Having free reign to choose artwork for SAQA’s first Juried Artist Showcase from among the hundreds of amazing pieces in the Juried Artist online collection was an exhilarating experience. It was also overwhelming. Unlike a typical exhibition where the theme is established, I got to choose the theme. I don’t especially like cold weather, and I don’t live in an area that gets snow and ice. However, something about the blue and gray pieces spoke to me as had Impressionists in Winter: Effets de Neige, one of the first art exhibitions where I really noticed the curation of an exhibit. If winter was good enough for the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., it was good enough for me. I had my theme--winter. Rather, what feels like winter to me.
In choosing the art for It Feels Like Winter To Me, I didn’t read artist statements or even consider titles. And, since it is a virtual exhibition, I didn’t even have to consider the size of the pieces. I looked at all the art, and if it felt like winter, I downloaded the image. Using a photo reviewing program, I looked at the pieces multiple times. I wanted to have a range of subject matter, style, and color, and even include some three-dimensional pieces. To include as many artists as I could, I limited the showcase to one piece per artist, which meant one of my favorite pieces didn’t make the final cut.
After I selected the final 24 pieces, I looked at the titles and artist statements, I’m sure some of the artists will be surprised to find their pieces in an exhibition about winter. That’s why I added “to me” to the exhibition title. I hope you, the viewer, enjoy these interpretations of winter.
After twenty years as one half of the Pixeladies, Deb Cashatt has recently stopped dying her hair and returned to being a solo artist. She creates intricately pieced work that tell stories of modern life, digitally designs abstract pieces which are printed on cloth, and assembles small fabric collages made from computer parts and other found objects.
