Archway Gallery Exhibitions - 2022
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Andrea Wilkinson and Christie Coker Only the Forest Knows December 3, 2022 - January 5, 2023 |
"Keep close to nature’s heart and break clear away, once in a while, …spend a week in the woods, wash your spirit clean.” This quote by John Muir serves as inspiration for Andrea Wilkinson and Christie Coker as they express their love of nature. Only the Forest Knows… is a collaborative effort combining Wilkinson’s exquisite sculptural portraits of wild animals with Coker’s textural paintings which are evocative of the environs in which these animals live. In the words of Muir, each artist believes that, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”
For this show, Andrea Wilkinson has created sculptures inspired by the wild animals that live among us, for animals are highly adaptive in sharing our forested neighborhoods and yards. Even large animals such as deer have learned to make allowances for, and take advantage of, our proximity carrying on with their lives while our lives are enriched by their presence. Wilkinson has incorporated a variety of media and a bit of whimsy to suggest textures of fur and feather. As always, her goal is to find that emotional connection to each animal and share that connection with the viewer.
Growing up in Oklahoma, Andrea Wilkinson’s love of and interest in animals led her to major in Zoology in college and later to volunteer as a docent at the Houston Zoo. As an artist, she is naturally drawn to animals as subject matter for her sculptures. Her art training comes from attending numerous workshops in New Mexico and Arizona and classes at the Glassell School and Art League Houston. She works primarily in two media, clay to be cast in bronze and papier mache.’ Wilkinson is represented by Archway Gallery in Houston and Galleries at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her work is included in collections both public and private.
Christie Coker’s artwork in this collection is inspired by the beauty found in nature’s offerings. Whether it’s through the inspection of a bird’s nest or gazing at the moon through tree branches, it’s the intricate detail of nature that draws her in and captivates her artistic muse. Her acrylic paintings are on textured surfaces where the creative process includes spontaneous development allowing each painting to simply lead the way on this artistic journey. In agreement with Muir, Coker feels that wandering through a forest is the perfect way to “lose her mind and find her soul.”
Christie Coker received her degree in Education with a specialization in Art from Lamar University. In addition to post-graduate hours in art, she has also studied at the Glassell School in Houston and has participated in local, as well as regional, workshops which encourage artistic growth. Her artwork is included in private collections throughout the United States, South America, and Europe. Coker has been represented by Archway Gallery since 2001.
For this show, Andrea Wilkinson has created sculptures inspired by the wild animals that live among us, for animals are highly adaptive in sharing our forested neighborhoods and yards. Even large animals such as deer have learned to make allowances for, and take advantage of, our proximity carrying on with their lives while our lives are enriched by their presence. Wilkinson has incorporated a variety of media and a bit of whimsy to suggest textures of fur and feather. As always, her goal is to find that emotional connection to each animal and share that connection with the viewer.
Growing up in Oklahoma, Andrea Wilkinson’s love of and interest in animals led her to major in Zoology in college and later to volunteer as a docent at the Houston Zoo. As an artist, she is naturally drawn to animals as subject matter for her sculptures. Her art training comes from attending numerous workshops in New Mexico and Arizona and classes at the Glassell School and Art League Houston. She works primarily in two media, clay to be cast in bronze and papier mache.’ Wilkinson is represented by Archway Gallery in Houston and Galleries at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her work is included in collections both public and private.
Christie Coker’s artwork in this collection is inspired by the beauty found in nature’s offerings. Whether it’s through the inspection of a bird’s nest or gazing at the moon through tree branches, it’s the intricate detail of nature that draws her in and captivates her artistic muse. Her acrylic paintings are on textured surfaces where the creative process includes spontaneous development allowing each painting to simply lead the way on this artistic journey. In agreement with Muir, Coker feels that wandering through a forest is the perfect way to “lose her mind and find her soul.”
Christie Coker received her degree in Education with a specialization in Art from Lamar University. In addition to post-graduate hours in art, she has also studied at the Glassell School in Houston and has participated in local, as well as regional, workshops which encourage artistic growth. Her artwork is included in private collections throughout the United States, South America, and Europe. Coker has been represented by Archway Gallery since 2001.
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Barbara Able Venus Rising November 5 - December 1, 2022 |
Barbara Able's new body of work, Venus Rising, is a series of paintings and collages that utilizes transparency in various ways. Her new collages were inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s, Birth of Venus. The famous Renaissance painting depicts the goddess of love, Venus, arriving on shore on a seashell after being born fully grown at sea
Able’s focus on the female form was inspired by both Greek mythology and recent political drama. The paintings are in response to her belief that women will control the next millenium. The painting, The Three Graces, uses a stenciled background reminiscent of ancient impasto paintings with thick textures and glossy surfaces. The same technigue is used in Able’s abstract work, which was inspired by her extensive gardens.
