Archway Gallery Exhibitions - 2016
André & Virginia Bally
Three Dimensional Stretch
December 3, 2016 - January 5, 2017
André and Virginia's Artists' Talk from the exhibition opening:
Artists André and Virginia Bally hope to awaken in viewers an appreciation for three-dimensional artwork through this current body of work. The desire is to promote the concept that three-dimensional art is more than just the craft and craftsmanship through which it was created and to elevate these works into the realm of art or, hopefully, even fine art. The Ballys explore not only various techniques and media but also the infinite possibilities and diversity presented throughout the course of artistic development.
For this show the artists are working with media and proportions that are outside of their comfort zone. In addition to producing work in their traditional media of clay, the Ballys have stretched themselves artistically by experimenting with new processes and materials.
The Ballys’ approach to the creative process is what makes their work unique. Each work of art is created from a very personal perspective; the thought process develops from their own life experiences, as well as an artistic aesthetic developed and shared over many years. The artists have found the public to be very receptive to this approach which encourages viewers to get to know the artists through their work. Without question, these artists are each other’s greatest influence. The Ballys rely on each other for inspiration, technical advice, feedback, and encouragement. While they work primarily in clay creating low and mid-range fired ceramics, the artists are now also exploring mixed media and multi-media in the creation of their “retablos” which are a modern take on the traditional Mexican art form. The Ballys also work extensively with sandblasting techniques to etch both ceramics and glass.
For this show the artists are working with media and proportions that are outside of their comfort zone. In addition to producing work in their traditional media of clay, the Ballys have stretched themselves artistically by experimenting with new processes and materials.
The Ballys’ approach to the creative process is what makes their work unique. Each work of art is created from a very personal perspective; the thought process develops from their own life experiences, as well as an artistic aesthetic developed and shared over many years. The artists have found the public to be very receptive to this approach which encourages viewers to get to know the artists through their work. Without question, these artists are each other’s greatest influence. The Ballys rely on each other for inspiration, technical advice, feedback, and encouragement. While they work primarily in clay creating low and mid-range fired ceramics, the artists are now also exploring mixed media and multi-media in the creation of their “retablos” which are a modern take on the traditional Mexican art form. The Ballys also work extensively with sandblasting techniques to etch both ceramics and glass.
Liz Conces Spencer and Gene Hester
Ubiquitous
November 5 - December 1, 2016
Liz and Gene's Artists' Talk from the exhibition opening:
The concept: Constantly encountered people, things and activities can blend to a monotony or they can be isolated for their intrinsic and remarkable values. The artists Gene Hester and Liz Conces Spencer will present collaborative and solo works that delve into and explore this idea. The works will include paintings, fused glass and sculpture.
Hester started collaborating with Spencer in 2007 to design and produce works of interest to both artists. The Chapel at Camp Aranzazu in Rockport, Texas, reveals the legend of our Lady of Aranzazu across five floor-to-ceiling exterior panels. The steel and fused glass Flores Public Library public commission project in Houston’s Second Ward was awarded to Spencer and Hester by the Houston Arts Alliance and installed in 2010. They collaborated on the national touring Cool Globes project, brought to Houston to celebrate clean energy. Today, their sculpture stands in front of the corporate headquarters of Silver Eagle Distributing. The team completed fused glass backlit donor panels for the Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism, and is now working on collaborative projects for residential and commercial clients, as well as local and regional exhibitions.
Hester started collaborating with Spencer in 2007 to design and produce works of interest to both artists. The Chapel at Camp Aranzazu in Rockport, Texas, reveals the legend of our Lady of Aranzazu across five floor-to-ceiling exterior panels. The steel and fused glass Flores Public Library public commission project in Houston’s Second Ward was awarded to Spencer and Hester by the Houston Arts Alliance and installed in 2010. They collaborated on the national touring Cool Globes project, brought to Houston to celebrate clean energy. Today, their sculpture stands in front of the corporate headquarters of Silver Eagle Distributing. The team completed fused glass backlit donor panels for the Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism, and is now working on collaborative projects for residential and commercial clients, as well as local and regional exhibitions.
