“Untitled” by Glenn Wm. Wymore
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Ink on Paper
My love of nature and photography came from my great uncle. I have early memories of his photographs of birds and sunsets. I was intrigued by his approach, the detail to the work, and his dedication to the medium. I grew to appreciate his skill and technique of taking good photographs. When I saw the genuine joy of him getting a photograph back in printed form, it was something that I wanted to encounter for myself.
As a digital photographer, I spend a great deal of time viewing my work on my computer. It is when I have the photograph printed and in my hands that I experience that sensation of elation and accomplishment that my uncle also experienced. You really don’t know what you have with a photograph until you can view it fully in person. It is in review that I find images which didn’t turn out how I thought they would – sometimes they were disappointing or elegant. Just like life, photography is surprising. This is a key motivation that drives my work.
Today, life is so hurried we miss the everyday visual miracles that we are given. I find doing this through nature photography has the greatest impact. Sharing the details of a leaf or displaying a second of the power of a waterfall, I achieve my goal of seizing the fleeting beauty of life. Through my mixed media and digital art I make special pieces that are expressions of my inner self I otherwise would not be able to share.
PROVIDED BY:
Avivo Artworks
Since 2004, Avivo ArtWorks, formerly Spectrum ArtWorks, has been working to support professional artists living with mental illness. Located at the Lighthouse, a Community Support Program in Minneapolis, the program meets its mission through a community-focused and recovery-based approach. Its multi-faceted art studio and programming assists artists at reaching and maintaining their artist-related goals such as making new art, connecting with other artists, and accessing exhibition and grant opportunities.
In addition to this, each year the program organizes a new exhibition that aims to meet its mission to challenge stigma and raise mental health awareness. In 2015, the program partnered with the Minneapolis Institute of Art to bring “In Conversation,” a residency and exhibition that featured 17 artists from the program. Each participant created a new piece of art that was in conversation with an object or artwork in the museum’s collection. In 2017, Avivo ArtWorks facilitated “The Big Picture,” a group exhibition that presented artwork that explored wellness in recovery through art. “To Really See,” opening August 2017 at the Hennepin County Library – Central Minneapolis, is Avivo ArtWorks first every traveling group exhibition. The show explores the medication-taking experience and will feature artwork from artists who use Avivo ArtWorks services and artists from across the state of Minnesota.