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Morgan SANTANDER
Collage has a long history which begins with the invention of paper by the Chinese around the year 200 B.C. However, it wasn't until the 19th century that the use of cut scraps of paper became a popular art-form, and in the 20th century, a fine art form with the use of paper and cloth in paintings by Pablo Picasso & Georges Braques.
Morgan Santander, in his "Beyond Reconstitution" series, sets out to re-appropriate and reclaim the collage's radical Surrealist roots. His quest is not as an imitator but, as a fellow artist immersed in playing the same game. Santander makes photocopies of works by minor "geniuses" of European painting: landscapes, interiors and historical subjects. And into these spaces, he inserts masks and sculptures from various time periods, ancient to contemporary, and from all the world's continents - Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and beyond. In this process, new narratives are created that are both poetic and witty. Here, representations of things that are far apart in scale, by association with each other, suddenly find themselves sharing an intimate new world. Images from "Beyond Reconstitution" incorporate manual collage and digital processes. Giclees are printed, signed, dated, and produced in limited numbered editions.
A Mexican born artist, Santanders' work has been exhibited and collected in the United States, Mexico, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Since 2001, he has served as Professor of Painting at the Savannah College of Art & Design, here in Savannah. "Beyond Reconstitution" is now in its third publication, where each book contains twelve giclee prints, each unique in theme, color and tone. Each series' design reveals a kind of non-linear narrative, to allow images to be sorted and reshuffled in order to achieve varied outcomes. In 2004 the series began as a experimental collage project and now has progressed into a captive dreamlike picture novel that defies logic.
* Husband, Bertha. "Beyond Reconstitution; The Collages of Morgan Santander at Gallery Espresso." Savannah Connect Magazine Jan. 22, 2008_________________________
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Caroline JOHNSON
 Caroline Johnson designs jewelry for women just like her, who love to wear something that makes them stand out in a crowd. For her it's all about playing with proportions, color, and scale, always gravitating toward irregular sizes and shapes. Her bold color choices may range from blue-green turquoise, red coral, black, rose, and clear onyx, to moonstones, fresh water pearls and chalcedony. She uses a tarnish resistant sterling silver called Argentium in her new pieces. The portion of her jewelry that looks like silver silver (92.5% silver + 7.5% copper) is actually Argentium, which retains the 92.5% silver content of the traditional sterling but replaces the copper with metalloid germanium. This new silver is such a great alternative to sterling silver because Argentium Silver has a much higher resistance to tarnish. What woman doesn't like that? Audacious, fun, versatile, and carefree jewelry for the everyday woman for any occasion. _________________________
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Jan CLAYTON PAGRATIS
Frank Lloyd Wright once said that "simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art." For Clayton-Pagratis the aim for this new series of encaustic paintings was to allow the
viewer to experience the work more intensely by focusing on the simplicity of content, color, and form. These pieces seem to exist somewhere between painting and sculpture. The tactile and intimate surfaces of the works comes out of the painting process but, the pieces have a way of commanding their own space in a sculptural way. They are organic and reminiscent of our natural world and are outgrowths of the creative processes that an artist experiences when fully engaging with one's materials. The colors and pigments in these pieces reflect, refract, and contain light in response to their environment and compel the viewer to move to various vantage points. Clearly, color continues to play a part in the spiritual path of this artist. _________________________
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Chroma Gallery
31 Barnard Street,
Savannah, GA 31401
on Ellis Square
912.232.2787
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