Eileen Blyth and Object Lessons
By Kristine Hartvigsen The police officer took the report with poker-faced professionalism, but Eileen Blyth suspected there might be a few snickers back at the precinct. She had arrived at the artist’s Elmwood Park home responding to a reported robbery. The thieves did not break into Blyth’s house to steal heirloom jewels, but they did make off with priceless items from her yard. Could the officer, or any average person, really comprehend... Read More
Thomas Crouch is un Artista di Molti Mondi
By Cynthia Boiter Huddled in a dark pub on an approaching autumn day, Thomas Crouch could just as easily be prowling the cobbled streets of Italy like so many of his artistic influences. With an outer persona that conveys dissent, Crouch has the inner animus of a philosopher. Part Jeremy Bentham, part Jacques Derrida, Crouch wears well the mask of the misunderstood – until he finds comfort in the discourse at hand. And even though he still proceeds... Read More
Art + Sports = Drè
By Kristine Hartvigsen Like the robust center on a college football team, Drè Lopez can be an intimidating fellow. His bearded, no-nonsense game face belies the thoughtful fine artist at the center of Columbia’s Piensa Art Company, which specializes in distinctive, nonconventional forms of illustration, graphic design, and writing services with a youth-culture bent. Over the past four University of South Carolina football seasons, the popularity... Read More
Michael Krajewski- Raw
In the world of auto-didacts, it isn’t difficult to find visual artists. While pedagogy is essential to dancers and musicians, no matter what their natural talents and inclinations, some visual artists are naturals in the true sense of the word. They pick up a paintbrush or a piece of chalk, or sink their hands into a ball of clay, and almost mystically, something profound or beautiful appears. Michael Krajewski is one of these artists. Though... Read More
Fool for Art: David Yaghjian Finds Inspiration in Humble ‘Everyman’ Alter-Ego
By Kristine Hartvigsen Six years ago, David Yaghjian took the adage “dance like no one’s watching” to heart, and he’s been cavorting – devil may care – in his underwear ever since. At 57, Yaghjian created a counterculture alter-ego of sorts that today is becoming increasingly popular in the artist’s “Everyman” series of paintings and sculptures. The impetus came in 2005 when McKissick Museum solicited works for its annual fundraiser... Read More
The Pleasant Personality and Independent Persona of Anastasia Chernoff
By Cynthia Boiter Anastasia Chernoff’s artistic journey has not been paved with the sunshine and daffodils the artist’s exceedingly pleasant personality suggests. But it may be the hardships she underwent that have lead this fairly new artist to the place she is now and the priority she places on treating people as kindly as she would like to be treated herself. The daughter of Ann Smith Hankins, a single mother who escaped from a bad marriage... Read More
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