Artist: Amanda Page Stephens

The following feature was conducted by k@t and compiled-n-shined by Gabe. Please direct-link to this feature rather than copy+pasting. Give us credit for our hard work!

...and now, the natural visceral-visual blur of Amanda Page Stephens.



Bio [in her own words]

I was raised by the local art community so it is my blood to make art.
Naturally, I studied art in grade school. During the summer of 1994, I
went off to the Maryland Institute College of Art and Design. The following
fall I entered into Governor's School of the Arts. Due to the guidance at
Governor's School, I was accepted into 11 art schools in the spring
of 1995.

By Jan. 1996, I was headed off to the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago. I studied there for three years until I returned to Tidewater
in 1999. From then on until 2006, I juggled school, family, and work at
SAIC, ODU, and TCC. I finally earned my degree in May of 2006. During the years my art has appeared in a variety of group shows and in two solo shows. My first major exhibition accomplishment was in 1995. A sculpture, mixed media, photo piece was accepted into the Chrysler Museum's Irene Leeche show.
I was the youngest artist to ever be shown. I have judged a couple of festivals and art shows. I have taught a handful of workshops on video and
performance art. I hope to continue to produce and show my work in the days to come.



INTERVIEW

How do you keep your work and process fresh under deadlines and compromises?

I invite people in the community to make orchestrated accidents in my
work at tea parties or hang out spots. I also include found object in my
paintings.

What do you imagine is the role of your work in the lives of those who
see it?

I hope to inspire wonder, confusion….



What evidence do you see of your work achieving the goals you have for
it?

So many people ask questions of why, how, and what the f*** for. Plus I
have gotten a few amazing written reviews of certain pieces that proved I
achieved my desired goal. My goal for my work is to put art making in
non-traditional places done by everyday people. So many people are afraid
to help me with my work. They are afraid of messing it up. There are no
bad mistakes in my art. Just people getting together and having fun with
art.

If there were no financial limits whatsoever for you, what constraints
would you most like to overstep?

Well my work was born out of financial constraint so the only thing I truly desire is larger canvas… Are there other mediums you would explore? I went to art school for 10 years! I think I explored plenty.



Did you grow up in Virginia? (If not, when / why did you move here?)

Oh glory, glory yes. My childhood stomping grounds expand from Wards
Corner to Ghent [Norfolk]

Do you do gallery shows?

I grew up in a gallery show.

How long have you been creating?

Well let's see my dad was an artist and my mom was the nude model when they met. I had no choice to start in the womb. In other words since I can remember.



How would you describe your work?

Structured chaos….

Artist Statement: Accidental stains constantly inspire my creative
side. In fact natural stains make up most of my pallet. Pigments from tea,
wine, coffee, and flowers actually appear in my work rather consistently. Anassortment of found objects like puzzle pieces, obscure street metal,
and fabrics show up on my canvas too. The quest towards peace and sanity
repeat in my work on a regular basis. The concept of inexpensive and recycled materials drive my creative process. I enjoy inviting my community to contribute to the stains by spilling their drinks or putting their
cigarettes out on my canvas. I orchestrate these accidents by directing
where the spill or burn goes. In the end a search for answers and
relaxation gives my work its foundation.

What are you motivations for creating?

I can't stop. Plus I like to recycle.



What do you find visually stimulating right now? Any local artists that
we need to keep an eye on?

My dad, James E Stephens, Jennida Chase, Danny Holcomb, Jamila Starwater Tazewell, you.

What other artists or movements inform your work/aesthetics/sensibilities?

Ooooh art history, I hate/love you. See previous question. Jasper
Johns, Cindy Sherman

Do you think that the notion of an artist's "style" is fabricated to
boost sales and marketability?

No, growl. I think people can get overly comfortable but honestly I am obsessed with my process/style.
Are artists then forced to limit their body of work to specific content or media in an effort to facilitate easy recognization? Only if they let it.



You can catch Amanda at the following upcoming art shows :

November 2, 2007
Solo Kiss the Drink 3 Show First Friday Empire
[Richmond,Va]

November 10, 2007
Handmade Parade @ the Masonic Temple
[7001 Granby St]

Weblinks :

www.thebelvederegallery.com
www.myspace.com/amandapagestephens
www.norfolkcraftmafia.com
http://apages.blogspot.com

Joan of Art, Thanks for Successful Night!

