Damien B. Contemporary Art Center

PAINTING
These paintings were design to be screened during a special event organized by the faculty of the Sorbonne in Paris. Instead of photographing painted canvases, I chose to create the whole thing on a slide in order to be more of an innovator and cast a more interesting approach to the project. So, I used clear Rodoid Plastic and then mixed a lot of different materials and medias on it.
After my first tests with some Ecolines (water colors), I began to tamper with the media: scratching it, cutting and gluing it back together to create several levels. For this matter, I used different types of glue, each reacting in a different way to the heat of the slide projector, for example, when left long enough inside the machine, some slides would begin to crack slowly, getting the looks of an old varnished painting.
As for the colors, aside the Ecolines, I also used oil paints, Indian Ink, acrylics... All mixed with cotton or fabric pieces, raw fibers, I even set some creations on fire to alter them. Most of these slides were painted inside their little frames, others were painted on a larger support, then cut later on.
I’m able to print the originals thanks to my scanner which allows manual adjustments on any given part. All I have to do then, is to gather all the scans, recreate the original painting and print it with 6 colors on photo paper.

PHOTOGRAPHY
All to often, pictures are only interesting because of their subjects, but not thanks to their technique (light, colors, shadows...). Therefore, they drift apart from the whole creativity of the painting concept. It’s very easy to take a pretty good picture with a good camera, but is the picture creative? Not necessarily.
I so decided to rediscover the creativity linked to the painting act, and not only satisfying myself with a nice cliché. I wanted the results to look as good as a painting but without using any computerized techniques.
To achieve my goal, I mixed lights and paints during the shooting : using a pane of glass on a special frame allowed me to write, draw even paint on this clear support. My model was then installed behind the glass altered both by the writing and the light passing through the colors of the paint. For a special picture series, I also chose to color the model with coal powder and pastels.

Claude Charlier is a photographer born in Nancy
,France. He knew by the age of 12 that photography was going to be his chosen profession, though his studies remained on the classical arts, music and fine art in particular. After the usual first jobs, including working as a photographer for the French government, he was asked to come and work at Paris Match. But apart from photography he had one other interest at the time.. it was Japan. He left Europe for Japan, and began a life that took him all over the world. Claude has lived and worked in Japan, Europe, and in the USA, where he currently resides. His work has appeared in many of the world's major publications, and his client list* includes an impressive list of the world's major corporations and publications. He has won back to back awards for Best annual report over a six year period, received the Mercury award for his work for Ricoh Company, Best advertising campaign for NEC twice, Best magazine add for his Nikon camera campaign work.etc... Two of his shows have been sponsored by Pentax and Nikon, and Claude Charlier is listed in both the "Dictionnaire des Photographes" and in the "Encyclopedie de la Photographie". His work has also been purchased by several of France's museums for their collections.

*partial client list :

Alpine, American Express, Bridgestone, Coca-Cola, Epic
Sony, Fuji Film, JVC, Kenwood, Lehman Brothers, NEC,
New Balance, Nissan, Olympus, Pentax, Pioneer, RCA,
Ricoh, Sony Music, Toshiba, Nikon, Contrex, Sony Music....

Publication include:
Madame Figaro, Geo France, Geo Germany, National Geographic, Stern, Paris Match, Bunte, Elle, Parents, Le Spectacle du Monde, Manchete, Sciences & Avenir, Liberation, New Look, Marco Polo....

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1981

He graduated from the University of Miami in 2003 with BFA in Sculptural Ceramics and minor Art History and Motion Pictures.
Although he no longer plays with mud and fire, he currently produces a wide range of two-dimensional works limited to no particular medium.
Drawing is certainly the foundation of his art, but no means the final conclusion.
His most recent series include record album manipulation and Polaroid transformations.