Harold Joiner
A Walk in the Woods
October 1 - November 3, 2016
Harold Joiner's Artist's Talk from the exhibition opening:
Harold Joiner finds solace and inspiration from solitary walks in the local woodlands. His paintings, inspired by what he has seen, seek to capture the essential spirit of their locations. In his own words: “I am not seeking to record as much as I am seeking to explain.” His is frequently an intimate view, in painterly detail and from a closer vantage point, rather than the traditional scenic landscape. A walk in the woods of the Houston area or the Texas Hill Country will likely bring one into contact with a body of water, so it is both water and trees that feature prominently in this exhibition. A painting might be inspired by the multi-colored bark of trees in a wetland, by an autumn branch lying on its side in a pond, or by the verticality of stark winter trees in a lowland swamp.
Houston Wilderness is a not-for-profit coalition dedicated to protecting, preserving, and promoting the unique biodiversity of our region's remaining ecosystems which range from the bottomland hardwoods and prairie grasslands to pine forests and wetlands. The City of Houston is situated in one of the most ecologically diverse major urban areas in the country.
Houston Wilderness is a not-for-profit coalition dedicated to protecting, preserving, and promoting the unique biodiversity of our region's remaining ecosystems which range from the bottomland hardwoods and prairie grasslands to pine forests and wetlands. The City of Houston is situated in one of the most ecologically diverse major urban areas in the country.
Paula Haymond
Elemental Alchemy
September 3 - September 29, 2016
Paula's Artist's Talk from the exhibition opening reception:
Paula's interview on KPRC Channel 2:
Elemental Alchemy is an exhibition of diverse works in wood, metal, and stone. At the heart of medieval alchemy was the idea that all matter was composed of four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. With the right combination of elements, it was theorized that any substance on earth might be formed. This included precious metals as well as elixirs to cure disease and prolong life. While Haymond makes no claim to cure disease, she does transform base elements into art.
Using wood, brass, resin, Paua shell, fine silver, gold, opals, turquoise, and gem stones among others, she creates the intricate landscapes and pictographs of imagined ancient cultures.
Haymond often starts with highly figured wood as the foundation of her sculptures. Using a wood lathe, she creates the designs from which emerge individual pieces which are carved, burned, inlayed and mounted on stone bases. Haymond has expanded her work from wood to include brass musical instruments that she patinates to bring about a multicolored background for her carving and piercing to shine through.
Haymond is a retired licensed psychologist turned professional artist. Residing in Katy, she creates sculptures of wood and brass. Having completed an intensive internship at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in 2011, she joined Archway Gallery in 2012. Since then she has had both solo and collaborative shows at Archway Gallery and the Carl Jung Center of Houston.
Using wood, brass, resin, Paua shell, fine silver, gold, opals, turquoise, and gem stones among others, she creates the intricate landscapes and pictographs of imagined ancient cultures.
Haymond often starts with highly figured wood as the foundation of her sculptures. Using a wood lathe, she creates the designs from which emerge individual pieces which are carved, burned, inlayed and mounted on stone bases. Haymond has expanded her work from wood to include brass musical instruments that she patinates to bring about a multicolored background for her carving and piercing to shine through.
Haymond is a retired licensed psychologist turned professional artist. Residing in Katy, she creates sculptures of wood and brass. Having completed an intensive internship at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in 2011, she joined Archway Gallery in 2012. Since then she has had both solo and collaborative shows at Archway Gallery and the Carl Jung Center of Houston.
