“What does it look like to you or what do you see?” asked artist Dan Colella. While I struggled for the correct intellectually creative term he said “It can mean anything you want it to mean as long as it makes you think. There is no wrong answer.”
His words help express the purpose of the Preserve Art Show on Saturday night: to give support to Pepperdine artists and attempt to understand what he or she wanted to convey of his or her personal observation belief or experience.
Hosted by Art Rush a club only in its second year 36 artists displayed their souls and spent four proud hours beside their artwork eagerly awaiting the attendees’ approval or thoughts on their pieces. Some of the artists’ work was for sale.
The exhibit took place on a balcony right off PCH at the Sea View Terrace where viewers had an exquisite view of the ocean. Some artwork hung from a transparent wall comprised of wire specifically made by the artists. Three-dimensional pieces were dispersed along the ground.
A live DJ snack table cozy couches and breezy Malibu night contributed to the quality of the show. The show consisted of paintings drawings a clothing line called Monument of Our Hearts and other art using Barbie dolls G.I. Joes glass clay jewelry wire photos and even decorated chairs. The variety of artwork ensured that every viewer enjoy at least one work of creativity.
Although the environment established a general mood of calmness and relaxation each work of art elicited a different emotion within the viewer. For instance I stood in awe as I studied a two-dimensional piece that encompassed “old records” with names of bands and musicians painted on them glued together to honor the power and influence of music.
Created by senior Jeff Beistman he said he was offered $5000 for his work but sternly turned it down saying “It is not for sale.” He later added “It is placed over my kitchen table because there is too much heart and work put into it.”
However I chuckled when I read senior Robbie Cochran’s artist statement of his mixed media art sculpture made predominately with chicken wire and handmade human and alien figurines.
“I could probably say this is in response to how society is relying too much on technology and not enough on people’s own strengths … but I just felt like making a giant robot human battle scene Cochran wrote on the description he posted with the piece.
Cochran said some of his objects were found from wandering around campus, or are simply leftovers” from art class such as watch wristbands. He also said that explaining what the sculpture means to him hinders the viewers’ ability to interpret what it represents in their own ways.
Other pieces became the medium to talk about God. Senior and outspoken Christian Tiffany Brannon used the intersection of lines and vibrant electric fluorescents neons metallics and gold leaf to express controlled chaos and God’s work in our lives. Its colors give off energy that makes one feel invincible.
“My backgrounds are explosive because life is messy and unpredictable but the foregrounds where my method of using lines and grids comes into play represents the everyday things that we use to define or confine ourselves and our lives Brannon wrote in her artist’s statement. I like seeing that juxtaposition and showing people or at least trying to that they can be both emotional and rational – we can live lives of passion and not of obligation pursue endeavors and stay true to ourselves true to the person I believe God made us to be without being redefined by societies standards.”
Brannon had a montage of six paintings as well as a display of beautifully decorated chairs which appeared to be floating in midair and represented the stairway to heaven. She stood out among all other artists because of her eccentric colors such as pink and yellow that contained so much energy and in return made the viewer feel energetic.
No matter one’s taste there was something for everyone at the Preserve Art Show. No matter one’s own artistic skills or level of knowledge of different art forms the location environment and sense of community made the exhibit commendable.
I left the art show thinking about what the first artist Colella said: “It can mean anything you want it to mean as long as it makes you think.”
His painting titled “Double-edged Sword resonated with my worldview.
I saw a mobile: a world held up by one hand with strings of hearts hanging from it. Below the mobile fish are ready to be unleashed and tear the hearts apart. This painting represents the power of love and how it is a double-edged sword that can either make or break one’s life. The hand holding the earth is the peoples’ will and only they can choose whether they will break the love and give it to the fish or sustain it and turn it into goodness.