CHARLOTTE RODENBERG

2011-08-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

2011-08-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

2011-06-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

bull dozer

2011-06-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

shitola

2011-06-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

what is worth? not knowing shit from shinola, is a metaphoric phrase gauging ones intelligence on the ability to tell one thing (shit) from the next (shinola- a once popular shoe polish-later pronounced defunct).
I am interested in what the assumption about shit vs. shinola is. Is one worthier then the other.
In my shit and shinola drawings I am attributing worth to the, perhaps, less appreciated as well as the already assumed worthy- with the perspective that one doesn't outweigh the other yet rather both are legitimate each in their own way, coming back full circle to the question of ones common sense.
even shit has worth. who are we to judge by first impressions? what is the worth of ones investigation over another?

shit and shine-ola

2011-06-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

miniture stilllifes found and create during my walks in the 1000 acres cattle ranch outside of Jentel artsit residency. each a part of a large scale drawing measuring approx 8 feet by 3 feet.

detail shit and shine-ola

2011-06-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

work in progress detail

2011-06-01T14:07:00.001-07:00

Jentel day 15

2011-05-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

i must turn the volume on my ipod up, to drowned out thoughts... thoughts of money, diet, career. sober and hungry, always the hunger. this detox i've been on for 16 days now is supposed to clear my mind, yet rather forces me to hear my thoughts more clearly, often a distraction those pestering whiney thoughts "where you gonna work? how you gonna make money? is it time to eat again? wouldn't a glass of wine be nice? its beautiful out, you should go for a walk" "no0- i need to stay focused- shut up!" "but im hungry.... maybe someone posted something on face book? "

day 5 at Jentel

2011-05-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

I finally have a website!
http://www.charlotterodenberg.com/
I hope you have a chance to check it out. In the meantime, here is another work in proogress. I hope to have both done by the end of the weekend. This is is 4x6 foot drawing, but this is just 1x2 foot section.

Since I don't have anything uber special to say,
Ill share a poem I found today by James Russell Lowell titled Midnight

Oh wild and wonderous midnight
there is might in thee to make the charmed body
almost like spirit be
and give it some faint glimpse of immortality

Jentel Artist Residency Foundation

2011-05-18T11:23:00.001-07:00

Here I am gently assimilating into the lifestyle at Jentel Foundation which on first impression looked right out of a reality television show (luckily without the bullshit drama) with its array of porches, kitchen suited for 6 to cook in, 30 foot ceilings and wood burning stove in the living room decked out with a rap around couch and lazy susans. To say the least it is easy to feel at home here.

I am trying to find the balance between studio, exercise, research and self promotion- hence the fact that this blog will finally be used as a blog rather then a make shift website. I hope to have my real deal website up and going sometime next week. This blog will allow me to keep track of my studio progress for the next month and maybe even have some interviews or studio visits with some of my fellow residents (all of whom are amazingly generous and inspiring to talk to).

I arrived on Greyhound at 9pm Saturday night in Sheridan. I stayed at the Super 8 that night, since my residency didn't officially start until the next day. Sunday morning I met up with Jeff, a fellow resident who also came via bus and walked around the back of the building where I noticed through my motel window, a terrifically inspiring lumber yard. I immediately got scolded for walking down a dirt road, despite it not having a "no trespassing" sign... which I've learned since almost everything is trespassing 'round here. But then, Jeff and I began to talk to a man on a tractor and he said it was cool if we wondered around his property (a retired cattle yard) and took some pictures. His property was conveniently placed between a junk car lot and the lumber yard, so I got some great pics of all three, which I am now mentally collaging and drawing from. Here is the work in progress.

2011-04-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

2011-03-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

2011-03-12T11:08:00.001-08:00

2011-03-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

2010-09-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

2010-09-23T21:36:00.002-07:00

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2010-09-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

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2010-09-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

2010-09-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

2010-09-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

dolls xray

2010-08-16T12:36:00.001-07:00

2010-08-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

2010-06-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

2010-06-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

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2010-06-17T07:34:00.001-07:00

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2010-06-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

2010-06-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

2010-06-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

2010-05-21T04:28:00.000-07:00

2010-05-03T04:58:00.001-07:00

white rabbit

2010-04-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

2010-04-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

2010-04-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

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2010-04-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

2010-04-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

Who's Your Momma?