Michael Mistric
The Eye of the Beholder: It's What YOU See
August 6 - September 1, 2016
Check out Michael Mistric's artist talk during the opening reception:
The Eye of the Beholder: It’s What YOU See is a representative exhibition of the artist’s work in two and three-dimensional formats including paintings, table art, plates, and furniture. Although people perceive various influences in Michael Mistric’s work, if any exist, they are by no means conscious. Indeed, the forms spring spontaneously from his head through his hand with no prior preparation or deliberation. Thus, every work is unique in two senses: none is like any other and each generates a distinctly personal visual association in the eye of the individual viewer.
Mistric’s work developed out of doodling on paper and takes off from there. He believes the role of any artist – wherever – is what he or she wants to make it. His desire is to spark a sense of visual recognition in the viewer. Mistric has no formal art training and his art is what his subconscious tells his hand to do. He draws with an oil paint pen over a painted or unpainted ground.
Mistric has worked as a registered nurse for over thirty years and as a nurse practitioner for nearly eighteen years. He currently teaches nursing at several area universities.
Mistric’s work developed out of doodling on paper and takes off from there. He believes the role of any artist – wherever – is what he or she wants to make it. His desire is to spark a sense of visual recognition in the viewer. Mistric has no formal art training and his art is what his subconscious tells his hand to do. He draws with an oil paint pen over a painted or unpainted ground.
Mistric has worked as a registered nurse for over thirty years and as a nurse practitioner for nearly eighteen years. He currently teaches nursing at several area universities.
Barbara Able
Juxtaposition: Comparison & Contrast
June 4 - July 6, 2016
Barbara Able Artist's Talk from the opening reception:
Inspired by the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, Able paints dramatic scenes of large mountains. She employs the alla prima (wet-on-wet) technique to build up her surfaces, using a series of transparent layers and thrown paint. This requires a loose way of working, which gives her paintings a sense of spontaneity and freshness. Able embraces the unpredictable results that cause her oils and watercolors to “bloom” in unpredictable ways. Years of studying classical life drawing and landscape painting have provided Able with the foundation to create large, expressive landscape paintings.
Along with the paintings, Able presents a series of collages that reveal a sprezzatura attitude toward mass media. Sprezzatura is an Italian word that means “a certain nonchalance making whatever one does appear to be without effort…” Figures seem to move around the page, leaping over and sliding under one another. Interference paint (transparent paint with mica chips) applied to the surface adds another element to the thought-provoking compositions.
This is Able’s second one-person show at Archway Gallery, where she has been a member for three years. She has a B.F.A. in studio art from the University of Texas.
Along with the paintings, Able presents a series of collages that reveal a sprezzatura attitude toward mass media. Sprezzatura is an Italian word that means “a certain nonchalance making whatever one does appear to be without effort…” Figures seem to move around the page, leaping over and sliding under one another. Interference paint (transparent paint with mica chips) applied to the surface adds another element to the thought-provoking compositions.
This is Able’s second one-person show at Archway Gallery, where she has been a member for three years. She has a B.F.A. in studio art from the University of Texas.
Margaret Scott Bock & Ann Bellinger Hartley
Juxtaposition: Comparison & Contrast
May 7 - June 2, 2016
The Artists' Talk from the opening reception:
Juxtaposition: Comparison & Contrast is a collaborative effort by two artists who have played pivotal roles in the gallery’s 40 year history. At 90 and 80 years of age, long-time friends Bock and Hartley are still creating new works of art on a regular basis. Their collaborative efforts first began in 1981 as Co-Directors of Archway Gallery.
This show includes new and retrospective works. Bock’s luminous impressionistic watercolors on paper and Hartley’s mixed media collage constructions form a juxtaposition of comparison and contrast.
Bock says, “I am always seeking and learning ways to express in water media my responses to space, movement, music and nature, ever hoping to strike a chord in the soul of the viewer.” Hartley continues by explaining that, “When looking back at my work, I see the many patterns and layers of life. I use grids, circular and linear symbols, handmade paper, fabric, paint, and found objects woven together to form cohesive designs. It’s been a long and joyful journey of life.”