Joan of Art : MC7C's first event!
..
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We were taken back by the outpouring of support for the local art community.
This is what this area has needed to push life back into the scene. It wasn't about color, clothes, religion, sex, sexuality, nor furthering ones self from popularity....it was about art.
We had the pleasure of working and presenting fourteen extremely talented women. Almost every lady sold something. Every lady got complimented. Every lady saw a room full of folks supporting their artwork. These labyrinthine guests saw just a portion of what the 7 Cities has to offer. A sliver of what talent we have in this area. Imagine what we can accomplish if everyone took a moment out of their busy lives to help the community.

The power of two people can do in a year's time without much money, materials, or praise. Anyone can do what MC7C did. Anyone. It starts with an idea and motivation. It starts with a small spark and before long a fire is blazing.

MC7C would like to thank:
All the ladies involved in the art show
Tricia
her myspace page

Renee Alexander
her myspace page

Machine Dance Photography
her myspace

Candace Filip
her myspace

Mallorie Nasrallah
her myspace

Chelsea Barnes (artist)
her myspace

Elizabeth Henry
her myspace

Jennida Chase
Jennida myspace

Amanda Page Stephens
Amanda's myspace

Emily Sue
Emily's Myspace

Jen Stringer
Jen's myspace

Dzaet
Dzaet myspace

Melanie
Melanie myspace

Briana Cece
Brianna myspace

DJ Spookster!

Gabriel Cece for his patience, hard work, and passion.

Fuzion Ink : what a beautiful venue and positive environment

Chuck's Custom Catering: If you are having an event, these are the people to hire. What a spread! You name it, they had it!
((757) 406-0034)

Escapist Productions:

Restless Bodies

Sacred Art : for t-shirts/ buttons / screen printing needs. hit them up. They make you look good!

The Minus Men webpage
for providing sound for the fabulous music

The Dominion Derby Girls for just being kick ass!!!!!

A extra special thank you to Amanda Page Stephens for helping us in our crunch time and for being super supportive! We really appreciate all the hard work you put into Joan of Art.

Mom and Dad Marsh (for being our biggest fans)

All of our friends.... too many to name but you know who you are!

All the artists that attended to support the ladies! It was dynamite to see you checking the art out and talking with the girls.

All the fans. Without you, the show wouldn't have been a success. Without you, we'd all been home sooner with more artwork on the walls! Thanks for buying their work, eating the food, drinking the drinks, and supporting local art.

Artist: Chelsey Barnes

The following feature was conducted by the MC7C duo and has been posted for your visual and mental pleasure(s). Please direct-link to this feature rather than copy&pasting. Give us credit for our hard work!

And now, the "cheeky smart-alecky jazzy fantastical" Chelsey Barnes.



Chelsey Barnes is living in Richmond, Virginia. She plans to attend VCU in the Spring and is working on releasing a website in the near future.

Her next upcoming show is the wonderful Joan of Art show

INTERVIEW

How long have you been creating?


Well, I have always been sketching and doodling. I picked up painting when I was 15 because I desired color to give my drawings life. That, and I wanted something to get my hands dirty with! I have been trying to dabble in all sorts of crafts, something to keep my hands busy. I've built a huge collections of all sorts of little crafty supplies over the past two years. Hopefully, I'll get into crafting more soon so I can have more cute little things to share. Over the past year I have been learning Illustrator. It is my new best friend. We go to parties and stuff together. We've gotten to know each other pretty well. A lot of my newer work is done on illustrator.



How would you describe your work?

Goodness...If I had to choose one word it would probably be cheeky. Or smart-alecky. Ooh ooh, or maybe even....jazzy! Jazzy is a fun word. But so is fantastical...I may as well go with Cheeky smart-alecky jazzy fantastical chic. Yeah. That's what I'll stick with :)



What are you motivations for creating?

Artwork! I LOVE browsing other peoples stuff. Magazines. Especially home design. You see so many shapes, colors, and structures that make you feel so compelled to create. Don't ever take me to a craft store. You know, I used to clip out things that I like, design wise, and keep them in a box. All sorts of typography and swatches of colors and things like that.

