(gentle music) In this edition of The Art Show.

Photographs that reflect the past.

(gentle music) Pencil portraits of a different hue.

A jazz performer dazzles.

And close-up with "Autumn Rhythm".

It's all ahead on this edition of The Art Show.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) Hi, I'm Rodney Veal, and welcome to The Art Show, where each week we provide access to local, regional and national artists and arts organizations.

New Mexico photographer Will Wilson specializes in studio portraits with a focus on indigenous people.

An exhibit of his work was recently on display at the Denison Museum in Granville, Ohio.

Let's take a look at how he combines old and new technology to create portraits with a voice all their own.

(gentle music) Well, I'm an artist and a photographer.

I am the program head of photography at the Santa Fe Community College.

I grew up between San Francisco, California and Tuba City, Arizona which is on the Navajo Nation.

And my dad was Irish and Welsh, my mom was Navajo.

I think one of the reasons I was so drawn to photography because when I found photography, it was like this language that enabled me to kind of express myself in a way that I couldn't linguistically.

Some of the kind of early forms of photography that I was involved in, traditional black and white.

I was really drawn to that kind of documentary kind of style.

-36 shots to a roll, -(Will laughing) it was a different time.

Now I use a digital camera the whole time, but I am drawn to the historic process.

So in particular, some of the images you're seeing in this show were made with a process called wet plate, or wet plate collodion.

It was developed in 1851 and was kind of the photographic process until about 1880.

So, first step of the process is to take this plastic off.

With the wet plate process, it's a bit labor intensive.

You are essentially making your own film.

They call it wet plate because it has to stay wet throughout the process, otherwise, you won't get an image.

Step one is you get a plate, either glass or black metal, and you pour this stuff called collodion on that plate.

Collodion pretty much sticks to anything and it also has some chemistries in it that when it's combined with silver nitrate, and this happens in a dark room.

So, you pour the collodion on the plate, you take that plate to a bath of silver nitrate, and you drop it in there.

Three minutes later, an emulsion has formed, a light sensitive emulsion.

And so at that point, you have to use a safe light or do this in the dark.

And so you load that plate into a film holder.

Carry that film holder to the camera and you've already set up your subject and they're waiting.

You make the exposure and then, with this process, one of the great things is you can take the subject with you back to the dark room and they get to experience the actual kind of magic of analog photography.

And so, you have that exposed negative, you take it out of the film holder, you pour developer on there, and a negative image starts to form.

And so, you kind of judge that and then you stop it with water.

And then when you put it in the fixer, this amazing thing happens.

And at that point, you can actually turn the light on.

So it kind of does this transition, this magic transition, from a negative image to a positive image.

So it becomes this foggy kind of, it's not something that you can read and out of that emerges this beautiful positive image.

And people are, I think, really moved and fascinated.

And every time I see it, I'm just reenergized.

I'm like, "Yeah, let's go make some more."

(Will chuckling) (gentle music) So with the CIPX project or The Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange, which is what it stands for.

I'm using a historic photographic process to kind of investigate portraiture.

Kind of thinking about what photography would be if indigenous people invented it?

Would there be a different set of ideas?

Kind of protocols in relation to making someone's image.

It's a fairly intimate process.

I think there's a certain level of vulnerability that you extend or offer.

When I use wet plate, it enables me to slow things down.

It takes about 30 minutes to make one portrait.

So, I can have kind of a slower engagement with the individual in deciding how they want to be represented.

Po'Pay, years ago, you served the people in the Pueblo Revolt in 1680.

[Will] I was also incorporating another technology, a 21st century technology called augmented reality with this historic photographic process.

(jingle dress rattling) Through the augmented reality technology, I have been able to bridge this historic photographic image of her with her performance as a dancer.

And I've called these "Talking tintypes".

(violin playing) Swil Kanim is a violinist.

And he did a rendition of "Ten Little Indians" and he talks about that song, that nursery rhyme's relationship to the history of genocide.

So, you're kind of, I guess, moved by this nursery rhyme almost, but then hit over the back of the head with what it's really about.

And his kind of reframing of it, I think, it's a pretty powerful expression of indigeneity today.

(violin playing) I hope that people are really drawn in to a kind of different way of looking at portraiture.

(gentle music) It's kind of unusual.

There's a certain level of uncertainty with this portraiture.

There's these strange chemical-like aberrations that occur.

In terms of the indigenous folks, hopefully, people are moved by the diversity, the agency of the people.

Yeah and I think on a broader level, I hope that it makes people think about what it means to share the portraiture process with someone.

Slowing things down and thinking about what it means to make yourself vulnerable, to make yourself available to this kind of engagement.

I mean, every time I have one of these kind of engagements or work with people in this way, I think it excites me to make more, and it just kind of propels the project forward.

(gentle music) If you'd like to learn more about this or any other story on today's show, visit us online at cetconnect.org or thinktv.org.