The Graphic Artist, Gérard Vachez, is a native of France. He was born in Brittany in 1961. His strong desire to study art led him to a Degree in Plastic Arts & Graphic Design in 1984. Through his educational training he gained expertise in the traditions of painting, sculpture, photography. A
customary painting exhibition was his first experience with the public at the end of his studying years.
Shortly after graduation, Gérard took a huge leap to the African Continent where he was hired by the French Government to organize the artistic component of the Bujumbura's Cultural Center in Burundi - Central Africa.
Africa also inspired the young artist as a Photographer. Gathering his most beautiful photographs taken locally, he held his first exhibition of Black & White photographs, first in Burundi, then in Rwanda and then Zaïre. His experiences in Africa lasted until 1986 when Gérard returned to France, to settle in Paris .
Back in France, he was up to try out new photographic technics. His evolution built along several series of different styles, mostly a mix of paint and pictures. He also worked a lot on mastering the effects of light and shadows. This whole elaboration and the results were shown year after year in Art Magazines such as : “Collector Magazine”, “Traits”, “Vis a Vis International” etc...
At about this time Gérard held his first Parisian photographic exhibition. A success that lead to extend the one month long show for two more months !
In 1995, Gérard was to take a radical turn and change his whole future when he made the decision to listen to the crazy craving of the Carribean and eventualy move to Guadeloupe Island. He then started a filial of his Parisian company in this new French West Indies location. In the year 1998 he was ripe for a new exhibition of his last pictures, another successful venture, depicted in FWI
magazines and a TV show.
Another turning point of his career was the meeting of Michael Capponi, vacationing on the island at the time. The friendship of the 2 men eventaly lead to Gerard’s new big move: the United State of America.
In 1999, thanks to Michael’s help, he settled in Miami, opened his latest Company: Xposure Advertising. His numerous paintings and pictures has been seen ever since in magazines such as “Ocean Drive”, “Gotham”, “Vogue” etc ...
IMAGINARY MAZE OF THE BARRE SUBSTANCE is his first painting and photograph exhibit in Miami.

Art Miami 2005

Originally from Miami, Florida, Meg Pukel launched her career in photography at Syracuse University. In 1999, she earned a B.F.A. in Fine Art Photography, graduating with honors. During her tenure at Syracuse, desire and passion directed Meg to further her studies in Florence, Italy. Provoked and challenged, Meg thrived in this inspiring medium. As a result, she was awarded the Anthony J. Wirpsa Scholarship in her final year for outstanding academic work in the visual arts.

Returning to Miami, Florida, Meg combined skill with tenacity to forge her talent as a fine art photographer. Working for numerous agencies, she seasoned her skills with assignments at Ocean Drive Magazine, City Link, Wet, Ego Trip, Happenings, Entertainment News & Views, and the Coconut Grover. Quickly establishing her style and technique, Meg was immediately recognized for her brilliance and intensity. Through her photography, Meg impacts the world with her vision transforming real life into intimate innovative art. Her portfolio represents fashion, lifestyle, music, sports, and wedding photography along with her fine art photographs.

Meg is passionate about her photography! Her work visually impacts the viewer with the complexities of existence in today’s society and has been displayed at numerous galleries, restaurants, nightclubs, and alternative spaces. Brashness and reality lends her work greater dimension and diversity. Remaining loyal to her vision, Meg’s images create a unique perspective of the nude female body; first by photographing the nude form, then projecting the figure at night onto a particular landscape. Each piece represents a “truth” and immediately takes possession of the viewer’s thoughts. This process is completed using a generator as the light source and a slide projector to cast the image. Through these dynamics, the artist explores the relationship between the projected female self and the singular landscape to provoke new dimensions.

Meg’s influences are varied. She has experienced life on both coasts, originating from Miami, Florida then spending time in South Lake Tahoe, California. Travels to Europe add to her colorful history. Embedded with challenge and change, these environments have served to shape her opinions and truths. Wrapped with attitude and candor, her work remains contemporary and contemplative.

Damien B. Contemporary Art Center Nov 2004
Damien B. Contemporary Art Center Nov 2003