The Artillery, the scarily-named artist collective based in St. Petersburg, touts a mission antithetical to their name: "We are a diverse group of artists united through a common goal, to inspire the community and establish a climate of positive change."
Their warhead logo may not represent the aesthetic mission of the group, whose day jobs include web and graphic design, animation and video production. But it does reflect The Artillery's success at well-targeted marketing (see their website, <a theartillery.comtheartillery.comhttp://theartillery.com/">theartillery.comhttp://theartillery.com/">theartillery.com;;).
The new work exhibited in Cross Pollination at Covivant Gallery is more like the hippie pistol that shoots flowers, not ammo. This is not the kind of cross-pollination that results in creepy mutant life forms, but the kind that makes beautiful butterflies, psychedelic cartoons and glittery canvases.
It may sound lightweight, but their exhibition is a delightful counterweight to the obscure "relational esthetics" of the local art scene (that is a story for another day). I thank the artists for not relying on words in these works, and limiting the label copy to artist, title, media.
Artillery members Chad Mize, Phillip Clark, Anna Sauer and Andrew Hawthorne share influences and inspiration from nature and modern art, flavoring this show with a joyful pop-infused sensibility. I had to wonder how old they are. Did the cross-pollination start as their parents were tripping at Woodstock?
The group's artistic influences pre- and post-date Pop to include graphic design, Op Art, Color Field painting, assemblage, Asian screen paintings, etc. Respect for art history and reverence for nature tie the disparate works together. Insects and birds seem to have been loosed in the gallery, alighting on pieces of their choosing to literally cross-pollinate the works. The winged messengers are an obvious metaphor for the intersecting cultural and personal influences of these artists.
Mize and Clark work together as designers and animators, and both use cartoon figures and bold geometric graphics in their commercial and fine art. While the two have a few collaborative works in this show, it is not difficult to discern their individual marks from the layers of pattern and imagery. Their styles diverge more than they share.
Mize seems to have the most fun of the group, with his power pop paintings and mixed media works. Portraits in silkscreen separation borrow from Warhol and psychedelic album cover art. A quartet of portraits, painted in contrasted separation on diagonal stripes, confers instant status to the group — Mize makes himself and his three collaborators "world-famous for 15 minutes."
The cartoon-painted "Pop my Posse" — a mini-mural-sized enamel on wood panel — is a "Where's Waldo" cartoon crowd of Mize's St. Pete artist friends and his invented cast of animal, human and alien characters. His animation work makes an effortless leap from video screen to wall.
Philip Clark uses pattern and geometry, incorporating Mondrian grids and floral illustration reminiscent of Phillip Morris wallpaper designs into his cartoon style. Hard edges and flora are layered in some works and left to work minimally on their own in others. The color is anything but primary in the geometric works. He uses aquas, browns and pinks — the appliance colors of the '60s and '70s. Clark's backward steps into earlier modernism are an interesting departure from the pop imagery of his colleague. His graphic assuredness and subtle color keep the work smart and playful.
Anna Sauer's oil on panel pieces have the dimension and composition of Asian scroll paintings and the breadth of color field paintings. One rectangular panel is divided into blocks of acid yellow and candy apple red. An orchid stalk with bright pink blooms floats diagonally across the center and two realistically detailed flies harmoniously balance the composition. It's a beautiful work entitled "Fucking Flies," a title that may be a complaint or a prediction. Her references and humor are broad, but her works cohere in a sweet and funny way.
The assemblages of Andrew Hawthorne at first appear unconnected to the others' work. Yet his first piece viewed in the large gallery has an insect hive as its focus. Nature's work goes on, though stilled in this static composition. More modern-art greats — Cornell and Rauschenberg — are sampled by Hawthorne. Found manufactured objects — metal mesh, decorative lamp parts and coat hangers — repeat the patterns of nature and are worked into organically shaped compositions. Hawthorne also uses strips of 35mm film to compose hanging screens that make a large picture out of the minute smaller ones. In "Mornings," the burnt-out center of a hanging screen of film makes a bright yellow and transparent sun.
This show does establish the "climate of positive change" which the group's press release hopes will inspire our community. Their work pokes fun without cynicism, acknowledges cultural influences and reveres nature. The press release told us "Cross-Pollination is an exhibition which explores our personal creative methods of sharing knowledge and beauty." Nice work.
This article appears in Oct 26 – Nov 1, 2005.