Larry Garmezy
Flyover Country: The Past Preserved in the Northern Rockies
April 7 - May 3, 2018
The remnants of a pioneer past are preserved in the hidden valleys of the Northern Rockies. There’s a profound beauty in the almost empty, wide-open expanses portrayed through the images of this show and the large format of many of the works places the viewer squarely into the landscape. For Garmezy, the photographs convey, “a healthy dose of respect for the settlers who survived harsh winters and the hardships of life on a remote frontier.” In this exhibition, he traces some of the history behind the images and chronicles small communities which have been left behind in our increasingly urban world.
In the 1970’s and early 1980’s Garmezy spent many summers mapping the geology of Eastern Idaho and Southwestern Montana. While mapping, he was “adopted” by the locals; by one specific family in particular. Flyover Country reflects Garmezy’s re-immersion into the world of his “second family” as the photography for his current body of work captures the pioneer past he had little time for as a young geologist. “It’s amazing how well you get to know people and their link to the land while studying rocks. In my old Willy’s jeep and on foot miles from any paved roads, I passed relics of a past far too recent to delay a geologist, but I remembered the spots knowing that one day I would return,” Garmezy reminisces. Those hardy people included his “adoptive" mom, who rode on horseback to attend “The Edie School,” a one-room school house built in 1909, a day’s ride from the nearest town.
Through digital deconstruction of details in original photographic images, the fundamental form and texture, color and light emerge in Garmezy’s work. Seeing rhythms in the natural world is an offshoot of his geologic background and much of the work captures the unusual and subtle patterns he finds at every scale of observation from the microscopic to the grand panorama. He finds solace in the remote landscape and strives to convey the serenity of these spaces.
In the 1970’s and early 1980’s Garmezy spent many summers mapping the geology of Eastern Idaho and Southwestern Montana. While mapping, he was “adopted” by the locals; by one specific family in particular. Flyover Country reflects Garmezy’s re-immersion into the world of his “second family” as the photography for his current body of work captures the pioneer past he had little time for as a young geologist. “It’s amazing how well you get to know people and their link to the land while studying rocks. In my old Willy’s jeep and on foot miles from any paved roads, I passed relics of a past far too recent to delay a geologist, but I remembered the spots knowing that one day I would return,” Garmezy reminisces. Those hardy people included his “adoptive" mom, who rode on horseback to attend “The Edie School,” a one-room school house built in 1909, a day’s ride from the nearest town.
Through digital deconstruction of details in original photographic images, the fundamental form and texture, color and light emerge in Garmezy’s work. Seeing rhythms in the natural world is an offshoot of his geologic background and much of the work captures the unusual and subtle patterns he finds at every scale of observation from the microscopic to the grand panorama. He finds solace in the remote landscape and strives to convey the serenity of these spaces.
Isabelle Perreau
"Féminitude", A Path Towards Femininity
March 3 - April 5, 2018
March 3 - April 5, 2018
"FÉMINITUDE",
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"One is not born, but rather becomes a woman." (“On ne nait pas femme, on le devient.") Simone de Beauvoir.
Perreau explains, “Like Simone de Beauvoir, and from my own experience, I believe that feminine gender, as an aspect of one's identity, is gradually acquired; it is a metamorphosis that occurs throughout a woman's life, encompassing body, mind and spirit. Witnessing my daughter's transformation from child to woman, lover, and mother has been an essential part of my own feminine journey; it has been a fascinating experience which I explore through these images.”
Essential to the artist’s creative approach is the mutual degree of trust established with the subjects she photographs. Accepting and welcoming the artist into life’s intimate moments is key in capturing that ephemeral “Féminitude” conveyed by the photographs
Perreau explains, “Like Simone de Beauvoir, and from my own experience, I believe that feminine gender, as an aspect of one's identity, is gradually acquired; it is a metamorphosis that occurs throughout a woman's life, encompassing body, mind and spirit. Witnessing my daughter's transformation from child to woman, lover, and mother has been an essential part of my own feminine journey; it has been a fascinating experience which I explore through these images.”
