Archway Gallery Exhibitions - 2023
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Cookie Wells and Tom Wells Are We There Yet? August 5 - 31, 2023 |
This show profiles a journey of renewal of creativity, as well as the reinvention and metamorphosis of an artist. Through this series of paintings, Cookie Wells reveals her journey on paper. Wells has focused on figures for most of her artistic career. Seeking change, she began painting non-objective abstracts, which strip away the details of familiar subject matter and challenge the artist to represent the emotion and essence of the experience. The resulting artwork must convey harmony, discord, pain, joy, love, tension, or anxiety. “Just when you think you’ve exhausted your painting ideas, abstract art stimulates new ideas and opens your mind to everything you feel you must express,” says Wells.
While color has always been central to her work, Wells began her change with the difficult but necessary task of eliminating color and painting solely in black and white. She then began including subtle but expressive color to add depth to her pieces. Wells attributes her choice of the abstract representation of trees in this exhibition to her previous Earth Day series, “Save the Rainforest,” and to the natural beauty of the wood her husband, Tom, uses in furniture making. In these new organic paintings, she explores trees as if they were figures. In some works the trees are transformed into figurative pieces with a much different look from her previous figure paintings. This was one of the surprises along the way. Cookie Wells believes in following your heart and soul on the path of your creative journey. “Although some say that it’s the journey itself that’s inspiring,” she notes, “in all honesty, I’m moved by the destination.”
In conjunction with this exhibition of paintings, you will find finely crafted wood furniture created by Thomas Wells. Some of these pieces continue the theme of integrating dark and light, linear and whimsy, form and function. While two-dimensional art is a medium for messaging, creatively artistic furniture is more suited to framing a mood while fulfilling a specific purpose. Integrating the beauty of natural wood into our lives reminds us of our direct links with nature, and that these links are so often overlooked in our urban environment.
While color has always been central to her work, Wells began her change with the difficult but necessary task of eliminating color and painting solely in black and white. She then began including subtle but expressive color to add depth to her pieces. Wells attributes her choice of the abstract representation of trees in this exhibition to her previous Earth Day series, “Save the Rainforest,” and to the natural beauty of the wood her husband, Tom, uses in furniture making. In these new organic paintings, she explores trees as if they were figures. In some works the trees are transformed into figurative pieces with a much different look from her previous figure paintings. This was one of the surprises along the way. Cookie Wells believes in following your heart and soul on the path of your creative journey. “Although some say that it’s the journey itself that’s inspiring,” she notes, “in all honesty, I’m moved by the destination.”
In conjunction with this exhibition of paintings, you will find finely crafted wood furniture created by Thomas Wells. Some of these pieces continue the theme of integrating dark and light, linear and whimsy, form and function. While two-dimensional art is a medium for messaging, creatively artistic furniture is more suited to framing a mood while fulfilling a specific purpose. Integrating the beauty of natural wood into our lives reminds us of our direct links with nature, and that these links are so often overlooked in our urban environment.
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Annette Palmer North Sea Gulf Coast June 3 - July 5, 2023 |
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This exhibition by Annette Palmer is an exploration of distance, love, and connection. Inspired by Galveston and the Texas Coast, as well as the North East Coast of Scotland in Angus and Aberdeenshire, it is the experience of feeling at home in two locations, almost 5000 miles apart, separated by a vast ocean. Palmer’s semi-abstract land and seascapes speak to maintaining connections, treasuring memories, holding onto our kindred spirits, and embracing the fragments of what has been. “Distance isn’t just physical,” says Palmer. “It’s life and death, it can be lost in time, it can be spiritual.”
Palmer bridges distance by integrating textural elements into her work. In addition to using coastal finds from relevant locations, she includes gilding elements - their reflective surfaces representing hope and optimism, and fragments of old love letters which have survived the test of time. “I paint vast open spaces, and am drawn to the energy of the sea,” Palmer explains. “It is a vinculum between land masses separated by thousands of miles. The ebb and flow of the tide is a rhythm which resets the beat of the heart, the body clock. Its vastness puts everything in perspective. We are small in the universe, yet connected and integral to something much bigger.”