2010-01-29T18:18:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

By: Charlotte Rodenberg

The Charlotte and Puppy Show 123

2010-01-29T18:17:00.003-08:00

Click to Play

Diner Date

2010-01-29T18:17:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

By Charlotte Rodenberg

edu short

2010-01-29T18:16:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

2009-06-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

2009-06-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

lost utopias

2009-05-05T08:55:00.001-07:00

Pit bulls, junkyards, abandoned lots and vacant homes are some of the reoccurring images in my painting and installation, which I consider semiotics of urbanity. I want my art to tell a story. The story, much like the old maids story has a moral, which runs though, yet is also full of morbidity, psychology and perversion. Some of my recent inspirations are early Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and the Grimm Brothers collected fairy tales. I consider my works as a dialog with artists such as Red Grooms, Martha Rosler and Kiki Smith because these works are emotional, poetic and often political in nature. Whether I'm working in video or installation, these works are considered painting and drawing. Their formal traits take on ideals of composition, color, surface and content. In a way these works are direct results of the digesting of my immediate surroundings and my social concerns and are reference the drive to my studio, a news clipping or a nightmare.
In these works, I use color theory to convey meaning. My recent installation "... a better place" employs minimal local colors and shifts in scale, removing the viewer out of a physical/logical place and allow them to investigate the space as if it is a mirage of something that happened. The fragmentation of space, and absence of people lead the viewer to question what happened here? The titled represents the common graffiti memorial, which sprawls across northeast Philadelphia where I currently reside. It does not refer to the environment itself yet something better, a utopia yet to be discovered. In contrast, “this is my playground” is a cartoon like version of my neighborhood. It was a direct response to the ugliness I saw around me and how I strived to understand it, make something positive of it. The entire work is made from salvaged cardboard from the neighborhood its self. I literally made chain fencing, debris, and architecture from the salvaged cardboard and then spray painted it giving it a candy coating. In doing so I aim to see the city through a child’s eyes with a sense of optimism, much like Mr. Rogers sought to see his neighborhood. It is a way of cooping with our environment and creating a critical dialog around it.
In a way my work can be considered lost utopias, just as Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street are now lost utopias. Senses of longing and unattainable ambition charge these environments. The psychological is a string that binds my sculptures, painting and video works and asks the viewer to please be my neighbor.

2009-05-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

2009-05-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

why mr rogers didnt tell us

2009-05-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

Just as the songs from Mr Rogers, my work embodies contradictory concepts of optimism and pessimism. It is hopeful yet implies a longing and ambition unattainable. There is however another quality to these songs, one which perhaps is only seen with willing eyes...that is of perversion or lust. It's not that I think Mr Rogers intended for these songs to be explicit in nature yet rather that ideology tells us to be suspicious of talk of liking someones insides, especially a child's. Actually, I aspire to be a Mr Rogers of sorts. Even if that means to create a utopia for escape from our daily lives. I used to think I could make a difference in life, bring social awareness, create a critical dialog. I used to paint figuratively, there was always a sense of optimism in painting the figure. It was as if humanity would live forever through these depictions and as if innocence was a constant. Now I simply do my best at being the best I could possibly be, just like Mr rogers used to say. But I can not help this feeling of impending doom. He spoke of race, class and gender..Why didn't Mr Rogers say anything about this?
I see my work as a way of understanding, digesting, coming to terms with these questions of existence, feminism, loniness, humanity and lack there of. There is often a moral at the end of my story, a moral which Mr. Rogers prepped me for but I, none the less, didnt expect.

i like you, i really like you

2009-05-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

It's such a good feeling to know you're alive.
It's such a happy feeling: You're growing inside.
And when you wake up ready to say,
"I think I'll make a snappy new day."
It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood,
A neighborly day for a beauty.
I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.
So, let's make the most of this beautiful day.
Since we're together we might as well say:
Won't you please,
Won't you please?
Please won't you be my neighbor?
You are my friend
You are special
You are my friend
You're special to me.
You are the only one like you.
Like you, my friend, I like you.
In the daytime
In the nighttime
Any time that you feel's the right time
For a friendship with me, you see
F-R-I-E-N-D special
You are my friend
You're special to me.
There's only one in this wonderful world
You are special.
Some are fancy on the outside.
Some are fancy on the inside.
Boys are boys from the beginning.
Girls are girls right from the start.
Girls grow up to be the mommies.
Boys grow up be the daddies.
Everybody's fancy.
Everybody's fine.
Your body's fancy and so is mine.
I think you're a special person
And I like your ins and outsides.
Everbody's fancy.
Everybody's fine.
Your body's fancy and so is mine.

charlotte's wonderland

2009-04-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

What is it about children's educational television of the 1970's which brings me so much joy? Is it how all the urban anomalies are transformed into lovable and understandable characters? take Oscar for instance, a homeless pessimistic grouch living in a garbage can who undoubtedly believes their is a conspiracy against him or his neighbor Snuffy who is crippled with depression and self doubt, these characters make the world around us understandable. In fact Sesame Street was originally targeted at underprivileged home schooled children. It is this way of processing and digesting our surroundings which I am so intrigued. In a way my work can be considered lost utopias, just as Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street are now lost utopias. A sense of longing and unattainable ambition charge these environments. In" ... a better place", the white wash signals that the environment is not a physical place but rather lies in the psychological. The abandonment of local colors allows the viewer to enter into a poetic and conceptual realm. The video series "Charlotte and Puppy Show" is made up of shorts featuring reoccurring characters such as the White Rabbit, Spot the Dog, and my ever myself. Sometimes I'm: a feminist, an optimist, a pessimist, a shaman, a narcissist, or a voyeur, all my alter egos. The psychological is a string that binds my sculptures, painting and video works and asks the viewer to please be my neighbor.