Margaret Scott Bock’s painting education began in 1969 when she moved to Houston and discovered the Watercolor Art Society of Houston (WAS-H); in time she earned the status of Signature Elite Artist. Bock joined Archway Gallery in 1981 and is now the gallery’s longest standing member. She has served on the Board of Directors for both Archway Gallery and WAS-H over the years; she now holds the position of Past-Director for Archway and Past-President for WAS-H. Bock has achieved acclaim through exhibiting and subsequently winning awards in various national shows. Her paintings are in numerous private collections and can been seen regularly at Archway Gallery.
Ann Bellinger Hartley moved to Houston from Florida in 1972 and began studying at the Glassell School. She has taught collage workshops in Dallas, Atlanta, San Diego, Nova Scotia, and Houston; in addition, she served as Co-Director of Archway Gallery for 10 years. Hartley has exhibited and won awards in many national and regional exhibitions. She is a Signature Elite member of the National Watercolor Society, National Collage Society, and Watercolor Society of Houston. She is the editor of two books, Bridging Time and Space: Essays on Layered Art and Layering: An Art of Time and Space.
This show includes new and retrospective works. Bock’s luminous impressionistic watercolors on paper and Hartley’s mixed media collage constructions form a juxtaposition of comparison and contrast.
Bock says, “I am always seeking and learning ways to express in water media my responses to space, movement, music and nature, ever hoping to strike a chord in the soul of the viewer.” Hartley continues by explaining that, “When looking back at my work, I see the many patterns and layers of life. I use grids, circular and linear symbols, handmade paper, fabric, paint, and found objects woven together to form cohesive designs. It’s been a long and joyful journey of life.”
Margaret Scott Bock’s painting education began in 1969 when she moved to Houston and discovered the Watercolor Art Society of Houston (WAS-H); in time she earned the status of Signature Elite Artist. Bock joined Archway Gallery in 1981 and is now the gallery’s longest standing member. She has served on the Board of Directors for both Archway Gallery and WAS-H over the years; she now holds the position of Past-Director for Archway and Past-President for WAS-H. Bock has achieved acclaim through exhibiting and subsequently winning awards in various national shows. Her paintings are in numerous private collections and can been seen regularly at Archway Gallery.
Ann Bellinger Hartley moved to Houston from Florida in 1972 and began studying at the Glassell School. She has taught collage workshops in Dallas, Atlanta, San Diego, Nova Scotia, and Houston; in addition, she served as Co-Director of Archway Gallery for 10 years. Hartley has exhibited and won awards in many national and regional exhibitions. She is a Signature Elite member of the National Watercolor Society, National Collage Society, and Watercolor Society of Houston. She is the editor of two books, Bridging Time and Space: Essays on Layered Art and Layering: An Art of Time and Space.
Fikry Botros
Sidewalks
April 2 - May 5, 2016
The photographs in this exhibit were taken by the artist as he explored daily life on the sidewalks of various cities around the world. Botros’ favorite photographs are those where the scene is unperturbed and uninfluenced by his presence. He enjoys the challenge of having little, or no, control over the lighting, the action or the angle. Botros explains, “I love how photographs extract scenes from their context and how their limitation to represent only one combination of light and dark and focus creates a different visual impact than what we see by our continuously darting eyes.” Botros tends to prefer black and white when photographing people but he also uses color when it complements the subject. Three of the photographs in this exhibit have been selected by National Geographic as part of the “Daily Dozen” and “Photo-of-the-Day” features.
Based in Houston, Botros is an engineer by education and spent his entire working career in the Oil and Gas industry. He is a resident member of Archway Gallery. A collection of his photographs is available at his website www.fbotros.com.
Based in Houston, Botros is an engineer by education and spent his entire working career in the Oil and Gas industry. He is a resident member of Archway Gallery. A collection of his photographs is available at his website www.fbotros.com.