Palmer bridges distance by integrating textural elements into her work. In addition to using coastal finds from relevant locations, she includes gilding elements - their reflective surfaces representing hope and optimism, and fragments of old love letters which have survived the test of time. “I paint vast open spaces, and am drawn to the energy of the sea,” Palmer explains. “It is a vinculum between land masses separated by thousands of miles. The ebb and flow of the tide is a rhythm which resets the beat of the heart, the body clock. Its vastness puts everything in perspective. We are small in the universe, yet connected and integral to something much bigger.”
Originally from Scotland, Annette Palmer received her BA Hons degree from Edinburgh College of Art/Heriot Watt University, in Scotland’s capital. She now lives in the Houston area where she creates her collectable fine art pieces for gallery exhibitions and private collections. In addition to a lengthy international exhibiting history which includes solo shows at Houston’s Jung Center and Glade Gallery in The Woodlands, Palmer has showcased her work at recent art expos in Dallas and Santa Fe, NM. She has curated for art galleries and exhibition spaces, including H&H&8, St. Luke’s Hospital, and Glade Gallery. Palmer regularly writes art-based features for The Woodlands and Conroe City Lifestyle Magazines. She was juror for the Sawyer Yards “Dreamscapes” Exhibition and recently for the Conroe Art League’s International Exhibition. Palmer joined Archway Gallery in June 2022; this is her first Archway exhibition.
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Becky Soria Gaia's Oracle May 6 - June 1, 2023 |
For some years now, Becky Soria’s work has focused on human and animal figures. In those works, Soria re-constructed female and animal forms from within, though not in any literal sense of depicting internal organs and such. Rather, through her sophisticated, painterly surfaces, she suggested forceful yet ambiguous “interiorities” that were poetic, emotionally intense, conceptual, and existential. In this new group of works, Soria has moved her penetrating gaze from those figures into the external world they inhabit. This is the dwelling place of Gaia - Mother Earth. “I feel this urge, as an artist, to respond to the urgent call of Mother Earth,” quotes Soria.
Her works indeed have a sense of urgency. They are a panoply of contrasting and contorting shapes that have strong directional textures, contrasting colors, and forceful linear rhythms, alongside tender passages and gentle resonances, all of which invoke a vulnerable and beautiful Earth in distress. Standing in front of Soria’s seemingly abstract forms, the attentive observer cannot help but read them as either threatening masses such as impenetrable rocks, tectonic plates, and chthonic hollows, or as violent episodes such as overwhelming deluges, erupting volcanoes, or suffocating plumes of ice and smoke. Yet, these same abstract shapes at times acquire the appearance of human and animal figures: a head of a wolf materializes here, a fish hides down there, a rock becomes a skull. Are these figures intended or unconscious? Probably both. The overall result is a rich pictorial experience from the hand of a seasoned painter. Soria’s mastery of color and texture provides a vision to us of humanity dwelling in the very entrails of Gaia, witnessing her existential cry.
Her works indeed have a sense of urgency. They are a panoply of contrasting and contorting shapes that have strong directional textures, contrasting colors, and forceful linear rhythms, alongside tender passages and gentle resonances, all of which invoke a vulnerable and beautiful Earth in distress. Standing in front of Soria’s seemingly abstract forms, the attentive observer cannot help but read them as either threatening masses such as impenetrable rocks, tectonic plates, and chthonic hollows, or as violent episodes such as overwhelming deluges, erupting volcanoes, or suffocating plumes of ice and smoke. Yet, these same abstract shapes at times acquire the appearance of human and animal figures: a head of a wolf materializes here, a fish hides down there, a rock becomes a skull. Are these figures intended or unconscious? Probably both. The overall result is a rich pictorial experience from the hand of a seasoned painter. Soria’s mastery of color and texture provides a vision to us of humanity dwelling in the very entrails of Gaia, witnessing her existential cry.
Becky Soria pursued her early art training in South America. After immigrating to the USA, she continued her training at The Glassell School of Art in Houston, Texas, and with Fernando Casas, Ph.D., artist, and philosopher. Her background in biology and medicine, as well as her interest in archeology and paleontology has influenced the the subject matter of her paintings since 1980. They are often abstracted images with surreal allusions that suggest all manner of transformation, growth, and mutation. In the last 15 years, Soria has focused on the exploration of human and animal figures, inspired by the psychological and existential concept of the feminine, using texture, color, and rhythm to suggest complex inner landscapes. Becky Soria’s work has been shown in numerous galleries in the United States, Europe, and South America, and has been collected by South American Museums, international corporations, and private collectors in the USA. This is her seventh solo exhibition at Archway Gallery.
