breaking down all the walls.

Well, just in the same way that I cut a whole in the studio wall to see what was on the other side...I felt like you all deserved some insight into what is coming up and coming out from my studio walls this winter...

A new series is blooming and with it prefaces a year of wondering thought, conceptual planning and attention to detail... At times my work lends itself to illustrate an undefinable line between photography and painting. ...about 7 or so mediums collide to create a full mixed media process...

the new series is no different. But I would say there is a heightened sense of awareness for historical relevance mixed with an unassumed innocense in imagery...

i spotted a new found freedom with my work- it was painful but necessary.

it's about breaking down all the walls that hold us in... right?

Please stay tuned with the blog and gallery releases for the series titled...

"and yet we were fearless"

Series will be released through the gallery "Watt's Fine Art...Bringing Contemporary Masters to the Midwest"

Peter Greenaway In NYC..."impassioned crusade"

Artist and film maker Peter Greenaway... A visonary and on a passionate pursuit to bring creative awareness back to a visually confined generation.

His New York installation will be showing at the Park Avenue Armory starting December 3rd, 2010.

(image courtesy of the www.armoryonpark.org)

Leonardo's Last Supper: A Vision by Peter Greenaway, resides within a full scale replica of the Refrectory of Santa Maria Della Grazie that served as home to the original da Vinci master piece.

Within the complete repica of the Santa Maria... Greenaway digitally reproduced the orginal Last Supper.

The experience is tranformative for viewers as the digital production takes observers through a process breaking down visual layers of the original work by Leonardo Davinci.

As quoted from "W" magazine December 2010 issue: "Greenaway's impassioned crusade to deepen visual lieteracy among what he calls 'a laptop generation of people who believe there's no cinema before Quentin Terantino nor painting before Jackson Pollack."

Why am I enthralled at works by Peter Greenaway?... (Other than the obvious soaring installations with manipulations of light, sound, and theatrical greatness) He is challending a generation of people to see again and to even revisit the great works of art produced long before our time of current creativity.

He transfigures traditional painting and has used the gadgeted details of a world so sensory driven to media, and produced a reverberating experience from the mind of a great master.

His approach is fresh and new to a world numbed by expected yet somewhat delightful cinema.

Creating experiences is the most engaging thing about art. In this he has succeeded. Every sense should be awakened and heightened...

If I am not creating great "works of encounter" for viewers then I am no longer a visonary artist... but a mere fabricator of material. I refuse this type of small thinking... and even in my most humble image there will always be huge visual implications... Every piece matters and every great work of art can serve a purpose.

What a delightful installation from Peter Greenaway.

from Amelia: New Works at Pryor

This Friday, October 8, from 6 to 8 pm, Pryor Fine Art is hosting an opening for "some of the city's favorite artists," who just happen to be our very own Mattress Factory friends and studio neighbors. Courtney J. Garrett, Todd Alexander, and John Folsom are showing new works at Pryor this month in honor of "Atlanta Celebrates Photography" during October. Not that these artists produce pure photography, for all are mixed media artists. They are being recognized because of their innovative take on photography through the mixing of images, layers of materials, and re-defining of what is typically seen as a "painting."

Come out to Pryor this Friday through October 29 to see the premiere of these striking new works. Pryor Fine Art is located at 22F Bennett Street Atlanta, GA 30309. See www.pryorfineart.com for more details.

it's me-

Hello blogging world. I am ever far behind in catching up with you-

Here's a bit of what is going on and what is coming up in the studio and beyond...

I just returned from the Hampton/Long Island Area... an amazingly inspiring trip- life changing some would say for an artist.

Yearly shows have begun for me as well...this Thursday night the private patron party is scheduled for the Dian Fossey foundation- followed by the Opening Public Gorilla fund Event September 23rd, 2010. This is a very exciting time as the studio releases it's first historically documented international series. I feel the weight of such a responsibility and am ready to share the works in a public setting. They are emotionally dynamic-- as I try and express the layered life of a woman and her work... She so passionately connected to her environment.

