Ryder Cauley
“Through painting, I try to interpret, and reflect challenges and triumphs we all live daily. Vitality over finish, non-referential form creation, and the process of art-making being obvious are central in my work. I’m exploring balance by building depth, structure, layering, and texture. There is struggle and resolution, energy and stillness.”
Porter Scholarship Statement – “This scholarship allowed me to continue to continue my creative explorations when financially I would have otherwise had to cease attendance. It came at a critical time when the art-making process was grounding and cathartic. To have lost that ability would have been difficult. The staff, facility, and feedback received in critique were all invaluable. There aren’t enough good words to describe this opportunity.”
George Delaney
“Solo work as a process of unmasking: The past couple years my solo practice has brought me into researching dance and ritual as a container to move through grief. As an unintended result, this work has freed me into both my autistic and trans identities that I was previously blind to. I want to continue this solo work in two parts: (a) to continue working with improvisational scores that center grief & (b) to continue developing my Drag character – george(‘)s teeny weeny – through creating new drag numbers.”
Emma Krantz
Through her paintings, Emma works to encapsulate life’s more intimate and serene moments. Frequently drawing on introspection, while using figure and form to create pensive works, the viewer is invited to form their own narrative.
With heavy emphasis on composition, subject, and color, these snapshots are meant to embody life’s fleeting moments that come from periods of deep personal growth and emotional significance. Her work offers the viewer a momentary disconnect, skewing lines of reality and one’s own memory, bonding an emotional response and familiarity with an otherwise foreign moment in time.
Mateo Ramirez
As a multidisciplinary artist, I explore the intersections of identity, culture, and nature through painting and paper making. My work delves into the complexities of indigenous experiences, gender identity, and sexuality, weaving together my personal narratives and experiences as well as heritage. Through my art, I aim to spark meaningful connections, challenge societal norms, and create awareness of the modern indigenous experience.
Valerie Spina
In Valerie’s artistic practice, she blends elements of painting, collage, and photography to craft cybernetic worlds centered on figurative imagery. Using a mix of inkjet prints, acrylic paint, glitter, paper fragments, and other materials, this fusion is a multidimensional journey where human creativity and quasi-AI techniques intersect, transforming the creative process. Her work starts with original film photography, linking fantastical digital creations to tangible reality, with each piece featuring a central figure that captivates and draws viewers into a transcendent visual narrative. This approach highlights the symbiotic relationship between the artist and technology, using AI as an inspiration rather than surrendering to it, merging human intuition with technological prowess. The result is a series of cybernetic canvases where the convergence of pixels and pigments breaks the boundaries of traditional mediums, offering a new perspective on reality and artistic expression.
Ambrey Gerlikovsky
Ambrey learned the art of stained glass from her grandfather, when she was old enough to start cutting glass. She has used this craft to create many pieces for friends and family, including this alien abduction piece which was made for her mother’s funky garden room in her home.
Follow this link to see more of Ambrey’s stained glass on Instagram: https://instagram.com/glasspassion
Anna Pausch
“Since relocating from NYS, working at the Art Gym has provided a welcoming community and elevated my studio practice. With access to presses, rollers and ample space I have been able to carve large blocks more easily, print efficiently and lay out large projects.”
Catherine Robinson
Catherine is a landscape painter and book artist. Her work investigates the numerous technologies that people have employed over time to store knowledge. The mnemonic devices employed by non-literate cultures to preserve knowledge included landscape and other natural items. Books are a more commonly known technology for preserving knowledge. Catherine’s work asks the viewer to consider these relationships, and to build a deeper respect for our land and the people who live on it.
You can see more of Catherine’s art at: www.robinsonfineart.com
Tyson Speer
“In 2015, I died for 7 minutes and was revived, allegedly. What I presuppose is that I wasn’t, and that all of this is just some sort Bardo state. Some manifestation of my subconscious that I may or may not have some overarching influence on. Everything I create is either confirming or denying this hypothesis.”
Zach Armijo
“This experience has been a great opportunity to explore the various concepts I have always wished to dive deeper into, while having the chance to discuss the outcomes amongst the Art Gym community. With this opportunity, I’m learning to fall forward when an idea or concept that does not come to fruition as it would seem and move forward which is helping develop and maximize my artistic skills. I am excited to continue working on projects, while having a space and resource to further enhance my artistic growth.”
Ian Crawford-McKinney
“So far, this has been an opportunity to come up with new ideas and find my niche.”
Colleen Hennessy
“I am making the most of my scholarship opportunity at Art Gym. Being able to spend hours each week in the painting studio has helped me focus and improve my craft. Art Gym kindles my creative fire, as I strive to express my work in vibrant colors.”
Jae Zander-Kitinoja
“The residency has really helped me to keep up with my painting goals, on top of giving me the confidence to just go for it! This year I’m going to focus on animation, I hope to be just as experimental and productive as I was with my abstract paintings.”
Julie Kitzes
“This opportunity to work with Art Gym has been great as it’s been giving me the resources and motivation to work on my illustrated book about mental health – “Shit I Learned in Therapy…But With Cats”. I’ve also felt inspired by my surroundings to work on some other pieces such as this macaw, not as part of a project, but just to practice and continue my growth as an artist.”
Payton Landes
“The Porter Scholarship allowed me to add printmaking into my practice. The combination of financial and technical support with no need to produce something final allowed me the space to experiment and create my own voice in relief printing. I ended those six months with a newfound passion for printmaking that will last the rest of my life as well as many supportive relationships with staff and members of art gym.”