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Carol Berger Earthsong April 1 - May 4, 2023 |
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From pre-Colombian Central American clay flutes to the present day African Udus, clay instruments have spanned the ages and the continents. There is a sense of continuity between ancient and contemporary artists, and between makers in different parts of the world. These instruments have been used in rituals, to express emotion, and for pure enjoyment; much of that holds true today. Berger’s pieces and their surface decoration have an underlying theme of the human connectivity with each other and with their environment.
In this exhibition, Carol Berger shares her exploration of some clay instruments and the various ways clay can produce sound. In Berger’s creations, the tranquil droplets of water in a fountain, the tinkling of wall chimes, and the booming rhythm of a goblet drum all begin with soft, wet clay. The visitor will note that the type of clay, the firing process, and the surface treatment vary widely to fit the desired effect for each piece.
In this exhibition, Carol Berger shares her exploration of some clay instruments and the various ways clay can produce sound. In Berger’s creations, the tranquil droplets of water in a fountain, the tinkling of wall chimes, and the booming rhythm of a goblet drum all begin with soft, wet clay. The visitor will note that the type of clay, the firing process, and the surface treatment vary widely to fit the desired effect for each piece.
Carol Berger received her degree from the College of Wooster (Ohio) with a double major in art and Spanish. She spent her Junior year at the University of Madrid which gave her the opportunity to study major works of art in France and Italy, as well as Spain. She has a Master’s in Education and upon retirement took ceramics classes and began to fulfill a lifelong dream; a second career as an artist. Berger draws inspiration from everyday life with a focus on environmental issues. She currently makes, sells, and teaches art in the Houston area. She joined Archway Gallery in 2018 and has her works in collections throughout the United States and Mexico.
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donna e perkins No Matter What, Keep the Hand Moving March 4 - March 30, 2023 |
“No matter what, keep the hand moving” is the mantra donna e perkins has lived by these past three years. It has helped her cope with the fear and isolation of the pandemic, the chaos of moving to a new studio/apartment, and unexpected health challenges. Now with her health stabilized, her studio/living area arranged, all the COVID shots taken (and a case of COVID too), perkins is thrilled to be out in the world seeing people, shows and performances.
During the lockdown, perkins found that she had a number of small watercolor blocks. These are pads of watercolor paper with edges glued so the papers stay flat while being painted. Perkins added watercolor to these papers, then, using a pen, she mindlessly outlined the fluid lines formed as the rivulets of color dried. In stir-crazy fits, while she sat streaming TV and movies, perkins covered these little watercolors with lots and lots of obsessive, agitated lines. After her move, perkins’s artist neighbor would join her to watch the evening news. He drew in his sketchbook while she made her agitated lines. They dubbed these evening TV drawing sessions “news and booze” as wine was involved. They watched the nightly reporting of COVID deaths and threat levels, the storming of the Capitol, the January 6th Congressional Hearings, bitter political advertisements, and the frightful invasion of Ukraine by the Russians. It was not a happy news time. Collecting her little drawings, perkins found she had over 175 of them.
As Iife improved and she settled into her new spacious studio, perkins began using larger watercolor paper and returned to oil painting. She finished some canvases she had started in her old studio and began some new work. Perkins feels that these oil paintings show, in some way, the stress of the times.
By sharing these works and the tale of their origins, perkins seeks to remind the viewer that everyone has been affected by the traumatic events of the last three years. She hopes that viewers can see their way to granting grace, both to themselves, and to their fellow humans. We have shared stressful and tragic events.
