For a Gray Space

Gesture Knot (For a Gray Space), 2012, enamel on cut Dibond, 37"x35"x2"

I recently completed a commission for a local collector titled Gesture Knot (For a Gray Space).  After this collector saw a larger work in a group exhibition, they asked me to make a work that was a bit smaller.  After making several maquettes, we chose this arrangement and I as able to make a subtle variation to some of my previous cut-outs.  This work has a smokey gray edge that separates the layers of white.  Recently, most of the work I have been making has a subtle palette, so I was anxious to complete this piece.  The gray hovers between fading into the shadows and pushing against the negative spaces.  The final work has a nice gravity to it, and seems to fan out under the weight of its interactions.

Side view

detail, Gesture Knot (For a Gray Space), 2012.  The contrast of the gray edge is more apparent in this image.

KU Medical Center Commission

This is a studio shot of three paintings I recently completed for KU Medical Center.  This commission presented the opportunity to revisit a series of white paintings that I had presented at my MFA show in 2008.  Each of these paintings are 60"x53", oil and acrylic on canvas, and will be permanently installed on the fourth floor alongside Gesture Knot (Out of Reach).  Better individual and installation shots are on the way.

Gesture Knot (Out of Reach)

The centerpiece of my Charlotte Street Exhibition at Grand Arts was a large cut-aluminum piece titled Gesture Knot (Out of Reach). Extending the forms/shapes used within my collages/drawings, Gesture Knot began as a hand-held, paper cutout of a scribbled line that was enlarged using a water-jet cutter and the assistance of A. Zahner Co. Once the two shapes were cut, Spencer Schubert of E.S. Schubert Sculpture Studios helped with the hanging system and surface treatment for the piece. My greatest appreciation and recommendation goes out to Spencer.

Out of Reach as raw aluminum; ready for primer and paint.

The front and back surfaces were sprayed with a bubble-gum pink direct-to

metal primer to prepare the work for interior and exterior installation. The

back of each part was then sprayed hot pink to contrast the white and create a glow

that haloed off the wall.

With this piece and the thirteen drawings included in the exhibition, my work advances into a deeper investigation of language pulled from the history of abstraction (gesture, form, space). Conceptually, the Knots exist as drawings in space and communicate within the context of "gestural" abstraction. Through the multiple phases of cutting, a quick motion is deliberately slowed and addresses the absence of the artistic hand associated with minimal painting.

Spencer applies the initial coat of white on the face. Each edge was masked

to keep a bright pink 3/16" edge exposed around the entire piece.

Spraying the face of the second piece.

At each step in this fabrication, it was important to maintain a collage-like quality to the pieces that embodied the energy of the original cut-outs. See the pieces in a studio setting as abstract objects of sculpture stirred my thoughts about their potential for future works.

Following the final coat, the front piece drying in the studio. I really enjoy

the presence this form holds. See the final piece in the previous post.

Review of the Charlotte Street Fellows Exhibition

Following the installation of Gesture Knot (Out of Reach), 2010, latex on

cut aluminum, 89"x79"x2". Right after this shot, I took a deep breath.

I have shied away from posting recently to keep my activities under wrap until the opening of the Charlotte Street Fellows Exhibition at Grand Arts (my drawing is on the homepage). The exhibition opened on September 3rd, to huge crowds, perfect weather, and great KC energy. Local friends and family came out, great friends from Iowa rolled in; it couldn't have been better. But best of all, my parents were super proud. My mother probably cried a bit. Glad I brought someone to tears.

The 3rd was the night of many openings across the city, and our exhibition at Grand Arts did not disappoint. Ari Fish, Sonia Ruffin and I had been cranking to turn out our most ambitious work for the opening and it was met with great reviews and supportive feedback. The generosity of the Charlotte Street Foundation and the staff at Grand Arts have been incredibly supportive during the preparation for this exhibition. It's such a nice feeling to produce a new body of work....it gets the juices flowing and builds drive for the next time I head to the studio.

The exhibition was reviewed by Alice Thorson of the Kansas City Star with half-page photos and some good critical meat. Check it out. I dig the photo, but I've received a load of shit for it. I debuted my first (of many, hopefully) Gesture Knots, along with a series of new works on paper. Installations shots of the exhibition are on the way, along with a new website, new work, a new truck (theft #2), my new duds at the opening, new acquaintances, new opinions, new directions, new everything. The next post will have images of the making of Gesture Knot (Out of Reach)...