Essential to the artist’s creative approach is the mutual degree of trust established with the subjects she photographs. Accepting and welcoming the artist into life’s intimate moments is key in capturing that ephemeral “Féminitude” conveyed by the photographs
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Listen to Isabelle's interview on the
Artists of Houston Podcast |
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Archway Gallery Exhibitions - 2018
Sherry Tseng Hill and Jim Adams
Houston Remixed: Songs, Dances, and Sentinels of Time
February 3 - March 1, 2018
Having lived in Houston for most of her life, Sherry Tseng Hill has observed the quiet transformation of the city from a scruffy, sprawling, swamp of a place to a powerhouse of intellect, culture, and diversity. For this show, she weaves her observations, experiences, and stories of the city's past, present, and future presenting them in a collection of wide ranging works that is reflective of this diversity.
In contrast to the fluidity of time in Sherry Tseng Hill's work, Jim Adams’ Sentinels seem timeless and permanent. Fashioned from square and rectangular pieces of steel tube sections, the 11 monolithic pieces articulate a strong and omniscient quality. Each seems solitary and distant, yet all are linked together and connected to one another. They silently stand watch over the transformations of time and our city.
In contrast to the fluidity of time in Sherry Tseng Hill's work, Jim Adams’ Sentinels seem timeless and permanent. Fashioned from square and rectangular pieces of steel tube sections, the 11 monolithic pieces articulate a strong and omniscient quality. Each seems solitary and distant, yet all are linked together and connected to one another. They silently stand watch over the transformations of time and our city.
Joel Anderson
Submergence
January 6 - February 1, 2018
Joel Anderson turns inward and downward in his new works, exploring depth in the subject matter as well as in technique. As Anderson explains, “My last solo show incorporated 3D-printed elements projecting outward from the paintings. This show is almost a complete reversal of that, inviting the viewer to experience the dimensionality downward into semi-transparent layers of encaustic.”
In a series entitled “Basswood Confessions”, memories - most fairly scandalous - are buried under twenty or more layers of encaustic, leaving a hazy impression under a foggy forest of stalwart trees. “As we age and some of us confront failing memory functions, there is a desire to write down some of our stories. But goodness, I don’t want everyone to know all the dirty details”, Anderson reflects.
In his “Crash and Burn” series, Anderson literally set his artwork on fire to produce the impressions of waves crashing ashore or alternatively lava eruptions. “One interesting thing you can do with encaustics is to apply shellac to the surface and then light it on fire. With some additional manipulation with a blow torch, I was seeing that the shellac would in some cases submerge into the encaustic, giving a new dimensionality to the piece” Anderson says. This effect is also used as a background for his geometric social/political commentary pieces “Out of Balance”.
And in the more direct interpretation of the show theme, scenes from Anderson’s 10,000 gallon koi pond are depicted, again utilizing layers and layers of encaustic to effect an underwater world of hazy abandon.
Encaustic painting -- beeswax mixed with damar resin -- was practiced by Greek artists as far back as the 5th century B.C. In fact, the word encaustic comes from the Greek word enkaiein, meaning to burn in, referring to the process of fusing the paint. A mid-20th century revival, including works by Diego Rivera and Jasper Johns, brought encaustic painting back into prominence. Anderson’s creative process uses modern, digital methods incorporated into the ancient medium.
In a series entitled “Basswood Confessions”, memories - most fairly scandalous - are buried under twenty or more layers of encaustic, leaving a hazy impression under a foggy forest of stalwart trees. “As we age and some of us confront failing memory functions, there is a desire to write down some of our stories. But goodness, I don’t want everyone to know all the dirty details”, Anderson reflects.
In his “Crash and Burn” series, Anderson literally set his artwork on fire to produce the impressions of waves crashing ashore or alternatively lava eruptions. “One interesting thing you can do with encaustics is to apply shellac to the surface and then light it on fire. With some additional manipulation with a blow torch, I was seeing that the shellac would in some cases submerge into the encaustic, giving a new dimensionality to the piece” Anderson says. This effect is also used as a background for his geometric social/political commentary pieces “Out of Balance”.
And in the more direct interpretation of the show theme, scenes from Anderson’s 10,000 gallon koi pond are depicted, again utilizing layers and layers of encaustic to effect an underwater world of hazy abandon.
Encaustic painting -- beeswax mixed with damar resin -- was practiced by Greek artists as far back as the 5th century B.C. In fact, the word encaustic comes from the Greek word enkaiein, meaning to burn in, referring to the process of fusing the paint. A mid-20th century revival, including works by Diego Rivera and Jasper Johns, brought encaustic painting back into prominence. Anderson’s creative process uses modern, digital methods incorporated into the ancient medium.
