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Sight/ Insight will be at the Stutz Art Space from November 6-25, 2009.  The show incorporates a variety of styles ranging from abstract slashes of paint, abstract quilted fabric, exaggerated recognizable forms, jewelry, and paintings and photographs that display clearly recognizable subjects.  The artwork is juxtaposed leading the viewer to flow back and forth between the styles creating a dialogue amongst this diverse set of visual ideas.  It is a conversation between eleven different artists, with different modes of visually communication, and different perspectives on the same subject.

The curator, Carol L Myers, chose artists whose work fit the theme of ‘inspired places’.  Carol herself has lately focused on drawings. She states that her “vocabulary is natural form, but inspired place happens between pencil and paper.”  She finds that drawing is a form of praying.  I was attracted to one of her quilted painting pieces entitled, Boardwalk.  The painting in the work gives the piece a sense of space and light.  On top of the painting, sewn rectangular shapes overlap and break up the space, while the process of sewing the material draws the fabric and adds slight texture.

Below I’ve chosen a few of the types of work represented at the show:

Photography: Ginny Taylor Rosner speaks through her abandoned building photos in South Stairwell.  The stairway leads upward from the bottom right side of the page.  Light is entering from the landing at the top of the stairs in the upper left corner.  The image beckons the viewer to enter, walk up the stairs and into the light.

Abstract: Kate Oberreich’s collage, Map of New York, (on right above) is about repetition.  There is a small section of a city map in the piece.  The map contains repeated rectangular city blocks.  There are repeated circles in the upper left part of the work.  Simple vines with repeated leaves flow around the map.  Even a few drips in the piece seem to repeat themselves in color and shape.

Surreal: Home, by Lydia Burris, is a collage that juxtaposes a home and a tree in a forest with the light shining through the trees paralleling the warm light shining out of the windows of the home.

Landscape: The gallery also holds a collection of landscapes that are produced with varying levels of abstraction.  These invite the viewer to walk into nature in a place of trees, water, and immense skies.  At least one of the landscapes is a piece of jewelry by artist Leigh Dunnington-Jones entitled Sunrise on Central Avenue.  Look at both the front and the back of this piece.

Other artists who are not previously mentioned:
Susan Brewer
Karen Land
Colleen Lauter
Susan Mauck
Jerry Points
Martha Vaught
Julia Zollman Wickes

Join the conversation about inspired places starting this coming First Friday November 6, 2009.

Butterfly Clover

Three Daisy Jazz

During the month of November, stop by Wug Laku’s Studio and Garage to see, Nerve, a collection of some of the gallery owner’s personal work.  His drawings and paintings are worth an extra trip downtown when his gallery is not crowded with people and conversations, but if one only has time to view them during a First Friday, stop by the opening on November 6th.

The drawings and paintings deserve more than a cursory glance.  Do not pass them by as minimalist renderings of form, but envision the works as simplified mirrors reflecting both physical and metaphysical thoughts. Open and honest communication is at their core. Parallel to his work, his artist statement is a simple poem that opens Laku up to the viewer and leaves room for abstract ideas to breathe.

In the gallery’s main area, he has work from 1993, inspired by a county road north of Zionsville, IN (and a Burger King cup).  Within this group, he juxtaposes negative/positive space, layered paint, planes of solid color, and value transitions.  One can see a simplification of nature–very direct, concrete but beautiful in Butterfly Clover.  This piece has three sections.  1) The background is a completely smooth green color. 2) The butterfly is a simple triangle that contains a slight amount of brush strokes.  3) The purple clover is the focal point.  Here alone, the color changes in value and the strokes are free and visible.  This group is connected to his later work (mostly from 2001) that is found in the red room through the conscious simplifying of nature.

The later work refines the simplification. The work’s referent is less obvious, but not less important. The color palette and texture of the images are limited, yet they are not minimal–only simplified. Three Daisy Jazz (located in the red room) represents the continuity, journey, and conversational quality of the entire show.  This medium-sized painting shows process with its un-erased graphite lines, leftover tape, straight and jagged edges, and additive pieces.

Based on my visits to Laku’s gallery over the past year, he appears to enjoy displaying multiple stages of an artist’s work. This both contrasts and unites one body of work to another to showcase the development that defines an artist’s style. Laku continues this practice with two prior bodies of his own work.

