First Friday Focus

Your First Friday Hit List

by Lori Hill

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Published: Aug 5, 2009

Bambi Gallery

Andrew Abbott can draw on any number of life experiences and living situations most artists can only dream of. He was born in Canada, lived in Nigeria and Jamaica as a kid, studied art at UNC-Wilmington, joined the Army as a medic and was based in Louisiana with a field artillery unit. He went back to Canada and helped establish organic beef and salmon farms (even though he's vegetarian), traveled in Puerto Rico, and finally found himself back in Portland, Maine, where he lives and works. What's the impact on the artist? "At first I was just kind of dragged into these situations by my parents — living in Nigeria and Jamaica was not my idea and I didn't like it at the time," says Abbott. "Now I kind of crave to be in strange situations. My environment kind of reflects off me onto pieces of paper. I am a spectator."

So his "Spectator-Ship" show is filled with Viking ships stuffed with fantastical creatures, drunken elephants (pictured), cancan dancers opening fire, meat parades ... you get the idea. "As I get older, my dreams become more realistic — kind of more boring — and my reality becomes more dreamlike, so that's the world I live in," he says. "The world of my paintings exists only on paper. I cannot even dream or imagine living in such a place. I would like to, though." Who wouldn't want to live among monkeys riding bulls, geometric haystacks and beautifully blurred portraiture? His materials (Bic pens!) and techniques are diverse, but he says he'll experiment within certain parameters until he's exhausted them. "I'm also pretty poor right now, so I try to economize by using recycled house paint, cheap crayons, cereal boxes, etc.," he says. "I don't think I could ever actually purchase a canvas to paint on or even paper. It's just too uninspiring to see a blank white page — blah!" Opening reception Fri., Aug. 7, 6-10 p.m., through Aug. 30, Piazza at Schmidts, 1001 N. Second St., 267-319-1373, bambiproject.com.

Area 919

The sometimes forgotten art of finely crafted furniture is often hard to witness. It's a hidden form that rewards well when you seek it out: whimsical lines, colorful accents, rare and underused materials. But the four artisans participating in Area 919's "Furnished Raw" exhibition go further. They carve, shape and work visions of their own into each piece, taking time to impart a sense of individuality. Using recycled materials, Daniel Petraitis, Mike Parsell, Luis Montoya and Anthony Angelicola craft benches, chairs, tables, coatracks and more that blend form with function in inventive ways. Angelicola's Papal Benches are classic and sleek, with character to spare, and his Exchange chair made of construction MDF is rough and tough. Parsell's style can't be pigeonholed, with his simple, natural-looking wood benches and clever hanging lights made from red snare drums. Petraitis makes steel look weightless, all rounded-off edges and legs on the table, while his glass light fixtures and coatracks float from their moorings. Two of my favorites, though, are by Montoya, whose joy is palpable. His plastic orange racing seat, stuck to steel-and-wood rockers, is retro-chic and future-forward at the same time. He calls it Speed Rocker, and dubs a weighty-bottomed chair Heavy Sitter. The best, though? His Lucite light boxes with inkjet prints of vintage Mexican Lotera cards — good fun. Through Aug. 29, 919 N. Fifth St., 215-627-3311, area919.com.

And Then There's ...

Every month, Clay Studio offers lots to look at in a small space, and August is no different. The annual "Made at Clay Studio" show honors the work of the international artists in residence who spent the last year at the gallery creating, teaching and discussing their work in the community. Artists from Wales, Denmark and the Philippines are represented, and the works are duly diverse. Running concurrently with "Made" is "Pitchers: An Exploration," in which 12 artists experiment with the ancient, versatile form in truly groundbreaking ways. Finally, Jennifer Martin will show new, organically inspired work in the Bonovitz Gallery. Opening reception Fri., Aug. 7, 5-9 p.m., through Aug. 30, 139 N. Second St., 215-925-3453, theclaystudio.org. ... Nexus members take their experimental show on the road with "The Art of the Gecko" at the Academy of Natural Sciences. Nexus executive director Nick Cassway says the show, in tandem with the Academy's gecko expo, "was a great opportunity to showcase work outside of our space, react to unusual themes and provide a platform to look at experimental art through the lens of science." Right on. Through Sept. 7, 1900 Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-299-1000, ansp.org.

(l_hill@citypaper.net)

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