Kenrick Mcfarlane Paints Raw Vibrancy and Race in Chicago

"White Face"

Jamaican-American artist Kenrick Mcfarlane is currently pursuing a BFA at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  After three solo shows in 2012, Mcfarlane was selected to participate in the EXPO Chicago exhibition “Eclectic Coherence.”  When interviewed, Mcfarlane repeatedly expresses gratitude and humility for the support of his work and welcomes contact from other young artists in the hopes of building a community of professional support and comradery within the field of studio art.

Mcfarlane stresses the aesthetics before the politics in his painting; he hopes to visually engage his audience before they tackle the content of racial or socioeconomic tensions in the work.  And visually engaging they are.  His unique color pallet keeps the eye traversing through layers to process how the colors compliment and converse with one other.  His deeply engaging portrait work relays a sense of candid identity--the viewer feels immediately and intimately acquainted with the human on the canvas.

"untitled (fashion study)"

Reminiscent of Francis Bacon and the Fauvists, Mcfarlane’s work is vibrant, fleshy, luminous, and raw.  The oil work “Jason Robinson the Saint” radiates light and energy from the canvas--I find myself desperate to know this man’s story.  Fashion study (pictured) is somehow both audaciously stark and still humanistically vulnerable, a complexity rendered in very few strokes of the brush.  “White Face” is simply my new favorite painting.  Mcfarlane succeeds in his endeavor to captivate my eye and activate my mindfulness with this striking image.


Kenrick Mcfarlane clearly possesses a distinct interest in and gift for painting as a craft.  Contemporary art critics have claimed he exhibits “the makings of greatness,” (H.A.S. magazine).  In this critic’s opinion, he is already exhibiting great things.
http://www.kenrickmcfarlane.com/

"Jason Robinson the Saint"

Follow-Up Conversation with Artist Hillary Miles

"Far Away"
Photo courtesy of Hillary Miles

-You mentioned an interest in children's books and sci-fi stories.  What particular fantasy characters and tales have inspired your work?

There’s a beautiful economy of structure and wealth of symbolism in children’s stories and old myths that I find completely appealing.  And while I love the range of possibility that science fiction and fantasy stories have to offer, I am especially compelled by the way their boundarylessness is always tethered by a camouflaged truth—I try to evoke that tension in my characters. 

Three great female characters that I admired growing up were cartoon “Princess of Power”, She-Ra, the neutrally-aligned witch character of Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” played by Bernadette Peters, and Sarah from Jim Henson’s “The Labyrinth”.  I also adore Jim Henson’s proclivity for making friendly monsters, and other unconventional creatures that are never quite what they seem to be.  Though I read and was read to a lot as a kid, many of my favorite stories are actually movies, and I think I’m especially drawn to the coming-of-age tale and the emphasis on duality and transition.  The characters in these stories have an inherent liminal quality to them that feels kind of mystical to me.  Most of my female characters are young women who are inhabiting two, or multiple, realms of possibility at once.

-Can you talk a little about the special bundles your monsters carry?

I started giving the monsters their bundles after reading the Popol Vuh, a Quiche Maya origin text that mentions sacred bundles in several of its stories.  There was this vague implied association between the bundle and the (Jungian) Self that really interested me, but also, I responded to the gesture of carefully wrapping and protecting your most sacred and treasured objects, thereby fortifying their power.  The beautiful thing about painting these bundles is that the viewer gets to breathe a whole complex narrative into the monsters by imaging their very own sacred objects and ideas inside of the bundles, reinforcing the power of their own personal myth.

-What can you tell us about the diverse, emotional expressions of your "Grumpy Butterfly" series? 

The “Grumpy Butterflies” are the ridiculous result of doodling my feelings out.  I seem to deal better with sadness and rage through a veil of humor, and I love that the butterflies can be totally unrestrained even when I can’t be. 

-"Pretty Girl" is such a compelling, vibrant piece.  Are you commenting on the social behaviors of human flirtation?

"Pretty Girl"
Photo courtesy of Hillary Miles

This one began as a simple character study, but became a strong statement about the sexualization of girls and the infuriating and destructive messages dominant culture sends to young women about their bodies.  That is, the emphasis on physical beauty, and the narrow definition of those terms, and the idea that as a woman you are obligated to be “pretty” for other people, and that the sum of your worth is embedded in your ability to preen yourself to ridiculous and harmful standards.  It makes me beyond grumpy!

-What's next for your adventurous, quirky women? 

I would love to see them in the pages of books for young people to digest.  Even better, to eventually transition to the world of motion pictures—that would be the biggest dream come true of all.  For the moment, I will continue to paint them, venture further into the realm of 3 dimensions, and do my best to assure they continue to tell important stories.

 

"Space Girl"
Photo courtesy of Hillary Miles

Artist HILLARY MILES Gifts Chicago Quirky, Confident and Adventurous Women

Art Institute of Chicago graduate and self-declared sci-fi and fantasy fan, Hillary Miles utilizes her broadly-minded, mythical creativity to forge a new kind of heroine.  Her piece “Slither” features a young woman serenely coddling a live snake; another painting, “Samantha” portrays a girl calmly acquiescing to the enveloping embrace of a large, cantaloupe-colored monster.  A collector favorite, the “Space Girl” series, depicts women astronauts in bold eye shadow and pearls amidst vast and placid cosmos.

