Ferne Koch

Easter Sunday, Black White Photography, About life, Houston Foto Fest

1988

The Promise, oil on canvas and plexiglass by artist Honora Jacob, is rich in color, symbols and imagery, Honora's work references a personal vocabulary o...

Joan Breckwoldt is an American contemporary artist living in Houston, Texas. This collection of mixed media abstractions in The Encounter Series on paper...

Virtue of Knowledge reexamines portraits of individuals throughout history to illustrate the premise that history flows into the present in an ever-changing state. And, with each new context, we view people and events through a contemporary lens specific to that moment. Virtue of Knowledge appropriates and contextualizes original portrait elements to create reinvented portraits using technique and patterning that brings a contemporary context and perspective to these historically inspired portraits STATEMENT History flows into the present in an ever-changing state. And, with each new context, we view people and events through a contemporary lens specific to that moment. My current body of work, Contemporary Histories, explores this phenomena by re-interpreting historical portraiture using a contemporary visual language. It is my intent to create a modern visual lens through which to view these individuals and their legacies, as they continue to flow into the present in ever-changing states. As a keen example of how history changes and morphs over time, I have selected portraits of women who chose an alternate path from the traditional ones prescribed in their times. Some of these individuals overtly stepped outside the traditional roles prescribed for women to realize their goals. Others astutely maneuvered within the social system they lived in to obtain their aspirations. Whether altruistic or nefarious, these women and their actions altered the future cultural landscape. Through a 21st century lens, we view them as women with minds of their own, who made choices to control their own lives and futures. Often, in stark contrast to how they were viewed and how their actions were recorded in their own times. For a modern visual language, a combination of fine and decorative arts has inspired my approach to this subject. Employing several formal contemporary tenets, most notably, rather than place the figure in a 3-dimensional space, as in the originals, the figures reside in flat graphic picture planes of damask designs, repetitive patterns or botanical grounds as modern settings for their modern legacies. These graphic backgrounds symbolize what was historically considered a woman’s proper domain, in particular, gardening and needle crafts, such as; quilting, embroidery and sewing. Formally, unlike the originals, I am working alla prima, rather than with a base grisaille and delicate layers of glazing. While, the patterned and botanical environments, along with gold leaf applications, contemporary compositions and color palettes are formally influenced by a spectrum of 19th - 21st century artists and artisans; from Gustav Klimt and the Wiener Werkstatte to Henri Rousseau, Tamara de Lempicka and Will Cotton. BIO Honora Jacob...

Mobility allows the viewer to see each separate object in the painting. Objects such as figures, animals and trees are isolated in his images, which allow the viewer to see each separate form from a different angle of vision. His work is characterized by an aerial perspective that is often found in naive or primitive art. Each painting is a renewal of his pursuit to visually define Western man: who we are, what I am? His great-grandfather was a full-blooded Cherokee, his grandmother a half-breed Shawnee. His father was a first generation American, a Swede. He is intrigued with the real history of America and He pursued this research with a passion and continually included his findings in my paintings. Greg Benson...

Untitled, c. later 20th century Three black and white photographs Dimensions: 1. 8 5/8 x 6 3/4 in. 2. 10 x 7 3/4 in. 3. 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. Each photograph laid to mat board measuring...

No edition Gelatin silver print Paper size: 20 x 16 in., Image size: 15 x 15 in. Signed, titled and dated in pencil on print verso by Earlie Hudnall Earlie Hudnall, who is one of the most notable African American photographers...

Seven Sisters by Earlie Hudnall, Jr., is a black and white gelatin silver print of 7 young girls posing together on a couch in front of a house. Gelatin Silver Print Paper size: 20 x 16 in. Image size: 18 x 15 in. Signed, titled and dated in pencil on print verso Growing up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Earlie Hudnall, Jr. learned the importance of community and culture and photography. His father was an amateur photographer, and his grandmother kept the family albums filled with valuable snapshots. After returning from his tour-of-duty in Vietnam, Earlie Hudnall moved to Houston to study at Texas Southern University. There, he continued his interest in photography. While studying art, he met one of his most significant mentors, John Biggers, the painter and muralist that depicted African American life in the South. He had impressed Earlie to make art that was drawn from his own experiences. His images capture communities much like the one in his home- town of Hattiesburg. Earlie’s strongest work was made in Houston. Earlie Hudnall’s images have been widely published. And his photographs are included in many major museum collections in the United States and Europe, including the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Art Institute Chicago and the National Gallery in Washington, DC. Artists have been influenced by Hudnall’s work, including James Laxton, the Cinematographer of the 2017 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Moonlight. Also, Tyler Mitchell...

Street Champion, 4th Ward, Houston, Texas is a black and white gelatin silver photograph depicting a group of children posing in front of a house. A young boy watches from the porch ...