Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Local Color Sketchbook Show

Just found this gem while browsing through my very talented friend, Mizuki Katakura's blog. Check her work out here!
Here is a little write up in the SCAD District about Mizi's and my last show together through Local Color: SCAD Painting Club:


Guests were allowed to flip through sketchbooks on display. Photo by Ashlee McCurdy.

Local Color keeps it casual with Sketchbook Show

BY  • MAY 24, 2014 • A&ELOCALNEWSSCADSTUDENT LIFE • COMMENTS OFF • 281
A collection of sketchbooks by Sami Woolhiser a fourth-year painting major from San Jose, California. Photo by Ashlee McCurdy. Photo by Ashlee McCurdy.
A collection of sketchbooks by Sami Woolhiser, a fourth-year painting major from San Jose, California. Photo by Ashlee McCurdy.
Sicky Nar Nar hosted the Local Color club’s Sketchbook Show Friday night, providing an opening space for one of SCAD’s painting clubs. The event was open to all SCAD students and displayed a great variety of work.
“We have printmaking, sketching, mixed media works and everything you can think of,” said fourth-year painting major Sami Woolhiser, the president of Local Color Club and a San Jose, California native.
The shop was filled with works sorted by price, everything on display in the center and hung around the room. The intended informality of the evening created a welcoming and relaxed environment for viewers.
“Local Color wanted to do a little bit more of a fun show, usually we do something really formal,” said Woolhiser.
Both Woolhiser and Local Color Vice President Mizuki Katakura submitted work for the exhibit.
“There are a few of my sketches lying around, but the bulk of my work is putting things up and making everything run,” said Katakura, an art history graduate student. “We have been planning since the beginning of the quarter.”
“I decided to put in my little cigar box full of notebooks and sketchbooks. I tried to finish one or two a month and so it was just kind of a little collection that I have made up,” said Woolhiser. “Most of the sketchbooks aren’t for sale because they are so special and we spend so much time on them.”
Local Color utilized their funds to supply food and drinks such as soda, vegetable and cheese platters, crackers, cookies and even cinnamon rolls.
The club runs an event each quarter, generally more formal than this. They often provide workshops for students as well. For this show, the students submitting their artwork were asked to price their submissions at a level they themselves would be willing to pay.
“The last one was a pretty formal juried exhibition and you know, it’s spring quarter so we thought it would be fun to do something a little more informal and something that is open to all SCAD students,” said Katakura. “I thought a sketchbook show would be a good idea because it would promote more exchange between students, most of the time the artwork is too expensive for them.”
The works were grouped together by price levels, which included $15 and under, $5 and under, and even $1 items. The most expensive piece of art for sale was priced at $45. The prices were intended to be affordable for college students.
Miscellaneous sketches for sale. Photo by Ashlee McCurdy.
Miscellaneous sketches for sale. Photo by Ashlee McCurdy.
Students stopped by the event in groups, by themselves, and some even brought out-of-town visitors.
“I think it is really cool that anyone can put whatever they want in the show and there is less stress about it looking good because you know they’re all sketches and you just kind of hope that someone sees value in what they’ve made,” said second-year animation major Sara Roma from Papillion, Nebraska.
“I came with [Sara] because her stuff is here but I just really love everything people make and stuff like that. Just the fact that all of these are sketches and that they make all of these amazing styles, it is crazy. It blows my mind,” said first-year film and television major Victoria Lhowe from Madison, Georgia.
Club leaders Katakura and Woolhiser presented their passion of artwork through their hard work, dedication and promotion of the event. They also motivated entrants by offering several awards, which included Best Conceptual, the Local Color Choice Award, Best in Show, Best Narrative, Best Mixed Media and the Creepy Award. The winners were displayed at the back of the gallery.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

The Transition

Hello All,
I know it has been a while since I have posted something really worthwhile. New works coming soon!

Just an update for you...
-Graduated from SCAD!
-Drove for 26 days with my wonderful partner.
-Back in Cali.
-Probably moving to Portland, it is awesome there.

Anyways, my time at SCAD was wonderful and difficult. I met incredible people and worked alongside my forward thinking peers and talented mentors. One lesson I did learn though (something I wish I had learned as a child, for learning it as an adult is much more difficult), some people are mean and some things will happen and there is nothing you can do to prevent it. You can however, change how you deal with a particular situation. Power through these roadblocks because that is all that they are, step over them and do not look back. Be kind, keep making and create something you can be proud of.
Thank you to my Sculpture family, you saved me. My painting friends too who stood by me all the way. I greatly miss my making community but you truly inspire me to continue forward with my passion.

Student Exhibitions

Alongside my art making practice I have discovered a love for curating. This is not only a love for putting together shows and stitching together works from a variety of artists, it stems from a love for people and seeing them succeed and to present them in the best light and most creative way possible. Here is a flashback to some of the group exhibitions I had a hand in planning. In my last two years at SCAD I contributed to or lead in curating 8 student exhibitions.

Thank you to all who ever contributed and helped me through these endeavors, particularly my incredible partner Kevin Lee Jr., the exquisite Mizuki Katakura, the outspoken Kristen Crouch and the very talented Charles Schaefer.

Fall 2012: SCAD Lacoste Vernissage
Hepler-Smith and I were honored to be selected to be the two Vernissage Painting Representatives.


Spring 2013: Dimension, a 2D, 3D and 4D exhibition of paintings, sculptures, installations, film, fashion and sound.


Fall 2013: Omnibus


Winter 2014: Ephemera


Spring 2014: The Foundry Show, an exhibition of bronze works.


Spring 2014: Goodbye Boundary, a sculpture exhibition of SCAD students, alumni and faculty.


Spring 2014: The Sketchbook Show, a Local Color: Painting Club exhibition.


Spring 2014: Nefelibata, an emerging artist exhibition.