Also please check out my second blog, The Painting Archives to see older (pre-2004) paintings for sale.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
back to 1983
Last night was the opening of a group show called Rivers at the Eau Claire public library in Eau Claire, WI. My old painting instructor, Anders Shafer curated the show, and when he asked me to be part of it I hesitated. What could I contribute that would relate to the theme? He told me he was thinking of a painting he'd seen in my studio during one of my Open Studio sales of older work. Here it is hanging (in a stairwell) at the exhibit, and the statement I wrote to go with it.
I had mixed feelings about exhibiting this older painting, though I still like it. I wondered if people would mistake it for a current painting. And indeed a few people at the opening told me how much they like my "new direction"...I wonder if some will be sorry to see me "go back" to those multiple panel things! ¶ 9:40 AM
Last night was the opening of a group show called Rivers at the Eau Claire public library in Eau Claire, WI. My old painting instructor, Anders Shafer curated the show, and when he asked me to be part of it I hesitated. What could I contribute that would relate to the theme? He told me he was thinking of a painting he'd seen in my studio during one of my Open Studio sales of older work. Here it is hanging (in a stairwell) at the exhibit, and the statement I wrote to go with it.
I painted Dry River Bed 24 years ago while I was living in Tempe, AZ and attending grad school at Arizona State University. This was my first exposure to the bleached, arid desert landscape of the area.
This painting came out of the experience of walking around in the bed of the Salt River, which dries up completely on a seasonal basis. During the rainy season, the river collects all sorts of random items, which are then exposed when the water recedes. I used to collect interesting bits of wood and other objects, and there was a always slightly disturbing feeling, wondering what else I might come across. The style of the painting is typical of my surrealist approach at the time and reflects the dreamlike aspect of this landscape.
The narrative aspect of the work comes from my current perspective—I’m not at all sure what I’d have said about this painting when I did it. My work has evolved since then in a very different direction--towards abstraction, with much richer color and texture--though an interest in landscape remains.
I had mixed feelings about exhibiting this older painting, though I still like it. I wondered if people would mistake it for a current painting. And indeed a few people at the opening told me how much they like my "new direction"...I wonder if some will be sorry to see me "go back" to those multiple panel things! ¶ 9:40 AM
