Alicia Forestall-Boehm

The idea of an artist’s process has always fascinated me. Everyone thinks and works in a way unique to them. The steps an artist takes that lead to a finished painting is incredibly interesting and telling. Every artist can paint a line on a canvas but none of these lines will look the same and it is who they are and what they bring to the making of that line that makes each artist and each painting unique. In the 1960’s Roy Lichtenstein brought his unique voice to the art world. His hard-edged precise compositions have been said to have defined the pop art movement. This summer the Art Institute of Chicago has brought together the largest group of Roy Lichtenstein’s work, including drawings, paintings and sculptures, to show the scope of his process and interests in the exhibition Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective. I was most taken by the portion of the exhibition entitled Works on Paper. Here a collection of preliminary drawings that were made as precursors to finished p...

I always find it to be wonderfully thought-provoking to learn the whats, the whys and the hows about a particular piece or about a body of work. Understanding an artist’s process can be incredibly fascinating and telling. I am a very process oriented artist and this is evident in many of my series including my encaustic Urban Windows series, my encaustic tile Tesserae series and most recently in my encaustic and fiber vessels and sculptures. Last month I began a new encaustic and fiber sculpture and I thought that it might be interesting to document the making of this new piece. Window no. 34 (6.75"x6.75",encaustic) Tesserae X (18"x18", encaustic tiles) Since I made my first encaustic and fiber Vessel in 2011, each work was created in a purely intuitive manner. As my designs became larger and more complex I began to create models. Coming Together began as a drawing and from this drawing I made a paper model. By creating this model I was...

Digital artist Thomas Broadfoot creates remarkable three-dimensional art. Recently, Thomas told me that he had created a new work inspired by my encaustic and fiber Vessel Series. As you can imagine, I was very flattered and excited to see the result. The Basket is the first in a series using his interpretation of an object that is weaved. http://artbysilentgallery.broadfoot.biz/blog/2012/05/the-basket/ Using a computer program called Hexagon, he begins a piece by doodling until a concept is formed. From here, he creates the depth, dimensions, shape, color and size of the object. While creating The Basket, Thomas determined that through the use of thickness he was able to emulate a weave like pattern. Another program, VUE, is then used to create the background, texture, dimensions and materials, generating the final look and feel of the piece Each piece can take anywhere from 20 hours to one week to finish. On any given day he can have between 10-35 pieces in various st...

They’re taking Marilyn down today! And while some will miss her, I must say that I am happy to see her go. I am talking about J. Seward Johnson’s 26 foot tall statue of Marilyn Monroe that was installed on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile last summer. Art or kitsch was the popular debate. She was wildly popular as a photo op with tourists due to her size and location. I went beyond the love/hate issue with this piece of public, art and posed the question “is bigger always better when it comes to art?” in a blog post that I wrote for FUSEDChicago.org in September of 2011. Below is that post. Is Bigger Always Better… When it Comes to Art? This summer’s installation of “Forever Marilyn”, Seward Johnson’s large scale public sculpture of Marilyn Monroe on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, has served to renew the debate about whether large scale public art always qualifies as “art”. So, when considering art, does size matter? This discussion has led me to ask the same question of all a...

Today is the first day of the Crafts National exhibition at the Mulvane Art Museum in Topeka, Kansas. I am pleased to be one of the 87 geographically diverse artists included in this excellent show juried by independent curator Gail M. Brown. The exhibition ultimately chosen by every juror is as unique as their vision. It is always of great interest to have the opportunity to get a peek into their thoughts on juroring a particular show. Below are some thoughts from Ms. Brown from the exhibition catalog. "“What Is Memorable?” A national juried exhibition holds the promise of an abundance of meaningful choices. Within the context of the unknown and the tantalizing anticipation of the new, “possibilities” can be dizzying, including those of familiar vocabulary exploring fresh directions. This new exhibition opportunity as well as exuberant expectations from a constant viewer, was fed sumptuously by a diverse applicant pool. My desire to be introduced to works by artists I ha...