Joanna Cutri

joanna cutri presents...

Los Angeles native, Joanna Cutri is currently exhibiting new works in the east lobby lounge of the Conrad (Jl Pratama, T: 0361 778 788). Her complex and personal style incorporates many kinds of mixed mediums and collage, resulting in many layers of colour, texture and imagery. Now residing in Bali, Joanna is inspired by the nature and rich artistic lifestyle of the Balinese.

BORN:
1975, Los Angeles, CA

EDUCATION:
2005 The Arts Student League, New York, New York
1998 Bachelors of Fine Arts, Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
1996 University of Georgia Studies Abroad Program, Cortona, Italy
1994-1996 Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
1993 Visual Arts Diploma, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA









PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
2001 Printmaking Studio Professor’s Assistant, Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA
2000 Gallery Assistant, Kohn Turner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1995-1996 Gallery Assistant, Folk Tree Collection, Pasadena, CA

EXHIBITIONS:
2008 Folk Tree Collection, Pasadena, CA
2008 Conrad Bali Resort and Spa, Bali Indonesia
2007 Warisan, Los Angeles, CA
2005 Portal Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2004 Krause Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2003 The Wehr Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2000 Pasadena Arts Council Gallery, Pasadena, CA
1998 Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
1997 Erector Square Gallery, New Haven CT
1996 Folk Tree Collection, Pasadena, CA

Scholarships and Honors:
1996 Art History Professor’s Assistantship Scholarship, UGA Cortona, Italy
1994-1995 Art History Professor’s Assistantship, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
1994 Presidential Scholarship, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
1993 California Scholarship Federation Honors, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA

Collections:
Charles D. and Carolyn Miller, Pasadena, CA
The Gene Autry Museum, Los Angeles, CA

TO BE FREE

Villa And Yacht Magazine January-April 2008

What is art? The answer of course is whatever you want it to be. Your interpretation of art is a reflection of your most inner being. What comes up when you look at art cannot be measured, for it is an accumulation of every experience you as an individual have ever had. Your eyes are slowly drawn around the canvas, being gently pulled by an invisible line that only exists because you do. The way you perceive the image before you is so personal, so divine that it can never be replicated. This is why people love art, it stirs something within. It resonates with that individual on such a level that they cannot detach, and if they must the image burnt into their mind can haunt them unexplainably for life.

Joanna Cutri was born in Pasadena, California in 1975. As long as she can remember she has been fascinated with collage, montage and painting. Joanna went on to live a life dedicated to the arts, throughout art high school and university she has remained steadfast on her path and has accumulated a repertoire amongst her peers as a talented critic and bold revolutionary, true to her Argentine heritage. After studying classical art in Cortona, Italy concentrating in printmaking and drawing, Joanna went on to receive her Bachelors of Fine Arts with distinctions from The University of Georgia. She has since gone on to exhibit across the US.

“My life is my greatest art” explains Joanna, “there are no plans, no preconceived ideas, I just let it happen. I practice, and when the spirit moves me, I’m ready.” Her art follows suit. Although classically trained, her current series is a myriad of multi layered collage, mixed media and abstract painting. As an observer I find myself looking at these pieces and I see nature, beauty in its purest form. I see old weather worn terra cotta tiles. I see afternoon shadows dancing across the wall, and faded cement white washed by rain. The depth and layering involved is truly exquisite. “There is a life time story on every layer” tells Joanna, “I paste down old letters from friends around the world, as well as paper I collect and other images that move me, I love to listen to music when I paint, I love poetry as much as my palette knife, and the two are equal in my studio.”

Joanna is able to work on over a dozen paintings at once so that a theme is congruent throughout the collection. This approach is unconventional to say the least, however it works beautifully for what she wants to achieve. She loves to experiment with different materials and her technique is peppered with individuality. For example, she might use both water and oil based paints together, normally considered a taboo by classic artists, to achieve a new method and outcome. “There are no mistakes, as in life, if something unexpected happens you go with the flow, all things lead to another.” When asked how she knows when a piece if finished, she smiles gently and asks me “when do you know you’re full? You just know.”

Moving to Bali three years ago has given Joanna the space and lifestyle she has always dreamed of; “This Island and its people are so beautiful, I often stop and say out loud “look at where we live, how can you not be inspired by such beauty?” It is a place where she can focus her time and energy wholly to her art. I asked Joanna how she could describe the entirety of her art career. Her answer was swift and to the point “To Be Free”.

Joanna Cutri will be exhibiting her new collection at the Conrad Hotel, Tanjung Benoa, Bali; the show opens on January 4th and closes on April 5th 2008.

ANYTHING GOES: A Small Works Show, is on view at The Folk Tree from May 31 - June 28, 2008, with an opening reception on Saturday, May 31, from 2 - 6 P.M. This show celebrates many of the artists The Folk Tree has featured throughout the last twenty-two years, as well as some who are exhibiting here for the first time.

Approximately one hundred works of art are on view by as many artists. Each individual is invited to submit one piece. And, "almost anything" goes. Subject matter, style, and medium are open. As the title of the show implies, the only restriction relates to size. Two-dimensional pieces must not exceed 12" x 12", three-dimensional 10" x 10" x 10". The number and variety of pieces create a wonderfully eclectic visual experience.

The list of participating artists is long, but a sampling includes: Eva Armisen, Joanna Cutri, Val Echavarria, Sandra Gallegos, Claudia Galvan, Danny Gonzalez, Yolanda Gonzalez, Alejandra Hernandez, Patricia Krebs, Willy Loya, Miguel Angel Murillo, Maria Rendon, Ricardo Reyes, Nancy Romero, . While some artists are working small specifically for this exhibition, others like Winifred Brewer, regularly paint on a modest scale. She comments, "My paintings are best small. Rather than being intellectual, political, or some message on a grand scale, they are intimate personal ponderings."

Painting, printmaking, drawing, ceramics, mixed media, assemblage, fiber, sculpture, enamel, glass, paper mache, and photography and digital imagery are all represented.

Southern California has a vast and diverse artistic community. ANYTHING GOES: A SMALL WORKS SHOW is a tribute to this impressive group. Patricia Krebs, one of the participating artists, says, "Art is like magic: if you already know the trick, it doesn't cause the same effect. Art is believing and throwing yourself into the experience, like a child playing."

Sponsored by The Folk Tree