Artist's Statement
My fascination with heads began as an art student. For me, the human head was a natural choice of subject matter because of its inherent expressiveness. I carve the faces out of phone books because I like the three-dimensional quality that results and because of the unexpected results that occur working in this medium. The three-dimensional quality enhances the feeling of the pieces as an object as opposed to a picture. In carving and painting a head from a phone directory, I’m celebrating the individual lost in the anonymous list of thousands of names that describe the size of the community. In addition, I like the idea of creating something that is normally discarded every year into an object of longevity. EDUCATION:
M.F.A., Graduate School of Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA B.F.A., Magna Cum Laude, University of Washington, Seattle, WA AWARDS:
2002 - Second Place Winner, 71st Annual Rittenhouse Square Arts Festival, Philadelphia, PA 1999 - Charles Addams Memorial Award, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 1998 - Vermont Studio Award, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2009 - "Perception : Reality" Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2005 - “Phone Book Heads”, Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2001 - “Phone Book Heads”, University City Arts League, Philadelphia, PA GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
-2009 - “Obama-rama” Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2008 - “Paper” Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
- “Back from Miami II” Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
- “Frida and Me, Common Threads” Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2007 - "Recycled" Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
- "Obras" Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2006 - “Black & White”, Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
- Nova Art Fair, Chicago, IL – represented by Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2005 - “Back from Miami”, Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2004 - ”Antithesis”: Two Cuban Artists/Two Visions, Gallery Siano, Philadelphia, PA
- “Used: New Work From Old Things”, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 15th Annual Manayunk Arts Festival
- 73rd Annual Rittenhouse Square Arts Festival, Philadelphia, PA
2003 - 14th Annual Manayunk Arts Festival
- 72ndAnnual Rittenhouse Square Arts Festival, Philadelphia, PA
2002 - “Twisted Art” @ Tribecca, Philadelphia, PA
- 71st Annual Rittenhouse Square Arts Festival, Philadelphia, PA
- “Art Among the Books”, Cayman Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
2001 - “Fifth Annual National Juried Exhibition”, Nexus Gallery, New York, NY
- “Art of the State”, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
- Comet Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2000 - Cosmos Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
- “Recuerdos del Nuevo Mundo” w/Frank Hyder, Excelsior Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico
1999 - “Contemporary Painting -- International Competition”, Erector Square Gallery, New Haven, CT
- “ MFA Awards Exhibit”, Meyerson Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- “Thesis Exhibit”, Meyerson Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA SELECTED REVIEWS:
“More Phonebooks”, Hanna & Lisen, Elena Smith, January 22, 2009
“Environmental Artwork Turns our Trash into Treasure”, The Phoenix, Elena Smith, November 20, 2008
“Ringo Starr sculpture”, Mirror.co.uk, . . ., December 5, 2008
“3D Phonebook Art”, Trend Hunter.com , November 30, 2008
“Phonebook Art”, Fun 2 Fun , November 27, 2008
“Phonebook Art”, Fresh Pics , November 26, 2008
“We've Got Their Number”, The Sun UK, November 4, 2008 ( includes gallery)
“Alex Queral”, Webparade, December 7, 2008
“Telephone Directory Carvings”, Modern Art Candy, November 30, 2008
“Expo ecolo” Elle (Oriental) Magazine, May 2008 issue
"First Friday at Hyder Gallery", The Star, Matt Petaccio, May 5, 2005
Philadelphia Weekly, 4/14-20/04,
“Used” at the Painted Bride Art Center Artblog.com, 4/9/04
“No such Thing as All Used Up” Sunday Patriot News, 6/17/01
“Art of the State”, Harrisburg, PA Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/23/01
“Turn the Page”, Philadelphia, PA University City Review, 3/21/01
“Phone Book Art at Arts League”, Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia Weekly, 4/4/01
“Directory Personnel”, Philadelphia, PA Excelsior Newspaper, 6/3/00
“Recuerdos del Nuevo Mundo”, Mexico City, Mexico Paintingsdirect.com
“Burnt, Sprayed and Steamed: Alternative Processes in Painting” (on the web)
Dark’s Art Parlour, Issue 4, 1997, The Periodical of Dark Art, Los Angeles, CA |
