Monday, July 26, 2021

Local artist, distorting & exploring the female image with collage

 

The Look Out Series, 2019.

"How does a woman develop her sense of subjectivity and identity? Fiori’s work is a response to this question and investigates gender roles and themes of motherhood, sexuality, body image, beauty, and anxiety" Artist Statement

Born and raised in Medway, Noelle Fiori, grew up in a predominantly female household where her interest in subjectivity, identity, and feminism first began. She went to college to study fine arts, and received her Masters in Fine Art at the Art Institute of Boston. There working on her thesis, she explored how the products women use, and the expectations they communicate, negatively impact how women view and construct their own identities. She sought to dismantle, and redefine these images from the mass media using collage.

Noelle explores these various images through hand cut collage, using her photography, juxtaposed images and creating new forms.

Characteristic Gestures 2, Acrylic and collage on panel, 2013.

Blood Orange, Acrylic and collage on panel, 2013

Now a mother and a high school art teacher, Noelle still finds time to create as a form of expression as an Interdisciplinary artist. Her inspiration is her own personal experiences of life and motherhood. 

"My current work still addresses the sexualized female body portrayed by the media, but also how anxiety can be conveyed through the body, and representing the female as strong, powerful, and multidimensional." Fiori

Noelle's Encaustic work from 2017

Encaustic is a wax based paint (composed of beeswax, resin and pigment), which is kept molten on a heated palette. The word 'encaustic' comes from the Greek word enkaiein, meaning to burn in, referring to the process of fusing the paint.

Submerged IV, Encaustic collage on panel, 2017.


Submerged VI, Encaustic on panel, 2017




Submerged III, Encaustic on panel, 2017.


"I think the female is multifaceted, full of layers and contradictions. Oftentimes we see ourselves as a collection of parts, which is why the broken aspect of collage is so fitting for my medium" Fiori

Interdisciplinary arts are a combination of arts that use an interdisciplinary approach involving more than one artistic discipline.  Interdisciplinary artists apply at least two different approaches to the arts in their artworks. Often a combination of art and technology, typically digital in nature, is involved.

In the 2019 Series: The Look Out, Noelle is addressing as a mother with young children, we often stay inside their young world, neglecting our own.

"Motherhood is so demanding that I think my anxieties became more of a focus in my work because I could not ignore them anymore. My work also shifted to demonstrate the feelings of being more confined and stuck in the home which motherhood can make one feel at times with young children. Look Out Series was addressing those ideas. However, at the same time motherhood is one of the most fulfilling and beautiful experiences I have had. So am interested in these contradictions in life that come through in my work." Fiori

The Look Out Series, 2019.



The Look Out Series, 2019.




Rosy, Multiple Exposure Collage, 2020.


Head in the Sand, Multiple Exposure Collage, 2020.


Multiple Exposure Collage, 2020.




In 2021, Noelle experimented with hand cut collages with digital images multiple exposure techniques. These works continue to explore notions of identity, feminism, anxiety and body image.


Drive, Hand cut collage with multiple exposure techniques, 2021.


Rocks, Hand cut collage with multiple exposure techniques, 2021.



follow Noelle's work on her website or on Instagram


Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Medway High 2021 Seniors' Portfolio

I am happy to share some amazing high school seniors' artwork. I remember high school art class for me was my place to be creative. A place to express myself and being around others doing the same. Learning there is no wrong way to create art. My teachers always made me feel accepted and allowed us to be creative and taught us to look at things differently. Everyone in class seemed to appreciate our differences and our own unique way of creating art. 

Thank you to Mrs. Jackson and Mrs. Brodeur for being amazing teachers to all your students.

I hope these soon to be graduates always find ways to create, to make this world a more beautiful place.


"Hi! My name is Ellie Early and I’ll be graduating from Medway High this year and will be attending Northeastern University in the fall. I’ll be majoring in business with a minor in design and I’ll be studying in Greece for my first semester! Over the past few years I have fostered a true passion for creating art and it has become one of my favorite pastimes and forms of expression. I have always been creative and artistic and I hope to continue using my talents as I go forward in college, as well as somehow incorporate it into my career one day!"

