I haven't worked since the last show, but that doesn't mean Lawndale has been slacking off. Since last we blogged, the crew at Lawndale has been busy. They hosted the 14th Annual Modern Market, attended by some great Houston area antique dealers.
The next time I entered the building, the Lawndale crew had set up six - count 'em! - new shows. There are shows in every gallery, the project space, and the classroom!
One (or, depending on how you look at it, three) of the shows on view right now is a group show, featuring the past year's Studio Resident Artists of Lawndale. I have been looking forward to this show since I started working at the gallery - every other month I'd ask, "When are the resident artists shows again?" While I was eagerly anticipating this show, I have to admit, it is a little bittersweet. The artists moved into their studios around the same time I started working at Lawndale, so they seem a little like fixtures for me there, not only because I am used to seeing them (well, most of them, but I will get to that), but they are all so friendly and accessible, they help make Lawndale a wonderful place to be. After this show, they will move out of the studio space and move on to other opportunities, and I'm going to miss them all.
This past Friday we had the opening, which was well attended, and each of the six artists gave short talks about their work. I tried to get some pictures of the artists while they were talking, but as I have a moral objection to the use of flash in photography, they may be blurry. Bear with me.
El Franco Lee II, discussing his Mannerist-Pop style paintings and drawings.
The first thing everyone inevitably says first about El Franco Lee II is how nice he is - all of the resident artists are beyond nice, but El Franco is the type of friendly that makes you immediately comfortable as he introduces himself. The second thing people usually comment on is how stunning/shocking/expressive his work is. These are the things I heard about El Franco over the past nine months, but it took me a while to learn these things for myself. Why? Because one other thing about El Franco is that he is elusive. He was the last artist I met, and I think (if I remember correctly), that was only three weeks ago. Whenever he was mentioned amongst the Lawndale staff, it was "I just saw El Franco this morning, he stopped by, he should still be here", but he was never there when I would look for him. He was a little like the Phantom of the Studios, with sitings reported, but not ever actually materializing while I was there. If nothing else, all of the rumors about him were absolutely true - amazingly gracious and so talented.
Kevin Curry, discussing "Gold and Pawn".
If El Franco Lee II seemed like he was never around when I was working, Kevin was very regularly in his studio, but was not any less gracious to visitors. He was never too busy to stop and say hello, and discuss whatever project he was working on at the time. Not only is Kevin always working on something, but it was almost always something completely different each time I looked in on his studio. He manages to work in a wide array of materials, from fabric to plastic to wood to electronics, but his work is not so thematically erratic - each project emphasizes how his hand has manipulated and altered the presence of the object, the meaning and the purpose.
Amber Eagle discussing the imagery in her work.
Tired of me talking about how nice everyone is? Too bad! It would be criminal to talk about Amber and fail to mention how nice she is. Out of all three shows, her work is my favorite to explore, probably because it is the least familiar to me. I hadn't seen much of her work over the course of her residency, so I didn't really know what to expect. There is such a great sense of influences in her work, weaving together not just gender iconography, but different cultural iconography too, not without a certain sense of levity that nicely pokes at feminine archetypes in pictorial art. Instead of attacking those archetypes, however, it seems like Amber is genuinely having fun with them, and her good nature about it is infectious. Amber is also well known for her participation in the Art Car parade, so this opening was particularly well timed for her. She drove her car, "Lady of Transportation", to the opening, and I was lucky enough to catch her in full costume Saturday morning, pulling out of the lot on her way to join the parade:
Fantastic!
After the current residents take their leave, it will be three whole months before I get to meet the new kids. This summer is going to seem a little lonelier around the galleries on Saturdays, that's for certain.
If you are interested in seeing more information, or applying for the next round of Lawndale Studio Residency, everything you need can be found on our website. Applications for the 2009-2010 program are due by May 29th!
posted by: Virginia, gallery attendant
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