Each image leads to a separate body of work. Thumbnails may be cropped.

Burnell Yow!

Contact Information
Raven's Wing Studio 2301 Naudain Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 tel: 215-546-7457 e-mail: burnell@ravenswingstudio.com http://www.ravenswingstudio.com Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.	See Burnell's work in Digital Art See Burnell's work in Mixed Media See Burnell's work in Painting

Artist Statement

After nearly fifty years of sometimes following rules and sometimes ignoring them, I have come to the realization that there are no rules, only materials. To explore, investigate, experiment, and ultimately live out what Picasso meant when he said "Art is a leap into the dark," is my raison d’etré’.

I am an intuitive artist in that I work from the heart, not the head. The unforseen event, the "accident," the unexpected all play a very large part in my creative play. Seldom is anything planned. I prefer to let the materials suggest the direction of a work. And the piece that surprises and delights me is the one that always most closely resembles the spontaneous utterance of a child, an utterance that brings a smile and a feeling of being presented with a unexpected gift.

As far as materials go, I work with just about anything: paint, wood, glass, plastic, fabric, etc. I use a lot of "found" and "altered-function" objects in my work. And I frequently scan them for use in my digital works. By "altered-function," I mean objects that one buys new, let's say, at a hardware store and uses in a way contrary to its designer's intent. I can become quite inspired just spending a couple of hours in Home Depot. "Found" objects are generally discarded items rescued from the trash, or found at flea markets or thrift stores. They are old, used and with a mysterious history that lends them a magical quality.

Up until a few years ago, my feeling was that I would use anything except food trash. Then one day I discovered a half of a grapefruit rind I had eaten and left on a shelf in my studio. It had dried perfectly! And it ended up being used in a sculpture.

In my studio, music also plays a part in the creative process. Drumming, singing my ancestors chant, playing my homemade flute, burning cedar incense and ringing my large orchestral gong all serve to take me to a level of sensitivity where making the "leap" is as effortless as breathing.

So, what I would suggest to anyone making art is to trust your intuition, your inner knowing; to allow yourself to be immersed in the process of creation as a joyous and sacred dance of materials; to neither listen to critics nor be one; and finally, to leap into the dark secure in the knowing that wherever your feet touch down will be the right place at the right time.

Selected Exhibitions

Solo

2003
The Art Gallery at Gloucester County College, Sewell, NJ

1999
The Show Of Hands Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1997
New Work, The Show Of Hands Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1996
New Work, The Show Of Hands Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Group

2003
Stream of Consciousness: Artists' Doodles, Salon Des Amis Gallery, Malvern, PA

Art In the Lobby, Deptford Munincipal Building, Deprford, NJ

2002
The Structure Show, Salon Des Amis Gallery, Malvern, PA

The Amazing Animal Show, Salon Des Amis Gallery, Malvern, PA

The Spirituality Show, Salon Des Amis Gallery, Malvern, PA

The Photography Show, Salon Des Amis Gallery, Malvern, PA

2001
The Amazing Animal Show III, Salon Des Amis Gallery, Malvern, PA

The Art Gallery, Gloucster County College, Sewell, NJ

Dumpster Divers & Friends, Salon Des Amis Gallery, Malvern, PA

Da Vinci Art Alliance Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Juried Exhibition

2001 IDAA Exhibition, Noosa Regional Gallery, Australia

Exquisite Corpse: A journal of life & letters, Online exhibition of Digital Exquisite Corpse Project, www.ravenswingstudio.com

2000
Exhibition of Artists from Salon Des Amis Gallery, Ethical Society, Philadelphia, PA

Gallery In The Garden at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Kempton, PA

Amazing Animal Show II, Salon Des Amis Gallery, Malvern, PA

All Members / All Media Show, Da Vinci Art Alliance Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Altar Boxes, Da Vinci Art Alliance Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Cartoon & Humor Show, Salon Des Amis Gallery, Malvern, PA

Doomsday: Revelations Show, Salon Des Amis Gallery, Malvern, PA

1999
Rubble Rousers: The Art of Recycling America, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Philadelphia, PA

Domestic Spaces, The Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Juried by Charlotta Kotik, Curator of Contemporary Art, The Brooklyn Museum of Art

1998
Identity, The Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Curated by Thomas Sokolowski, Director of The Andy Warhol Museum

Gallery Alexander, La Jolla, CA

1996
The Society of Arts & Crafts, Boston, MA

Noyes Museum, Oceanville, NJ

Artists' Creative Exchange, Philadelphia. PA

1995
Seminar and Gallery Lecture, Noyes Museum, Oceanville, NJ

Noyes Museum, Oceanville, NJ
Invitational. group exhibition

Earth Light Images Gallery, Philadelphia., PA
Studio Show & Sale - Invitational