"In my life, I have been all across the world viewing different artwork. I have seen many contrasting artists, styles, techniques, and media. After viewing the work most recently placed in Kimball Union Academy's Taylor Art Gallery, I have been able to be further educated in the various ways to express oneself. Clock in Shadow is an interesting and inspiring contemporary art exhibit. I thought that the way the exhibit was laid out enabled viewers to fully appreciate the artwork. At the opening, my eye became attracted to the far left wall because of its striking quilt. On this side, the artwork was significantly different than on the front wall and right side. I was fascinated by the way artist Mark Golamco used wood not just to create sculptures and architecture, but to both paint on and carve from. I was additionally impressed by the many talents portrayed by the artist. Between the quilt, the portraits, and the large landscapes and scenes carved into layers of industrial plywood, I liked viewing the different styles and methods. Although I appreciated every piece of art, my favorite was the drawing called Witness. To me, this work showed great movement and intense emotions."
-Sarah Cutts, class of 2008.
"On Friday night, September 7, 2007, Kimball Union Academy held its first Taylor Art Gallery Opening of the year, in Flickinger Arts Center. A wide variety of students poured into the gallery to see the works of Mark Golamco, a rising artist. An assortment of his finest pieces hung on the wall. The art ranged from plywood portraits carved with plunge-routers, to detailed graphite drawings on paper, to oil-pastel and watercolor patterned designs.
The plywood portraits caught my eye the second I walked into the gallery. The plunge-router allowed Golamco to change the depth of the wood drastically. I was impressed with how detailed each piece of plywood was. Some of the portraits contained small amounts of watercolor, giving them that "extra touch". The variation in depth makes his work very unique. It truly was like nothing I had ever seen before.
My favorite piece in the gallery was the graphite pencil drawing of the woman with the coral brain. [ Those Who Did Not Know to Ask ]. At first glance, it looks like a normal portrait of a woman wearing a french hat, but the hair was actually seaweed, and the hat was made of brain coral. The attention to detail was remarkable. Golamco said "I used powdered graphite to shade in the areas, and then a graphite pencil for detail." I also love to work with graphite and charcoal, so this information was helpful and interesting.
The biggest work of art in the gallery was an oil-pastel and watercolor [drawing] of a star, made up of small diamond shapes. Golamco added an opaque glaze over the star to give it a light, subtle look. He used his fingers to smear and push the color surrounding the star, giving it an earthy and natural appearance. I really enjoyed hearing how this creation was made because it used so many different materials... All together, I enjoyed this gallery opening, and talking to Golamco about how he created each piece. I thought all his work was original and creative."
-Emily Bulkeley, Class of 2009
"As an overall collection, Mark Golamco's work did not really interest me. However, there were certain elements of his style that I liked. It is very interesting how he uses plywood to create a low-relief piece of artwork. The way he changes depth by carving out the subject gives his work an abstract element, but at the same time, draws attention to certain details, such as a person's hair or facial expression.
What I found surprising was the collection of rubbings. It took me several minutes before I even realized they were from [some of] the same wood works on the wall. The rubbings bring out details you do not normally see when looking at the wood. Because of this, your thoughts on the subject of the piece may change.
I found the rubbing Witness to be very interesting. Golamco combined the rubbing of one of the heads of a person with a rubbing of a candle. The final image looks like the candle is burning and dripping wax down the sides of the person's face. Though we know it is actually the hair of the person, it has a new meaning.
Even though I found several things interesting, Golamco's work comes off to me as a little bit morbid. I just didn't get a happy feeling when looking at the works."
-Marra Landino, Class of 2008.
