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Reminder Assistant Editor AGAWAM In today's technologically dependent world where local citizens are waiting anxiously by their flat screen TVs and laptops for the latest trivial news about the newest Hollywood teen train wreck, Feeding Hills resident Danny White just lives to create art without the latest technology. It is true, however that he did have a television when he was a child, which gave birth to his artistic interests but today he lives without a television or computer. "I was about four and on Sundays 'Captain Bob' would be on TV and you would be drawing a possum or lion with Captain Bob," White said in an interview with Reminder Publications. "I've been doing it ever since. Or at least I've claimed to be an artist ever since," he added with a chuckle. For the month of September White is featuring various new works for his fourth exhibition in four years at the Agawam Public Library. Each month the library features a different artist with only new work, according to Beverly Secondo, Adult Services librarian. Secondo stated that the library only shows new work because the demand for the gallery wall space is so high. Currently the space is booked through July 2008. Over the course of White's three shows he has displayed a variety of works including what he calls "Eggceptional Art," of which pieces are made of chicken, quail and ostrich eggs. He stated that pieces included an American flag, pool table and a solar system made out of eggs. White added that while his past three shows have featured this type of art he has taken a new direction with this show and will only be featuring one piece his "Eggceptional Art." This show will be displaying over 10 paintings with only three colors black, white and red. When asked why he chose only those three colors, White stated that it was more about what the colors represented rather than the colors themselves. To White, those colors express extremes, like good and evil, night and day and the red signifies life or red blood. According to White, works shown in this exhibition will be composed of many different mediums. One piece is called "Scraps," which was created out of many pieces of scrap metal and takes the form of a human body. Another piece featured in this show is called "You're one in a million, well one out of 100 anyway," which White described as a black canvas with a plastic heart painted black, surrounded by 99 black keys and one white key. "I think that art should inspire a reaction," White said. "Whether you like it or not, I did my job. Even if you're appalled, that will get people talking and thinking and that's the whole point of art to me." Secondo stated the great importance of having artwork within the library because she believes that inspiration does not come strictly from books but also from "people's visual creativity." Another piece that White will be displaying is called, "Once you let go there's nothing left to hold onto," which he said is a black canvas with a mannequin head cut in half and painted red with demons surrounding it. White said that he hopes the piece inspires thought about people letting go of their demons. While in the past some of White's pieces shown in the library have been controversial, he said, "When the National Art Endowment gives some guy $50,000 to put urine in a jar and put a crucifix in it, I think that I can get away with what I'm doing." | ||||||
