DA Alumni in the Spotlight
at The Carling
Artists Jamie Weingarten, Deborah Lancaster,
Micah Caulder and Shannon Estlund are in the spotlight
as the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Visual Art Department
and the Vestcor Companies collaborate to present the January
2009 DA Alumni Exhibition at The Carling. The Carling Gallery
is on the second floor of the historically renovated luxury
apartment building located at 31 W. Adams St.
To
see images from the show held at The Carling Gallery January
7, 2009 during the First Wednesday Art Walk click here.
About the Artists:
Jamie
Weingarten graduated from DA in 1997.
After graduation
Weingarten studied photography at UNF. Her professional
experiences range from an internship during which she taught
photography to street children in Guatemala; to working
at a photography studio in California; to opening her own
photography company Photo by Jamie.
www.photobyjamie.com
Weingarten enjoys being surrounded
by art enthusiasts and working with other artists on projects.
“I learned to challenge myself artistically and to
look for inspiration from other areas of art. ”She
says, “I photograph to capture the essence of my subject
be it a person or a place.”
Weingarten’s Art Walk exhibition
features studies of women photographed in vintage pieces
of clothing.
Deborah Lancaster graduated from DA in 2003.
After graduation Lancaster earned her AA while on a visual
arts grant at FCCJ. She is currently majoring in art at
UNF where she is working towards a BFA in drawing and painting.Lancaster
says, "Art is a pleasure to make and the best part
is that each piece of art made really is a window by which
we can get exciting new views of our own world. Art is a
wonderful form of expression.
"Lancaster's Art Walk exhibition features fractured
space paintings that deal with the desire for knowledge
or the 'rage to know.' She says, " By simplification
and abstraction, indeterminacy is achieved that leaves very
little information for the viewer to gather. The paintings
in turn are their own statement which really is the essence
of abstract art."
Micah Caulder graduated
from the Douglas Anderson in June of 2008.
.As a graduate of the DA Visual
Art program Caulder says, "I liked the creative atmosphere
from the teachers and students, which allowed me to become
a greater artist."Caulder's Art Walk exhibit highlight's
what he learned at DA, which is that, "something does
not have to be 'beautiful' to be valuable." "I
love objects. I'm interested in the idea of renewal and
making objects from our everyday world into new, abstract
forms"
Shannon Lilley Estlund graduated from DA in 1994.
She is currently an artist and
full-time mom. She and her husband co-own a home repair
company. Estlund says what she remembers most about DA was,
"The feeling of safety being around so many other people
who were also committed to creative expression." She
adds, "The generosity of the students and teachers
with their feedback and constructive criticism made for
an environment that accelerated artistic development.
"Estlund sees her painting
as a way to look for meaning in the world. Her Art Walk
exhibit explores the difference in perception of photographic
and painted imagery. "My process involves first composing
a self-portrait photograph and then painting into sections
of the photo. Often the paint is applied thickly to form
a mask-like skin over the face. In contrast the photographic
eyes appear thin and airy as though the soul is trying to
reach out beyond the heavy flesh."
shannonestlund.carbonmade.com
