Another question I frequently get from people about the Gallery is: "How do I select my artists?"
Patience too - Carmella Jarvi 2009
I met Carmella Jarvi during the Artists as Entrepreneurs series conducted by the Arts & Science Council, where I was presenting on intellectual property protection for artists--in other words, patents, trademarks and other exciting legal stuff. Now some might find paradox in the use of artist, normally associated with creativity, in connection entrepreneur, typically reserved for number-driven capitalists. I do not see these terms as mutually exclusive.
Rick Cherwitz at the University of Texas has called the "intellectual entrepreneur" -- one who sees the mind as the source of inspiration and change, and who understands that the mission should go beyond "advancing the frontiers of knowledge" to include "serving as engines of social development." It is this last part that is the key for me.
So, to answer the question, I look for artists who see beyond creativity, beauty, process, and surface appeal. These people see art as a way of expanding our minds, as guiding both our personal and our collective experience, as a method of depicting scenes/people/objects in a way that conveys a message that goes beyond the visual. I hope each of my artists will bring this experience to Pantone 278's visitors on a personal level, but will also contribute to these loftier, communal goals. I think Carmella Jarvi's work, but also her approach to art, conveys these ideals.
Carmella is an award-winning artist from Charlotte. Her understanding and vision of water, the human form and the motion that results both naturally and from the interaction of these bodies can be seen in her paintings. Drawing from our common experience at the beach, our grandparents' lake house or the backyard pool, Carmella’s paintings are not a simple account of water or the human body, but her view of the experience one has with water.
Carmella's works shows that there is something powerful, yet also revealing, about the submerged figure and our interaction with water. In some of her works depicting women in water, the feel is darker, more ominous. There is a departure from the typical beautiful woman. Many of these women are faceless, captured in a private moment of introspection or even turmoil. Other paintings evoke anxiety over turbulent water or peace from a solitary river rock.
No matter what you take from these works, I am sure you will enjoy Carmella's works and take with you your own meaning. You can see more of her work at
http://www.carmellajarvi.com/.
*This one-night show will be on Thursday, June 4 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Charlotte Trolley Powerhouse Museum located at 1507 Camden Road in Historic South End Charlotte.