"Atlanta Celebrates photography" month is just around the corner with October approaching. New works will be shown through Pryor Fine Art Gallery here in Atlanta. Pryor Fine art will also house more new works in a 2 person show this spring featuring a multi-faceted mixed media series from the studio.

As it always seems October is a very busy month for me- New works will also be released Hilton Head, SC for a solo exhibition towards the mid-end of the month in October. Moreover, I plan to close out the month with a trip to Hong Kong- I am very excited about my anticipated time there... as i am sure another life changing event is on the horizon.

Stay tuned.

The Studio at the Summit

On May 15, 2010, 23,000 people gathered to watch 590 of the world's rising designers showcase their potential in one space at one time: the 145,000 square foot Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The 22nd annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) attracted designers from 40 different countries and 14 different contingencies, and was called "the global summit of what's best and what's next in design."

The studio had the privilege of being represented in the Holly Hunt New York showroom with one of Courtney's latest series: Blackbird. Here are a few photos from the show...

Dian Fossey: Echoes...

it's a mystery for now but- we've got a lot of stuff in the works. it seems to be the most passionately documented series yet. -- or just until the next one. stay tuned.

from Amelia: so I was never good at puzzles...

Amelia here!.. again- just updating everyone on some things going on in the studio with Courtney's work and my job as the studio summer intern...

We are always shuffling art and artifacts in and out of the space but currently are working on an extraordinary project-

This week I have had the privilege of taking part in a photo shoot for some of Dian Fossey's personal belongings for a new series beginning in the Studio. Courtney is busy with commissions and is also steadily working a specialized group of paintings for the Dian Fossey Foundation's 3rd annual fundraiser in September. For the past 2 days I found myself delving into the rich history that surrounded these few items; from newspapers to manuscripts to placemats to maps of Rwanda and Uganda, the assignment quickly went from a small project to a full-fledged lesson on the state of central Africa 25 years ago, reminding me of the few fragments of their history I have learned from various classes the past couple of years.

Opening the newspapers Ms. Fossey collected during her time in Africa to document each page was a far from tedious task, as I recognized the African leader Mobutu in each picture and every article. These papers were full of propaganda supporting the corrupt governments of the time, and as the papers progressed, I watched Mobutu's rise to power in Zaire. It was incredible to see the country's fascination with this man and the hold he had over them during that time. I wonder if Ms. Fossey knew what was really going on, and saved those papers for this purpose...

As I continued documenting, I discovered grocery lists, projected budgets, annotated speeches, and notes on a screenplay for a documentary made of the gorillas she had studied. Her handwriting was average, not particularly lovely, but her language when speaking about the gorillas was the most descriptive and carefully loving I have ever read in reference to animals. Her passion not just for her work/studies, but for the gorillas themselves, shone through every sentence.

Lastly, I found a map of Rwanda and parts of Uganda that had been burned in a fire. This topographical map had been marked and colored by Ms. Fossey for her own unique use with crayons and markers. Since it was burned, I had to piece it together from the connections I could find. I loved doing it; this was probably my favorite part of this documentation, because I was piecing together a part of Dian Fossey's life, a map full of the places she traveled and studied in. I couldn't figure out why it was so difficult for me though, and then it hit me: I was never good at puzzles.

check out the Dian Fossey foundation here: http://gorillafund.org/

...and continue to follow us as Courtney documents the passionate work of Dian Fossey through an upcoming series release.

-Amelia

from Amelia: Changes in the New Space

Since the summer began, we did some moving around to free up the front part of the studio for painting and create more of an office space in the back...

-Amelia

from Amelia: A Day in the Life of Mattress Factory Studios...

Amelia here- Courtney J. Garrett Studio's assistant...

So far I've been here for a little over a month, and wanted to voice my observations as a new member of the Mattress Factory family.

