Solo Exhibition, Intimate Feasts, SOMA NewArt Gallery, May 17 - June 15, 2008 Solo Exhibition, Subway Stories and NYC Icons, SOMA New Art Gallery, November 2007
ArtNow Fair, Miami, December 2008
SANDRA BLOODWORTH - Artist Statement for "Intimate Feasts"
My recent work has morphed from
portraits of people that dominated my oeuvre in the past, to portraits
of meals – intimate, personal representations of particular shared
events. The work grew from a shared life with my husband, a life that
treats meals as special events, whether we are dining alone or with
friends and family. My husband, Fred May, inspires
the menu and I create the table setting, believing every meal is a
special occasion. We both cook, although I am mostly the sous chef,
and I photograph the meals from different viewpoints, as a preamble to
what I will ultimately paint. It is not the food i am trying
to capture, but rather the moment, the people, the shared experience
that went into creating it.
The process of creating the
paintings begins with the meal itself. Many of the decisions in the
paintings, such as the use of the rich vibrant colors, are made during
the preparation of the meals. Color choice may be driven by the food,
a season, or a particular holiday. Fred May often begins the meal
planning with a stop at the Lobster House when in Cape May where he
chooses elements of the meal from the best catch of the day. The side
dishes will begin with a stop at a farmer’s market where he picks out
vegetables and fruit that will complement the entrée. Often, the last
stop of the day is our garden where herbs and flowers are selected to
complement the meal and grace the table.
In some ways each of the paintings is a performance art piece. While the meal is
being prepared, I create a table setting that responds to the
menu by picking out dinnerware from a vast inventory, pulling out
linens from a well-organized closet where the objects are arranged in a
manner that suggests being in the middle of a color wheel.
The
settings are sculptural, with strong colors and textures showcasing the
dishes that are in themselves works of art. I photograph
each course as it is served, and the consumption of the meal is, in
effect, performance art. At the conclusion of each meal, the
photographs are filed away until the end of the year when I reviews
the portfolio and choose the portraits that are then transformed into
paintings. This process ensures that the meals are event driven, and
are prepared for enjoyment and pleasure. Once the painting begins in
the studio, I am singularly focused on capturing that moment
in time, creating a portrait of that special meal and occasion. I often reflect back on that time as I seeks to bring that
moment back to life.
"New York Icons"
"for Alice, 107 and Broadway"
"American Portrait, Alex Ginsberg"
"Alex Katz"
"Subway Stories" are large vividly colored oil paintings that are portraits of seven NYC 'underground heros' and their ales from the NYC Subways.
A highlight of "Subway Stories" is the work 'Elijah Staley, popularly known as Carolina Slim; a powerful blues musician who performed mostly in the Times Square Subway Station.
"Elijah Staley" Oil on canvas, Sandra Bloodworth
"Ms WIlson" oil on canvas, Sandra Bloodworth
"Subway Joe" Oil on canvas, Sandra Bloodworth
"Harry Nugent"
"Joseph"
"Miguel"
"The Blockers" Oil on Canvas, Sandra Bloodworth
Sandra Bloodworth - Resume
One Person Exhibitions
2008 SOMA NewArt Gallery, Cape May, New Jersey, “Intimate Feasts.” 2007 SOMA Gallery, Cape May, New Jersey, “Portraits and Tales from the NYC Subway,” and “New York Icons.” 2007 The Gallery at Blue Streak Wine & Spirits, Long Island City, New York, “Festa della Vita.” 1992 New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn, New York, “Subway Stories”. 1991 Dance Theater Workshop, DTW Gallery, New York, New York, “In Person”. 1990 Riverside Church, The Cloister Gallery, New York, New York, “Reverence”. 1988 Bronx Museum of the Arts, Beth Abraham Satellite Gallery, Bronx, New York. 1987 Port Authority Bus Terminal, Southwest Wing, New York, New York, “North By South”. 1977 Genesis Gallery, Jackson, Mississippi. 1976 Upstairs Gallery, Jackson, Mississippi.
Group Exhibitions
2008 Art Now Fair, Miami 2007 Nicholas Rizzo Fine Art, Chatham, NJ, “Still Life”. 2001 The New York Mercantile Exchange, Organization of Independent Artist, New York, NY. 1991 Paint Space 122, PS 122 Gallery, New York, NY, “Commission A Portrait”. 1987 The University of Mississippi, Fine Art Gallery, Oxford, MS, Oxford Influnences”. Invitational. 1987 Artist Space, New York, NY, “Artists from the Studio in a School Association”. 1985 Radius Gallery, New York, NY, Selected works. 1984 State Capitol Building, Tallahassee, FL, “United States Fine Art Competition " . 1983 The Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS, “The Competitive of Mississippi”. 1982 Ephebi-Art for the 21st Century, Washington, DC Selected works. 1981 First Women’s Bank, New York, NY, “People, Figures and Faces”. 1980 Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, “Artworks 13”. 1978 Southern Watercolor Society’s 2nd Annual Exhibition, Columbus, GA. 13th Annual Central South Art Exhibit, The Parthenon, Nashville, TN.