During the lockdown, perkins found that she had a number of small watercolor blocks. These are pads of watercolor paper with edges glued so the papers stay flat while being painted. Perkins added watercolor to these papers, then, using a pen, she mindlessly outlined the fluid lines formed as the rivulets of color dried. In stir-crazy fits, while she sat streaming TV and movies, perkins covered these little watercolors with lots and lots of obsessive, agitated lines. After her move, perkins’s artist neighbor would join her to watch the evening news. He drew in his sketchbook while she made her agitated lines. They dubbed these evening TV drawing sessions “news and booze” as wine was involved. They watched the nightly reporting of COVID deaths and threat levels, the storming of the Capitol, the January 6th Congressional Hearings, bitter political advertisements, and the frightful invasion of Ukraine by the Russians. It was not a happy news time. Collecting her little drawings, perkins found she had over 175 of them.
As Iife improved and she settled into her new spacious studio, perkins began using larger watercolor paper and returned to oil painting. She finished some canvases she had started in her old studio and began some new work. Perkins feels that these oil paintings show, in some way, the stress of the times.
By sharing these works and the tale of their origins, perkins seeks to remind the viewer that everyone has been affected by the traumatic events of the last three years. She hopes that viewers can see their way to granting grace, both to themselves, and to their fellow humans. We have shared stressful and tragic events.
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Tracey Meyer Shaped by Discovery February 4 - March 2, 2023 |
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In Shaped by Discovery, Tracey Meyer returns to her love of hard-edged shapes. This exhibition contains works which employ various abstract optical elements, which Meyer uses as a reminder of what we can learn when we take a closer look. Each work asks the viewer to challenge and re-assess the initial perceptions that the piece evokes in them.
The last few years have been challenging, but they have also presented opportunities – to learn more about ourselves and others, and to re-examine some of our beliefs and attitudes, both individually and as a society. Tracey Meyer invites us into a conversation of discovery. How can I perceive things in a different way?
For Meyer, it has meant reconsidering her beliefs, and questioning why she believes what she does. It has meant really listening to others and accepting the discomfort of having her belief systems challenged. For example, she had never fully realized the entrenched social and economic systems that serve to actively disadvantage people of color. Nor did she appreciate the burden her use of plastics placed on the planet, even though she is a devoted recycler. Meyer now avoids using plastics wherever possible. Tracey Meyer’s journey of discovery has caused her to reassess her own place in the world, and humankind’s place in the life of this planet.
Meyer would like to suggest that now it is more important than ever to be observant and to try to develop new understandings and insights. Looking closely at something with an open mind to both observation and interpretation helps us to avoid assumptions and stereotypes. “Optical Art is a wonderful way to encourage us to take a second look,” says Meyer. “It’s a metaphor for how I, myself, want to approach and move through the world. I invite you to come along with me and be shaped by discovery!”
The last few years have been challenging, but they have also presented opportunities – to learn more about ourselves and others, and to re-examine some of our beliefs and attitudes, both individually and as a society. Tracey Meyer invites us into a conversation of discovery. How can I perceive things in a different way?
For Meyer, it has meant reconsidering her beliefs, and questioning why she believes what she does. It has meant really listening to others and accepting the discomfort of having her belief systems challenged. For example, she had never fully realized the entrenched social and economic systems that serve to actively disadvantage people of color. Nor did she appreciate the burden her use of plastics placed on the planet, even though she is a devoted recycler. Meyer now avoids using plastics wherever possible. Tracey Meyer’s journey of discovery has caused her to reassess her own place in the world, and humankind’s place in the life of this planet.
Meyer would like to suggest that now it is more important than ever to be observant and to try to develop new understandings and insights. Looking closely at something with an open mind to both observation and interpretation helps us to avoid assumptions and stereotypes. “Optical Art is a wonderful way to encourage us to take a second look,” says Meyer. “It’s a metaphor for how I, myself, want to approach and move through the world. I invite you to come along with me and be shaped by discovery!”
Tracey Meyer has always been making things. She started off making beautiful pies in her garden and then when taught how to crochet she made scarves and hats for her whole family. Meyer was immersed in craft, particularly at school and was head of the Pottery Room in year 12. Meyer studied Art History in college and studied art at MFAH’s Glasssell School of Art, where she received her Certificate of Art in Painting and Sculpture. Meyer loves to learn and is constantly taking classes wherever she is. Whether painting or sculpting, Meyer is always working with shapes. She loves creating complex designs from simple forms, and prides herself on her pristine edges and complex colors. Meyer cares deeply for the Earth and its future. Her works usually touch upon social issues that are relevant to our moment: pollution, racism, immigration, and over-population to name a few. Shaped by Discovery is Meyer’s fourth solo show, and her second at Archway Gallery. Her work is also featured in three Public Art projects in Houston, Sugar Land, and Corpus Christi.
