Last modified: Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Student artist to showcase artistic postcards at her MFA show at SoFA Gallery
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- For many, receiving a hand-written letter prompts nothing more than a stamped and sealed response.
Kristin Carlson, an Indiana University Master of Fine Arts candidate in printmaking, used correspondence with four close friends and family members as the basis for a diverse collection of artwork that comprises her MFA project, titled "Large Letters, Small Signs."
More Important Papers-Box for Derek Enos, by Kristen Carlson. Screenprint and collage on handmade box.
"Large Letters, Small Signs" opened Tuesday, March 30, at the School of Fine Arts Gallery (1201 E. Seventh St.) and will remain on display through Saturday, April 10.
The exhibit features more than 115 creatively crafted postcards and demonstrates a creative relationship between writing and image making, Carlson said.
"The way words or phrases look to the eye or sound when spoken -- the poetic nature of found text -- makes me want to record them as part of a visual composition," she said. "Likewise, the beauty of letter forms and typography makes me want to include them in my art."
Carlson said she became an avid postcard author at the age of ten, when her brothers left for college.
In September of 2009, Carlson said her "snail mail" hobby evolved to a full-time project. She began to send small pieces of art -- screen printing, collage, watercolor, ink, colored pencil and graphite on paper and board -- to four close friends and family members. The creative process extended to mid-March, she said.
"Almost all the work in my thesis show was made for and mailed to specific people," she said. "The work I make next will not need to have a specific viewer or recipient in mind. Making the postcards that are on display now revealed to me that -- even when I have a single viewer in mind -- my work is still attractive to a wider audience."
"Large Letters, Small Signs" is open for viewing Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.
For more information on the SoFA Gallery, call 812-855-8490, e-mail sofa@indiana.edu, or visit https://sofa.fa.indiana.edu online. The SoFA Gallery is accessible to people with disabilities. Gallery hours: Tuesday-Friday, noon-4 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