"..a better place" detail 2009

2009-04-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

" ..a better place" detail 2009

2009-04-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

MFA Thesis Show Card

2009-04-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

What Next?

2009-04-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

As a graduating MFA I feel its time to share my experience with the void called cyber space. Likely my voice will echo thought the abyss without ever being heard.. which takes the pressure off.
I feel inclined to do the blog thing for a while to help cope with the newly found stresses of post institution ( the bubble called being a student) and to learn better articulation of my work.

The big question today and for the many following is " what next?" well, it may be highly idiotic in this economy .. but i really just want to fly by the seat of my pants. I need to live life for a while with no strings attached except the leash tried to my faithful dog and my true love around my arm. I suppose the rabbit and guineas could come along but three is just a better number. worst case scenario the whole family hits the road, its not like we haven't already traveled half way across the country with them before. it makes for great road entertainment. honestly though they likely can't handle the heat and will have to chill in the cool Midwestern AC with their extended fam.
so the game plan is simple. EVERYTHING MUST GO! we want to live light (except studio equipment) and head to the great state of Indiana. I will help Josh Rodenberg, my lovely husband, install a solo show at the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art.
http://joshrodenberg.blogspot.com/
http://www.usi.edu/nhgallery/index2.asp
Then we will continue west to my birth land, Colorado. We have been invited to Matt Barton Artist residency in Colorado Springs which we are so excited about.
http://www.matthewryanbarton.com
Barton is an incredible installation artist whom works with taxidermy and kinetics. We will spend the month doing collaborations and being inspired by the milky way and Colorado wild flowers. After that we will do some good old camping and site seeing. Mt Rushmore is at the top of our list and perhaps Yellowstone.
After which we will return to the east coast to reside in Richmond for a year. My goal during the next year is to apply to as many grants, exhibitions and residencies as possible. My goal for five years form now is to have my very own something or 'nother... political puppet theater, children's television show knock off, artists commune, petting zoo/artists residency. So that's whats next....

2008-09-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

2008-09-27T21:36:00.001-07:00

2008-09-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

2008-09-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

2008-09-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

Art as catalyst

2008-09-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

I strongly believe that art can be a catalyst for social change and awareness. As an artist, I feel it is my responsibility to ask questions of the viewer and myself. With common refuse or detritus as my medium of choice, I am able to speak on topics such as consumerism and today’s waste society. “The overwhelming alienation and depersonalization of our contemporary inner cities is insistently personalized through the work’s adamant handmade quality, indicating how the ubiquitous discarded and decrepit objects which populate this landscape are perpetually available for psychological engagement as loci of personal or cultural memory.”

I have used such discarded and salvaged materials to build my most recent body of work on the theme of global warming. The mascot I have chosen for this cause is the polar bear, which recently was put on the endangered species list as the first species to be endangered due to global warming.

The first of these sculptures “Get out of here Polar Bear, we don’t like your kind around here, Polar Bear!” consists of a six foot polar bear made of salvaged paper and wire placed in juxtaposition with a looped stop animation film. The center point of this film is a handmade fire hydrant installed on a sidewalk. The hydrant is spewing plastic bags, bubble wrap and other miscellaneous plastics -- representing water -- as well as handmade painted cardboard cans. The combination of the video projection and sculpture represent the cause and effect. The abuse of natural resources such as over consumption of water and the lack of recycling materials aid global warming which is rapidly decreasing the numbers of polar bears who rely on artic ice for mating. The polar bear stands facing the display of wastefulness. His stance is erect in a curious and slightly pitiful manner. His fists pulled in close to his body seem almost defensive. His is a passive bystander and the indirect victim of our consumer waste society.

Another polar bear sculpture “Boo!” consists of a Polar Bear covered in plastic sheeting. The sheeting is a reference to the species imminent extinction unless something drastic is done to stop global warming. By covering the sculpture I both reference antiques covered with cloth to preserve their memories and the use of white sheets by children to dress as ghosts both alluding to the plight of the polar bear and its impending extinction. Much like a ghosts haunting, it is both a warning to the living and a plea for help.

In these works and future works, my goal is to create awareness or reaction to social and environmental issues. In correlation with my belief in art’s power as a social catalyst, I am currently researching the works of Joseph Beuys, Gran Fury, the Guerilla Girls and Peter Schumann, all of who have achieved such an effect through their work.

2008-09-27T21:06:00.001-07:00

2008-09-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

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