While you are viewing Nerve, be sure to check out Nancy Lee’s beautifully designed metal jewelry.

A small disclaimer: Laku has represented my work at his gallery, so I am not a complete stranger to him.

I have three of my butterfly paintings in the 2009 IndyFringe Festival. Thistles, Fluttering Cosmopolitan, and Cynthesis were mentioned in my prior post, Trio of Painted Lady Butterflies. You can see thumbnails in that post. These works can be seen at Henry’s on East, 627 East Street, Friday, August 7, 5 – 9 pm.  Cafes, theaters and spaces along Mass Ave. have been transformed into art galleries for the IndyFringe Festival. Add it to your usual IDADA First Friday Art Walk on August 7th. I hope to see you there, but if you can’t make that Friday, then the work will be on display until August 30th.

You can vote

Make sure to stop by the temporary galleries to vote for your favorite piece of art to become one of those “Be Indypendent” stickers you have seen on your neighbors’ cars. Complimentary Barefoot Bubbly champagne cocktails will be served at each Fringe gallery, too.

The 2009 VisualFringe galleries are: Mass Ave Wine Shoppe, Theatre on the Square, Franklin Barry Gallery, Henry’s on East, Hoaglin To Go Café, Herron School of Art and Design at The Earth House, and the Fringe Gallery. Visit IndyFringe for more info and full gallery addresses.

Opening Quick Facts

August 7, 5 – 9 pm
Henry’s on East
627 East Street

Dean Johnson Gallery is hosting a black and white photography show during the month of July called. . . Black & White.  The opening is this upcoming Friday, July 3, 5 – 9 p.m. It will be part of the July IDADA First Friday Gallery Tour. If you are not able to make to the opening, you can stop by during gallery hours, Monday-Friday 11am-5pm.

I have three works in the show, Cyclist in Maastricht, Connemara Cottage, and Black Forest Foliage. All were taken during travel to Europe. I hope you are able to make it to the opening.

The Dean Johnson Gallery is located at 646 Massachusetts Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46204 on the first floor of the Dean Johnson Design building.

The Harrison Center for the Arts is having its annual color-themed holiday show, this Friday, 6 to 10pm. This year’s show is brown, so you know that I would want to participate. Gone to Pieces, (titled Eggshell in the Portfolio) has been selected for inclusion in Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String . The Harrison Gallery boasts monthly show focusing primarily on Indianapolis artists. The gallery provides an entertaining atmosphere that is welcoming to the seasoned gallery hopper and the novice alike.

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String opens this Friday, December 5 and runs through December 27. The show opening corresponds with the Harrison Center’s First Friday artist reception and open studio night and with IDADA’s First Friday Gallery Tour.

The Harrison Art Gallery
1505 North Delaware
Indianapolis, IN 46202
317.238-0998
December 5, 6 to 10pm

If you are unable to view the gallery on the opening night, the gallery is open Monday-Friday 9-5pm and Saturday 12-4pm.

This was the premier of this painting series, and I was very excited about the event. I met Wug while I served on the planning committee for Elegant Funk, a group art show by members of Smaller Indiana in August. Last Friday (November 7th), as part of Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association (IDADA) First Friday gallery tour, wUG LAKU’S STUDIO & gARAGE hosted the opening of my exhibit, Action, Unification: A Perfected Communion.

Photography and thoughts

I would like to thank my friends and family for coming to my show as well as the gallery-walk regulars and not-so-regulars. Two aspects seemed to surprise visitors who had seen my work only via the website.  They were surprised at the size and texture of my work.  The paintings were larger than some had imagined.  Also, most of the paintings are done on wood panels where the texture of the wood comes through into the painting to complement the implied texture of the bones.

Below, two visitors discuss the work while glancing through the program created by the gallery owner, Wug Laku. The program was a collection of series statements and artwork thumbnails.

Special thanks to Wug for hosting my artwork, creating the program, and for the great lighting!

If you missed the opening and would be interested in viewing my artwork you can schedule a private appointment by emailing Wug or calling 317-270-8258 (email preferred). Wug’s studio is just east of the interstate and Massachusetts Avenue near 10th Street and is open on IDADA First Fridays or by appointment.

wUG LAKU’S STUDIO & gARAGE
1125 Brookside Ave, Suite C7
Indianapolis, IN 46202

Photography and quote submission

If you would like to submit photography of this event or reflections on this event, please contact Stephen.