Kevin Cromwell
Constructing the Dance
March 5 - March 31, 2016
Kevin's Artist's Talk from the opening reception:
International artist Kevin Cromwell’s collection of new works titled, Constructing the Dance, is about how the physical body, by directly expressing emotion and intent, can bridge the gaps in language. This work creates a narrative through figurative forms and has evolved from his previous Motorhead series, as well as his experiences traveling abroad.
Cromwell creates a sense of transparency in his painted works and encourages the viewer to note the various layers while observing how these layers were built up. Often, he lets the paint flow over the image creating paths and openings for the viewer to explore throughout the work. Cromwell’s large woodblock prints often include the wood grain of the block in the print. The viewer is invited to visually delve further into each piece to connect with his process.
As a painter, Cromwell communicates through the imagery on the canvas. In many ways this feels like he is choreographing a set of dancers who must bend and leap and twist to express the meaning of the piece. In this show Cromwell is opening up the conversation in regard to this development of expression through visual language, specifically the language of the body-form.
The paintings in this series illustrate Cromwell’s conversations about our efforts to be plainly understood in a modern world where words have many meanings and implications while at the same time one’s subconscious self may be, through body language, sending out messages that are in contradiction to our words. The kind of conversations that lend themselves to this physical language are not only limited by the physical form, but by the viewer’s interpretation. In the end the body is the link, the wire, the binding and page upon which the dance is written.
In most of Cromwell’s work, the layers of his interpretation are enhanced by the layers of narrative which he uses to build the composition. The work that is produced is not black text on a white page. It informs and questions the viewer, but does not constrain the viewer’s personal narrative.
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” - Edgar Degas
Born near a chemical plant in south Texas, Cromwell grew up in a small town surrounded by nature. The idea that “art tells a story,” has been the basis of Cromwell’s artistic philosophy since the beginning. Having grown up in a house full of avid readers, his first exposure to art was the book covers laying on tables and chairs. Though the books held little interest, the stories on the covers were dramatic and intense. Artists like Frank Frazetta inspired his early work, and several comic book illustrators through high school. In college; however, he discovered the Surrealists, like Magritte, and found their expression of the subconscious into reality to be a good fit for what he was trying to say with his work.
Cromwell’s art education includes study at Brazosport Community College and the Glassell School of Art in Houston. More recently, he has been working on his BFA at the University of Houston - Clear Lake. Through UHCL he has been able to study abroad, including studying serigraphy at the University of West Bohemia in Plzen, Czech Republic.
Cromwell has been involved in the art community of Houston for several years. For the last five years he has been an active participant in the Houston “Art Crawl” as a studio member at Mother Dog studios. He has worked for the last three years with PrintMatters assisting with the annual “Rockin’ Rollin’ Prints”, a steamroller print event.
Joel Anderson
#Heatstroke3D
February 6 - March 3, 2016
#Heatstroke3D
February 6 - March 3, 2016
Houston Press review: Encaustics artist triumphs in battle of man vs machine
Joel's Artist's Talk from the opening reception:
Joel's Artist's Talk from the opening reception:
Archway Gallery presents #Heatstroke3D, a solo exhibition by mixed media artist Joel Anderson who combines encaustic medium with modern digital elements including 3D printing.
Encaustic is a medium dating back to the ancient Egyptians which found revival in the mid-1900’s with artists like Jasper Johns and Diego Rivera. Its primary component is beeswax hardened with damar resin. Encaustic is one of the oldest and most archival of all paint mediums.
Anderson’s signature technique is the layering of digital imagery under successive coats of encaustic fused with a blowtorch. This process has now advanced as 3D-printed objects are incorporated into many of his works. It was Anderson’s visit to New York’s Museum of Modern Art that inspired this show, not so much the masterpieces in the upper levels of the museum as the 3D drawing contraption for sale in the gift shop. With a quest to introduce a 3D experience into his artwork, his exploration of depth has evolved through his early work to include the incorporation of 3D printed objects at various levels in his newer pieces
In addition to the digital elements, #Heatstroke3D presents a wide range of encaustic techniques, from smooth-as-glass surfacing, deep texture, etching, embedding, and encasing.
