Q.E.D. to display work of local Astoria artists
Astoria is certainly the home of a bustling arts scene, and Q.E.D. is hoping to show off local artists’ works with a revolving art exhibition. Two new artists, Sharon Spell and Michael Harper, have been selected as the two latest artists for display until May 2016.
Harper, an artist and stay-at-home dad, puts together collages from material that he finds on the go. And rather than setting aside certain times to create and be inspired, it’s impressive that he finds sporadic times to work on his craft between a baby and two other children.
Materials found on the street or in thrift shops include medical books, various packaging and magazines. He proceeds to cut the materials and rearrange them so they could be formed into pictures. His work often features humor, pop culture references like ‘Star Wars’ or political issues such as gun control.
“Sometimes things just come out as I’m making them so it’s very go with the flow,” Harper said. “Also, I’ve been collecting things my whole life, and I’d incorporate things that I saved from years ago with something I found that day.”
Spell, who will be displaying her various paintings, has also been inspired by humor in her work. For instance, she created a stencil of her fifth grade school portrait. More sentimental pieces include stencils of her grandmother.
Currently, she is more well-known as a comedian and storyteller rather than an artist after she took a break from painting for a number of years.
