Visual — Blog — Kristen Bisson

Photo Credits: Dennis Chao (The three photos just above.)

Last night, I went to an artist talk featuring Charles Burns and Chris Ware: Building Comix. It was very informative and interesting! I liked how Charles Burns keeps all of his image inspirations and interests in binders, almost in a hyper-organized fashion, something that I admire. He talked about how things like that get integrated into the work itself, with some of his characters pulling out binders of images and talking about them. I loved Chris Ware's presentation a lot, and I thought he was quite hilarious (even when he may not have intended to be). He talked about how he doesn't script his work, and he just lets it build itself on the page as he works on it. It was interesting to see both Charles Burns and Chris Ware's processes in how they think about building comics. A lot of who they are gets integrated into their work, whether it's in a way they realize or not. I bought Jimmy Corrigan by Chris Ware, and Big Baby by Charles Burns. They are both signed. It was a great event!

"Don't forget to go out of the house every once in a while or you'll lose your source of pollination." - Chris Ware's grandmother (or one of his relatives, anyway)

http://www.sunjournal.com/encore/story/1008133 (Mar 31, 2011 12:00 am) ‘Line’ UMF exhibit features works of three senior art majors

FARMINGTON -- University of Maine at Farmington showcases the work of graduating art majors in the upcoming 2011 Senior Art Exhibit entitled “Line.” This exhibit is free and open to the public and runs from Thursday, April 7 through Sunday, May 15, at the UMF Art Gallery. An opening reception welcomes the public from 5 to 7 p.m., April 7.

This eagerly-anticipated senior capstone exhibit features the work of UMF seniors Kristen Bisson of Farmington, Annah Mueller of Oakland and Giselle Scherle, of Farmington. A dynamic and inventive digital media installation, “Line” alludes to the artists’ use of both drawn and written lines in their work.

Kristen Bisson’s work is concerned with the formation of personal identity through media, and explores the idea of the “virtual self” in a way that is both immediately appealing and thought provoking. Her animations are fresh, fanciful, sharp and insightful.

Annah Mueller’s work—large scale typographic installations and video works—concerns itself with the peculiar contradictions inherent in contemporary design language and the culture of advertising. Dense, elegant and strangely compelling, these pieces have a resonance that transcends their apparent simplicity.

Giselle Scherle has created a world unto itself, and a cast of animated characters to populate it. Her works are sometimes melancholy, often tragic, and always infused with a strangely poetic atmosphere. Scherle’s gestural painterly, highly evocative drawings are united into poignant explorations of universal human emotions.

The UMF Art Gallery is located at 246 Main St. in Farmington, immediately behind the Admissions Office. The gallery is open noon to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, during the UMF academic year and by appointment. For more information, or to make special arrangements, please call 778-7002, or email Elizabeth Olbert, director of the UMF Art Gallery, at elizabeth.olbert@maine.edu.