The materials that Able utilizes in her collages include photographs, patterned papers, insects, miniature figures, and watercolors. The images are layered onto the surface and then overlaid with transparent film which contains additional figures that reflect on the surface below. Able pays homage through her work to the artists who most inspire her—John Singer Sargent, Picasso, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Robert Rauschenberg.
This is Able’s fifth solo show at Archway Gallery, where she has been a resident artist since 2013. She has a B.F.A. in Studio Art from the University of Texas and has done post-graduate studies at Art League Houston and privately with nationally known artists
Able’s focus on the female form was inspired by both Greek mythology and recent political drama. The paintings are in response to her belief that women will control the next millenium. The painting, The Three Graces, uses a stenciled background reminiscent of ancient impasto paintings with thick textures and glossy surfaces. The same technigue is used in Able’s abstract work, which was inspired by her extensive gardens.
The materials that Able utilizes in her collages include photographs, patterned papers, insects, miniature figures, and watercolors. The images are layered onto the surface and then overlaid with transparent film which contains additional figures that reflect on the surface below. Able pays homage through her work to the artists who most inspire her—John Singer Sargent, Picasso, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Robert Rauschenberg.
This is Able’s fifth solo show at Archway Gallery, where she has been a resident artist since 2013. She has a B.F.A. in Studio Art from the University of Texas and has done post-graduate studies at Art League Houston and privately with nationally known artists
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Isabelle Perreau and Gary Watson Voyages, Paysages, Visages In Participation with FotoFest 2022 October 1 - November 3, 2022 |
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Voyages, Paysages, Visages is a creative conversation between two photographic artists. Archway Gallery resident artist Isabelle Perreau presents selections from her archive of worldwide travel photographs, each of which is paired with a photograph made in the United States by guest artist Gary Watson. While each artful image stands on its own, the interaction of the pairings becomes a series of nuanced dialogues. The comparisons can be pointed, poignant, humorous, or ironic.
As the philosopher Montaigne pointed out, “There is no better school than traveling!” and traveling has always been Isabelle Perreau’s driving passion. Her overarching discovery has been that, despite differences in food, dress, religion, and customs, human beings everywhere are the same in their essence. Gary Watson’s photographic works are images of dreams and nightmares, love and hate, joy and despair, sense and nonsense, objects and ephemera, yesterdays and tomorrows. They are always intended to be catalysts for emotional responses and thoughtful discussion.
This exhibition is intended to express the commonality of human experience and the importance of pursuing freedom and happiness. Watson’s photographs are an indelible record of today’s dreams and challenges that will become tomorrow’s history, while the images Perreau brought back from her travels invite us to share her passion for our home, the Earth.
Isabelle Perreau was born in Angers, in the Loire Valley, France. She studied philosophy in Paris and earned a Master’s degree with honors. In Caracas, Venezuela, where she followed her diplomat husband, she began a new career as a psychoanalyst à l’Ecole du Champ Freudien de J. Lacan. She also worked at the Alliance Française. It is only since moving to Texas 20 years ago that photography became her chosen mode of expression. Her camera has become her companion on innumerable travels across the planet. She had a solo exhibition (2015) and a group exhibition (2017) at the Alliance Française. This is her third exhibition at Archway Gallery, where she has been a member since 2017. All exhibitions have been part of FotoFest.
Gary Watson has a passion for creating black-and-white images that provoke both emotional and intellectual responses to human connections. Formerly active at Spring Street Studios at Sawyer Yards, he now creates in his private Houston studio and darkroom, L’atelier argentique. At age 15, a job in a motion picture laboratory introduced Watson to his mentor, a knowledgeable technician who was also a projectionist and a cinematographer. This laid the foundation for his decades-long career in film and video production. Watson retired in 2014, but he could not retire his creative drive. Influenced by his diverse filmmaking experiences and his cinematic approach, he embraced large-format black-and-white film photography using vintage cameras. He soon added medium and 35mm formats, creating dramatic black-and-white fine art images ranging from studio studies to photojournalism, often focusing on humanist subjects. Gary Watson’s photographs have been featured in Holocaust Museum Houston, Cape Cod Museum of Art, San Francisco Public Library, and numerous juried and curated exhibitions.
As the philosopher Montaigne pointed out, “There is no better school than traveling!” and traveling has always been Isabelle Perreau’s driving passion. Her overarching discovery has been that, despite differences in food, dress, religion, and customs, human beings everywhere are the same in their essence. Gary Watson’s photographic works are images of dreams and nightmares, love and hate, joy and despair, sense and nonsense, objects and ephemera, yesterdays and tomorrows. They are always intended to be catalysts for emotional responses and thoughtful discussion.
This exhibition is intended to express the commonality of human experience and the importance of pursuing freedom and happiness. Watson’s photographs are an indelible record of today’s dreams and challenges that will become tomorrow’s history, while the images Perreau brought back from her travels invite us to share her passion for our home, the Earth.
