Vickie Meguire - Body of Pattern

Vickie Meguire- “Body of Pattern”
February 26 – April 8, 2008

Inside the Coburn Gallery at Colorado College hang large delicate paper kimonos. On them are pixilated patterns and designs that the artist created using a computer program. These visuals range from traditional floral Asian patterns to more contemporary designs like arrows and bulls-eyes with text; one of the kimono’s designs even resemble a man done in the style of Chuck Close. She printed them, then crumpled the papers and assembled them into kimono shapes. Some surfaces are altered with glitters, glues, and paints. Passersby would (unintentionally or not) with their breath or other movements make the kimonos sway and twist slowly around. On one of the walls in large, bold, Asian calligraphy is writing by the artist, with a small translation written in pencil over to the side. The overall atmospheric effect was completed by displaying a majority of them over small one-inch tall wooden boxes that held sand and decorated stones in a Zen-garden fashion, with an Asian flute instrument (I cannot remember what it is called…) playing in the background.

From the Reviewer:
There was an excellent turnout for the reception on March 4th. People of various ages and disciplines came, including a couple I met who are from a Japanese culture society of some kind.

From Vickie’s Artist talk, I found a few nuggets worth of information I would like to share with you. Some of these may be what I was thinking or what she was saying. In any case, I believe they may be pertinent to all you practicing artists out there.

An artist’s statement would be like the initial part of Vickie’s dialogue: general philosophy supported by tangible specifics, a little bit of personal experience/information, then what the work is, the process of, and a specific description of a piece. If giving an artist’s talk, answer truthfully. Candor seems to be better received than obvious tip-toeing around and acting infallible.

Do not let yourself be limited by what are the established bounds; Vickie believes that her works are in the realm of printmaking, even though some people would argue that the tools she is using are not “printmaking” tools.

Vickie also writes haiku, and regularly practices this art-form. In fact, she had a basket full of papers with her haikus on them which visitors could take for themselves. Mine says: “Wind whistling so… Broadcasting seeds hither and thon… Patiently waiting…” Diversity is important; it influences and informs, and can be a release. It is just like what someone once told me, “…it can be a starting point that may have nothing to do with the final result.”