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Susan Sheets Myths, Legends, and the Holy Spirit January 7 - February 2, 2023 |
Inspired by myths, legends, and the Holy Spirit, Susan Sheets invites us on a journey of the traditional storytellers of the past, creating a 21st Century view of tradition through her paintings. Encapsulating allusions to historical legends and ancient myths, including Helen of Troy and Lady Godiva, as well as exploring religious tenants from the Bible, her collection is symbolic and vast ranging. By fusing techniques and imagery, she brings to light the importance of the myths, legends, and spiritual beliefs on the human experience. Working with oils on canvas and unique layering techniques, Sheets manipulates the viewer’s perspective, focusing the experience on the illustrated stories presented and the individual’s interpretation of man’s explanation of the world. Her paintings compel individuals to look at their own understanding of the past, meeting them where they are, and taking them on a journey of reflective thought. Sheets turns standard notions of man’s understanding of the world into a uniquely expressive form, reaching beyond the borders of history, beliefs, and religion.
Susan Sheets is a contemporary western artist, known for her dynamic compositions of horses and cattle, as well as the cowboys who ride and herd them on the harsh Texas terrain. She gained her experience through years of working with cattlemen and horsemen across Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. Her paintings pay homage to the animals necessary to work the land, and the interplay between riders and mounts. Her compositions express the bond between partners, including the trust and respect men and animals have for each other. They press the edges of the canvas, capitalizing on the tension created to bring the viewer into the moment. With her strong sense of texture, contrast, and color, Susan captures the iconic images of Texas. Her paintings are about the power and grace of the contemporary animal within the gritty and earthy essence of Texas.
Sheets holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Houston and a Master of Art Education from Sam Houston State University. In 2003, Sheets attended the Jentel Artist Residency in Sheridan, Wyoming. Her works have been showcased in countless exhibitions, including exhibitions at Philmont Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, the Butler Longhorn Museum in League City, Texas, and the prestigious American Academy of Equine Art in Lexington, Kentucky.
Susan Sheets is a contemporary western artist, known for her dynamic compositions of horses and cattle, as well as the cowboys who ride and herd them on the harsh Texas terrain. She gained her experience through years of working with cattlemen and horsemen across Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. Her paintings pay homage to the animals necessary to work the land, and the interplay between riders and mounts. Her compositions express the bond between partners, including the trust and respect men and animals have for each other. They press the edges of the canvas, capitalizing on the tension created to bring the viewer into the moment. With her strong sense of texture, contrast, and color, Susan captures the iconic images of Texas. Her paintings are about the power and grace of the contemporary animal within the gritty and earthy essence of Texas.
Sheets holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Houston and a Master of Art Education from Sam Houston State University. In 2003, Sheets attended the Jentel Artist Residency in Sheridan, Wyoming. Her works have been showcased in countless exhibitions, including exhibitions at Philmont Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, the Butler Longhorn Museum in League City, Texas, and the prestigious American Academy of Equine Art in Lexington, Kentucky.
In 2008, Sheets was accepted into a six-day national photography seminar concentrating on western equine images at the Heart Six Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She was juried into the Women Artists of the West 41st Annual National Exhibition. She has also been published in Ex Arte Equines III, International Equine Art Competition 2010. In May 2011, Sheets was a highlighted artist appearing in the “Women Artists of the West” article published in Southwest Art Magazine and Western Art Collector Magazine. Most recently in 2018, she attended a six-day equine art workshop, called Figure of the Horse in Art, with Jill Soukup at Zapata Ranch, Mosca, Colorado.
Sheets invited Inspiration Ranch to be a community partner for this exhibition. Inspiration Ranch exists to strengthen children, youth, and adults striving to overcome their physical, emotional, and social disabilities with therapeutic riding and equine-assisted therapy and activities.
Sheets invited Inspiration Ranch to be a community partner for this exhibition. Inspiration Ranch exists to strengthen children, youth, and adults striving to overcome their physical, emotional, and social disabilities with therapeutic riding and equine-assisted therapy and activities.