Your mission, should you choose to accept it… will have 24 hours to complete an original work of art. That’s Metropolitan Art Council’s 9th annual art competition, Flat Out Under Pressure! Otherwise known as FOUP. This year’s art competition kicked off on Friday, June 15th, where 112 local artist (click here for complete list) stood in line to check-in and have their blank canvas stamped. Then each artist would officially be on the clock! Having only 24 hours to create their work of art and submit it back to MAC! Later that Saturday night on June 16th, the artists gather, view each other’s work, celebrate and then a group of MAC judges decide on the winner!
This year’s first place FOUP winner, drumroll please, was local artist Michelle Jardines (congrats!) Shortly after winning, we had the chance to meet the artist and chat about the pressure behind her 24 hour work of art…
360: What was your FOUP experience like?
Michelle: Every year is a very different experience for me. This year I found myself very relaxed and not stressed about it. Everything that could go wrong went wrong that day, making me believe I didn’t have a chance in the world. In fact, I didn’t even get started until about 4:30pm that night! Very different from previous years. I usually stay up stressed thinking of what I can create and do something a little different from what I typically do, to try to come off as more “impressive”. I’m never impressed and usually disappointed. It looks like I tried too hard. This year I decided to not do that and truly paint straight from the heart and it worked out for me.
360: What influenced your 24 hour art creation?
Michelle: It’s funny, I wasn’t even going to compete this year. The day before I actually had asked an artist that I truly look up to critique my work. Worst timing ever… or best timing ever?! I feel that’s really important to do at times in your career. Let’s just say the critique didn’t go as well as expected and I just felt the wind completely knocked out of my sails. I was doubting and questioning a lot and just didn’t feel I could bring anything solid to the competition. I took that doubt and pain I was feeling from that critique and poured that energy into the painting! The hole in the center of the sky where the clouds are brewing was the gaping empty hole I was feeling as an artist. That hole felt like an abyss of doubt that night and creating this painting just poured out of me.
24 hour art creation continued…
Michelle: All the clouds are my brewing thoughts. The sort of obscured and melting tree to the left represented the large amount of confusion, doubt and fear I was feeling. In the center of the painting is a small blurry tree. This represented escaping my fears, doubts and standing alone through this journey. Although the path was unclear, I was moving forward. The bright light on the right side of the painting (that is shining onto the landscape) represents a tiny glimpse of hope. It represented to me the feeling that I’m exactly where I need to be and to not look back. I decided not to sell the painting, but to keep the painting as a daily reminder.
360: How surprised were you to win this year’s FOUP? Congrats again by the way!
Michelle: Honestly if I really sit down and think about it, I’m still in shock! I don’t think that feeling will ever truly go away. I competed against such incredible and talented artists, and I feel beyond privileged that I get to compete with them every year. It’s truly one of my favorite competitions and I just feel so lucky that I won. You really never know what the judge is feeling or experiencing that day and what they are moved by when they pick a winner. That’s the beauty of this competition… anyone can win.
360: What do you love most about being an artist in Greenville?
Michelle: Our community is amazing. Greenville has come such a long way culturally and has really embraced the art scene. Artists in town I feel are very respected. Greenville is only getting bigger and I feel so privileged to be part of this community. The artists in town really enjoy supporting each other and from my experience I like see each other succeed. I’ve had so many opportunities to showcase my work, whether its been through solo exhibits, group shows, collaborations, festivals and competitions. The list really goes on. This would have been more difficult to do in a much larger city. I feel really fortunate that we live in such a sought out city yet still feel embraced by its small town feel and community.
360: What’s next? Any new projects you can share with us?
Michelle: I’m hoping to have a new series complete by February 2019 for a possibly solo show at The Artistry Gallery. I’m also would love to showcase my experience in Cuba. I’m very excited about that. Then in April 2019 I will be doing a show at Art & Light with Annalisa Fink. The pieces for that show will universally be the same size on a larger scale. We’re super excited about this collaboration and feel our art will really compliment each other. Lastly, I’m applying for a few festivals throughout 2019, the main being Artipshere and crossing my fingers that I’ll get in again this year!
360: That’s awesome! Thanks, Michelle. And again congrats! We look forward to seeing your work on the streets of Greenville soon.
In addition to winning, Michelle and the 2nd-8th place artists’ work will be showcased on MAC’s 8 recycle bins through out Downtown Greenville (view all their locations here!) So be on the look come Spring of 2019. You check out all the winners and their creations here.
Do you think you have what it takes?! The 10th annual FOUP is set again for June 2019. The clock is ticking…
You can find out even more info on MAC by visiting their website at greenvillearts.com and following across social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Leave a Reply