And The Stars Still Scream For You (updated)

This is my submission for the Artist Trading Card Challenge at Be A Voice Arts, that I will be sending this week in the mail. This will be part of a larger project regarding the subject of domestic violence. And there is no actual trading going on, it just refers to the size of the card, which is a 2.5 by 3.5 inch piece. I still need to write a little bit about my DV 'story', and then it's entirely gone from me...





Instead of putting my name on the back, I decided to write, "In Memoriam: Carolyn H. Goetsch", for my mother. Making this tiny, little, piece got me really choked up, I cried, in fact...a few times. The words evoke such meaning for me, and it's yet another example of those "silent screams". Therefor, I feel compelled to use a variation of the words again, very soon. They re-effected me way too much not to do so.

ETA: What I wrote for the ATC
My personal story:

And the stars still scream for her...

Carolyn was an intelligent, creative and extremely compassionate person, in life. She continues to hold a beautiful soul, even in death. Carolyn was my mother, and the guiding force behind my art and my life, now and then. I was so proud to be hers, and am still proud that she was mine, however briefly.

(Carolyn H. Goetsch was murdered in 1989, by her son. He is currently serving a life
sentence for first degree intentional homicide, and reckless endangerment. A ‘life sentence’ in Wisconsin is 25 years.)

-Shana R. Goetsch


Yesterday, I also signed up for the International Domestic Violence Memorial's first mural mosaic project. I think it will be an awesome thing to be a part of. Either way, Wisconsin now represents y'all!

AND I finished uploading more of my 365. series onto flickr. I now have paintings through two-hundred, ninety-nine up, right now. For something a little different, these two, successive, circles are the front and back of one piece...

365.two-hundred, ninety-four

365.two-hundred, ninety-five

I'm coming into the home stretch with these circles. I'll be FINISHED ON THE 14th of JANUARY, 2010. Happy New Year, and watch out for my Big Book of Circles, coming soon!

Tootin'

(my own horn)
On the 'eve' of the new year, I would just like to celebrate the fact that I have appeared in 11 exhibitions over the past 12 months. One out of state (Virginia) and one out of the country (Canada). I'd say that I'm firmly on my way...to somewhere...*airkick*. Now, when I get into grad school, I'll be all set.

There are also many new-to-you paintings and photos on flickr , right now.

Cheers!

Art Fun

My name was mentioned (and spelled correctly) in Shepherd Express, 'Boris and Doris, On The Town'. It's the little victories...

And please check out the Art That Circles The Earth blog for new updates.

Extended

I'm pleased to announce that this exhibition has been extended to include three more receptions!



The Terry McCormick Gallery will also be open on Gallery Day in Milwaukee:
Saturday, January 16, 2010
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

End. This.

A good start, but many miles to go...
Uganda Bans Female Genital Mutilation

This information is courtesy of The Vagina Warrior. She also has a lot of extra information and facts pertaining to this terrible practice on her blog. (In fact, just click on her link, in general, and open your eyes. That would make me happy.)

AND here is a link to my piece on the subject of FGM, from 2008, The (Womb) Wound Must Be Honored on Break the Silence Project.

Update! (Spill)

Ah ha, so I was rooting around for images of that show that I was maybe going to be in, but wouldn't tell you until I had confirmation...I now have confirmation. I was in the exhibition, Going Postal at the Torpedo Factory's, 'Target Gallery' this past weekend. The show was up during their winter open house, so that's good. Anyway, The Torpedo Factory Art Center is located Alexandria, Virginia. So, that means I finally made it across to one of the coasts!

And, I can direct you to the photo where you can barely make my postcards out, but they were officially there! (you can vaguely see them in the middle/right of the photo, and in the middle of the line)

Even slight validation, is such a cool thing.

Terry McCormick Gallery Opening

It was a super good time, awesome art everywhere I looked, good conversations, and food. AND people even took copies of my artist statement with them. What the...where am I? (Cuz it must be NIRVANA!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artinshanaty/sets/72157621713840881/show/

(it's at the beginning portion of this slide show/set)

There is also an update on my "Art That Circles The Earth", traveling mandala project. First round in the first cycle of art making...

http://artthatcirclestheearth.blogspot.com/2009/12/given-and-received.html

Twas a good darn day, yesterday.

Showing...

These are some of the pieces that I will show at the Opening Exhibition of the Terry McCormick Gallery. I also received a request from Evelyn to show some of my Deer Hart (Dear Heart), series at the gallery as well. Those, I have not decided on yet, so I will show you what I am bringing in the line of abstractions. Stay tuned tomorrow night for photos of the exhibit!

Sugar I

Sugar II

Sugar III

Sugar IV

Ball of String Theory I

Ball of String Theory II

Ball of String Theory III

Ball of String Theory IV

Artist Statement

This is my artist statement (more or less) that will be going up on Saturday, with my work, for the Terry McCormick Gallery Opening.


I was very young when I began my love of the arts, starting with dance and stage. After witnessing the murder of my mother when I was fourteen, I began to see painting as a means to heal emotionally and communicate with the world. Viewing art as a key vehicle for change and empowerment in myself and others, I use words and phrases to inject a sense of history and meaning into each piece. Collective experiences, stories, and memories inform everything that I do visually.

My work revolves around the subjects of love, loss, memory, self image, and domestic violence. In it, I utilize the physicality that the medium allows, and the subject matter dictates. My intention is to push the boundaries of how art can be used as a narrative for the messier aspects of life. By physically carving my marks into the paper, I can allude to a tattoo or a mar that has been embedded into the skin. It is a visual metaphor for a scarred experience, or something that one cannot easily be rid of. The inclusion of found objects and collage elements in my pieces represents an everyday experience, and that art can be seen in anything, or anyone, even the discarded.

The use of language as a visual element, as well as a literary device, is very important in my work. Much of the text is taken from pop culture references such as song lyrics, poetry, and found papers. I use the language of word and image to recreate and communicate an experience to the larger community. In my work, I want to provoke a thought process in others. I strive to create a dialogue and a resonating, shared, experience with my audience. The intention is to create a seamless partnership between paint, word, image and object, in order to produce a collection of thematically linked pieces. I see myself continuously seeking to extend the meanings of language and visual communication.