Embracing Art: Wendy James

What is this Project All About?

WHAT IS THIS PROJECT ALL ABOUT?

A group of professional artists has decided to share some of their artworks with non-profit organizations that are doing good work in their home state of Vermont and beyond its borders. They donate these artworks to shelters, environmental organizations, educational institutions, and many other kinds of non-profits. We call this project EMBRACING ART because we want other people doing important work to embrace the value of art and the contribution it can make to the environment in which they work, and also because we seek to reach out and support / embrace the endeavors of others who are doing significant work that serves the public good.
To find artists whose work is available, read the Frequently Asked Questions in the righthand column and then scroll down and click on an artist to see their available work.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Wendy James

About the Artist: Wendy James has been teaching art at Essex High School since the eighties, and currently teaches classes in ceramics and photography. She also works in oil painting and ceramic sculpture. She lives in Essex with her artist husband, John Brickels.

AVAILABLE WORKS

I have always had a fascination with dreams. My black and white photomontages often are surreal environments. I like the viewer to imagine that he/she is in the photo so I often add a single person as a port of entry. The figures are intentionally unrecognizable, maybe a shadow, silhouette, or just part of a figure, in hopes that the viewer will momentarily become that person. The environments are intended to be equivalents of the figure's inner world...I also like the punch of high contrast. I try to emphasize patterns and textures...I love the strong angles of human-made forms matched with endless skies. My process involves pouring through both old negatives and new digital images. I use Photoshop to blend unlikely combinations and seamlessly match edges to make the unreal more believable.

Title: Out to Dry

---this work is taken---

---this work is taken---
Title: Side Stroke

Title: Drawing in the Trees

Size: triptych 3 (18x12") framed

Medium: digital photomontages

Date of creation: 2007 - 2010

Value: $500

Contact: jamwendy@gmail.com

SATISFIED USERS

I wanted to let you know I had an absolutely wonderful experience with having the artwork in the shelter; I didn't realize how much art really could influence me as I never have seen myself as an artistic person by any means... I was having a hard week, direct service was very challenging and I was having difficulty getting out of bed one morning. I finally peeled myself out of bed and got myself to the shelter and walked in, to my amazement, to see a beautiful piece of artwork in a common space in the shelter! I was in awe .... I stood and took it in for a few moments and took a deep breath! I was changed in that moment... but not just in that moment, it was for that whole day and I will never forget the feeling that came over me in that instance.

Thank you for putting this program together--we are SO thrilled! As with most non-profits, we are working hard just to raise funding and support for our ongoing programs, and do not really have the capacity to seek out opportunities like this that will enhance our workspace and visitor's center.

The Embracing Art project is such a wonderful bridge between Vermont artists and not for profit organizations and should be replicated across over the state and then the country!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I request a particular piece of Art for my organization? In the first phase of this project, we are offering the opportunity to select a piece of art to a group of non-profits that we have contacted. If you are one of those organizations, find an artist (or artists) whose work your organization would like by scrolling down in this column (right side of site) and clicking on the artist to view that person's work.. You then email the artist whose work you would like to have, and they will correspond with you and send you a contract with the details about the donation. Your organization is responsible for picking up the artwork at a mutually arranged site and transporting it safely to the place where it will be installed.

Why are artworks by some artists much more expensive than those by other artists? The value of each artwork is set by the artist, and is an amount based on the sales record for similar pieces by each artist.

How many pieces can our organization ask for? The limit is one piece for each organization. As more artists sign up to participate, we may be able to offer your organization another opportunity to select art.

What do I do if our organization downsizes, dissolves, or we don't want the piece any more? As part of the contract, your organization agrees to return the work undamaged to the artist if you no longer wish to display it. We expect organizations that request and accept work to respect and care for artwork that is donated to them.

Can we sell the artwork that is donated to us? Yes, you may sell it, but you may not sell it for less than its retail value, and you are contractually obligated to give half of the sales price back to the artist. The value of each artwork is indicated in this site and also in the donation contract, and varies based on the sales record for similar pieces by each artist. However, you should know that selling art is not an easy thing to do, and you should not imagine that this will be an effective fundraising tool!

Can the artist decline to donate an artwork to an organization that expresses an interest in acquiring a piece? When artists agree to donate their work through Embracing Art they understand that it will be going to a non-profit organization. We can imagine that in very rare cases it might happen that an organization's mission will not be something the artist wants to affiliate with, and the artist retains the right to refuse a donation. However, we hope this will not happen!