Wednesday, November 3, 2010

First Friday Portland at Mayo Street Arts



Come check out las alas (the winged ones) for First Friday at Mayo Street Arts in Portland.

Angela Devenney, Gil Corral, Hogfarm Studios: new paintings by gil corral, dia de los muertos altar installation by hogfarm studios & insect assemblages by angela devenney.

opening: Friday, November 5th, 5-8pm las alas runs through November & December.

Directions to 10 Mayo Street: From 295, take exit 7 to Franklin Arterial. Go left on Cumberland Ave, take third left onto Mayo Street. Ample parking on Mayo, Oxford, and Boyd Streets.



Friday, April 30, 2010

CMCA Student Exhibition

Join us tomorrow, Saturday, May 1st, for an opening of student work at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport. My children from the Riley School will be exhibiting a variety of photography, including black and white silver prints, pinholes and photograms, accompanied by a wonderful sampling of digital imagery. Below is a sneak peek at some of the Riley kids' photography.





The Student Exhibition is the season opener for CMCA and will be on view until May 9th. Painting, wood sculpture and pottery from Riley will also be on view.
The opening is from 3-5 p.m. Hope to see you there!

CMCA
  • 162 Russell Avenue, Rockport, Maine 04856
  • Phone: 207.236.2875
  • Email: info@cmcanow.org




  • Saturday, March 27, 2010

    100 Birds for Haiti • Art for Health Care


    Yesterday my husband and I ventured out to see the 100 Birds for Haiti exhibit at Heartwood College of Art, in the aptly named gallery, pictured below. I've long created artwork and imagery that incorporates birds. I am fascinated by their varied appearances, behaviors, abilities and symbolism. My parents have always been curious and knowledgeable about birds. I absorbed a bit of their interest throughout my childhood and teenage years, but my curiosity in the species as a whole peaked during my junior year of college, when a hawk landed on my fire escape and caught a sparrow for breakfast. I remember feeling like I was watching a Nat Geo special, but the whole event took place just a few blocks away from Fenway Park. I have uploaded my pieces included in 100 Birds for Haiti throughout this post.

    100 Birds is an exhibition of small bird images (and some tiny ceramic sculptures too), of which 35% of sales will be donated to the Konbit Sante organization, a partnership to save lives and improve health in northern Haiti. Konbit Sante Cap-Haitien Health Partnership is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation organized in the State of Maine in 2000.


    Transcendence: Sparrow Profile / Digital Pigment print made from a 4x5 film photogram

    Konbit Sante's Mission (excerpted from their website): "To support the development of a sustainable health care system to meet the needs of the Cap-Haitien community with maximum local direction and support."

    About their name: "In Haitian Creole, a konbit is a traditional Haitian method of working together to till your friends' fields as well as your own - a cooperative effort. Sante means health. So the name means working together for health. We have chosen a Creole name to show our respect for and friendship with the people of Haiti and the dedicated local professionals who serve them."

    En Route / color photogram, Winter Starlings and Little Blue Angels / scan-o-gram


    January Memory II (Sparrow Wing), Photogram

    100 Birds for Haiti runs from March 24-April 29, 2010.

    Heartwood College of Art / 123 York Street (Rt 1 south) / Kennebunk, ME /985-0985

    hca2@HeartwoodCollegeofArt.org

    Monday, March 8, 2010

    Lyme Disease: Art & Awareness

    My sister, Nina's statement about her work - which has been quoted in several local publications describing the opening of the show Group of Four - explains the origins of her brightly colored, soft, fabric sculptures, pictured below.

    About her latest body of work, Nina Devenney, the youngest of the "four," said that after being diagnosed with Lyme disease at the start of 2009, she experienced a slow healing process for the duration of the year that led her to thoughts concerning health and the mysterious connections that link the human body to the external natural world that we inhabit and call home.

    "I began to think of my body as a habitat, a home all on its own. I found it ironic and beautiful that the internal place I live is filled with elegance that mimics my external environment. I realized the composition of my very self is a sheer reflection of the beauty I see outside," she said.

    Nina’s work is visually curious, fun, and playful. Ironically, this work was a fusion of experiences caused by illness and ailments of Lyme disease. Below is her artist's statement.

