Oops! Spoke too soon. I had originally posted this as opening February 12, but it has been rescheduled to February 5. I hope you can join us then instead!
Psyched to be showing with this talented group of artists. I’m going to show a 30×30 piece I’ve been working for a few months here and there. The piece is a little bit of a departure for me so I am excited to get it out of the studio and in front of your eyes.
I have some work up for the next couple weeks in the Harvest show at the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative in Charlottesville. I took a bit of a break from the studio this summer, and this is my first show since this time off. I was enjoying time visiting family and friends and catching up on some life maintenance. I made two other paintings this past summer, but that is pretty much it.
While I was working on these images, I was listening to an audiobook called The Palace of Illusions, a novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. I still have about an hour-ish to go in the story. It is a retelling of the ancient Indian epic Mahabhrata from the point of view of Princess Panchaali. For whatever reason, hearing something instead of reading it allows me to more fully imagine the story, and this had so many beautiful and fascinating characters and places to imagine. I didn’t know much about the story before it started, and I was glad to find that it was based on an epic story. I have been slowly nurturing an interest in these types of stories over the last few years.
It seems the novel shares some overlap with my general intentions for my work, which is to create a transcendent image that is still rooted in authentic human experience. I will probably spend the rest of my painting days trying to unravel this knot. I find it very difficult to articulate, probably due to the old cliche: a picture is worth a thousand words. And when you have made 300 + paintings, it really starts to add up.
Even though it is hard, I thought I would share a few things about my work. I’m often asked what my paintings are about, or where I get my inspiration, so I figured I would try to get a few thoughts out about this latest group. I hope that they add to the experience of the paintings.
Waterlily echoes, to some degree, the story of Panchaali’s birth. She arrives through fire, not as an infant, but as a young child - I think. I also see this image as a representation of the heroine being greeted by two archetypal figures - the Crone and the Wise Old Man.
Mrs. Whitegloves was an imaginary figure like the tooth fairy, who was responsible for checking our cabins at summer camp for cleanliness. We would compete with the other cabins to win awards, at least that is what I remember. This image is about our impulse or drive for rejuvenating, refreshing, and purifying both ourselves, and those around us. This habit pops up in many aspects of our lives, from our most basic personal care all the way through to religious traditions and social conventions. I tend to be a messy person, but I do love a good deep cleaning and organizing every few months.
Inhale/Exhale is inspired by breath meditation. In fact, after looking at it for a while, I am starting to see it as a kind of ‘how-to’ painting. I see the figures in the painting as states of the same individual, which is generally true for a lot of my work.
On the left side, the two figures are a kind of before and after of this character. The before is the blue smaller figure. She is opaque, cool, and small as opposed to the larger, transparent version. She (the after) is holding a large glowing fern frond, a symbol of the warm living energetic state she is in after going through this experience.
On the right side is the ‘how-to’ part, meaning how to achieve the transformation shown on the left. The figure lying on the ground is the initial state of this person. The figure sitting on top represents the observer who is watching the breath. The breath itself is represented by the organ-like shapes with red and blue lobes representing oxygenated and unoxygenated lungs/tissues. I combined the lobes with the branches of a plant. This uses the similarity in physical structure between these forms to underscore the life giving nature of the breath.
Moonlake. I see this image as an exploration of seeking, searching, and feeling around in unfamiliar territory. I am often doing this in and out of the studio. I was excited to explore the possibilities of painting a lake, and trying to show what is underwater and above water somehow, without painting the water itself.
Stay tuned for more! I have another show just around the corner. It opens November 5, at Pony Club here in Portland. I’ll be showing with Aidan Koch.
The painting I did for the Postcard Show, ‘Our Lady of the Rain’ will be traveling! Here are the dates and places:
November 6, 2009 - January 15, 2010
Woodbury Art Museum
Utah Valley University
Jan - March 2010
McCutchan Arts Center
University of Southern Indiana
May – July 2010
A.D. Gallery
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
August 2010
USCB Gallery, South Carolina
October 2010
Chaplin Hall Gallery/Norwich University, Vermont
I’m looking forward to the opening on April 30 of Common Swell, a group show I’m in along with four other lovely and talented artists at Together Gallery’s brand new space at 2916 NE Alberta. I have fond memories of many hours in the print shop with Allyson Mellberg and Catherine Stack when we were in school together at MIAD. I miss the print shop!! We’ll be joined by Jeremy Taylor and Matthew Feyld, both inspirational for me in different ways.
Curleds (AP/a), six color gocco print by Jeremy Taylor
Allyson and Jeremy often work collaboratively, though not always, on elegant renderings of animals and people suffering from various maladies and growths, in an effort to visualize the deleterious effects of our society’s handling of toxic materials. They use all non toxic materials - natural pigments derived from sources such as walnuts, spinach, and squid ink. They also make soft sculptures and ceramic pieces.
Allyson Mellberg
Matthew Feyld paints a mean crisp edge! I have been a fan of Matthew’s since my early days on flickr. He is a prolific and gifted painter who has fleshed out a very recognizable stylized form of figurative paintings. They are very graphic, flat shapes with exaggerated proportions. I read his paintings as dramatic depictions of states of mind. I think the earlier ones from a couple years ago dealt more with fear and possibly a touch of shame and embarrassment - men with shirts, but no pants, like those awkward dreams when one suddenly realizes that they forgot to get dressed before going to work. Lately, his paintings seem to have transitioned to a more satisfied but still shocked stage, the figures are more rotund and balance fruit bowls, wear cheery patterned sweaters, and generally look like they are feeling somewhat better.
Matthew Feyld
Catherine has recently launched a new website, which I am so excited about! She finished up grad school in Boston last year I believe and now lives in Brooklyn. I was happy to get to see her, if only for a few minutes, last December when I was there. She has been making lovely etchings and paper sculptures, and has a lovely artist statement to boot:
Out of Proportion, etching on muslin by Catherine Stack
Stepping Off, 8x10 acrylic gouache on panel by Betsy Walton