Isabelle Perreau was born in Angers, in the Loire Valley, France. She studied philosophy in Paris and earned a Master’s degree with honors. In Caracas, Venezuela, where she followed her diplomat husband, she began a new career as a psychoanalyst à l’Ecole du Champ Freudien de J. Lacan. She also worked at the Alliance Française. It is only since moving to Texas 20 years ago that photography became her chosen mode of expression. Her camera has become her companion on innumerable travels across the planet. She had a solo exhibition (2015) and a group exhibition (2017) at the Alliance Française. This is her third exhibition at Archway Gallery, where she has been a member since 2017. All exhibitions have been part of FotoFest.
Gary Watson has a passion for creating black-and-white images that provoke both emotional and intellectual responses to human connections. Formerly active at Spring Street Studios at Sawyer Yards, he now creates in his private Houston studio and darkroom, L’atelier argentique. At age 15, a job in a motion picture laboratory introduced Watson to his mentor, a knowledgeable technician who was also a projectionist and a cinematographer. This laid the foundation for his decades-long career in film and video production. Watson retired in 2014, but he could not retire his creative drive. Influenced by his diverse filmmaking experiences and his cinematic approach, he embraced large-format black-and-white film photography using vintage cameras. He soon added medium and 35mm formats, creating dramatic black-and-white fine art images ranging from studio studies to photojournalism, often focusing on humanist subjects. Gary Watson’s photographs have been featured in Holocaust Museum Houston, Cape Cod Museum of Art, San Francisco Public Library, and numerous juried and curated exhibitions.
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Damon Thomas Found & Made September 3 - September 29, 2022 |
While Thomas is best-known for his figurative sculptures, there will hardly be a face visible in Found & Made. Instead, Thomas spent most of 2022 focusing on the beauty and fragility of the natural world. The figure is still present in this exhibition though, as many pieces employ natural and found objects as stand-ins to explore the human condition.
In Rise, for example, a ladder made from a deconstructed antique crutch floats in between a pair of wings. For Thomas, the piece is about transcendence. “Remaking the crutch, a marker of infirmity, into a ladder, a symbol of rising above, was one of my favorite moments in the many months I spent making the work for this show,” Thomas says.
Several pieces in the show reference kintsugi, the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery using lacquer mixed with gold dust. This process highlights the repairs, rather than trying to hide them. In doing so, it embraces the Japanese philosophy of finding beauty in broken things.
The largest piece, Kintsugi Trees, is a pair of slender, birch-like trees that have been cut apart and rejoined with gold leaf calling attention to the rejoined limbs. “I’ve long fantasized about being able to mend a cut-down tree and bring it back to life,” Thomas explains. “’That power is beyond any of us, but art can suggest rebirth and hopefully inspire us to save old trees and plant new ones.”
Another sculpture with a Japanese reference is Barn with Moon, an ode to 17th-century poet Mizuta Masahide. This 9-foot-tall sculpture is Thomas’ visual interpretation of Masahide’s famous haiku, “Barn’s burnt down, now I can see the moon.”
While this exhibition represents a temporary departure from the human figure for Thomas, another form he is often associated with – the crow – appears in several pieces. “The crow is such an old soul and spirit messenger symbol, he fits in very well with the theme of this show.”
In Rise, for example, a ladder made from a deconstructed antique crutch floats in between a pair of wings. For Thomas, the piece is about transcendence. “Remaking the crutch, a marker of infirmity, into a ladder, a symbol of rising above, was one of my favorite moments in the many months I spent making the work for this show,” Thomas says.
Several pieces in the show reference kintsugi, the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery using lacquer mixed with gold dust. This process highlights the repairs, rather than trying to hide them. In doing so, it embraces the Japanese philosophy of finding beauty in broken things.
The largest piece, Kintsugi Trees, is a pair of slender, birch-like trees that have been cut apart and rejoined with gold leaf calling attention to the rejoined limbs. “I’ve long fantasized about being able to mend a cut-down tree and bring it back to life,” Thomas explains. “’That power is beyond any of us, but art can suggest rebirth and hopefully inspire us to save old trees and plant new ones.”
Another sculpture with a Japanese reference is Barn with Moon, an ode to 17th-century poet Mizuta Masahide. This 9-foot-tall sculpture is Thomas’ visual interpretation of Masahide’s famous haiku, “Barn’s burnt down, now I can see the moon.”
While this exhibition represents a temporary departure from the human figure for Thomas, another form he is often associated with – the crow – appears in several pieces. “The crow is such an old soul and spirit messenger symbol, he fits in very well with the theme of this show.”
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Robert L. Straight Phase Five August 6 - September 1, 2022 |
Robert L. Straight’s last exhibition, Fusion 2, showcased his proficiency in many media, including glass, wood, and different metal processes such as welding, forging, and casting. With this exhibition, Straight expands his ideas into the “Fifth Dimension,” and breaks new boundaries in his use of materials and techniques.