Anderson’s subject matter reflects reminiscences from his past work in the oil industry. During a stint
supporting IT at an exploration and research facility, the artist was struck by the stratigraphic maps
hanging on the walls showing different layers in different colors. He is also inspired by music, recreation, and his first technical artwork, spirographs. There is also a nod to the many bees who sacrificed their honeycombs in the play on hexagons throughout the show.
Anderson has a technical background with one of the first degrees in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University. He worked in the oil industry for 33 years in the Information Technology sector for Shell Oil. Anderson is a frequent exhibitor at local art fairs such as Bayou City Arts Festival and the First Saturday Arts Market in the Houston Heights. He is also active with the Houston Visual Arts Alliance. His work has been exhibited in juried shows in Houston. Most recently, a preview piece in the #Heatstroke3D series was accepted into the September 2015 juried membership show of the Houston Visual Arts Alliance. He has been a member of Archway Gallery since 2014.
This will be the first solo encaustic exhibition at Archway Gallery as well as the first one featuring 3D printing technology. The exhibition will feature a 3D printer printing out Valentine hearts for the month of February.
Encaustic is a medium dating back to the ancient Egyptians which found revival in the mid-1900’s with artists like Jasper Johns and Diego Rivera. Its primary component is beeswax hardened with damar resin. Encaustic is one of the oldest and most archival of all paint mediums.
Anderson’s signature technique is the layering of digital imagery under successive coats of encaustic fused with a blowtorch. This process has now advanced as 3D-printed objects are incorporated into many of his works. It was Anderson’s visit to New York’s Museum of Modern Art that inspired this show, not so much the masterpieces in the upper levels of the museum as the 3D drawing contraption for sale in the gift shop. With a quest to introduce a 3D experience into his artwork, his exploration of depth has evolved through his early work to include the incorporation of 3D printed objects at various levels in his newer pieces
In addition to the digital elements, #Heatstroke3D presents a wide range of encaustic techniques, from smooth-as-glass surfacing, deep texture, etching, embedding, and encasing.
Anderson’s subject matter reflects reminiscences from his past work in the oil industry. During a stint
supporting IT at an exploration and research facility, the artist was struck by the stratigraphic maps
hanging on the walls showing different layers in different colors. He is also inspired by music, recreation, and his first technical artwork, spirographs. There is also a nod to the many bees who sacrificed their honeycombs in the play on hexagons throughout the show.
Anderson has a technical background with one of the first degrees in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University. He worked in the oil industry for 33 years in the Information Technology sector for Shell Oil. Anderson is a frequent exhibitor at local art fairs such as Bayou City Arts Festival and the First Saturday Arts Market in the Houston Heights. He is also active with the Houston Visual Arts Alliance. His work has been exhibited in juried shows in Houston. Most recently, a preview piece in the #Heatstroke3D series was accepted into the September 2015 juried membership show of the Houston Visual Arts Alliance. He has been a member of Archway Gallery since 2014.
This will be the first solo encaustic exhibition at Archway Gallery as well as the first one featuring 3D printing technology. The exhibition will feature a 3D printer printing out Valentine hearts for the month of February.
Larry Garmezy
Finding Equilibrium
January 9 - February 4, 2016
Finding Equilibrium
January 9 - February 4, 2016
View the artwork from the entire show on-line at www.LarryGarmezy.com
From the opening night of the exhibition
Larry Garmezy's artist talk.
Larry Garmezy's artist talk.
Although Finding Equilibrium began as an exploration of the patterns, textures and colors found in the pristine waters of natural springs, midway through this adventure Garmezy’s thoughts shifted to the demands placed on these waters as they meander downstream through the human world. This exhibition ends with a suite of images designed to challenge the viewer with the question, “When are WE too many?” Are we, in fact, losing equilibrium?