Ellie, Acrylic and gesso with palette knives


Ellie, Acrylic

Ellie, Acrylic

Ellie, Charcoal


"Art has been a way to keep my hands busy, a form of personal expression, a visual outlet to make strong statements, and a way to show my love and appreciation to those around me. I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember, bringing a notepad and a pencil to every restaurant, long car ride, and vacation. I love what art making has done for me as a creative outlet and want to bring that to more kids. I will be attending Montserrat College of Art in the fall to study to be an art teacher to show younger generations how they can use art to express themselves and find comfort in it the same way I did."

Aoife Bergeron
(they/them)
Aoife's Self Portrait Collage 

Aoife, Pencil

Aoife, Pencil


Aoife, Pencil


Aoife, Acrylic

Aoife, Acrylic


"Hello! I’m Rena Weafer and I am senior at Medway High School. Ever since I could hold a crayon, I have been creating art. To me, art is so much more than what meets eye. Art provides a place for me to put my thoughts on display for the world to see. It’s a way of communicating my perspective on life’s many struggles. Through silent battles and heartaches, art has been a constant presence for me to lean on because I know that whatever I am going through, art will help me find my way. At school when I am completing an assignment or at home when I’m attempting to organize my mind, I find myself doodling on the whatever paper I have in front of me as a way to focus my energy on the task at hand. With whatever I plan to do in the future, I know I will always bring my creativity to the table, that art taught me so many years ago." 



Rena, Colored Pencil


Rena, Pencil


Rena, Charocal


Rena, Collage


Rena, Collage


Friday, February 12, 2021

Local Art Inspired By Love

For the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day, I shared on the Made in Medway Facebook page art inspired by love. 

I have shared these artists' work over the past few years you can find on this blog. I love seeing the unique style of each of these artists.

Here is some work where love is their inspiration. Which is interpreted in different ways.


Quilt made by Gail Hodne.

Illustration by author, illustrator Lisa Graves


Illustration by author, illustrator Lisa Graves. From Lisa's coloring book "Colorful Women in History" Volume 2






Acrylic on canvas by Art Lee





Canman was commissioned to paint this large canvas for a recent wedding proposal. Acrylic on canvas.




Local illustrator, author, Judith Moffatt made this adorable pixies.




Artist, Laura Osterweis most often uses lipstick and other make up as her medium.





Sculptor, Jesse Green painted this portrait of his wife (about 18 yrs ago) using acrylics and sharpie.



Pencil on paper, Kim Blenkhorn.

When I asked Kim Blenkhorn if she had a drawing inspired by love she shared with me a portrait she did of her nana.
From Kim "I know that seeing a picture of an elderly person who doesn’t fit societies idea of beautiful and ISNT the first thing you think of when you hear the word love, but I know a lot of people have lost grandparents this year, and I think I can speak for the world over that there is a kind of love felt by a good grandmother which surpasses both beauty, success and all the material pleasures and possessions on earth. For they come at you with stories about who you were before you were. They come at you with infinite memories and photographs before there were photographs and they have nothing to offer but a kindness experience and wisdom that cannot be fabricated, packaged, bought, sold or understood any other way but through a totally invisible idea that we have defined as love.”


Oils on canvas, Anson Daniels.

Portrait of Harriet Rachel Lovering Daniels was painted by her husband Anson Daniels, 1850.
She died just a year later. The Medway Historical Society received this painting just a few weeks ago by an art collector in Texas. Anson was a very successful portrait painter in addition to being an accomplished poet, born and lived his life in Medway. Anson was a member of the Second Church of Christ for 42 years and served as an honored Deacon in the church for 22 years. In 1866, Anson Daniels represented the Town of Medway in the State Legislature. Anson also served as a school committee member for 28 years.