I don't think there has ever been what most people call a "normal" work day- each day is filled with a new adventure, whether it's known or yet to be discovered.

10 am- To-do meeting in the car on the ride to the studio- I am always over ambitious, and I make many long lists.

11 am- Begin work at the freshly painted studio after catching up with all of our neighbor artists. Todd, from next door, has a new beast of a truck he has termed "The Black Pearl."

Also, there is a random electrician, who's doing some renovations upstairs, on the porch waiting for the power company to arrive with his dog Trey, who quickly befriends Courtney and won't leave her side.

12:30 pm- Find an enormous roach that got his leg stuck in our refrigerator door...I ran next door for assistance, and after blow-torching the monster (which I have decided is the new best way to exterminate), we discovered it was just a beetle.

1:00 pm- Grieve the loss of our friend, Ben the Beetle, and plan a memorial for him in the future.

2:30 pm- Our weekly power outage has occurred. (...and don't be fooled into thinking it is consistent in its coming) On a day like today, where Atlanta heat has soared into the triple digits, our work took an unexpected turn as all the power in our buildings turned off. Not that it makes much of a difference to us heat-wise (AC is a luxury reserved for normal "citizens" not artist at Mattress factory=)

3:00 pm- Since there are no lights, we move today's meeting up and go get some ice cream to help us think. =)

3:10 pm- Power and production is back up and running- no more stumbling through the hall with just the light from an iphone.

5:30 pm- The electrician and Trey the dog are still waiting outside 6 hours later...Leave the studio to answer more emails on the hour long ride home-courtesy of Atlanta traffic.

6:30 pm- Arrive home to Rufus and Ollie, who cannot contain their excitement and proceed to show off by wrestling each other to the floor.

I love having a job that as consistent as it is, still leaves room for the unpredictable. What a blessing it is to wake up every day, looking forward to work and what a new day will bring to the Mattress Factory.

"A Resurrection of Time Indefinite"

A Resurrection of Time Indefinite opened in 2 cities: April 16 at Pryor Fine Art in Atlanta GA, and May 20 at Loretta Goodwin Gallery in Birmingham AL. (and in that sentence is a brief explanation of my non-existent blogging activity)...

To say the least, the studio has been extremely busy. A Resurrection of Time Indefinite was an incredibly moving series that at its core represented somewhat of a closing statement to the former series A Recording of Time Indefinite.

"A RESURRECTION OF TIME INDEFINITE”

My last series entitled "A Recording of Time Indefinite" was based of my observations over a three-year period of change that occurred over particular plots of land and southern vernacular structures. During this process, I had the unique privilege of photographing a horse whose pasture I had been recording for many years. He lived amongst the backgrounds of my more architectural landscape works and until this point he singularly had remained un-documented.

When I arrived to take his picture I had the sobering sense that it would be my first and last opportunity. Seasoned with a vibrant long life, sway backed and gentle he passed away in the weeks to follow. Incredibly moved by my timely imagery of him, “A Recording of Time Indefinite” was emotively born.

During my work on that series I dreamed of an impressionable last encounter with the gentle horse. Within the Dream, I watched myself walking towards him with a handful of medicine…Seconds later in the next frame of imagery, the horse has passed away, and I had begun burying him under a thick pile of brush. After placing the final piece of dried foliage over his mountainous body, I sadly stood to make my decent from the organic graveside. Within a few steps of walking away, I turned back for one last look at the sleeping giant.

Upon my looking, I noticed, what was expected to be the lifeless body of an old horse, turn into a moment of life giving redemption. There, under the brush, within a motionless body, I saw the white of the horse's eye... He blinked and I realized he was alive. Screaming loudly, I began yelling- he's alive! He's alive! I then ran back to his side and started throwing off the brush... In an excited moment of understanding, something I thought was dead and gone now lived. I awoke immediately.