Finding Equilibrium was also the title of the last image of Garmezy’s previous exhibition at Archway Gallery, Orogenesis which focused on the “solid” forms of mountain landscapes, ephemeral on a time scale only a geologist can appreciate. This time around he studied waterscapes in and around natural springs that change in the blink of an eye. This fluid environment is designed for the photographic art form. Whereas the human eye can see the motion created by the upwelling of water, it takes a mechanical shutter to “freeze” the scene, revealing the composition in all its glory and novelty.
Through digital deconstruction of details the fundamental form and texture, color and light emerge. Seeing rhythms in the natural world is an offshoot of Garmezy’s geologic background and much of his work captures the unusual and subtle patterns he finds at every scale of observation from the microscopic to the grand panorama.
This exploration began with the discovery of a spectacular natural spring along the eastern flank of the “Island Park Caldera” in eastern Idaho and continued through the Rockies, central Texas, New England and Southern France. The spectacular range and intensity of color and the patterns created by the interplay of the water, light, plant life and topography spring from these images as the body of water attempts to “find equilibrium.”
The show’s title also suggests the role the natural world plays in Garmezy’s life and where he returns to seek his own equilibrium. “To this day, I can close my eyes and return to every mountain range, valley, stream or snowfield I have traversed over the past 50 years,” he said.
Garmezy attended Amherst College in the mountains of Massachusetts and graduate school at Penn State, in the mountains of central Pennsylvania; he recently retired from Shell Oil after a 32-year geologic career traveling the globe. Garmezy’s art career began in earnest in 2007.
His work has been exhibited in juried shows in Seattle and Houston. Most recently a piece from Finding Equilibrium was accepted into the September 2015 juried membership show of the Houston Visual Arts Alliance. His work has been on view at numerous venues in the Houston area, including a public commission in Bellaire. Larry is a member of the Houston Center for Photography, and the Houston Visual Arts Alliance. He has been a member of Archway Gallery since November 2011.
Finding Equilibrium was also the title of the last image of Garmezy’s previous exhibition at Archway Gallery, Orogenesis which focused on the “solid” forms of mountain landscapes, ephemeral on a time scale only a geologist can appreciate. This time around he studied waterscapes in and around natural springs that change in the blink of an eye. This fluid environment is designed for the photographic art form. Whereas the human eye can see the motion created by the upwelling of water, it takes a mechanical shutter to “freeze” the scene, revealing the composition in all its glory and novelty.
Through digital deconstruction of details the fundamental form and texture, color and light emerge. Seeing rhythms in the natural world is an offshoot of Garmezy’s geologic background and much of his work captures the unusual and subtle patterns he finds at every scale of observation from the microscopic to the grand panorama.
This exploration began with the discovery of a spectacular natural spring along the eastern flank of the “Island Park Caldera” in eastern Idaho and continued through the Rockies, central Texas, New England and Southern France. The spectacular range and intensity of color and the patterns created by the interplay of the water, light, plant life and topography spring from these images as the body of water attempts to “find equilibrium.”
The show’s title also suggests the role the natural world plays in Garmezy’s life and where he returns to seek his own equilibrium. “To this day, I can close my eyes and return to every mountain range, valley, stream or snowfield I have traversed over the past 50 years,” he said.
Garmezy attended Amherst College in the mountains of Massachusetts and graduate school at Penn State, in the mountains of central Pennsylvania; he recently retired from Shell Oil after a 32-year geologic career traveling the globe. Garmezy’s art career began in earnest in 2007.
His work has been exhibited in juried shows in Seattle and Houston. Most recently a piece from Finding Equilibrium was accepted into the September 2015 juried membership show of the Houston Visual Arts Alliance. His work has been on view at numerous venues in the Houston area, including a public commission in Bellaire. Larry is a member of the Houston Center for Photography, and the Houston Visual Arts Alliance. He has been a member of Archway Gallery since November 2011.