Maitland – Page 2 – Analog Artist Digital World

Josette Urso is a Brooklyn based artist who has been invited to come down for a residency at the Maitland Art Center. Her residency runs from April 28 through June 2nd. This residency program has been resurrected after about a 30 year hiatus. lt was part of J. Andre Smith‘s vision to bring accomplished artists to Florida where they could recharge their creative batteries. Past artists of national prominence, who were residents here included Milton Avery, Ralston Crawford, Doris Lee, Boris Margo and Teng Chiu.

Josette offered a presentation of her work in the Germaine Marvel Building on the Maitland Art Center Campus. I was one of the first people to arrive. I had been in contact with Josette because I hoped to sketch her at work and learn about her process. This talk was a perfect way to truly meet the artist. She talks with passion and excitement about her art which is accomplished and branches in multiple directions. What was most exciting was that her work has a sense of play as she experiments in various mediums.

Some of the earliest work was collage arranged in circles. Intricate images inhabited tiny squares within the over all design. They were like Madella’s or kaleidoscopes with vibrant color. She collects UPC codes and these linear patterns adorned one of the circular motifs. The image she was working on was huge and she ran out of UPC codes. Most people go to their neighbors perhaps for a cup of sugar but she turned to her neighbors for codes.

When she showed her Urban drawings, I was inspired. One sketch was of a Bushwick building rooftop with a flock of pigeons moving as a dark mass above the building. She thought the pigeons would always be there but the coup was closed down. The drawing was done with a child’s pen she had purchased in Taiwan. The ink is beginning to fade along with the inspiring memory of the flock. She would visit other artist’s studios and sketch the amazing views.

Her paintings border on the abstract yet are grounded in direct observation. She likes to get lost in the process moving around the page and is surprised when it all lines up. One action always leads to another. Her paintings pose questions not offering just answers. Different tools inspire different images. An ink sketch can’t be erased yet an oil painting can be kept in a constant state of flux. Here in Maitland she is working plein air getting her inspirations from the gardens around the museum. She admitted that the Florida sun had tapped her energy. Someone needs to bring this woman a big straw wide brimmed hat.

On Saturday, May 11, from 10 AM to 1 PM,the Art and History Museum will hold an official Plein Air Paint Day with Josette Urso. Painters from around Central Florida are encouraged to come and create alongside Urso. Guests will discover the tools and techniques Urso uses to create her widely-collected paintings, as they enjoy the beauty of the A&H’s Maitland Art Center campus. This program is FREE and the public is encouraged to attend.

As part of ArtsFest, Brian Feldman held a performance of “txt” at the Telephone Museum in Maitland (221 West Packwood Avenue). The very first time I sketched Feldman, he was performing “txt” at the Kerouac House. Brian specifically grew his beard back for this one performance. I found my vantage point in the front row before anyone else arrived. I also set up my video camera which recorded the performance from the back of the room next to a telephone booth. Ancient phones loomed above Feldman’s head and photos of switchboard operators were on the walls. There were perhaps thirty or so folding chairs set up in front of the large oak desk where he sat.

The idea of “txt” is that the audience supplies every line of dialogue that is spoken. Fifty protected Twitter accounts are set up so that each audience member can send a tweet directly to Brian’s show account, all of which are redirected to his phone thus keeping every entry completely private. Before the performance space was opened, Feldman crawled under the desk to wait for his entrance. When the fifteen or so people were seated, he crawled back out and sat in the leather chair causing laughter.

The young couple across from me immediately started tapping on their phones. The girl resembled actress Julianne Moore. She kept glancing at her boyfriend’s phone, not sure what she should type. She kept laughing at his entries. Brian’s phone vibrated and he picked it up. He read, “Football may be America’s pastime, but basketball players sweat much more.” I glanced around thinking I knew where the text came from. For this performance, Feldman acted out and dramatized his readings. One text read, “The man in the front row blushes whenever he laughs.” I was one of three men in a front row seat. I was certainly laughing. Was I blushing? Could people see emotion and expression just from the involuntary rush of blood through my veins?

I focused more intently on the drawing. Remarks were made about the corporate looking portrait above Feldman’s head, and about a creepy mannequin dressed as a telephone repairman. An early text warned against using profane language since women and children were in the audience. Surprisingly everyone complied. I consider “txt“ to be Feldman’s signature performance piece and it would be great to see it performed in a larger venue. There is something interesting in clandestine, anonymous communication that indicates where we are moving as an interconnected society.