Months later, after observing the old pasture being plowed and prepped for new use... I began watching a large brush pile accumulate in the center of the property. Teary eyed and weepy, I was reminded of the dream and the life I found stirring amongst the layered brush. In an emotional moment the series "A Resurrection of Time Indefinite" was created.

Within the works a vibrant movement is seen amongst the darkness. Through imagery of both winged and creeping things a promotion of life is illustrated despite what seems to be an encroaching night. My liberating hope is to inspire the acceptance of life and freedom amongst tired old bones…

To stretch out weakened legs and learn to walk again…to move wings that once were broken and to take sunk-in eyes and learn to see.

New Studio...and upcoming shows-

new studio means new work...

Check out the group show at Bennett Street Gallery--- Show Opens Friday April 16th, 2010. Come on out and see us!

"Dear People of Hatey"

Dear People of Hatey. Im sorry some of you got hrt. I hope you'll be ok.

from Kaylin.

I think there are times in our lives when we realize what is most important. This sweet letter given to me from one of my youngest new friends, has become a tender reminder... I ask myself what have I deemed most important?

This simple note has made me contemplate the idea that few of us have the time or take the time to write a simple note, send up a simple prayer for those around us in need. Today my heart aches for the hurting people of Haiti. Please take a moment today to seek out a way to contribute aid towards rebuilding and full restoration of this dear land and its people.

As an artist I am willing to do my small part. In attempt to raise funds for disaster relief in response to the Haiti disaster:

Any giclee print sales from my website through the end of the month of January, 100% of the total sale (minus printing and shipping) will be donated to Mercy Corps.

Just visit the store tab at my website to contribute:

www.courtneyjgarrett.com

Don't see anything you like under the store tab? Email us at the studio-- and we can get you info on what else is available...the point is to contribute, and this an easy way we can all pull together.

Don't want to purchase a print?...Donate directly to Mercy Corps or another disaster relief organization.

Mercy Corps is an organization providing direct relief in Haiti to those in need today and in the upcoming months... even years down the road.

As taken from there website...Here is what mercy corps is doing currently:

info and imaging credits go to: http://www.mercycorps.org/haiti/whatweredoing

The Mercy Corps response is currently focused on immediate humanitarian needs: water and sanitation, trauma support and job creation.

Five days after the quake, this woman and her baby need water first, then food and shelter. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

Earthquake survivors like this little girl are living in parks and vacant lots around Port-au-Prince. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

Clean Water and Sanitation
Mercy Corps is helping survivors access clean, safe water and sanitation services, working with our partners ITT Corporation and the Boston-based NGO Partners in Health, a leader in Haiti medical relief since its founding in 1987 by Dr. Paul Farmer. We are using multiple creative approaches, including de-salinization, water tanks, filtration units and alternative water sources, to get life-saving water to Haiti’s struggling survivors.

Job Creation and Economic Recovery
To jumpstart the decimated economy and begin rebuilding efforts in earthquake-affected areas, Mercy Corps will initiate a cash-for-work program that pays earthquake survivors a daily wage to clear debris, restore buildings and repair basic infrastructure. Through the cash-for-work approach, survivors carry out their own recovery efforts. Employing survivors gives them the dignity of earning an income they can then spend on the supplies they need for their families. Their purchases in turn help restart local commerce.

Trauma Support for Children
When the earthquake struck, all schools in Port-au-Prince collapsed. Haitian children who survived the earthquake experienced trauma that could negatively affect them for life.

To help restore children’s sense of well-being, Mercy Corps will provide post-trauma help using Comfort for Kids. This counseling methodology was first developed in New York by Mercy Corps and Bright Horizons, a global workplace childcare provider, to help children recover from the trauma of 9/11. Subsequently, Mercy Corps has used Comfort for Kids to help children recover from the China (2008) and Peru (2007) earthquakes and Hurricane Katrina (2005).

