Artist Spotlight - Sheigla Hartman

A jury of four, including Anne Strauss, Associate Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, selected the watercolor "Devil's Thumb, LaVeta" by Colorado printmaker and painter, Sheigla Hartman of Trinidad for the "Wide Open" show at BWAC [Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition] March 13 - 28.

Ms. Hartman has a B.A. from Doane College in Nebraska and received the equivalent of an M.F.A. at a private school in France. She moved from Denver to Trinidad, CO 8 years ago.

BWAC [pronounced bee-wack], the largest artist-run not for profit visual art organization in New York, provides a valuable venue for emerging artists and is an opportunity for the public to see new and exciting work. BWAC's 25,000 square foot gallery in a Civil War-era warehouse on the Red Hook waterfront of New York Harbor also provides a vista spanning the Statue of Liberty to the Verrazano Bridge. The 147 images selected by the jury can be seen at www.BWAC.org, "current exhibition". Ms. Hartman's image is shown on page 3 of contributing artists.

Story Behind the Art - Daniel Bahn

Daniel Bahn's series "Blue Stain"

Growing up in Colorado, I am reminded every day of the majestic beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the reason I, and many other people live here. Nature is a continuum of life and death, growth and decay but the past few years have seen an unprecedented decline of the pine forests. The little bug the size of a grain of rice that ravages these trees is not new but the depth and breadth of its appetite is. Wide swaths of forest turn from green to orange in a matter of months as one wonders what may lie ahead.

Is this nature's way of regeneration?
Is a catastrophic fire inevitable?
What will this habitat look like in 10 years? 50 years?
Is there anything to be done?

My current series draws from this sense of concern and records the organic forms and the detritus that is left over. Sick trees exhibit a ghostly blue stain that meanders through the growth rings - a stamp or death certificate for that tree. There is also a natural beauty in the stains and the crosscut forms of the trees. I am interested in the formal aesthetics of this environment. The trees had been pillars of strength, offering shelter and a diverse habitat - that has now changed.

Click here to view more of Daniel Bahn's artwork.

Artist Interview - Jeff Basinkewitz

How has the current economic situation affected your plans for 2009?
It hasn't affected my plans because I don't watch the news. The passion I have for my art will drive me the same regardless of the economic situation.

Do you have a devoted studio space? How does it influence your work?
I do. It allows me to create uninterrupted without outside influences.

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of eternity, what would it be?
A Perfect Circle's "13 Steps". The music that Maynard creates sounds like religion.

The 80s movie that should be remade:
Fast times at Ridgemont High, I am pretty sure that was an 80's movie.

The crazy celebrity name I'll give my firstborn:
Duche Bigelow

Can you describe an evolution in your work from your first projects to the present day?
Most def. My first project, was so constrained it was a nightmare. My current work is so much more impulsive and free. It feels like second nature now.

What project has given you the most satisfaction?
A piece that I am proposing to Jerry Glick. Because it was inspired purely by an anger impulse. It is my first piece of art created solely for arts sake. With no thought of a monetary reward for it's creation. That's really the truth, too.

How separate are you from your art?
I am at one with my art. Every waking moment of my life revolves around my thought for creation of new work, and that's the truth.

Links to Jeff Basinkewitz:
Artwork Network Gallery Site
Personal Site
Watch-ing Change on YouTube