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Lori at the SAANS Gallery Salt Lake City
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Photograph by
Lori Ballard
An Artist's Reception with Lori Ballard
- A Review
Ladies and Gentleman,
today the sideshow
came to Broadway. So
Step Right this Way, you're about to see the most amazing sights
your eyes have ever seen. Yes, and it's right here, it's
right now, so step inside, it's all on the Inside
of the SAANS Gallery, Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.
As I entered the
gallery I was greeted with glimpses of
Americana on the
Midway,
which invoked childhood memories of a time when children rode on
large carved figures spinning round and round while trying to
grab the shinny brass ring. Of shadows of what is on the
inside, the two headed snake, the wooden headed dummy, the crown
of jewels that grace the head of the performer, the laughter
which only a clown can bring to a child. Yes, it's all there!
Lori Ballard's banners
are
reminiscent of that time, of days gone by, of a simpler time,
when what is seen as common today was unusual.
The exhibition at the
SAAN Gallery
will run through October 14th, 173 East Broadway SLC UT.
John Robinson
Sideshow World
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Photograph by John Robinson
©2008 All rights reserved |
Artist
Statement
I have long appreciated the art of
the circus sideshow banner line. Since childhood, I have
been intrigued by the odd and unusual.-probably because I
felt a little odd and unusual myself being a awkward and shy
only child.
About
4 years ago, in my thirties and not so shy, I began to document
the people and the attractions of the mysterious carnival life.
As I got more and more excited about my images, I soon began to
wonder how I could recreate the banner line art with my
photography. I was invited to participate in an art show where I
had to create a work on fabric, and the invention of this banner
project was born! When I received the invitation, I didn't know
what I was going to do but I was excited by the challenge of
stepping outside my box of traditional prints presented in
frames.
Immediately I wanted to put my imagery onto canvas blanks like
the old banner painters used, but I wasn't sure how. I also knew
that I didn't want to drop off a digital file and have it
commercially printed, because I didn't want such a polished
look. I was in the shower one day (the place where so many of my
ideas come to me) and I remembered someone telling me about heat
transfers.- That was it! -and so I started my experimentation.
It was perfect because it offered the weathered appearance that
I was looking for and the final coat of sepia tinted acrylic
medium just added to the antique feel that seems to transcend
time.
It
started with "A Giant in the Morning Light", but I knew then
that there would be more to follow. I wanted the banners to be
traditional in their structure, but since I have always loved
the art of black and white photography, I wanted to use my
mostly monochromatic images as opposed to the traditional bright
colors that are used for midway advertisement. With the
financial assistance of the 2008 Individual Artist Grant from
the Arts Council of Hillsborough County in Florida, it is my
hope that these modern recreations will offer the feel of the
traditional art form, while presenting imagery in a unique,
different and more subtle way. |
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