by Mike Bandy

Last night's episode of Work of Art: The Next Great Artist began with the artists having breakfast on the rooftop of their building. They begin talking to each other, and we learn that Ryan was raised a Jehovah's Witness, but as he got older, he decided that he didn't want to be one anymore. His relationship with his family, especially his mother, became strained because of this.

Simon comes in and tells the artists that they're going to a museum for contemporary artists. They get on the subway and go to SoHo, where they end up at the Children's Museum of the Arts. China is waiting to tell them their next challenge, for which they must create a piece inspired by the childhood experiences that made them an artist. They can only use materials found there at the museum, and they will spend the entire day there working on the pieces, and then have one hour at the workroom the next day.

The artists begin exploring the museum. Jaclyn was not excited about the challenge, while Ryan thought it was fun. Nicole mentions that her sister does art therapy and gets to work with children every day. Abdi talks about how he has no relationship with his dad; his mom was a single mother, so he's decided to make a painting of her as a superhero, shielding him and protecting him.

Miles said that he wanted to make a remake of a work he did nine months ago, and think that it will work. Jaclyn said that this challenge was difficult for her; as a child she was very lonely and ate lunch alone. She had to deal with her feelings of isolation.

Mark said that he grew up in a small town and never really had art supplies, so he often had to improvise with whatever he could find around the house. He decided to make a children's book about his life. Peregrine did a lot of sexual drawings as a child. She was raised in an art commune in San Francisco, around a lot of drugs and right in the middle of the AIDS crisis. The sculpture of a unicorn she was making was supposed to depict a child at an adult's party.

Ryan said that this challenge reminded him of a time when he was really close to his mom. It was upsetting to him; he said that he knows his mom still loves him, but she has to treat him a certain way because she doesn't respect his life choices. She is the reason that he's an artist.

Simon comes to the museum with snacks for the artists, and to see what they're working on. Ryan is drawing with his left hand because he's right handed, so that it looks more childlike. Simon said that he wasn't overwhelmed by it, but if Ryan were 3, it would be amazing. He thought it was very literal. Simon thought that Abdi's piece depicting his mother as a superhero was a recreation of a work that Abdi might have done when he was 11. Simon said that Nicole's piece, which consisted of frames made form Styrofoam plates, was an adult way of bringing childhood memories to life.

Simon said that Peregrine's piece, a sculpture of a unicorn surrounded by fake cigarettes and candy balls, had the potential to be interesting. He thought that she was trying to evoke her awakening as an artist. Miles piece, a series of geometrical pieces made from duct take that resembled a crossword puzzle, seemed to confuse Simon. He asked Miles how the piece related to his childhood, and Miles said that it doesn't.

Jaclyn was working on painting sheets of construction paper and then folding them up to make something abstract. Simon didn't think it was appealing, and he said that he saw her grab some pipe cleaners that were intriguing, but Jaclyn didn't want to work with them. She's afraid that she may be eliminated.

Simon said that he was quite concerned with what he saw, and slightly unimpressed, and that the artists better get their acts together. He announces that nobody will be getting immunity from now on.

Simon's presence made the artists question their work. Abdi decided to go in a different direction, and asked the other artists what people asked them to draw when they were children. He worked on a set of drawings that people would have had him draw when he was in school.

Jaclyn was making abstract paintings, but switched to pipe cleaners and then could not figure out what to do with them. Ryan wanted to add another level to his piece and make it more complex, while Miles made rubber band balls to add to his piece. The first day of work comes to an end.

Back at the house, Mark & Ryan were talking, and Ryan said that he had a way of explaining his piece, even though he wasn't proud of it.

The next day, the artists go back to the workroom, where they had an hour to prepare. Most people weren't done; Ryan was meditating on his work, and Jaclyn was thinking about how she loved to climb trees as a kid. She made a painting of a large tree and hung pipe cleaners and pompoms from the sides of the painting. Miles thought her piece was cold. Abdi said that he gets his drive from his mom, and she'd be disappointed if he didn't give it his all. Mark made a children's book about how he became an artist. Simon comes to the workroom to tell them that their time is up.

Off to the gallery! The pieces:

Abdi - "Straight line"; a series of pencil drawings of things that Abdi was asked to draw as a child.

Jaclyn - "Untitled"; a large painting of a tree with pipe cleaners and pompoms hung from it.

Mark - "Origin Issue"; a children's book depicting what made him an artist.

Miles - "A Complete Roll of Duct Tape Over a 4'x6' Plane, Accompanied by 3 Rubber Band Balls"; pretty self-explanatory.

Nicole - "Surfacing Memories"; Pieces of Styrofoam holding in childhood memories, strung together and suspended. The extra Styrofoam pieces were gathered in a pile on the floor underneath.

Peregrine - "Rainbow"; a sculpture of a unicorn covered with ads for escort services made with papier-mâché, surrounded by chalk cigarettes, drug vials, and candy balls. She called it an homage to people she's known who've died of age.

Ryan - "Drawn Excavations"; children's drawings taped to the wall, with crumpled up construction paper and other materials on the floor in front of it. Ryan called it a "cathartic event."

Abdi, Nicole, Peregrine, Ryan and Jaclyn were asked to explain their pieces. Miles and Mark were safe.

Ryan said that his piece dealt with his relationship with his mother; the judges asked him about the relationship of the stuff on the floor and the stuff on the wall. Ryan said that they represented torn up drawings. The judges felt that Ryan's drawing was contrived, and that his process is better than what his work showed.

Peregrine explained that she wanted to relate to those people she grew up around as a child, and that a lot of those people died from AIDS. The judges thought she did an amazing job, and that it represented a main event and a great supporting cast of characters.

Jaclyn said that every moment of discovery for her as a child was in a tree, and that she wanted to convey a playful element. The judges thought her story was good, but very little of it was in the work. They had no emotional reaction to her work.

Nicole explained that she wanted to create vignettes about childhood memories, and the judges liked that it created a mystery. They said that the design was strong, and the level of obscurity was just right. China said that it was deeply personal.

Abdi said that being in school, he was always called upon as the artist, and he wanted to create something that adults wanted him to draw. The judges felt that he didn't give them anything at all, and that he deliberately removed himself from the piece.

While deliberating, the judges said that they liked Peregrine's piece; she was a natural with the materials, and she took a risk. Nicole's piece was also successful; the judges liked that it didn't show itself to them completely at first glance. They didn't like Ryan's piece; they said that the substance was generic and flat. They weren't sure they were getting through to Ryan. The judges didn't feel that Jaclyn left herself open, and that none of her ideas were developed. China was disappointed by Abdi, and said that his piece wasn't interesting. It showed a weakness in his work.

The top two were Nicole and Peregrine, with Peregrine being named the winner of the challenge. She said that the cool, young gay guys who were her friends as a kid would be proud of her, and that she now has confidence that she'll make it to the end.

The bottom three artists were Ryan, Abdi, and Jaclyn. Abdi was declared safe, and Ryan was ultimately eliminated, because his work didn't make the judges feel anything. He said he was surprised to be eliminated, because he thought Jaclyn's piece was the weakest. Ryan said that he wished he could have stayed, but is excited to be able to go back to making realistic oil paintings, and not have to explain it to anybody.

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

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