    Artist Statement • Habitat

    This body of work is a reflection and a positive distortion of a recent experience of illness and desperation. Diagnosed with Lyme disease at the start of 2009, I experienced a slow healing process for the duration of the year that lead me to thoughts concerning health and the mysterious connections that link the human body to the external natural world that we inhabit and call home. Throughout my illness, I began to think of my body as a habitat, a home all on its own. I found it ironic and beautiful that the internal place I live is filled with elegance that mimics my external environment. I realized the composition of my very self is a sheer reflection of the beauty I see outside.

    This piece is the result of a desire to create a habitat for humans to exist in: a world that is comprised of forms inspired by organs, nerves and skeletal structures residing inside us and our fellow species, along with forms that make up our external natural home, such as eroded rock, prehistoric fossils, seaweed and driftwood.

    Through these soft sculptures, I aim to blur the lines of physical places, making it seem that our bodies are our habitat, as much as the earth is. My intention is for the installation to feel exciting, beautiful and safe. After my tiresome, painful, and threatening experience with Lyme disease, that often left me feeling unsafe within my own body, I wanted to create an environment relating to the body that feels secure and protected. By using soft fabric, fiberfill and warm, inviting colors, I hope to activate this effect and make viewers feel intrigued, safe and happy while they explore this colorful and abstract network.

    Lyme disease is a rapidly growing health epidemic. The condition is a serious and frustrating health concern for those who are afflicted.

    Below you will find helpful & informative links regarding symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Lyme Disease.

    Help prevent tick bites by using Permethrin, manufactured by Sawyer Company. It is an insecticide spray for clothing (it is toxic to pets, birds and fish through contact and ingestion so read instructions carefully). Permethrin products are available from such retailers as Chinook Medical, Cabelas, REI and Amazon.com. Ultrathon repellant, a 12 hour time-release DEET lotion, is also available at Chinook Medical. For safe and effective tick removal, try the Tick Key available at pet stores, hardware stores and outdoor retailers. Check your pets and yourself regularly!


    Watch the trailer for the film, Under Our Skin which explores the hidden tales of Lyme.
    Igenex Lab, a Reference Lab specializing Clinical and Research Testing for Lyme & Tick-borne Diseases

    Saturday, February 27, 2010

    A Group of Four


    A Group of Four will showcase work created by my family! I can't wait to see how the work plays off each other in a gallery setting. Much of our art hangs together on the walls of my parents' home, but the task of decisively choosing work to show together to create a cohesive look in a gallery sounded a tad challenging. As we worked together selecting pieces that would compliment each other in a gallery setting, it became apparent we all artistically see and think a lot more like one another than we ever realized! Charlotte Davenhill, Tidemark Gallery owner, clarifies this point best in the press release:

    " Joe, Mary, and daughters Angela and Nina seem to share the special ability of seeing things that others overlook. Working within their respective mediums, the Devenneys strip away the obvious to expose the unseen -- creating thought provoking works of intensity, movement, shapes and wonder."

    Media exhibited will include paintings by my mother Mary, photographs by my father Joe (who also designed our wonderful announcement card), printmaking and sculpture by my sister Nina, and prints of my photo-based work.

    A Group of Four runs from {03.03.10 through 03.27.10}
    Please join us for the reception on Saturday, March 13 from 5 to 7 pm.

    Tidemark Gallery is located at 902 Main Street / Waldoboro, ME
    Tel. 832-5109, email: info@tidemarkgallery.com

    Tuesday, February 23, 2010

    black and white

    My photograph, Winter, will be shown in the exhibit black and white at River Arts. Starlings love to congregate in this tree near our yard. I've paid more attention to them this season, as they are exposed by the lack of foliage this time of year. Starlings are a gregarious species, so this was a unique, tranquil moment for the tree, any listeners, and the two birds.

    My sister, Nina Devenney, will also have a piece shown in this exhibit. Under the Dress, {above} is a photopolymer gravure print, in which she combined the use of Photoshop, plate development in the darkroom, and the final step of inking plates to run through a printing press. I have a love for all three processes, but have never used them all in conjunction with each other and can only imagine {and admire!} the precision and time involved.

    Black and white opens this Friday, {02.26.10 / 5-7pm} and runs through {04.02.10}. Art critic, curator and art dealer Daniel Kany is the exhibit’s Juror. Kany will be giving a gallery talk and discussion on Saturday {03.14.10 / 3-4:30pm}.

    River arts is located at: 170 Main Street / Damariscotta, Maine / 207.563.1507

    Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 – 4 & Sunday 12 – 4