There’s still time to stop by the McPherson galleries to check out the latest exhibits which debuted September 13th. Also, projects+gallery, 4733 McPherson, has an opening tonight, September 27, for Tom Friedman’s Eternal Return.
At Duane Reed Gallery 3 fiber artists are exhibiting their work which coincides with this year’s Innovations in Textiles 2019 event, mentioned in the previous post.
One of those artist’s, Ethan Meyer, above, has covered every possible square inch of wall (and air space too) with a riot of colorful textiles he calls Solar Temple, a fantasy-land of fiber art.
Meyer, who says he’s color-deficient (i.e. color-blind), drew in pen and pencil in high school. He was intimidated by color until his freshman year in college when he discovered that he could use his intuition and find success with paint. He graduated from Webster University in 2013 where he majored in Studio Art studying photography, printmaking, painting, drawing, 3D & graphic design, as well as conceptual art. Meyer says this well-rounded arts education has benefitted him greatly in his evolution as an artist.
Meyer grew up in a rural environment where his interests included studying spider webs, swinging from vines, foraging for morels, and picking wildflowers. These experiences became the foundation for crude sculptures he would build with yarns and threads from his mother’s sewing kit, and wood scraps from his father’s tool room. Years later, you can see those influences in Solar Temple.
It took a year to construct the installation. Meyer said he created the work without a blueprint, but as he worked on the project, he found his vision. “I trust my gut…to me, art is more about chasing an elusive goal than executing a fully fleshed-out plan,” he added.
The skills manifested in Solar Temple include sewing, braiding, weaving, needlework, knotting, crocheting, and beading. “The therapeutic energy of working with fiber serves as a nice counterbalance to how cerebral painting is for me. They require different energy, which happens to be complementary.”
In Rebecca Hutchinson’s artist statement for her clever Navigating Borders, examples above and below, she said she “builds sculptural works made from clay and recycled materials, like old clothing and industrial surplus.” A close-up of her work is shown below.
Sun Smith-Foret’s, above, New Work in Amuletic Sculpture occupies the back room at Duane Reed Gallery.Her knotted work, above and below, is a “recent acquisition in my skill set and came from direct observation of the work of Jane Sauer, a former studio mate and decades–long friend and colleague.”
Smith-Foret “studied basketry of American and Canadian native tribes, global contemporary basketry, and the earth-focused spiritual aesthetic of Australian aboriginal artists…”
Jane Sauer, above, moved back to the CWE from Sante Fe a few years ago. Her basketry is included in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
At Philip Slein Gallery, 4735 McPherson
Philip Slein, above right, is photographed in front of Andrea Belag’s Beachcomber 18.
Douglas Melini’s oil and acrylic on canvas Starry Sky #8 is part of the gallery’s Stars exhibition,
as is Carl Ostendarp’s Virgo, 2004, above.
Robert Sagerman’s dramatic oil on canvas 18,536, 2019 drew a lot of attention at Philip Slein Gallery.
At Houska Gallery, 4728 McPherson, artist Cory Sellers, above, is photographed in front of some examples of his work Clearly Constructed.
Artist Caleb Gebel’s “imagery is culled from past experiences and opinionated daydreams.” Find more about both artists, whose work will remain on view until October 12, on Houska Gallery’s website.