Miles' other work in gouache painting includes monsters, “Grumpy Butterflies,” and other enigmatic animals in a milky and candy-toned palette.  These creatures translate a surprising depth of personality and will perhaps inspire more girls to be like “Samantha” and befriend the monsters under their beds rather than fear them.

Miles’ women are all a bit quirky and convey an innate, confident strength. They are role models to foster an adventurous spirit in women of any age.  

My gratitude for this work goes on for Miles. 

See Hillary's paintings and follow her saga at http://www.hillarymiles.com/hillarymiles.com/www.hillarymiles.com.html.

(photo courtesy of the artist)

Martyrs and Heroes: Hebru Brantley at the Chicago Cultural Center

Over this past week, the Chicago Cultural Center has been holding exhibitions of some of Chicago's best artistic talent. Among the artist being shown, the most famous is arguably Hebru Brantley, whose show, Parade Day Rain, currently dominates the Yates Gallery at the 4th floor of the Cultural Center.

The use of the space and the way Mr. Brantley's artwork is set up provides a spacious yet intimate setting for the viewer to properly engage with the art. If you go see this show (which will run until September 23), be mindful of your wristwatch because Parade Day Rain has a unique way of making one lose the sense of time. Parade Day Rain is so captivating because it holds a conversation that resonates with everyone, but Chicagoans especially.

Mr. Brantley communicates to Chicagoans with his instrument of choice, his trademark cartoon figures of child superheroes, the flyboys. Superficially, this may seem like a bit of a paradox. How can a child be a superhero? But if we think about it a little longer: how could a child not be a superhero? Who else carries a stronger sense of idealism, or a conscience freer from prejudice and corruption? Are these not the required traits for a superhero?

They are, but as Mr. Brantley demonstrates, they are increasingly under threat. While some of his paintings and floats depict these little heroes in the full glamor of triumph, many give us a more tragic picture, child superheroes defeated by the negative forces of our modern world: noise, violence, or garbage of any kind. Whether the connection was accidental or intentional, these flyboys (most of them of darker skin tones) represent the predicament that surrounds the youth of our city's most neglected neighborhoods.

This is why I think Mr. Brantley's work is so successful, because it conveys a serious message through a medium that everyone can understand. And the message is simple: Chicago's hope rests on the youth, but the youth's space for growth is quickly being expropriated by hostility. We are sinking our own life boats. What is impressive is that Mr. Brantley communicates this not through a graphic narrative, but simply by expressing the tension between the real and the ideal. Who ever thought cartoons could be so forceful?

Chicago is lucky to have him.

The "Modern Abstractions" of Spencer Rogers

Spencer and Dana Rogers, the dynamic duo of creative portrait photography in the South Loop, have refurbed their extensive Printer's Row studio space into a contemporary yet comfortably labyrinthine visual art gallery. This past Friday (June 6th), Spencer christened the new space with 20 spatially demanding and visually vibrant works in oil and acrylic for the exhibition, "Abstractions." The complex, layered works range in color from sunset reds and oranges to warm and playful fuschias to electric, otherworldly teals, but all works communicate cohesively in a conversation on defying barriers and exploring the liberating unknown. 

These paintings are worthy of the contemporary art viewer's attention and study, but the real story is in the "Modern Abstractions" pieces themselves--macro photographs of small sections of Spencer's painted works enlarged and printed on museum-grade plexiglass acrylic. The effect is hypnotizing, the shimmer of the acrylic texture transporting the print and the viewer into a meditative calm akin to feelings rendered when getting lost in the visuals of a crackling fire or sunlit Caribbean shoreline. 

Only 25 prints will be made of each acrylic photograph, and, as of this date, there are only 15 original works left for acquisition. Visit the gallery on Thursday, June 12th from 3-6 or Saturdays and Sundays from 11-3 before the show closes on June 21st. Contact Dana Rogers (info@edenhurststudio.com) or gallery consultant Kimberly Atwood (kim@elephantroomgallery.com) for a private viewing at Edenhurst Studio, 739 S Clark St, 2nd floor.

(photo courtesy of Kimberly Atwood)

Flesh Club by Rachel Niffenegger

Walking into Flesh Club is like entering the aftermath of a rave where the party detritus is both glamourous and haunting. This is the latest exhibition by Rachel Niffenegger at Western Exhibitions. Originally from Evanston, Niffenegger has a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, an MFA from Northwestern University, and currently practices in her Chicago studio. Niffenegger has also recently been a featured artist in the Chicago at Work lecture series.

Niffenegger, with an undeniable background in painting, explores the relationship between fabric and sculptural forms in Flesh Club. The bodily quality of her surfaces allows the artist to transform these inert materials into skin and skeleton. The show is divided into two rooms, what I would consider the show space, and the dressing room. In the front decaying skeletons crawl across a glass floor that is equal parts sparkle and danger. A backdrop is stretched beyond the dance floor that recalls a curious animal hide. I wonder what became of the beast this enormous pelt represents and what it means for the creatures dancing before it. In the ‘dressing room’ sheaths of fabric hang on three racks offering three different skins to inhabit. Imagine what sorts of wild identities each of these costumes would bring out in the wearer, and what sorts of fantastic rituals they have been participant in. All together these pieces conjure up an atmosphere of the club after the lights come on.

The show closes this weekend so hurry over to check it out and keep an eye out for future shows by listing the artist’s website at http://rachelniffenegger.com/.