PAGE 5
PAGE 6
PAGE 7
PAGE 8
May 2005
Page 2

Mark England's Studio | photos by Steve Coray ~ text by Dave Holmes

Stroll down the long straight hallway of Poor Yorick Studios (530 West 700 South) at almost any time of day and you are likely to find artist Mark England at work in his studio. The warm summer sun cascades through the skylight, illuminating his generous collection of wall-sized drawings, delicate boxes, and oil paintings.

Two years ago, Mark moved from a modest garage to a studio twice the size, yet he still yearns for more space. Indeed, the scale of his collage artistry requires ample space and many objects for inspiration; delicate figurines, assorted magazines, and colorful bits of fabric and wallpaper are placed on shelves and piled in stacks around the room. England's work includes landscape drawings and paintings as seen from great distances. Applying solvent transfer techniques and using a heightened perspective gives his work a quality of vastness and keeps the viewer's eye searching for hidden surprises, like the tiny figure of a man kneeling on the lakeshore tucked away inside one of England’s music boxes. His vision captures the essence of other art forms; the magical transformation in the ballet “Swan Lake” and the Great Salt Lake's spiral jetty (created by Robert Smithson in 1969) feature prominently in his recent creations.

England spent months upgrading his new studio, adding a library and sitting area where visitors can meet, reflect, and share ideas. He enjoys the community feeling at Poor Yorick; the quiet and respectful atmosphere encourages focus and minimizes distractions. Neighboring artists complete and display their work, creating an environment of friendly competition. England envisions establishing a Monday night artists’ forum in the true spirit of the Paris salon: a private, intimate setting of open discussion and critique, for which his studio would be well suited.



click the images below to enlarge them in a new window

Artists of Utah News

Those of you who like to look at every nook and cranny of our site will have noticed that our calendar section is out of date. We have temporarily postponed updating the calendar section. We are rethinking how to best use this part of the site and hope to have it up and running soon.

Artists of Utah is having a membership drive. We have a goal to add 300 new subscribers to 15 Bytes before the end of the Summer. So it's time to share the word. We know you've been reading 15 Bytes so you can make insightful comments during Gallery Stroll and at dinner parties and you don't want your friends to know the font of your wisdom and wit. But c'mon, don't be so stingy. Let your friends in on your secret. All you need to do is send them to the "Subscribe Now" link above and they can fill out a short form and will begin receiving 15 bytes in their mailbox just like you.

Tuesday, May 24th

"Gallery Representation and Portfolio Development

Patrick Hoagland from Patrick Moore Gallery

http://arts.utah.gov/visarts/

workshops.html




ART AND POLITICS

House Budget Resolution

On Wednesday, March 16, 2005 the U.S. Congress voted 320-102 against an amendment which would reduce the 19 current functional budget categories to 4 functions. The amendment would have "expressed the sense of the House" that the following programs should be eliminated:

National Endowment for the Arts

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Title X Family Planning

Legal Services Corporation

the Advanced Technology Program

Representative Bishop and Representative Cannon voted yes - to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts. Representative Matheson voted no - not to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts.

The amendment was defeated by a vote of 102 ayes to 320 noes. While the five programs would not have been eliminated even if the measure had passed, it would have made securing an increase in NEA funding more difficult since a majority of House Members would be on record as notsupporting the NEA.

We urge you to contact your congressman and express your opinion on their vote on this issue

-- Americans for the Arts has announced that the United States Senate is establishing a new bipartisan caucus dedicated to promoting the arts and humanities within the Senate. If you wish to urge your Senator to join the new Senate Cultural Caucus, all the information you need, along with customizable pre-written letters, are available at Americans for the Arts E-Advocacy Center.

Last summer, Americans for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies generated a grassroots campaign to gauge the interest of Senators in joining an arts caucus in the Senate. The response was resoundingly positive and an influencing factor in establishing the Senate Cultural Caucus.

This new caucus is independent of the Congressional Arts Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, which was established in 1997 and now boasts 182 House-only members. Both caucuses are committed to highlighting the positive impact of the arts in America.
On the Spot

Karen Horne on the spot:

Karen Horne

WHAT ARE YOU READING LATELY?

I'm currently reading Byron Katie's "I need your Love - Is it True?". This book explores the universal quest for approval and I'm fascinated byhow this search can affect or even interfere with our true paths as artists.How are we shaped/ affected by the general public's and the market's response to our artwork? Does the quest to please or to repeat successes prevent us from taking risks?

WHAT IS HANGING ABOVE YOUR MANTEL?

We continually rotate our art, and own work by many artists- but at the moment the painting above our mantel is a cityscape in snow I painted at Yale. I wanted to reconnect with the freedom of the paint and the clarity of light that's in that work.

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ANY ARTST TO PAINT OR SCULPT YOUR PORTRAIT WHO WOULD IT BE?

I'd go for Matisse. I attended his huge NYC retrospective three times during its run, and adore the patterns, saturated color, and the sensuousness of his paintings. I'd wear something very gypsy-like.

About 15 Bytes:

15 Bytes is an online ezine devoted to the visual arts in Utah. It is published the first Wednesday of the month by Artists of Utah, a non-profit organization.

Editor: Shawn Rossiter
Assistant Editor: Laura Durham

Interested in writing or photographing for 15 bytes? Contact the editor.

15 Bytes Publication Dates & Deadlines: