I am showing at Artomatic 2008 represents a recent return to representational work. I have fallen back in love with painting after working in mixed-media collage for several years. This painting, a busy street scene in Milan, is an image from my travels in Italy, and was developed from on-site sketches and photographs. By using the traditional method of underpainting and glaze, I am hoping to present a brief flash of time in a way that gives it timelessness and importance.

The creation of sculpture and installation work is largely driven by my response to the environment in which it comes to exist -- whether that be through the integration of materials that are locally collected and can serve as representations of the site itself, or, through the creation of synthetic landscapes that are inspired by the site and are more conceptual in nature.

In the summer of 2007 I began work on this project by altering hundreds of handmade ceramic shapes. Conceptually this project is an exploration of the need for nourishment, both physical and psychological. It is largely a response to the past ten years of my life, which have primarily been spent seeking to improve the welfare of underprivileged communities, both here in this country and abroad. These experiences have brought me both great joys on the one hand, and profound sadness on the other, and in an effort to convey these experiences I have been driven to undertake this project. The installation of this work serves as a personal meditation and response to both the challenges intrinsic to the economic disparities I have encountered, layered alongside the beauty and fragility of the human experience more generally.

Malcolm's work is colorfully twisted, intricately detailed, and full of bizarre and beautifully crafted environments and personalities. This exhibition will display a full range of his work from paintings to drawings and more.

John Brodkin, a fine-art photographer based in Silver Spring, is exhibiting a series of photographs titled "Found in the Forest" at Artomatic 2008. John's eye for detail and keen sense of the absurd in daily life produce photographs with a pronounced element of humor and an undercurrent of quiet desperation which he has dubbed “suburban decay.” Frequent subjects include words, garbage, things falling apart, abstractions, odd juxtapositions, composites, and subverted Washington icons.

John studied photography at Harvard University, where he received a degree in philosophy, and at the Smithsonian Institution. His work has been exhibited at galleries throughout the D.C. area and nationally.

Kirsten L. Bruner focuses on an exploration of language, bringing words to life on canvas through geometric abstract painting, in essence defining words through art. Her work explores this relationship through the balance of vibrant color and symmetry to evoke emotion through repetition of lines and patterns. She is reacting to the chaos of the modern world through the creation of order and symmetry. A serene decorative affinity to ancient stained glass technique, systematical tones of musical modality and even sacred architecture are echoed in the orderly precisions of her design.

Well I draw and I paint
and with pixels I play.
Is it really fine art?
That's for others to say.

Go to PelicanArts,
click a Studio link
to see some of my works.
So now what do you think?

My art explores human interaction with the environment. My most recent work, created from computer board taken from an assortment of appliances, reminds us of the inherent beauty, the shortened lifespan, and the problems with disposal of these materials. By roughly sewing together circuit board to create impractical quilts, I draw a juxtaposition of some of the earliest with the most contemporary art: from the Neolithic to the Mondern and Postmodern. The quilts can defy scale by reminding the viewer of an aerial view of a metropolis. By displaying these materials, which otherwise might go unnoticed, I hope to illuminate the aesthetic and dangerous qualities of our mundane surroundings.

My work is an ongoing search for meaning in my spiritual journey from the microcosm to the macrocosm. Using symbols, I have been trying to understand concepts that are simple yet profound.

Maya
Sometimes a simple beginning can lead to a very complex concept or other times there can be a simple solution to a very complex problem. When I was drawing some repetitive lines, I came across patterns that were very interesting and complicated. The more I looked at them, the more complex they seemed to get. This illusion of complexity and simplicity inspired me to create the Maya series.

Chakra
Chakras, the centers of energy, are the black holes of the mind. Meditation on these centers lead to a state of mind where no thoughts can enter or exit and yet is a source of great energy.

The term griot is most popularly associated with the spoken word. The traditional function of a griot is to keep an oral history of the tribe, village or family, often by entertaining with stories, poems, songs, and dances. I, through my work in photography, would like to expand the idea of the griot to also include images. I want my work to tell life’s stories, therefore I identify with the village griot.

I want to use my photography to keep a visual history of the many “villages” that make up the world we live in. While I naturally identify with my own community, I don’t intend to limit myself. With my camera, I want to capture all types of human beings in their natural habitats. I want my images to shock, awe, and inspire, but I also want them to spark a dialogue that will continue to raise awareness about our sameness and encourage tolerance for our differences.

Violent Marshmallows

I will change it later.

I've been playing around for some years combining earth landscapes and astronomical images. People seem to like the compositions

Based on a taped interview with my grandmother, this series of drawings depicts the arc of a new technology, its birth, zenith point, and decline. I use elements from nature to futher underscore the presence of these cycles, with their themes of intention, hope, and perseverence, that occur around us everyday.

I build stained glass windows in the traditional manner.