The Work of Ran Ortner...

image credit: NY times; arts beats blog/ photographer: Adam Bird for the NY times.

"Open Water No. 24"

Just recently have been enamored with the work of artist Ran Ortner. Could be one of the most intriguing artist of our time (in my oppinion) ...

http://www.ranortner.com/#home/

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/michigan-art-prize-goes-to-brooklyn-painter/?apage=2#comments

Caffein and Kibbee Gallery...

Could not have had a more inspiring day today...

Spent a large part of my time at Kibbee Gallery located in Midtown Atlanta, Ga. It was so inspiring to see the new works from Preston Snyder and Ben Goldman. I'm always in for a few good laughs any time I get to hang out with Ben... and it was most refreshing. Not to mention- I picked up a fresh cup of white chocolate mocha decaf on my way to the gallery... and realized they actually didn't make it decaf... which if you know anything about me, was a tragic move since I don't drink caffeinated beverages-- poor Ben and Preston -- I must have talked non-stop for at least 2 hours. Thank God hyperactivity as an adult-- can be written off as being an inspired artist...

Ben and I used to work in the same studio warehouse so it was really good to be around each other again. He's a hoot., but more so- wonderfully talented. It's Amazing how non-stop laughter can be such good to fuel to motivate my painting. Also, getting to hear Preston's inspiration behind his new showing: Pugilism, was ultra thought provoking and certainly left me with heavy contemplation about our choices as a people and how they effect our circumstances...His gestural approach with a new way of portraiture was wonderful...captivating.

Personally, with a retrospective to my own life-- I was drawn to his imagery simply for the idea that I'm still "in the ring" and some things are worth fighting for... my cuts and bruises will heal-- and that given up is not an option in life, or art.

So thankful for the progressive and thought provoking works of my friends. You all should check out Kibbee gallery if you have a chance...

www.kibbeegallery.com

Pugilism...is the title of the galleries' newest show by Preston Snyder. The show closes on the 30th of Jan. and I will be attending. you should to.

Drawings above are special thanks to Bengstudio.com

and the Boxing image is one of many of Preston's new works...

all image credits given to Kibbee Gallery.

FEATURED ARTIST IN BIRMINGHAM'S CITY MAGAZINE: "BLACK AND WHITE"

"A RECORDING OF TIME INDEFINITE"...SEE THE WRITE UP:

http://www.bwcitypaper.com/Articles-i-2009-10-15-231981.113121_At_the_Galleries.html

FEATURED PAINTING IN: ATLANTA HOMES AND LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE

CHECK OUT THE NEW FEATURED PAINTING;

"MADE OF CLAY AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY NO. 7"

http://www.atlantahomesmag.com/Atlanta-Homes-and-Lifestyles/January-2010/Classic-Remix/index.php?previewmode=on

(PHOTO COURTESY: ATLANTA HOMES AND LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE

Courtney J. Garrett: welcome new year- make yourself at home.

www.yoetna.com

welcome new year- make yourself at home.

well it's the start of another new year- this one should be as good as any other. so many changes happening for so many people... us including. as a year in review it has been super successful- new showings in New York all the way to LA...an artist could not ask for much more.

This year you can plan on a strong inventory set up for me...my plan is to have a back log of 100 paintings on hand...sounds' like it might take me 100 years to create-- but we will see;)

Also, Looks like I should be taking a month this summer to work in Rome. Italy, has always been a passionately ideal location for me, and the thought is exhilarating...

As for the studio- well it seems I'm expanding yet again...the work is getting larger and my need for space is increasing rather quickly... i will be working out of a warehouse with no regard to size limitations- it seems my studio needs to double in size about every six months or so- so hopefully about 1000 sq ft will work for the endurance. its nice to finally be settled into a large space for a long term setup.

Also... the book has been released from My wonderful husband (courtesy of his publisher Tate Enterprises)

- author; Beau Garrett--

Check out the details on the web:

www.yoetna.com

blessings-