An Inquiry of Place
Samantha Parker Salazar’s paper installations take on a life of their own, a life where light, shadow, color and form vibrate with movement. Her pieces can sprawl across entire walls and ceilings or envelop an entire room.
Within these dancing forms, a story unfolds: Informed by the life and experiences of her ancestor, Cynthia Ann Parker, Salazar explores and exposes a story that has been forgotten over time.
You can see Salazar’s work in Vol. 8 of Newfound Journal here.
Bethany Johnson‘s work contains a kind of calm objectivity. Check out two of her series in the current issue of Newfound Journal.
Johnson delivers lightly removed yet confident gestures, made by a sensitive and observant hand. This deliberate mark-making still contains poetry. In “Field Notes,” Johnson creates beautiful landscapes with her obsessively meditated drawing and in her most recent series, “Notes For An Emergency,” Johnson uses vintage ephemera and photography to collage work that expresses not only an analytical eye, but a deep empathy and exploration as well. Bethany Johnson talks with Newfound about the thought process behind her art practice, how she became an artist and what inspires her.
Austin-based artist Rebecca Marino is no stranger to the strange. Her photography is often influenced by astronomy and the cosmos and her most recent series, “The Best Available Evidence,” explores the world of paranormal investigation.
The series was inspired by a book discovered in a used bookstore, which generated a personal photographic inquiry into the world of UFO documentation. Her work is as serious as it is playful, found in both the lightheartedness of subject matter and in the thoughtfulness of her photo compositions.
David O’Brien is an artist based in Sante Fe who works in video, printing, installation and painting. Recently showcased in Newfound’s Other Worlds issue, O’Brien’s work takes a meditative look into the micro-world of humanity’s discarded waste and the implications our enduring monuments of trash leave behind.
Each painting is a hand-printed photograph, screen printed with multiple layers of resin, ink and other materials, and then stretched around a round frame. These geographical studies take on an informative and thoughtful look into what marks we make as a species. In a recent discussion with Newfound, David shares his thoughts on his work, his artistic process and what influences him. You can see more of O’Brien’s work on his website.
Courtney Simchak: How did your Disc paintings get started? What was your inspiration for the series?
David O’Brien: The disc paintings began when I started getting serious about photographing the ground. They are a way to map and document the landscape from my own perspective. Each title is a set of GPS coordinates, accurate within a few feet of the photo.