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"Unwound", oil on Fiberboard

I spent an hour today taking in the show, A Working History of Things to Come, works by Eric Hudgins in Wug Laku’s Studio and Garage.  The show is aptly titled, as the paintings build upon themselves and foreshadow his current work.  Overall, Hudgin creates pieces that have interweaving patterns, ideas, and colors.  His work explores the relationship between technology and nature.  The older pieces in the main part of the gallery contain a dichotomy of nature and technology.  They relate, yet remain separate.  In the “red” room, one finds abstract paintings that seem to contain something somewhere between the extremes.  All of the pieces are painted with care.  The surface of the paintings are smooth and therefore do not obstruct the viewer from the content of the painting.

Among the earlier works on display, Cecoprian and Convergence caught my eye and mind.  These works are surreal in nature and representational in execution.  The work is presented in black frames that add to the formal, traditional feeling of this earlier work.  Eric Hudgins sums up his ideas when he states, “I believe there may come a day when technology is viewed as being just as natural as nature itself.”

"Cecoprian", oil, acrylic, ink, graphite on paper

In Cecoprian, the viewer is presented with a moth.  Half of the moth is natural.  The other part is created with intricate designs and patterns, melded with nature.  There is a combination of nature and technology, yet they stand as separate elements.  In Convergence, the dialogue between nature and technology takes on a different dimension as an alligator hatches out of a light bulb and an apple split in half reveals half of a white natural apple and half of a mechanical object.

"Convergence", detail

"Convergence", detail

The larger, newer, abstract works in the red room are displayed as frame-less, wrapped canvases.  These works are narrative, containing forms interacting with light in space and time.  The subject, although abstract, is the result of natural and mechanical influences.  It is a combination of the two separate ideas that Hudgins was previously working with.  A detail from Divine Turbulence shows how one of the planes in the picture, painted like a sky, is transposed next to a mechanical shaped plane.

Symmetry is the element that seems to hold both Running a Finger Along the Edge of Madness and The Rise of Fall together.  The paintings have energy and motion, but are stabilized by vertical symmetry.  In the first of these two paintings, it is symmetrical to the point of having a different light source for each half.  In the latter painting, there is a single light source which opens the space of the painting up to include a singular, symmetrical object.

Running a Finger along the Edge of Madness

The Rise of Fall

The show will be up through May 29.  Wug Laku’s Studio and Garage is open 12-4 on Fridays and Saturdays or by appointment.

My three latest butterfly works, After Thistles, Fluttering Cosmopolitan, and Cynthesis will be on display this Saturday, October 19th from 8pm to 2am at Oranje, a contemporary art & music event. Wug Laku of Wug Laku’s Studio and Garage is representing my work at booth 17.

Wug will be displaying his drawings, digital art prints, light boxes, and furniture along with the jewelry of Nancy Lee (I’m sure she’ll be there, too!) and the mixed media of Cagney King –among others. They will be recreating the feel of his gallery in their 22′ x 24′ mega-booth for an intimate discussion with the artists. This past weekend, they were practically living there getting the space ready.

Tickets to the event are $20 and is only open to 21 and older.

Oranje
Wug Laku / Booth 17
2323 North Illinois
Indianapolis, IN 46208

More thoughts on works by Caspar David Friedrich from the Hermitage.

The Dreamer sits on a window ledge of a ruin.  He is not inside the ruin nor is he outside the ruin.  Inside the ruin are dead trees, while outside life thrives.  The dreamer looks sideways, neither out of the ruin nor into the ruin.  Is this not true of a dreamer, of someone who lives half in the metaphysical realm and half in the physical world.  It is a delicate balance.

Morning in the Mountains, completed in 1821-1823, speaks of a misty, grand expanse.

In The Giant Mountains, 1835, Friedrich uses the mist in the mountains to separate the mountains and fall into the river that weaves a winding path through the scene.

Sunset (Brothers), a physically tiny piece that is powerful on a sensory and psychological level.  The landscape is simple in detail, yet has an amazing light created by reflection off of water.

Seashore (Nets) has a warm, glowing horizon line that draws the viewer into the lonely scene void of humans.  The scene is quiet, created with subdued, complimentary purple and yellow.  Birds create slight movement toward the sun or moon in the sky.

A mist creates a different kind of depth in Night in Harbour (Sisters).  A church and the masts of boats is all we see.  Why is there a Jewish star at the top?

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

The Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands is designed with many protruding panels giving a room more wall space then it might otherwise have.  While walking around the museum, I looked with anticipation around each protruding panel for the works of art that would be displayed in these alcoves.  On one of the walls, I found The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius.  This small, unassuming work would not usually catch my eye, however when I saw it there was a rush of recognition.  It was not the work itself that drew me to it, but the memories surrounding it.  I recognized having studied it in school and the loneliness of being in a foreign land melted away as I saw something that connected me to my life at home.
There is something so quiet about this painting, which was done in the last year of the young artist’s life.  There is a lightness of spirit, perhaps due to the bright simple background.

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.

One thing that the flowers lack is the kind of texture that I enjoy bringing out in a painting.  Therefore, I have been investigating other objects that have textures similar to bones.  I thought about other objects that served to strengthen and protect like bones.  I have posted two paintings of shells.  Egg shell is a painting of a broken egg shell.  The broken pieces are scattered in a way reminiscent of a stepping stone path way that leads the eye to the larger egg shell pieces.  This is one of those paintings where the idea comes to you and is not forced.  Seashells on Blue incorporates a few different types of seashells set upon a reflective blue agate.  The agate acts as a blue mirror upon which the shells reflect.

As I leave behind the subject of bones, I am investigating several other venues of interest. One idea is not new, but a continuation of the flower series that I keep coming back to. I have posted two new works Foreshadowing and Three Stages. In Foreshadowing, instead of using the animation to capture the flowers in movement, I use the animation to capture the life stages of the flower. The flower is pictured clearly in the bud stage of life and becomes fainter toward the wilting phase. Three Stages has three different flowers that each represents a point in the flower’s development.

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