Even little flyers from Macy's and tags from clothing. Design is everywhere, and that is such a huge inspiration. I would dive into that box every once in a while and it's like getting caught in a whirlwind. So much you want to work on but for some strange reason we were only given two hands. Ten fingers. What am I supposed to do with ten fingers?!



What do you find visually stimulating right now? Any local artists that we need to keep an eye on?

Right now my eyes are wide open and adjusting to Richmond, where I just recently moved to. So much greatness here, art-wise. It's such an underestimated town. Everywhere you look you find something you aren't expecting. Right down my alley there is a brick wall that someone was nice enough to cover in mortar and pieces of broken plates. It's beautiful. Even the people who live in Richmond are visually stimulating. It feels to nice to live in a community filled with aspiring artists. Chris Norris, who works in admissions to VCU, has wonderful works (nudge, nudge).



What other artists or movements inform your work/aesthetics/sensibilities?

I am in love with the works of artists like Justin DeGarmo, Esao Andrews, Travis Millard, and Kris Chau. It's so imaginative and like nothing else. And it's always in fun. Anything with wonderful energy gets me going. I get so overwhelmed with the idea that I should always be producing work that I question whether or not anything of mine is ever really finished, but I have recently come to realize that it may just be my style. I love that I have found my style. It's so comforting. It's like
wrapping yourself in a warm blanket. Now I get to work on it, and develop it.



Do you think that the notion of an artist's "style" is fabricated to boost sales and marketability? Are artists then forced to limit their body of work to specific content or media in an effort to facilitate easy recognization?

I think that a lot of the artists that produce "marketably profitable artwork" are just artists that are producing what they know they would buy . A lot of the stuff that is popular right now are popular because of artists. A few things that I have
recognized that are sold in stores are straight out of the art world. I'm sure a lot of artists get inspiration by popular culture. It just grows and they find people enjoy it, and it's just a cycle. I don't really think artists are forced to limit their body of work just to get recognition, because what would force them? Sales? It's not he most important thing in the world. It's nice, but everyone has their own tastes. You're always going to find someone that is drawn to your work.



What were your favorite cartoons as a kid??

I was always more of a outside girl. Hanging in trees and building crap out of extra wood. The green grass in my backyard was my favorite thing in the world. When I did finally come inside, my twin brother and I watched a lot of movies. Goonies and Indiana Jones were the deal. OF course there was always Batman, and Sunday morning cartoons. I always snuck and watched the cartoons late at night like Daria and Aeon Flux.



What do you imagine is the role of your work in the lives of those who see it? What evidence do you see of your work achieving the goals you have for it?

Honestly, I just like to see people happy when they view my works. Very rarely do I make any darker pieces. Smiles. That's what keeps me smiling.

Tell us about your DJ night at the Wave in Norfolk Virginia. We want details and flyers! Plug away!

Yay! I'm so excited about this project. It's called SUBTERRANEAN. It's every Wednesday night at the Wave in Ghent Norfolk. Me and my buddy Drew.B scout for the best new stuff in music blogs and mixes and we compile awesome sets specifically for people to shake their hips and get their swerve on. The music range is incredible and I guarantee you will dance all night. There are also dollar beers. I mean...come on. We work really hard on this event and I make and HAND CUT every single flyer that goes out to get this thing going ( and they are really cute, they are little mixtapes). If you want to know what kind of
music is played visit the Myspace for SUBTERRANEAN.

If there were no financial limits whatsoever for you, what constraints would you most like to overstep? Are there other mediums you would explore?


I REALLY want a studio. This whole keeping my paints in tuperware drawers and buying canvas's when I need them thing is ridiculous. I would love to dedicate a space just to creating. I am interesting in using oil paints, and currently looking
for a fun oil workshop in richmond. It just produces SUCH a smooth texture.

Did you grow up in Virginia? (If not, when / why did you move here?)

Well, I was born in Ipswich, England and raised in Fayhetville, North Carolina. I moved to Virginia when I was 8 because we were relocated because of my fathers position in the Air Force, and I swear to you that it is the most comfortable state I have ever been to. Everyone is so warm. Well....most people at least.



Do you do gallery shows?

