December In The Annex: Wendy Cretella-Hodge, Jamaal Eversley, and Rebecca McGee Tuck
This December in our Annex Gallery we are presenting the work of Wendy Cretella-Hodge, Jamaal Eversley, and Rebecca McGee Tuck. The show runs through December 20. Gallery hours are 12–4PM on Saturday and Sunday and Monday through Friday by appointment. Below the Artists share a bit about their work.
In addition, please join us for the Virtual Artist Reception: Talk + Tour of December In The Annex. The event takes place on December 12th from 3–4 PM, and will include a virtual tour of the gallery by the Director and Assistant Director, talks from artists Wendy Cretella-Hodge, Jamaal Eversley, and Rebecca McGee Tuck, and audience Q&A! To receive event link, please RSVP at: https://www.fsfaboston.com/rsvp-dec-2020-annex-virtual-event
Rebecca McGee Tuck
The inspiration for all of my work comes from found objects that I collect or that friends and family have found and have thought to give to me. I like to call these emotional artifacts. An entire sculpture can be inspired by one small item. I love to fabricate stories about the history of the objects. The best day in my studio is when I completely lose myself in the back story of my work. I may begin with a photograph or an old crinkly sewing pattern, but I will end the day with a sculptural narrative.
I tend to have several sculptures in process at all times. When I walk in my studio I will find myself drawn to working on one of them-- I assume it depends on my mood. Because my work is directly related to the objects that I collect, a discovery during my day could change the course of a piece that I have been working on. When I get stuck, I like to keep my hands busy by weaving or sewing small projects that will become part of the layering that I love in my work.
I am inspired by a rich tapestry of the unusual; family histories, cabinets of curiosity, Alfred Hitchcock films, junk yards, myths and folklore. The most intriguing, however, is the excitement of discovering something left behind.
Jamaal Eversley
Beautifully Bold
No longer will I allow you to shame me
or feel ashamed of who I am.
No longer will I hide,
tucking away those special parts of myself,
just so you can feel “special” about yourself.
No longer will a “Square” like I
try to fit in with your circle of friends.
No longer.
For I am focused on finding Love within.
For the Beautifully Bold.
I would like to speak on this manifesto for this post. How it came to be and how it has inspired my works for “Orange is The New Black”. Since grade school I was teased and made fun of for looking like Steve Urkel. 8 years of braces (proud of my gap tooth smile today), big bifocal glasses with the string attached (not much here has changed except cutting ties with the string) and high water jeans paired with a big fuzzy deep plum colored sweater from GAP (oh how I miss that sweater). A quintessential nerd. That was me throughout my youth into late adolescence and some would argue still now. The difference between now and then, is that I did not want to be labeled “nerd”. I didn’t want to be called Steve Urkel. I loathed going to school sometimes because I did not like what others saw in me or better put, I didn’t like how I saw myself. Perception has changed since then.
Junior year of college, I was offered an internship at one of the biggest global accounting firms. Working the entire summer there, I can honestly say I made the most money in three months there than any other three month period in my life but I can also say it made me the most miserable as well. Sparing details on how and why, by the end of the summer, my ideas on who I am was changing. Several months later, I declined the offer to become an accounting associate and finally came out to my parents. “Mom, Dad, I am an artist and I didn’t take the job.” After a lot of spilt tears on the floor (by my parents), I was realizing and more so accepting who I was and the type of individual I wanted to become. 2010 was the year that I was elated to pick up my business school diploma and as equally elated to pick up a pack of paint brushes from Michael’s (I’ve since graduated to picking up professional paint brushes one by one).
For several years after graduating, I would find myself in the financial district hanging with my college friends and their coworkers. Talks of how the day went in the office and how the money was made was typical conversation which I could understand but couldn't relate to. Until it was my turn to talk and tell them who I am and what I did. I was confident about what my name was and came out strong with a firm handshake and eye contact but would meagerly state “I am a salesman”??? I would go home dwelling on this moment, asking myself why did I say that instead of saying I am an ARTIST! I would continue to relive this moment for years whenever I was out meeting new people. I had a gift and I knew who I was however it took me years to accept me for me. Back then, I would tell you that it was because of the incessant chatter from others on who I should be but honestly it was the chatter in my head telling my heart who I should be.
The culmination of these stories and many more make up The Bold & Beautiful and my daily inspiration while creating works for Orange is The New Black. The color orange represents boldness, youthfulness, strength and endurance. In a fashion sense, the wearing of black can be seen as a way to fit in and to take away the possibility of attracting any attention. For me, Orange is The New Black, is about celebrating who you are, more so, who we are as people. Celebrating the gifts that each of us as individuals have. Whatever it may be, it’s meant to be celebrated. When you view my work, you will see that orange nerd motif in many of my pieces. You see that, you see your gift within, you see the time to celebrate who you are. If I had a time machine I would travel back to circa 1996 and hug that high watered, fuzzy purple, nerdy boy and say love yourself unapolagetically and embrace the opinions that come your way because one day you will make great art from it.
Wendy Cretella-Hodge
Someone once said “ Paint picks up what nature does to us”. In essence this statement embodies my approach to painting, where nature and experience trigger a visceral response through the language of paint. I strive for an authentic response and delight in the physicality of paint remaining ahead of my conscious mind, open to the unexpected, where transformation is not found in technique but an emotional response to color, mark -making and surface. Although my paintings are informed by personal responses to life experiences, often conveying themes of vulnerability, loss and renewal, the true subject is the painterly expression triggered though these direct or remembered experiences. When I am true to who I am and surrender to the paint, I don’t get to choose how my paintings look. I often work quickly on multiples canvases during a painting session using layers of both oil and acrylic as well as collage materials. Speeding up the time between thought and action so as to not overwork the canvases, I aim to keep the brushstrokes fresh and immediate aiming for a true expression and dynamic energy to the work.