Awards
2005 Sloan Public Service Award, Fund for the City of New York 2001 Municipal Art Society, Brendan Gill Prize, Honorable Mention (Arts for Transit Collaborative)
Teaching Experience
• New York University, (Adjunct Professor) 2000-2001 New York, NY Graduate Program, Department of Art and Arts Professions • Florida State University (Teaching Fellow) 1978-1980 Tallahassee, FL • Mississippi Museum of Art 1977 Jackson, MS • University of Mississippi 1975-1977 Jackson, MS • Jefferson Davis State Junior College 1973-1975 Brewton, AL
Selected Presentations, Panels and Curated Exhibitions
• Fordham University, "Art and the City," Lecture Series, October 4, 2007. • The Metropolitan Museum of Art,, “Along the Way: MTA Arts for Transit,” Glasberg Lecture, April 2007 • International Sculpture Center, Crossroads Cincinnati Conference, Art Slam, June 2006 • American Institute of Architects (AIA), New York, Presentation, “The Art of Collaboration,” January 2005 • New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) Presentation, “A Museum Underground,” April 2004 • New York Transit Museum Centennial Celebration, “Tour of the Artwork,” April 2004 • College Art Association (CAA), Seattle, Washington, Presenter, “Designing for Security,” February 2004 • Guide Association of New York, New York, Presentation, “Arts for Transit” 2004 • City College Honor Students, Presentation, “Arts for Transit” 2004 • National Association for Corporate Art Management, Inc. (NACAM), Annual Conference, November 2004 • Pfizer, “Lunch and Learn,” Presentation, May 21, 2003 • International Association for Professional Art Advisors, “Reports From the Field”, November 8, 2002 • Christies’ Education’s Public Art Panel, May 2002 • Railvolution Conference, Denver, CO, Moderator, “Public Art: The Economic Engine That Could,” 2000 • American Planning Association Conference, New York, tour, Arts for Transit, 2000 • Women’s Transportation Seminar, New York, tour, Arts for Transit, 2000 • Federation of Modern Painters & Sculptors, Panelist, “Subway in Metropolis,” April 2000 • Arts for Transit Poster Exhibition, Bank Street College Exhibition Space, April, 1999 • DOT and Department of Parks and Recreation, Panelist, Artscape Project, September, 1998 • Artists Talk On Art, Presenter, Panel Series.1998 • Taiwanese Government officials, New York, “Public Art,” Presentation, 1998 • Railvolution Conference, Portland, OR, Presentation, September, 1998 • Municipal Art Society, “Full Circle”, Presentation, February, 1998 • Federal Transit Administration, Regional III Conference, Presentation, Philadelphia, PA, 1998 • American Public Transportation Association Annual Meeting, New York, 1998 • Cooper Union, New York, “Public Art in the Subway,” 1998 • Long Island University, Westbury, New York, Presentation, C.W. Post, November, 1997 • AIA, New York, “Arts for Transit,” Presentation, October, 1997 • FTA and MTA “Celebration of DOT’s 30th Anniversary,” New York, 1997 • Women’s City Club, Panelists, “Public Art – Process and Policy,” 1997 • Tweed Gallery, Exhibition, “The Official Image: Graphic Design in Government,” July, 1997 • University of Pennsylvania, Guest Critic, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Department of Architecture, 1997 • General Services Administration, New York, Public Art Program, Juror, 1996 • American Crafts Museum, New York, "Beaux-Arts and Crafts", 1994 • Women's Transportation Seminar, Presentation, Los Angeles, CA, 1994 • College Art Association, Annual Meeting, “Arts for Transit,” tour, 1994 • PaineWebber Gallery, New York, “Art en Route," exhibition, 1994
Publications
• Along the Way, co-authored with William Ayres, November, 2006 • Nineteenth Century Magazine, "Terra Cotta Incognita: Turn-of-the-Century Ceramic Art in the New York City Subway," Volume 11, Numbers 3 and 4. • Art en Route: MTA Arts for Transit, exhibition catalogue, co-authored with William Ayres, July, 1994.
Professional Affiliations
• International Association for Professional Art Advisors (IAPAA), • ArtTable, Member • Artist Talk on Art (ATOA), Advisory Board Member • New York City Transit Museum, Advisory Board Member • Berkshire School of Contemporary Art, Visiting Artist • Fashion Institution of Technology, Advisor, Visual Arts
Education
M.F.A. Painting, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida (1980), Honors: Teaching Fellowship M.A. Art Education, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi (1973) B.S. Ed. Art Education, Mississippi College, Clinton, Mississippi (1972), Honors: President’s List
Sandra Bloodworth is currently director of
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Arts for Transit program.
In 2005, she was awarded the Sloan Public Service Award for her work in
bringing art and music to the New York subway. She is the co-author of
Along the Way: MTA Arts for Transit.
Sandra
Bloodworth - ARTIST STATEMENT
My
paintings are a progression.Beginning as a watercolorist, I created hard-edged realistic works
concerned with texture and color that documented a landscape and time in the
American South.Successful, yet
frustrated by a feeling that the work was mechanical, I questioned both the
language of my paintings and what I had to sayin that language.I became a figurative painter with an emphasis on the
portrait, attempting to both capture the personality of the subject and, in
turn, reveal some of my own.
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