Hello everyone!
August 10th marked the opening of the two-person show I was in at Shockoe Artspace with Sara Tuttle. I had a fantastic time getting all my work together, completed and framed for the show a few months prior. This was an unexpected, but extremely welcome opportunity. I didn’t have too much time to make new work, but thankfully I had a good amount of watercolors already finished from previous years. I squeezed out two new pieces and then, since I’ve been working so much in sketchbooks lately, I pulled out ten of my favorite sketchbook pieces and framed them too. All together, I think that it went really well! Some of my favorite people work at the gallery, so it was no surprise how amazing and pleasant it was to work with everyone. My experience here has officially set the bar for all future gallery shows!
Sara is also a fantastic artist, and although she and I work in very different styles, we found a lot of common ground for the creation of our work. If you visit the gallery I think you will see that it fits together in a strange, yet beautiful way! I think part of that synergy has to be informed from where we live- both in urban areas, and our occupations as artist/mothers. As the title suggests, we really are In the Thick of It, raising small children, managing a household and somehow also squeezing in time to work in the studio.
Below is the artist statement I wrote for the exhibition:
I am drawn towards the mundane, overlooked and often forgotten corners of the world we inhabit. Careful and delicate rendering forces the viewer to contemplate these spaces normally dismissed as eyesores. Can beauty and dignity exist within a pile of weeds or graffiti strewn across a back door? Some of these landscapes sing joyfully as they fulfill their purpose- lights illuminating a road or a tidy alley dotted with gardens and neatly lined trashcans. Other areas groan and buckle under neglect, calling out for revival and care to revisit them once again.
Many of these paintings were made slowly, over a period of several months or even a year, while others are a result of quick sketching. These two ways of working act as foils to one another, allowing for both a careful examination of the subject and a jubilant exploration into mark-making and abstraction. Together, they invite the viewer into considering the strange, wild poetics hidden within our everyday landscapes.
The opening was fantastic, with lots of friends and families coming out to visit. I really loved getting to talk to everyone about my work, and I know that I wasn't even able to chat with everyone there! What a rewarding experience. Work sold well too- which is always a bonus- especially because framing all of my paintings can get pricey! The show will be up through the fall, so I think that more events- artist talks and the like, will be hosted in the space. And hopefully a closing reception too! It’s all exciting stuff. Contact the gallery if you want to take a look at all the work, and do be sure to let them know if you are interested in purchasing anything. (I just absolutely love getting to tell people to contact my gallerist ! It makes me feel so fancy!!)
Okay, that’s it about the gallery opening- first one in five years! Here are a couple more photos of the event!
With love,
Katy