The works in this exhibition are displayed in groups of five, linked together by material, style, and execution. Straight invites the viewer to accompany him into his new dimension of kinetic sculpture, with artworks that tell a story in motion and with grace. Some of these pieces represent Straight’s largest and most complex works to date. The exhibition will include new renditions of his planetary sculptures and other works inspired by the cosmos. For example, in Galaxy 5, Straight goes beyond the hard lines of his fusion pieces, incorporating more fused powdered glass with soft transitions and evoking the nebulous qualities of galaxies far away in space and time. Time Vise is a solid aluminum clock suggesting a spaceship returning through space and time from a far-off galaxy. Straight caps his exhibition with a bit a whimsy – a series of glass masks that explode with vibrant color and promise to become dear friends.
The works in this exhibition are displayed in groups of five, linked together by material, style, and execution. Straight invites the viewer to accompany him into his new dimension of kinetic sculpture, with artworks that tell a story in motion and with grace. Some of these pieces represent Straight’s largest and most complex works to date. The exhibition will include new renditions of his planetary sculptures and other works inspired by the cosmos. For example, in Galaxy 5, Straight goes beyond the hard lines of his fusion pieces, incorporating more fused powdered glass with soft transitions and evoking the nebulous qualities of galaxies far away in space and time. Time Vise is a solid aluminum clock suggesting a spaceship returning through space and time from a far-off galaxy. Straight caps his exhibition with a bit a whimsy – a series of glass masks that explode with vibrant color and promise to become dear friends.
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Ink & Image 2022 Featuring Printmaking by Archway Artists Davis, Gray, Perkins, Riccetti, Slaby, Spencer, and Straight Guest Artists: Alexander Squier and Molly Koehn June 4 - July 6, 2022 |
Archway Gallery is pleased to be a sponsor and exhibitor as part of the city-wide PrintHouston 2022 celebration of printmaking. Mary Lee Gray will take center stage as the Featured Artist, along with six other Archway Gallery printmakers, Blaine Davis, donna e perkins, Shirl Riccetti, John Slaby, Liz Conces Spencer, and Robert L. Straight. Archway is also fortunate to have two participating guest artists, Alexander Squier and Molly Koehn, both accomplished printmakers and instructors at the Art League of Houston. The artists will be present at the gallery on Saturday, June 11, 2022, to visit with viewers and explain their printmaking processes, beginning at 1:00 p.m. through the opening reception, with an Artist Talk at 6:30 p.m. The exhibit will highlight the expressive power of the medium and the diversity of methods used in making a print.
Featured Artist: Mary Lee Gray is an Emeritus member of Archway Gallery. She has an extensive background in printmaking, acquiring her master’s degree from the University of North Carolina and her EdD from the University of Houston. She has taught locally and served as an art director for the New Orleans public television station. Gray’s woodcuts and linocuts combine transparency with layers of collage to create complex nuanced images.
Guest Artist: Alexander Squier is a visual artist who works across media, including printmaking, drawing, video, and installation. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts from the University of Rochester in 2010, and his Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (Tufts University) in 2013. He taught printmaking there before returning to his hometown of Houston to pursue a large-scale installation opportunity, “Remnants/Visions,” in Sharpstown. In 2018, Squier received the city’s Individual Artist Grant to complete, “Earthly Bodies: The Texas Brick Archive,” a mobile museum and archive of bricks collected from around the city. Currently, Squier has a studio at Box 13 Artspace in Houston’s East End, where he also serves as Exhibition Coordinator. He teaches printmaking at the Art League of Houston and the Texas Printing Museum, and headed the Printmaking Department at the Glassell School of Art (MFAH) from 2016 to 2020.
Guest Artist: Molly Koehn. Through observation of the urban environment, Molly Koehn utilizes fiber-based processes to create responsive artworks that embrace the temporal qualities of our fabricated environments and offer parallels between natural and synthetic. Printed, woven, and stitched line by line, layer by layer, and color by color, her works embrace the ever-shifting urban skyline, becoming monuments and mirrors to time. They are as much a skyscraper as they are an empty lot. They are a window as much as they are the sky, and they are native as much as they are cultivated. They blur the line between natural and artificial and ask questions about whether a line exists at all.
Blaine Davis has been a Houston printmaker for over 30 years. Currently a member of Burning Bones Press, and a new member of Archway Gallery, he works mainly on copper plate etchings. His work involves multiple processes on a single plate, including hard ground, soft ground, aquatint, and others. Controlled accidents, textural transfers, and reduction of the plate size results in what is, hopefully, an acceptable image. After printing, other methods are often introduced, such as chine colle' and viscosity printing; even a basic intaglio print might appeal to the eye.