During the pandemic, many artists got more creative than usual when shutdowns and supply chain issues limited access to artmaking materials.

Other artists used that time to develop the business side of their art practice.

Our next artist did both.

The colored pencil drawings of Derin Fletcher attracted attention when they took on surprising and vibrant monochromatic hues.

She's now helping other artists present their own work in her new gallery space in Akron.

Let's watch.

(gentle music) [Speaker] Colored pencils are a staple for Derin Fletcher.

They have been for years, since picking them up in high school.

I went to Firestone.

I went to the performing arts school.

And I had a really awesome art teacher, Mr. Dauphin, who pushed me and saw the potential in me.

And he was actually the first person to give me colored pencils.

[Speaker] In 2020, as the pandemic was just getting started, video of her colored-pencil portraits took off on Instagram.

It came about because I could not find brown pencils during the pandemic.

[Speaker] So she turned to greens, blues, and other colors for her drawings.

She ended up creating a series of monochromatic portraits, resonating with tens of thousands of viewers on social media.

That's when I was like, "Oh, wow.

Okay, yeah, this is happening.

Okay, well, let me keep it up."

(Derin laughing) 'Cause I just wasn't expecting the reaction.

I was just doing what I usually do, creating.

And I created the green image, it had to be, maybe at midnight?

It took me a couple of hours and just kind of experimenting.

But I was not expecting it to go the way it did.

[Speaker] Fletcher says she's always been drawn to portraits.

While she does commissions of real people, her preference is to use her imagination and create freely.

So I enjoy being able to kind of come up with different characters in my head of who these people are, or what their personalities are like.

Just kind of creating a different character who doesn't exist really.

[Speaker] Since sharing her portraits on social media, Fletcher's landed work for Hulu and Akron Metro.

And now she's creating art fulltime.

It jumpstarted with the monochromatic drawings.

It was like "Okay, I can do this.

I can become a full-time artist," and that's where it began.

[Speaker] On a recent afternoon, Fletcher was working outside of her comfort zone on a larger piece featuring two women connected by a braid of hair.

My goal is just to do more drawings of that style, bigger colored pencil drawings, and push myself on a bigger scale, 'cause I'm used to working small.

I don't usually go beyond the 9 x 12 or 11 x 14, so I'm trying to push myself to work at a bigger scale.

[Speaker] Fletcher seems to enjoy new challenges.

Last summer, she opened her own gallery near the campus of the University of Akron for both teaching and displaying art.

She says before opening the gallery, she struggled to get her art on view.

It was hard, finding a space that would either accept you.

I know a lot of different galleries that they want you to have at least so many solo shows under your belt.

And it's like, "Well, I'm trying to get one."

(Derin laughing) And before opening the gallery, I only had one solo show.

[Speaker] Part of Fletcher's vision is to help others exhibit their work.

It shouldn't be that hard for artists to showcase their artwork, so that was a goal of mine.

"When I get a gallery, it's gonna be so easy."

[Speaker] Fletcher's work as an artist has been a bright spot in what's been a tough time for people in general due to the pandemic.

She says art provides her a break from all of that.

Things are starting to get worse before they're going to get better.

So that can be tough to think about on a daily basis, so having an outlet like art to kind of escape that reality sometimes is amazing.

(gentle music) (upbeat music) The Art Show is going to be traveling around Southwest Ohio.

You might see this logo in your neighborhood.

Follow the travels of The Art Show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @thinktv and cetconnect.

And check out The Art Show hashtag.

It's time to head south to meet a performer with a jazz pedigree.

Singer Siobhan Monique delivers songs with a sultry, funky style that captivates audiences.

She draws inspiration from her close-knit St. Petersburg, Florida community and her family connection to the legendary Duke Ellington.

Here's her story.

(gentle music) I am Siobhan Monique.

I am a conduit for my ancestors and the daughter of St. Petersburg, Florida.

I am here to fulfill my purpose, walk in my destiny, but more importantly, I am here to let my light shine.

♪ Ooh ♪ My very first performance, I was three years old.

I was selected to perform in front of the church.

(gentle music) She got on stage in front of an entire packed church for a Christmas play.

She grabbed the microphone and just ad-libbed her entire part and just brought the church down.

So we were like, "Oh, okay, well, this is what she wants to do."

♪ Temptation ♪ That moment was when I connected to my purpose.

I didn't choose music, it chose me.

[Melissa] Her personality was an old soul from day one.

Her facial expressions had this kinda old soul type of feel to it.

She had a very unique, beautiful darkness to her, and I think that's part of this artistry that we see now.

♪ Southern trees bear a strange fruit ♪ I was in awe the first time that I heard her.

She was such a demure person, a small person, but this huge voice would come from her and it was so moving.

♪ Over me ♪ I can definitely see her sound and her music being something in the '40s and the '50s and connecting with that.

And when you hear her voice, it's like this voice has been here before.

