Feature Friday: The Pleb's Founders!

Welcome to Feature Friday! A weekly feature segment where the team here at Plebeian takes a look at the work that you all create and post and gives it a big ol' shout out! Aside from being artists ourselves, we're also huge fans of art and one of the founding principles of the Plebeian Deli was creating an artist's community where everyone has a voice and where we can promote all of those artists, jump starting their careers. The art world is a tough one and frankly we got tired of hearing about those same 6 big time artists because there's hundreds and thousands of talented artists out there creating bad ass work that is having a hard time breaking into the main stream. Feature Friday is all about getting that art into the main stream, showcasing the new generation of artists!

So to kick start this segment I wanted to introduce the founders, we are artists after all. We're artists for artists! It's super exciting to get to write this piece because not only are these people my best friends but they're also some of my favorite artists, so this really makes my work fun! I'll keep it short and sweet since this is 4 instead of one but I hope you all enjoy the work and we look forward to seeing and featuring your work in the future!

Adele Kaczmarek: @adelekczmrk

Adele is a Senior in the Fine Art program at the University of Delaware and over the past few years has developed into a very engaging and intriguing sculptor. Her work is very modern and experimental, she combines a myriad of materials that both compliment and contrast one another and then are thrust into a space, altering and absorbing it, making the space as crucial to the work as the objects themselves.

In this piece in particular we really see this contrast in material as these lakes of goo mounted in rubber and fur collide with and damage the space. The breaking of the stark white surface of the space reveals a grayish tone that compliments the individual characters and gives them a sense of safety. Yet, while the objects seem safe, the space is brought to life through large pink drips, almost resembling blood and bringing out the damage that is being done to it. This really ties the display together and draws in the viewer through a contrast in feel; comfort and discomfort. There is comfort in the objects, who act as character elements, breaking the surface to get to a more soft and complimenting space, yet the space is brought to life and put into a sense of extreme discomfort as its surface is broken and "blood" is drawn. Then, adding to this push and pull, the piece expands from the single wall but takes a different effect as it reaches the second. The surface has been broken, like the original, but the color underneath doesn't compliment the characters, and none of them have breached this space almost as if the space is fighting back, not wanting to be broken down.

Adele's strength is in engaging these objects that otherwise might feel like nonsense. Creating a safe space for display and giving life to that display, in turn creating narrative. This piece effortlessly guides the viewer in and out of the piece and along this narrative battle between space and object. Creating a dynamic and exciting sculpture is one thing but engaging it with the space and drawing in the viewer, forcing them to interact and decipher is all the more admirable and why I'm such a big fan of Adele's work.

Andy DeVito: @damnsoft

Working primarily in 2D, Andy's work is very much inspired by the macabre. I've featured two paintings here to break down two different ways Andy engages the viewer but then leaves them with a similar take away, thus defining his style.

In the first we simple use of color and shape, things we easily identify with and are drawn to, sitting atop a standard white background. Yet as we look closer there's something slightly off about each element, the squares are a bit wonky with inconsistent lines, the color inside breaches the lines in some spaces but doesn't fill the shapes all the way in others, and the white of the background is ever so slightly off. it's then we're brought to the text, a three point presentation that leads your eye through the piece and its narrative. "No Experience Needed," acts as a draw, mimicking something like a job add, making the piece feel attainable or understandable. This then leads the viewer through the center of the piece, the large pink rectangles, but the phrase, "Nothing to See Here," is alarming and guides the viewer to find a safer focal point. Yet, this then leads to, "Thanks for Watching," a complete dismissal to the viewer. This may seem discouraging to read but it keeps the viewer engaged because they want to find meaning in this narrative that will ultimately just lead them to be dismissed.

The second piece is much more bleak, a cloudy blend of black and white that almost feels like static. This static leads the eye to the center, a poem in a bright orange with a melancholy tone. As you read you try to bring yourself back to the void but you're always sucked back to the poem. Melancholy really defines this piece to me, it's dark, seemingly monotone and has no escape.

These two styles of engaging the viewer but fracturing their sense of security are pivotal in Andy's style. If I were to give his style a name it would be visual poetry. He uses image to draw the viewer in and create an atmosphere but uses text to create and guide through a narrative.

Joseph Gardner: @bootsie_skipper

Joe's work is simple in nature, a constant study of object, material and life. The work isn't so wrapped up in meaning or narrative but more focused on the object itself, the material its made of and a reflection of life experiences. One of the biggest draw ins of Joe's work is their relatable nature. He constructs objects we've likely all interacted with and have our own meanings for so he doesn't need to attach a concept to his creation because the viewer will like skip that to form there own.

The featured piece is simple, a pair of ceramic pants. We've all seen, been around, (hopefully) worn pants our entire lives, it's an easily recognizable and relatable object. The bright variety of colors make the piece fun and help to avoid a specific type of pants and help to keep the image broad yet engaging. There isn't a lot to write about Joe's work without forcing something on it that it doesn't represent outside of an individual understanding. Joe's work is fun, it's simple and it is what it is. It doesn't need to be tied up in concept or commentary, it's just fun and engaging imagery. But his recreation of simple objects that we've likely all interacted with in some way or another excites the viewer and creates a personal narrative or meaning. Joe's work is really about reflecting on life through an object that the viewer can relate to and reflect on their own lives with and in an art world that sometimes seems hopelessy trapped in concept and trying to do way more than just be art sometimes that's refreshing to me.

Forrest Hines: @forresthinesart

Hey! That's me! Am I allowed to feature myself? I guess. All the other founders got featured, why can't I!

My work is built around a narrative of characters that I've created,The Freaks. A wacky reflection on my life through illustration these guys are my brain children! Born from trash, grown from the dirt and remnants of a shattered human society, each Freak is a personal reflection on live, a subconcious defining of what I'm thinking about in life. Currently since I'm out of school and don't have the space to do the large scale paintings on a slew of different objects, I'm back to the 2D surface. I experiment greatly with color application, usually watering down acrylic and pouring it or spraying it onto a surface and trying to make something of the massive blobs of color I get. From the Freaks created from those blobs I've built an entire lineage and ideology!

I don't really know what else to say because I don't want to seem like I'm making myself seem like the greatest ever, so I'll just leave you with the images and I hope you enjoy!

All of these artists are constantly creating work while they do all that they do to keep building Plebeian inc. up! I've attached all of their social media so you can go check out and support. One of the easiest ways to find these artists, though, is in our forum here at the Deli! We're all artists just like you and this forum is built to be an ever expanding artist display, conversation, and community. Feature Friday is about showcasing who we think is really killing it, but you're all killing it! So show us your work! Look at everyone else's awesome work! Create, Collab, Conversate! That's what the Deli is all about. See you all next Friday!