Primarily a painter, donna e perkins brings her love of experimentation to printmaking. For her monoprints, she uses metallic acrylic paint, sometimes augmented with drawing. When perkins was still small enough to stand in the church pew, her parents gave her paper and pencil to keep her quiet during services. In junior high she was given oil paints. Donna has been drawing and painting ever since. After earning a master’s degree from the University of Houston at Clear Lake, she taught art in public schools for 20 years. In 2008 she joined Archway Gallery.
After many years of line drawing, watercolor, and teaching, Shirl Riccetti was introduced to printmaking and its many intriguing techniques. While she has experimented with various techniques; she has settled on using Scratch Foam Board. She draws her composition, cuts using X-ACTO blades and scissors, then prints. Her printing surfaces include watercolor paper, rice paper, and brown paper, and she creates her prints with acrylic paint, printing ink, and calligraphy ink.
John Slaby became involved in printmaking in 2016. After working extensively with non-hazardous electrochemical methods on zinc plates, John has since begun experimenting with drypoint methods. Primarily an oil painter, Slaby has used this medium as an extension of his work with the human figure and other subjects. He has been a member of Archway Gallery since 1993 and currently serves as the Treasurer.
For Liz Conces Spencer, printing her steam-rolled piece Journey was a memorable experience. “I thank my good friend Kevin Cromwell for turning me on to the fun and potential of making an oversized plate and then letting a piece of heavy construction equipment roll over it!” says Spencer. The work itself chronicles the movement of people, so poignant now, but no more so than it has ever been.
Robert L. Straight works across many media, including glass, wood, metal, and printmaking. His prints, whether silkscreen, block, or intaglio all come from his imagination. “I have a sketch book that I doodle in,” says Straight, “then I scan the doodles into the computer and enlarge and adjust the scale of the sketch. They are generally lighthearted and designed to make you smile.”
Featured Artist: Mary Lee Gray is an Emeritus member of Archway Gallery. She has an extensive background in printmaking, acquiring her master’s degree from the University of North Carolina and her EdD from the University of Houston. She has taught locally and served as an art director for the New Orleans public television station. Gray’s woodcuts and linocuts combine transparency with layers of collage to create complex nuanced images.
Guest Artist: Alexander Squier is a visual artist who works across media, including printmaking, drawing, video, and installation. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts from the University of Rochester in 2010, and his Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (Tufts University) in 2013. He taught printmaking there before returning to his hometown of Houston to pursue a large-scale installation opportunity, “Remnants/Visions,” in Sharpstown. In 2018, Squier received the city’s Individual Artist Grant to complete, “Earthly Bodies: The Texas Brick Archive,” a mobile museum and archive of bricks collected from around the city. Currently, Squier has a studio at Box 13 Artspace in Houston’s East End, where he also serves as Exhibition Coordinator. He teaches printmaking at the Art League of Houston and the Texas Printing Museum, and headed the Printmaking Department at the Glassell School of Art (MFAH) from 2016 to 2020.
Guest Artist: Molly Koehn. Through observation of the urban environment, Molly Koehn utilizes fiber-based processes to create responsive artworks that embrace the temporal qualities of our fabricated environments and offer parallels between natural and synthetic. Printed, woven, and stitched line by line, layer by layer, and color by color, her works embrace the ever-shifting urban skyline, becoming monuments and mirrors to time. They are as much a skyscraper as they are an empty lot. They are a window as much as they are the sky, and they are native as much as they are cultivated. They blur the line between natural and artificial and ask questions about whether a line exists at all.
Blaine Davis has been a Houston printmaker for over 30 years. Currently a member of Burning Bones Press, and a new member of Archway Gallery, he works mainly on copper plate etchings. His work involves multiple processes on a single plate, including hard ground, soft ground, aquatint, and others. Controlled accidents, textural transfers, and reduction of the plate size results in what is, hopefully, an acceptable image. After printing, other methods are often introduced, such as chine colle' and viscosity printing; even a basic intaglio print might appeal to the eye.
Primarily a painter, donna e perkins brings her love of experimentation to printmaking. For her monoprints, she uses metallic acrylic paint, sometimes augmented with drawing. When perkins was still small enough to stand in the church pew, her parents gave her paper and pencil to keep her quiet during services. In junior high she was given oil paints. Donna has been drawing and painting ever since. After earning a master’s degree from the University of Houston at Clear Lake, she taught art in public schools for 20 years. In 2008 she joined Archway Gallery.
After many years of line drawing, watercolor, and teaching, Shirl Riccetti was introduced to printmaking and its many intriguing techniques. While she has experimented with various techniques; she has settled on using Scratch Foam Board. She draws her composition, cuts using X-ACTO blades and scissors, then prints. Her printing surfaces include watercolor paper, rice paper, and brown paper, and she creates her prints with acrylic paint, printing ink, and calligraphy ink.
John Slaby became involved in printmaking in 2016. After working extensively with non-hazardous electrochemical methods on zinc plates, John has since begun experimenting with drypoint methods. Primarily an oil painter, Slaby has used this medium as an extension of his work with the human figure and other subjects. He has been a member of Archway Gallery since 1993 and currently serves as the Treasurer.