This isn't a new voice, this isn't a pop voice, this is a voice that has a story that needs to be told, so she's continuing to tell the story.

So it really resonates with all generations.

(jazz music) My uncle Buster was a very essential part of the jazz era.

He played with the Duke Ellington jazz band and now that I look back on it as an adult, I can see the seeds that he planted for me and for my life.

(jazz music) Buster Cooper is my uncle.

He is my father's brother.

That connection and Siobhan's gift of having that type of ancestral voice and connection to the great jazz legends, allowed the two of them to really connect when it came to music.

(jazz music) He would always say, my family calls me Boo.

So, "Boo, never give up."

I got a degree in classical voice.

I went to New York and I was a leading role in the off-Broadway show and then he got sick.

And I was missing my family at the time, and my mom was like, "Listen, your uncle, he doesn't have much time left."

So I'm like, "Okay, I'm gonna pack up my stuff, I'm going to come home, I already miss my family, I need to see my uncle."

On his deathbed, he pulls me to him and he said, "Listen, I want you to carry on the family legacy.

It's your time.

I give you my blessing and I want you to carry this through."

And I'm like, "Oh, okay, that's, (Siobhan laughing) that's nothing major."

And so, with him saying that, I embraced and I accepted the calling in what he was passing down to me.

And that is what you see before you.

(Siobhan singing) Community is important to me because there is strength in numbers, and my community has shaped and molded me into a queen.

You have to give back to what has been given important to you.

One thing I can say about St. Pete, especially the south side of St. Pete, we are still a generational city.

We know people, we know their father, their grandfather, their great-grandfather.

So there's still that generational connection that I think makes it very unique.

It takes a village that believes in you, and in this case, establishing that base.

You know you can go home.

[Melissa] She's actually taken on that field to go work to New York, to LA.

She always wants to come back to that feeling of family.

(Siobhan singing) If it wasn't for my village, my community, my family, my ancestors, who constantly reminded me, "No, you are beautiful, you are smart.

Your voice ain't too loud, it's not loud enough, girl, sing, be you."

The moment that I decided to do that, all of the beauty, all of the beauty.

So what I will say to you, little Black girl, that's watching this right now, you're beautiful.

You're more than just a strong Black woman, you're magical.

Be yourself, love yourself, know thy self.

That's where all of this comes from.

I'm me!

(energetic music) Did you miss an episode of The Art Show?

No problem!

You can watch it on demand at cetconnect.org and thinktv.org.

You'll find all the previous episodes, as well as current episodes, and links to the artists we feature.

Jackson Pollock's drip painting "Autumn Rhythm" is one of the artist's most well-known works and a key example of abstract expressionism.

Let's head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to find out more.

(gentle music) We're looking at Jackson Pollock's "Autumn Rhythm" from 1950.

The painting came into the collection in 1957, and it's one of the treasures of the Met's Modern collection.

Pollock is most remembered as a key figure in American art of the 20th century for these large scale, so-called "drip paintings", which he started to do in the late 1940's and into the early 1950's.

These works have a great sense of immediacy for a range of reasons.

One is that they're large, which relative to your own scale makes you feel a little bit small by comparison.

One of the ways in which Pollock played a key role in changing the very concept of painting is that he moved the canvas from the easel to the floor, and he also began working with common household enamel paint, he liked this paint because it was very viscous.

And so, it's the kind of paint that you can throw, and it creates these dynamic drips and dribbles, and these whips of paint that seem to be captured in space on the picture plane.

In the case of "Autumn Rhythm," some of the paint is thin and elegant, and quite graceful, whereas other passages are dense and more aggressive and thicker.

There are passages also of impasto where he's used parts of the enamel paint that have dried and created a kind of skin, a three dimensionality on the surface of the picture even as the paint registers is flat.

When people first encounter Pollock's work, they perceive it as fully intuitive, improvisational, without any kind of plan or guiding principle.

But in fact, as you look at multiple works by Pollock, you can see that each canvas is distinct and different from another.

If you look closely at "Autumn Rhythm," to the right of center, and toward the bottom, as we see it on the wall, there's a little flick of red paint.

Just a little drop of red paint.

Once you see it, you can't unsee it because it seems so anomalous.

One wonderful thing about Pollock's technique is this embrace of accident, and embrace of the effects of chance.

The title "Autumn Rhythm", the word rhythm really wonderfully ties to the sense of rhythm and cadence that's part and parcel of his gestural painting style.

And what I love about this work is that this great sense of growth and evolution in a way ties to the change of seasons and the ebbs and flows of nature in the course of a year.

(gentle music) (upbeat music) If you want to see more from The Art Show, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You'll find us at thinktv and cetconnect.

And don't forget to check out The Art Show channel on YouTube.

And that wraps it up for this edition of The Art Show.

Until next time, I'm Rodney Veal.

Thanks for watching.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues)