Sunday Southern Review.

VISUAL ARTS & ARCHITECTURE:

A playful synergy enlivens this collaborationBy Debra WolfFor the JournalConstitutionPublished on: 08/19/2007

REVIEW
Sunday Southern Art Revival: Jessie Cregar, George Long, Scott Pethia, Mario Schambon, Tindel-Michi


Through Sept. 1. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays. $100-$3,000. Whitespace, 814 Edgemont Ave., Atlanta. 404-688-1892, www.whitespace814.com.
Bottom line: Good old-fashioned fun.


Put six Southern gentlemen together on Sunday afternoons. Add a passion for making art and a significant dose of humor. What do you get? A self-described religious experience, an ongoing visual conversation and a unique collaboration among six creative spirits: Jessie Cregar, George Long, Scott Pethia, Mario Schambon and Tindel-Michi.
Each of these artists pursues work on his own: Cregar is a classical painter. Long and Pethia work in varied mediums including ink and metal. Schambon paints and sculpts, while Tindel-Michi (two individuals) work in tandem on a regular basis under an appended name, frequently using acrylic, stencils, markers and spray paint.
But on Sundays, generally, these six are part of an experimental process where the rules are simple —- mutual respect and having fun —- as they paint collaboratively and simultaneously on a number of images.
How do they actually manage this?
George Long points to one painting and smiles, telling how its background was the beneficiary of tennis balls dipped in acrylic and thrown, followed by boxing gloves used to pummel the surface. Yet no one would guess how these marks and splatters were formed, particularly when the end result is many-layered and well-executed.
In addition to these less-than-staid methods, more orthodox tools and processes are used, traditional brushwork, drawing and stenciling among them.
"Dairy Queen Don Quixote" is a vibrant example of these collaborative efforts. It is a composition with luscious, warm tones, floral stencils and a scratchy representation of the Spanish literary hero on horseback. While the painting's meaning is not self-evident, the work itself displays the surprisingly synergistic style of the six, partly figural and with notable graffiti elements.
"Fade to Black" is a different sort of image; dark and sophisticated, it is one of several interrelated and moody abstractions, while "Pink Pigs R the Way" is an utterly charming and humorous depiction of flying wheelbarrows and the occasional pig.
With an exuberance and spontaneity that enhance the unusual nature of their activity, these art-making mavericks work right up until an exhibition opens (even creating on-site) and continue to paint unsold pieces after the show comes down. This yields pleasing and playful results in the ultimate illustration that for some, no creative endeavor is ever quite finished.

Souls Saved

TM and the other evangelist recently installed the second edition to The Sunday Southern Art Revival. The show will be up until September first. Stop in and see the glorious work that the spirit has lead us to create and share with those in need of a blessing. The Revival is a traveling installment much like the old fashion tent revivals of the rural south. Our next meeting is in St.Augustine on Sept.7th. We gone win some souls for the spirit and those souls aint ready.

During this entire revival that was started for fun, and nothing more, I think we have ourselves, as artist been born again. AMEN!! I guess during this collective collar project, we were all trying to save our own holy art souls from burning in the rut of complacency and boredom that Atlanta has the potential to have. When I think about it, I too have threatened to run to NYC to avoid the rut. I aint scared. It’s just that catfish like fresh water, if you know what I mean. Although there are salt water catfish, I'd much rather cruise a fresh-water lake and not become a pale worm in a big grey apple. My faith is our skills and those ruts are under monster truck tires, so we just gone jump'em anyways.BIG WHEELS KEEP TURNING!! AMEN!!!!

Back to our souls. I am so pleased at the outcome of this whole revival I want to go tell it on a mountain. Our creative spirit is up so high right now we just may be able to part the Chattahoochee, like Moses did the Red Sea. If that happens, there will be a fish fry in the back forty. I aint one to tell lies right outta church, but I feel we could do it. God knows we have put a lot sweat equity into what we are doing and have done ups and down, grants lost, not always working smart , sometimes doing too much ,and hell, at times not doing enough. I guess what I’m trying to say is I think the Revival has saved TindelMichi more than we wanted it to save a community of artist. AMEN!!!

Go down to the mourner’s bench and receive your blessing @ 814 Edgewood @ The Whitespace.