For Liz Conces Spencer, printing her steam-rolled piece Journey was a memorable experience. “I thank my good friend Kevin Cromwell for turning me on to the fun and potential of making an oversized plate and then letting a piece of heavy construction equipment roll over it!” says Spencer. The work itself chronicles the movement of people, so poignant now, but no more so than it has ever been.
Robert L. Straight works across many media, including glass, wood, metal, and printmaking. His prints, whether silkscreen, block, or intaglio all come from his imagination. “I have a sketch book that I doodle in,” says Straight, “then I scan the doodles into the computer and enlarge and adjust the scale of the sketch. They are generally lighthearted and designed to make you smile.”
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Mohammad Ali Bhatti Imperfectly Perfect May 7 - June 2, 2022 |
Bhatti firmly believes that art doesn’t necessarily have to be pretty or perfect, but it must evoke emotion. “In my early career, I was trained as a figurative artist and attempted to be a painter of ‘perfectness,’” he recounts. “During my PhD studies in Comparative Arts, I realized that artists are capable of expressing emotions and ideas as they wish.” In his abstract expressionist works, Bhatti approaches the canvas with a simple idea, a concept, or a theme and begins with random marks, developing small and large shapes, and connecting them with more lines and shapes. Spontaneous brush strokes, contrasting colors, and multiple layers create a sort of transparency and richness of texture. Complexity of design occurs intuitively -- the appearance and disappearance of motifs and elements that float in neutral space. “The incompleteness or unfinished surfaces of my canvases may look imperfect to some, but for me it is the complete fulfillment of making a statement,” says Bhatti. “It is a journey to discover the perfection in the beauty of imperfection.”
In addition to his Abstract Expressionist paintings, this exhibition will include some of Bhatti’s Southwestern pieces, which showcase his figurative art and portraiture skills. “I am electrified by the exceptional country life of the American west,” he explains. “I feel driven to capture on canvas the beauty of life on a ranch, livestock, rodeo activities, rocky mountains, and wide open landscapes.” Bhatti’s ultimate artistic goal is to offer the viewer a complex composition that captures the attention, stimulates thought, and opens a dialog between the work and the viewer. He strives for an aesthetic that encourages open-mindedness while harnessing positive energy and the power of imagination to reveal the beauty of our “imperfectly perfect” world.
In addition to his Abstract Expressionist paintings, this exhibition will include some of Bhatti’s Southwestern pieces, which showcase his figurative art and portraiture skills. “I am electrified by the exceptional country life of the American west,” he explains. “I feel driven to capture on canvas the beauty of life on a ranch, livestock, rodeo activities, rocky mountains, and wide open landscapes.” Bhatti’s ultimate artistic goal is to offer the viewer a complex composition that captures the attention, stimulates thought, and opens a dialog between the work and the viewer. He strives for an aesthetic that encourages open-mindedness while harnessing positive energy and the power of imagination to reveal the beauty of our “imperfectly perfect” world.
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Group ExhibitionFor the Love of Earth
A Group Exhibition in Celebration of Earth Day 2022 Featuring the Work of Archway Artists in Partnership With the Citizens Environmental Coalition (see below) (25% of Group Exhibition Sales Donated to CEC) April 2 - May 5, 2022 |
For thousands of years humans have used art to express their experiences in the natural world. Today that natural world is changing under the weight of industrialization and other human activities. Earth’s ecosystems are collapsing before our very eyes, and artists, just like everyone else, are feeling the effects, both physically – suffering floods, fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes - and emotionally. Scientists have been warning of climate change and impending disasters for decades, and we are now seeing the results of our collective inattention. If Earth is to be preserved as a habitable, sustaining home for future generations, it is up to us to act now. This is the only home we have.
Archway artists believe that art has a powerful voice and with it, they hope to raise awareness of the need to take collective action and inspire hope that our species can undergo the renewal necessary to save our home. This exhibition challenges the viewer to consider the fragility of our planet and all living things on it and to take actions which will bring beneficial change. The state of our natural environment presents complex problems that require us to change our behaviors. We live in a finite world with finite resources, and a global population that has increased almost threefold in the last 75 years. As climate activist artist John Akomfrah said in an interview with ICA Boston, “This is not the 18th century anymore—it’s not unlimited landscapes and unlimited space to explore ad infinitum, wasting away, trashing away as we go along.” We are all children of this Earth and need to take care of our beautiful inheritance so that we can pass it on to future generations.
