Recent Works in Mixed Media @ the Durbin Gallery
Birmingham-Southern College
September 6-25, 1998
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Digital Images and Review by Thomas Wilson
Mixed media is an unusual and interesting avenue of expression. Conceptual art, styalized creations, abstract and nonrepresentationnal art remind me somewhat of theoretical science with its lack of concern for the conventional and obvious ... something I like to call intellectual art.
Judson has a surprising recent history of providing the professional start of some "intellectual" artists who use their brain as well as their hands to produce interesting and thought provoking works. Rick Mills, Art Department Head at AUM, is an award winning artist who developed his talent at Judson in the old Carnegie Building (Bean Hall). Rick won a first place in the Water Color USA competition in the mid-80's. This abstract painting is part of my personal collection and hangs in my home with numerous other Mills’ works.
Another gifted and exciting artist has brought his tools and talents to Judson and we can expect interesting work from new faculty member, Ted Whisenhunt.
Ted’s recent works are on display for the month of September in the Durbin Gallery at Birmingham-Southern. Carved birds, large fish, snakes, fictional works of South Seas culture and unique furniture await your visit and consideration.
I asked Ted to describe his latest works of art. "I think of it as contemporary. It's not abstract. Maybe it is conceptual art...maybe not...hard to tell."
Many of Ted’s new friends from Judson and the Marion community viewed his works at the opening reception on Sunday, September 6.
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About the Artist (taken from a Florida State brochure): Ted Whisenhunt is originally from Concord, Alabama, where he grew up working with wood at his father's Pattern Shop. He later earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, with an emphasis on sculpture, from Birmingham-Southern College. He then worked as an apprentice with the Robert Lehman Studio, where he learned metal fabrication and wrought iron techniques. After this he continued his education by earning a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Florida State University.
"Working with my hands, tools, and materials is something I feel compelled to do. The development of my ideas is not an exact science. My best work has come to me by working intuitively. It is not important that I know what I am doing in the early stages of an idea. The reasons or meanings are usually revealed to me later. Developing problems and setting up situations that force me to view things in a new way allows me to find solutions that would otherwise be overlooked."
"In my current work, I paint, carve, nail and decorate old wooden boards, then I arrange the boards so they create a single composition. My work stems from many different things but, primarily my childhood, surroundings and circumstances. My childhood was spent playing outdoors in a rural area where I spent much of my time building clubs and forts from any materials that I could find. The time spent outdoors is where many of my visual references like fish and snakes developed. My surroundings, geographic location and the people I come in contact with, add bits and pieces of dialogue to my work. The materials and tools that I use affect my work by forcing me to remain flexible in my style of working and the way I approach and solve problems." Ted Whisenhunt (1998)
