Synkroniciti is excited to reveal our new cover for the “Dreams” issue. This was a popular theme with visual artists. Art comprised 22% of the submissions pool–normally it ranges from 4% to 7%. We had four finalists:
Kiss of a Hummingbird, Karen Boissoneault-Gauthier
The Koi Fish Pond, Jamie Frontiera
Wings, Rachael Ikins
Sweet Dreams, Sara Risley
The winner of the cover contest is The Koi Fish Pond by Houstonian visual artist Jamie Frontiera. This is the first woodcarving Synkroniciti has featured on the cover and it captures the illusive nature of both dreams and the subconscious. Three koi swim in a pond, the portions of the fish above the water protruding toward the viewer into three dimensional space while the parts below the surface are rendered by strokes carved into the wood, creating a two dimensional illusion. Our dreams for the future are vague until they manifest. The subconscious plays below the surface of our being, revealed in quick glimpses in our dreams, which are quickly hidden once more. I love the way the light hits the raised, varnished portions–it’s variable and distorting like the magical shine of sunlight on fish scales in a pond and adds to the sense of movement in the work. Jamie’s skill shows the delightfully playful nature of creativity and existence in its most unencumbered state and her experimentation shows both vision and willingness to engage with an unpredictable process. The result is fascinating and feels like a cross between Chinese woodblock prints and M.C. Escher’s lithography, in a sense making manifest in wood what those artists created on paper with wood or metal templates.
“My process for “The Koi Fish Pond” started with being fascinated by koi fish and partly inspired by M.C Escher’s “The Artists hands” where the hands are coming off the paper to draw themselves. In learning chip carving there is a 2D illustrative nature of it that i loved from the beginning. I like the idea of bringing out both techniques of the 3D and the 2D to illustrate both the fun in surrealism and the dynamic in the movement of fish. Surrealism always strikes me in dreams in the subconscious accepting things as they are, but they are off. In the same way looking at things under water distorts what we see.”
I am a wood carver and photographer, and I began woodcarving in 2017 after seeing the artistry brought out in the wood in Venice’s Scuola De Rocco Building. I started exploring all aspects from chip carving, relief, pyrography, and carving in the round. With each piece I try to challenge my own abilities. I am drawn to movement, nature and the geometries found there. My hope with each piece is to express playfulness or draw you into the dramatic intricacies. I was raised in Texas, and I have a bachelor’s degree from Pratt Institute. My work can be found on Etsy and Instagram @jmfcarvings.
The issue will be available for pre-order soon at https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.