Archway artists believe that art has a powerful voice and with it, they hope to raise awareness of the need to take collective action and inspire hope that our species can undergo the renewal necessary to save our home. This exhibition challenges the viewer to consider the fragility of our planet and all living things on it and to take actions which will bring beneficial change. The state of our natural environment presents complex problems that require us to change our behaviors. We live in a finite world with finite resources, and a global population that has increased almost threefold in the last 75 years. As climate activist artist John Akomfrah said in an interview with ICA Boston, “This is not the 18th century anymore—it’s not unlimited landscapes and unlimited space to explore ad infinitum, wasting away, trashing away as we go along.” We are all children of this Earth and need to take care of our beautiful inheritance so that we can pass it on to future generations.
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Archway Gallery is partnering with the Citizens Environmental Coalition. For over 50 years, the CEC has worked to foster education, dialogue, and collaboration on environmental issues in the greater Houston area. Made up of more than 100 local environmental nonprofits, small businesses, and government organizations, the CEC aims to serve the Houston region through environmental stewardship and conservation programs that uplift ongoing work in the area, connect people to employment and educational opportunities, and encourage collaboration within the community. Among the CEC’s programs are the Houston Earth Day celebration in partnership with Discovery Green, the annual Wild About Houston and the Wild and Scenic film festivals, the regional Environmental Educators Exchange, the Greater Houston Environmental Summit, and the highly regarded Green Jobs Board, among others. Support for CEC will help to advance the important collective efforts of our environmental community. 25% of sales from the show go to the CEC.
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The pandemic prevented Larry Garmezy from making his annual photographic pilgrimage to the natural springs of the Northern Rocky Mountains. Stuck at home, he turned to a source of water a little bit closer -- his fifty-year-old pool. The patterns formed by the circulation jets function as a stand-in for the natural water surface distortion and ripples he usually photographs. Garmezy’s show, Stuck, is a unique, often playful, chronicle of a disrupted life, a deserted downtown, and how stuck we, as individuals, remain as our society ripples and shifts.
One suite of images began with a simple desire to create a still life using persimmons ripening in Garmezy’s backyard. With a glance at the ripples near the pool jets and around thirty dollars in quarters to sink the fruit, a suite of “not-so-still-life” images was born. Garmezy then experimented with immersing his earlier photographs of mountain springs, urban Houston, and a Mexican street, creating a “second derivative” set of altered images. Other experiments captured floating leaves; their shadows distorted by the lensing effect of surface tension around their edges.
The common thread? Garmezy’s images are typically impressions or abstractions of the visual landscape, distorted by physical processes that create surprising and fleeting patterns —including the warping of glass in a skyscraper. Videos illustrating how the pool became his artistic playground will be on display alongside the work. See the work. Click here to read more backstories and a backstage look at how the images were captured.
Larry Garmezy, a geologist, spent 32 years traveling the world with Shell Oil after graduating from Amherst College and Penn State University. A lifelong photographer, he has had four solo shows as a member artist at Archway Gallery in Houston. His work has been in numerous juried shows, hangs in homes, offices and public spaces across the U.S. and Europe, and has been published in Spotlight Contemporary Art Magazine (issues 15, 17, and 23). Two of his images from this exhibition will be highlighted in Issue 27.
One suite of images began with a simple desire to create a still life using persimmons ripening in Garmezy’s backyard. With a glance at the ripples near the pool jets and around thirty dollars in quarters to sink the fruit, a suite of “not-so-still-life” images was born. Garmezy then experimented with immersing his earlier photographs of mountain springs, urban Houston, and a Mexican street, creating a “second derivative” set of altered images. Other experiments captured floating leaves; their shadows distorted by the lensing effect of surface tension around their edges.
The common thread? Garmezy’s images are typically impressions or abstractions of the visual landscape, distorted by physical processes that create surprising and fleeting patterns —including the warping of glass in a skyscraper. Videos illustrating how the pool became his artistic playground will be on display alongside the work. See the work. Click here to read more backstories and a backstage look at how the images were captured.
Larry Garmezy, a geologist, spent 32 years traveling the world with Shell Oil after graduating from Amherst College and Penn State University. A lifelong photographer, he has had four solo shows as a member artist at Archway Gallery in Houston. His work has been in numerous juried shows, hangs in homes, offices and public spaces across the U.S. and Europe, and has been published in Spotlight Contemporary Art Magazine (issues 15, 17, and 23). Two of his images from this exhibition will be highlighted in Issue 27.
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Nowruz - A New Beginning
February 5 - March 3, 2022 |
The word Nowruz means “new day.” Occurring on the spring equinox, on or around March 20, Nowruz is celebrated as the beginning of the New Year by more than 300 million people worldwide. For over 3,000 years, Nowruz has marked a new beginning and a sense of renewal. In her new series of abstract paintings and sculptures, Maryam Lavaf seeks to create an energy and vibrancy reflective of the Nowruz spirit as we move into the season of its celebration after a COVID-driven challenging 2020-2021.
