Thursday, April 26, 2012
PRINCESS ANNE, MD-(April 23, 2012) The work of a half dozen fine arts students graduating in May from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore are featured in an exhibit, “Starving Artists?” The art show is on display in the Mosely Gallery through a closing reception May 17 from 4-6 p.m.
Featured artists include Cynthia Anais, design illustration; Michael Carmean, sequential (comic book) art; Alicia Critchfield, traditional and digital photography; Keith Elder, sequential art; Chris Perkins, traditional and digital illustrations; and Lamar Waul, photography.
“I have seen the development of each of these dedicated student artists,” said Christopher Harrington, interim chair, UMES Department of Fine Arts. “The show is unified and it was a slightly terrifying thrill to see them paint a group mural on the entire wall of the gallery. It was good to see such a collaborative effort.”
Anais, a native of Martinique in the French Caribbean, describes her work as “vivid and colorful” much like her island home. “My creations are the expression of my life experiences, my beliefs and my culture,” she said. Growing up, she said, she would use random material found from objects and vegetation and combine them into her “creations.” Today she enjoys “playing with different types of paint and pencils, assembling diverse materials and using amazing digital effects.”
Locals Mike Carmean of Snow Hill and Alicia Critchfield of Westover, using different mediums, both see themselves as realists exploring everyday life and its challenges. Carmean said, “I not only give my characters lines, colors and environments-I give them life. It is not enough to create (comic book) characters in the nature of good and evil, you have to take a piece of yourself and breathe life into them.” Critchfield said the most important aspect of her photography “lies not with the actual subject, but the message: be bold, be different, be yourself and above all else, believe in yourself.” Most of her work is unplanned, she said. “Much like life itself, it just happens.”
Also adding their creative talents to the exhibit are: Elder of Upper Marlboro, Md.; Perkins of Northwest, D.C.; and Waul from St. Leonard, Md. Elder describes himself as being among “a new generation of (comic book) artists.” Creating extreme “over the top” animated action sequences with narrative emotion is his niche. “I do gesture drawings of dynamic poses to capture the emotion I want the character to express,” he said.
Perkins likes taking something from the real world and transforming it into a work of art. “It is as though I’m giving objects that many people consider ordinary a chance to show that they have an esthetic appeal,” he said. Perkins enjoys working digitally, because it “ushers in an array of creative features at my fingertips.”
Lighting his subjects from above and on the right side gives Waul’s photography a dramatic effect. “If anybody knows me, they know I am dramatic at times,” he said. Waul strives to be different and push the limits, he said. “I have an open mind to new ideas, while staying true to my beliefs.
