Tiffany Schmierer

"Funneling"
37" H x 15"W x 10"D
Ceramic, 2005

"I was inspired to make the sculpture "Funneling" when I was thinking about how much information from the media, our schooling, our childhood, etc. that we take in and that shapes us, even if we aren’t aware of it.

The ceramic sculpture Funneling contains fragments of objects (bits of machine-like and organic-like pieces) that are filling a large funnel stacked precariously on top of smaller and smaller funnels. These parts represent scraps of information that are then being filtered down onto the bottom of the sculpture, which is made up of a rainbow of layers. The colors at the bottom have the same palette as the fragments at the top; these layers are like that of an onion or skin and represent building up of layers that become part of our experience and us.
The colors I use are bright and toy-like. I use these colors because I like the tension between the engaging playfulness and the overbearing feeling of the excess and disturbing content in the piece."

By Tiffany Schmierer
http://www.tiffanyschmierer.com/

Micah Lebrun

"When the Rock Stops Rollin'" 2003
12" x 12"
Acrylic, Ink & Pencil on Panel

"An old Guns N Roses fan, I have always wanted to do a painting of the most iconic member of the band; Slash. Since I never got around to it when the Roses were together and on top of their game while touring w/ Metalica on the Use Your Illusion tour in the late '90's, I opted to visually represent the guitarist as an old washed up musician, sans band, playing for change in Venice Beach, Ca. (Sorry Slash)

I over exaggerated his recognizable features such as hat, leather pants, sun glasses and whiskey bottle while adding the elements of large stomach and wife beater to convay that destitute, has been look.

Note the skate boarders in the background for the Venice Beach setting.

Overall the piece was ment to be a character based scene of what may be. I tried to paint the feeling of the figure in a light hearted and whimsical way in addition to keeping the color palatte minimal and feminine so as not to create too much of the hard rock edge which Slash had so completely embodied in his carrear.

My gratitude to Slash and the rest of the band for many hours of high energy entertainment while painting."

By Micah Lebrun
http://micahlebrun.com/

Gregory Euclide

"Broken Morning"
52 x 40
Acrylics, Pen, Pencil, Litho Tape, Stickers, Sumi, Letterpress

"All of my work is inspired by the same thing and I find that there is a similar feel throughout the work because of it... I have always been interested in the experience of place.

This particular work is about a morning coming to life. Waking up. Breaking. It is the river becoming visible again. It is the breeze moving scent.

The feeling of being in that space.

Red always seems to be the color of sunsets or sun rises for me... it has something to do with the bringing of energy...

I use many symbols in the work .. some of them are stamped into the work with lead type.. mostly N's C's and H's (Nitrogen, Carbon, High pressure, or Hydrogen) other symbols are tied up in the mark-making. Such as the way a line is drawn. Much of the way the drawing unfolds resembles the patterns in nature.

Broken Morning is about the sweeping feeling of the landscape in the morning as the sun is rising and the winds are starting to pick up. It is plants sending seeds, rivers that never stop, flight patterns and air currents. Rubylith (the red tape) is usually a sign of potential. In this work it becomes how the potential breaks apart and becomes what it is. Nested back, behind the river, is a little area of darkness, a grove that is yet to be touched by the sun - unknown... The day brings light and with the day we make a platform to experience and know.

This work took 6 - 8 hours to make. It is acrylic, pen, pencil, rubylith, sumi, and stickers."

By Gregory Euclide
http://www.gregoryeuclide.com/