Maryam believes that even the darkest situations contain a spark of positive energy. Our task, she says, “is to look for that spark – in nature, in humanity, or in someone’s eyes – to know it is always there, encouraging us to change and to move forward.” This year, as the world comes together to defeat COVID-19, Maryam encourages us to let the new beginning spirit of Nowruz serve as an inspiration to recover and rebuild in a more just and sustainable way. “Change is difficult, but it is necessary and is a natural part of life,” says Maryam Lavaf. “It challenges us to be open to possibility, to acknowledge our own resistance, and to celebrate the renewal and blooming we can bring forth.”
In this exhibition, Maryam Lavaf explores the concept of renewal by embracing change in her own view and approach to her work. The footprints of nature can be traced throughout Lavaf’s work. “Nature stimulates the primary sense – the ecstasy of existence and the essence of life -- for me,” she explains. “It’s the same sense that we experience in love.” Each of these new works begins with a sound from nature -- the sound of a raindrop or a leaf falling. She then allows each sound to form its own visual logic, and each work is guided by its own rules according to its unique demands. Collectively, Lavaf strives to present the elements of nature in abstract form through her work.
Maryam Lavaf began her life in Iran. She received a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Painting from Tehran Azad University in 2002. In 2004, Lavaf moved to Houston. Her first connection with the arts community in the U.S. was through the Visual Arts Alliance where she met fellow Archway artist, Becky Soria, who connected her to a group of artists at Winter Street Studios. In 2015, she began an exploration of ceramics under Jeff Forster’s supervision at the Glassell School of Art. She is currently an active member of Archway Gallery.
Maryam believes that even the darkest situations contain a spark of positive energy. Our task, she says, “is to look for that spark – in nature, in humanity, or in someone’s eyes – to know it is always there, encouraging us to change and to move forward.” This year, as the world comes together to defeat COVID-19, Maryam encourages us to let the new beginning spirit of Nowruz serve as an inspiration to recover and rebuild in a more just and sustainable way. “Change is difficult, but it is necessary and is a natural part of life,” says Maryam Lavaf. “It challenges us to be open to possibility, to acknowledge our own resistance, and to celebrate the renewal and blooming we can bring forth.”
In this exhibition, Maryam Lavaf explores the concept of renewal by embracing change in her own view and approach to her work. The footprints of nature can be traced throughout Lavaf’s work. “Nature stimulates the primary sense – the ecstasy of existence and the essence of life -- for me,” she explains. “It’s the same sense that we experience in love.” Each of these new works begins with a sound from nature -- the sound of a raindrop or a leaf falling. She then allows each sound to form its own visual logic, and each work is guided by its own rules according to its unique demands. Collectively, Lavaf strives to present the elements of nature in abstract form through her work.
Maryam Lavaf began her life in Iran. She received a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Painting from Tehran Azad University in 2002. In 2004, Lavaf moved to Houston. Her first connection with the arts community in the U.S. was through the Visual Arts Alliance where she met fellow Archway artist, Becky Soria, who connected her to a group of artists at Winter Street Studios. In 2015, she began an exploration of ceramics under Jeff Forster’s supervision at the Glassell School of Art. She is currently an active member of Archway Gallery.
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Joel Anderson takes us along on a walking tour of public spaces, parks, and gardens as he captures the many spectacles of beauty right in front of our eyes. Several images are from Houston’s Hermann Park. “It was the first nice weekend after the big freeze of 2021,” Anderson explains. “People were out enjoying some warmer weather and there were signs that the pandemic was abating, but this was against a backdrop of bare trees, severely pruned shrubs, and dead grass -- perfect conditions allowing me to add my own leaves and flowers into the scenes.”
Also serving as reference for several paintings is the Chicago Botanic Garden which Anderson explored during an art festival excursion in the area. “Being a koi pond owner, I’m fond of scenes of water lilies and Japanese stone lanterns,” Anderson continues. “Their bonsai trees were just amazing, each one a spectacle in itself.”
Encaustic painting -- beeswax mixed with damar resin -- was practiced by Greek artists as far back as the 5th century B.C.E. A mid-20th century revival, including works by Diego Rivera and Jasper Johns, brought encaustic painting back into prominence. Anderson’s creative process incorporates modern digital methods into this ancient medium. His style combines clear imagery with a slight abstraction and then a reassignment of color values. Implementing this with encaustic medium results in something a little different yet still familiar.
Also serving as reference for several paintings is the Chicago Botanic Garden which Anderson explored during an art festival excursion in the area. “Being a koi pond owner, I’m fond of scenes of water lilies and Japanese stone lanterns,” Anderson continues. “Their bonsai trees were just amazing, each one a spectacle in itself.”
Encaustic painting -- beeswax mixed with damar resin -- was practiced by Greek artists as far back as the 5th century B.C.E. A mid-20th century revival, including works by Diego Rivera and Jasper Johns, brought encaustic painting back into prominence. Anderson’s creative process incorporates modern digital methods into this ancient medium. His style combines clear imagery with a slight abstraction and then a reassignment of color values. Implementing this with encaustic medium results in something a little different yet still familiar.