Up until now you have probably only seen two or four of this series in person. This is the entire series. That’s 12 paintings! I am excited about being the featured 2-D artist at this show. If you are coming, please reply below or confirm on the Facebook event page.

On November 7, 2008, from 6-10 pm, as part of Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association (IDADA) First Friday gallery tour, wUG LAKU’S STUDIO & gARAGE will host the opening of the exhibit, Action, Unification: A Perfected Communion. Wug’s studio is just east of the interstate and Massachusetts Avenue near 10th Street and is open on IDADA First Fridays or by appointment. For more information or to schedule an appointment contact Rachel or call Wug at 317-270-8258.

If one could see the remnants of the past fade as the present took place, how would this be composed? . . . I have created this imaginary experience with bone joints that are juxtaposed in order to capture action and unification. . . In the ideal joint, there is a true freedom for its members. . . Due to this infinite uniqueness of action, a perfected communion arises between its members.

-excerpts from series statement

Friday, November 7th
6:00-10:00pm
wUG LAKU’S STUDIO & gARAGE in the Circle Center Industrial Complex
1125 Brookside Ave, Suite C7
Indianapolis, IN 46202

Twenty-four artists from Smaller Indiana joined for the first (and hopefully annual) Elegant Funk art show. You can read more about ElegantFunk in a previous post.

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Thanks to Zack Legend for making the video about ElegantFunk.

Below are the two paintings, I displayed at ElegantFunk, Affiliating and Adjoining.

After the show, some of the organizers discuss the event.

Thank you to all who came. It was an overwhelming success! No one officially tallied the number of visitors, but we agreed afterward that it was several hundred.

I will be showing a piece in VisualFringe 2008 at The Kuaba Gallery. The Kuaba Gallery is in the last strip of shops on Massachusetts Avenue going away from Downtown. The opening reception is August 1, 2008. Yes, that’s the same night as SmallerIndiana’s Elegant Funk, but Wug Laku’s gallery is just few blocks up the street. Voting for “viewers choice” will be conducted August 1st and 2nd. Patrons’ favorite artwork will be designated as one of the six new Be Indypendent stickers to be used throughout the campaign. I would appreciate your vote. If you are unable to make it on August 1st, my piece, Appearing, will be on display until August 30th.

Kuaba Gallery
876 Massachusetts Avenue
Indianapolis IN 46204

VisualFringe has partnered with the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the Cultural Development Commission to support the Be Indypendent movement. Be Indypendent encourages people to support what is unique to Indianapolis, including local art.

I will be showing two of my recent “moving joint of bone” paintings on August 1st at Elegant Funk. These pieces are the climax of my current series. I will be shifting soon to new subject matter. The group show featuring 20 to 30 artists from Central Indiana will be a part of IDADA’s monthly First Friday gallery hop. The event will be from 5 to 9 pm at wUG LAKU’S STUDIO & gARAGE, 1125 Brookside Ave. Suite C7 in the Circle Center Industrial Complex. It’s just east of the interstate from Massachusetts Avenue. Work showing will include a variety of two and three-dimensional work. The quality of the submissions greatly impressed me and the rest of the organizing committee. I am anxious to see them in person. Most pieces will be for sale. Food, wine, music and local businesses will also be on hand, too.

This show is unique in that the artists have come to together via a local online social network, SmallerIndiana.com. Read more from the Indianapolis Star, and view the online discussion and progress in the events section of SmallerIndiana.

I am so glad that I have been able to be part of the organizing committee. I’d like to thank Andy Ball (and Lorraine), Nancy Digman, Eric Deckers, John Essex, Pam Frazier, James Keuster, Kate Oberreich, Janice Smith and Wug Laku for their contributions to Elegant Funk. I look forward to working with you in the future.

If you plan to be there, please contact me or reply below so that I can keep an eye out for you.

ELEGANT FUNK
Friday, August 1st
5:00-9:00pm
wUG LAKU’S STUDIO & gARAGE
1125 Brookside Ave, Suite C7
Indianapolis, IN 46202

This event is sponsored by NUVO, IDADA, and VisionDirect.

UPDATE: Friday night was great! View my post with photos and a video from ElegantFunk for more.