A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION Woodland Hills, California Volume 137 - Issue 8
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
One copy free, each additional copy $1.00
Renowned painter speaks at gallery
Modern artist makes appearance to portray her work BY MADELEINE CHRISTIAN Reporter
A
n artist was painting on a sectional couch that had been trashed and left out on her street for a garbage pick-up when the owner of the couch stopped her. “What are you doing?” they asked. Stephanie Sherwood was turning what was once her neighbor’s trash into a treasured work of art. Now, the Pierce College art gallery is featuring the distinctive works of Sherwood, who spoke at the exhibit on Nov. 7 and shared stories about her life, art and career to Pierce students. Sherwood is a Los Angeles local who has been featured in nationally recognized galleries. She graduated from California State University, Long Beach, and studied at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts where she was taught the fundamentals of fine art. A far cry from her today that draws inspiration from the unconventional and uncomfortable. Sherwood's ill-contained series, which is currently on display at the Pierce College Art Gallery, features her newest works done on discarded furniture and trash in different mediums. One of the works is an installation piece done specifically for this gallery and is partially painted on the wall. Sherwood details how her art has evolved to its current state in the Artist’s Talk portion of the show. “I was always working with subject matter that made me
Photo by Benjamin Hanson
Artist Stephanie Sherwood stands in front of her piece, "Offload," in the Pierce Art Gallery in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Nov. 7, 2022.
uncomfortable, that uncomfortable place was a place where my art tended to thrive,” Sherwood said. “It evolved into painting still lifes of garbage and refuse and shopping carts full of refuse that is a very common sight on the streets of Los
Angeles.” The large gallery installation piece hides a computer underneath a couch that plays videos she's taken of her art done on the streets of Los Angeles. Sherwood finds abandoned
furniture and paints it on the street. She leaves the pieces there and they remain there until they are hauled off to the dump. Sherwood was originally drawn to broken furniture on the street as a canvas for its impermanence.
“I would encounter something outside that was definitely not going to be reused for its intended purpose then I would paint my subject matter onto the item wherever it was waiting for the city to come pick it up and take it to the landfill,”
Sherwood said. “It would become this temporary thing, this temporary art installation, its performative, it's ephemeral and it only lasted a couple of days.” Sherwood's unconventional style strikes a cord with viewers, but for art students, her work is much more personal. Interior design major Rahaf Khalil finds the obscurity in Sherwoods art endearing. “I’ve never seen art like this where she gets pieces from the street and puts them together into one art piece,” Khalil said. “She has something about her art that is different from any art I’ve seen.” Sherwood's work has grown and changed as she’s found her creative voice. Her more recent works that delved into the 3D realm are relevant to some of the course work done in art classes on campus. Pierce art professor and gallery coordinator Constance Kocs believes Sherwood’s work is the perfect way to expose students to different types of art, and its all done by one artist. “We try to bring work to (the students) to try to give them a broader experience and exposure to things that are contemporary and happening in LA,” Kocs said. “Stephanie combines things like drawing, painting, 2D work, fabrication, with a range of materials as well as the instillation pieces, so it really touches on a lot of different areas in our department.” The exhibit runs until Dec. 12 at the Pierce Art Gallery. mchristian.roundupnews@gmail.com
Soccer punches ticket to the playoffs Brahmas get narrow win over Santa Barbara City College
BY VANESSA ROQUE Reporter
T
he soccer team earned a crucial win on Sophomore Night as they booked their spot in the playoffs. Defender Natalia Puccio scored the only as the Brahmas got the win over Santa Barbara City College by a score of 1-0. Puccio said that the game had big stakes. “I thought it was a very intense game, we all came in the game knowing how big it was, and that they are in first place,” Puccio said. “I was happy to get a goal in early on and definitely set the tone for both teams.” Head Coach Adolfo Perez said that this win was special. “Wow, Unbelievable, we just beat the number 14 in the state, which is their number 4 out of 140. So, it’s very impressive, this is their first loss all year in conference. To do It in front of all these people, it’s just special and then to make it on sophomore night it’s like a perfect script,” Perez said. The amount of grit and
determination was seen on the field Friday night due to the number of players covered in scrapes and abrasions. Forward Alexandra Meza said they put everything into this win. “I thought we played very tough and strong and definitely showed up to win and just put our hearts on the field,” Meza said. Sophomore Night celebrated the sophomores that are going to be moving on after this season. Meza was overwhelmed with emotion as she saw her photos being displayed on the very platform that she saw previous players being showcased. “I teared up when I saw them have my photos and just definitely felt very appreciated, so I got very emotional,” Meza said. Puccio continues to show great tenacity as she plays a part of the defensive unit. “Recognizing our sophomores last year was such an amazing feeling and I was like so excited knowing that I was coming tonight on sophomore night,” Puccio said. The team’s success couldn’t have
happened without Perez, his experience and expertise has helped create the dynamic team that competes at high levels. “We defended, we were engaged, we were focused, and we defended well. We defended like we have not defended all year,” Perez said. Amazing work ethic mixed with dedication and aggression is reflected in Perez’s coaching and in the Brahmas statistics. The contributions of everyone involved with the team have helped the Brahmas achieve great success, and the team hopes to come back to the next game stronger than ever. Perez wants the Brahma's energy and consistency to remain steadfast. “In the playoffs, anything happens, because it’s one game, so you win, you go on, you lose, it’s over. “So, we expect to play well, if we play like this, we have a great shot to go far,” Perez said. With the win, the soccer team improves to 12-2-5 and will travel to Moorpark College on Veteran’s Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. vroque.roundupnews@gmail.com
Photo by Rachael Rosenberg
Alexandra Meza (right) kicks the ball away from Dakota Thyssen at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Nov. 4, 2022. The Brahmas won 1-0.
Showing their spirit [see LA Life on pg. 4]
Opinions....................................2 News...........................................3 LA Life.......................................4 Photo Essay...............................5 Sports.........................................6