I have done a few shows with the guys over at Restless Bodies and Elm and Oak but no gallery shows yet. I would like to do a bunch of gallery shows, hopefully starting off in Richmond.

Patrick Swayze or Chuck Norris? Why?

I'm going to have to stray away from these choices and go with Steven Segal. Only because I wish to gain his companionship so I can trick him and go behind his back and whoop his ass. It is my number one priority in life. I think I am in Phase Two of my plan because he approved my friendship request on myspace.

How do you transform a blank canvas into a work of art? What's your process?

Well, first I sketch a little sketch. Then I cover the canvas in a color. Whatever color im feeling. I'm really into doing portraits right now, so I start with a face shape and lay down pencils which I can pick up under my first couple layers of
paint. I like to do all my details and stuff with this wonderful nibbed pen. I get carried away with adding details but I love doing it. Add some more color here, there, on my clothing, hands, and finally on the canvas. I guess I feels it's
finished when I add text. It's kind of like a stamp of approval, subconsciously.



The business side of being an artist: how do you market/promote yourself, and does it work? How do you cope?

I try to leave these little cards I made everywhere. You know, a lot of people are embarassed to mention myspace, but I think it is a wonderful tool. Add, add, add, add.....and then you realize you have 7,000 friends. Oh by the way, add me.

I'm not really a jerk. I actually love everyone.

MC7C Featured in Portfolio Weekly!

Hannah Serrano, journalist extraordinaire, interviewed MC7C, at Hindu Pez's show at Gil's Bar and Grill last week. This is the result of that interview and noise event!


(For the complete article and features on more local artists. click on the link provided! Portfolio Weekly's Article)

MC7C

Is: Gabriel Perry, 24, Oceanfront; and K@t Marsh, 26, Pungo. Gabe is a freelance photographer and an industrial music DJ that goes by the moniker, Hindu Pez, while K@t is a painter, freelance writer, model, event promoter, and all-around businesswoman.

Makes: The Seven Cities underground art scene what it is today. Their name is on everybody's lips when talking about the local, underground music and art scenes, which the two have helped to turn into a near renaissance.

Says: "We were sick of it. From my aspect, nobody could get a show. If you didn't sound like Nickelback, you couldn't get a show. If you didn't know somebody at the venue, you couldn't get a show. A year ago, there weren't the art shows that we have now. There was almost nothing. We started talking about how we were irritated about it. We had frustrations with different aspects of music and art, and we wanted to at least try to fix it. That's all we can do is try."

"There are some artists that are really introverted who really express themselves mostly through their art. I feel like the music and art scene here has grown to [one in which] everyone can relate to each other now. And it's through the art, and through the scene, and it's not about just yourself anymore—it's about how we can help each other. We don't make a penny off of what we do. The art show [Joan of Art]—we're not getting paid for that."

"Everybody's going to each other's events now, too. It's not like, 'Oh, I'm better than that person, so I'm not going to support them.' It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you're in the hip-hop scene, it doesn't matter if you're a painter, it doesn't matter if you're an acoustic singer, or whatever. You go, and you support the music, and you support the art. It's crazy—you look out when you go to these art shows and these events, and there'll be a hip-hopper there, a guy who's covered in tattoos, a guy with a Mohawk…That line is totally being broken around here. A year ago, none of this was going on. And we wondered recently, 'What is it that changed?' I think it was just that we said, 'No more excuses.' We started asking people, 'OK, what can we do for the scene? What can you contribute? Can you make a flyer? Can you come out to the show and support us?' And the meeting ground there is art. There are politics involved, of course. But there's this unspoken thing: art."

Network: MC7C is the sponsor and coordinator of the art exhibition, Joan of Art, which features several local women artists, including Elizabeth Henry, Amanda Page Stephens, and Renee Hamilton. To keep up with their future events, as well as other events in the area, check out MC7C's site, www.myspace.com/monochromatic7cities.

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Portfolio Weekly

Many thanks to the entire staff of local wonder publication Portfolio Weekly, Hannah, alllll the ladies we are going to feature at Joan of Art, Fuzion Ink for sponsoring and hosting the art show, Gabriel Cece for sponsoring the art show, and of course....all our supporters that have made MC7C successful!
(In other words, YOU!)


cupcakes and grenades
k@t & -Gabe-