Friday Night Art in Houston

Art Wall 2016 Opening Celebration
800 ft of Fantastic Artwork 

Friday, September 23rd, 5 - 8PM

Art Alley - 1502 Sawyer Street
(Additional Parking at Silver Street Studios)

JOIN US this Friday, September 23rd when we will celebrate the completion of Art Wall 2016 with a opening reception from 5-8pm. 

Studios will be open at Silos. 

For more information regarding this and other events at Washington Avenue Arts District click here for their News Letter . 

Romp & Circumstance

Featuring works by multi-media artist Gwendolyn Plunkett, opens at Hunter Gather on Thursday, Oct. 29th from 6-8pm

Text below taken from Hunter Gather Project 

Hunter Gather is pleased to announce the opening of Romp & Circumstance, an exhibition featuring works on paper, installation, and objects by multi-media artist Gwendolyn Plunkett.

Houston-based contemporary artist Gwendolyn Plunkett, guided by instinct and intuition, uses various media—wax, oils, acrylics, paper, and found objects—to create abstract compositions that investigate notions of form, color, texture, and surface. Recently, Plunkett has been exploring frottage and other printmaking processes that do not require a press. Romp & Circumstance features a new series of oil and cold wax diptychs that combine rigorous mark-making with a sense of play, resulting in enticing surfaces that invite us to take pleasure in their material tactility and reflect on the connections that emerge from an intuitive process.

These explorations have yielded a series of objects, from chairs to wall installations, composed of found materials coated with layers of wax that create a rich textural feast and form a visual dialogue with Plunkett’s paintings.

In our fast-paced, contemporary world, we are too often consumed by responsibility, work, and the desire for success; Plunkett reminds us that play, not only brings pleasure, but curiosity and innovation — enriching both our understanding of the world and ourselves.

Join us for the opening reception of Romp & Circumstance on Thursday, October 29th from 6-8pm.

I wish to thank the folks at Hunter Gather Project for all their efforts in presenting this exhibition of my work in such a thoughtful manner.  Naming names, Margaret Smithers-Crump, Laura Rossi, and all members of the staff, Hugh, Matt, Cori and Katrina. A big thanks to Curtis Gannon for installing the show. 

Directions to the gallery:

A Shift in Direction

See what has been happening in my studio recently. Some new investigations with oil paint and cold wax on paper and on panels. Series title is Flight of Fancy. Check out my web site here to see more. Below are images of two of the pieces in this series. I am inclined to describe the work in this series as drawings in paint rather than paintings. 

I do a lot of smearing and scraping of the paint. I use some mono-printing techniques. I draw with paint squeezing it right onto the surface. I actually do a bit of painting with the brush too so by rights I suppose,  these can be classified as paintings.   

Just Hanging Around, oil and cold wax on paper, 16 x 12 inches, ©GwendolynPlunkett2015

Bubble and Pop, oil and cold wax on paper, 16 x 12 inches,

 ©GwendolynPlunkett2015

The work in this series reminds me stylistic of paintings from my Garden and Blue Note series from around 2005-2006.  These may be a bit more fanciful. Go here to see a couple of those paintings.

Family Ties Brooklyn | Dallas

Family Ties
Brooklyn | Dallas 
mostly Brooklyn Artists Commune with mostly Dallas Artists 
curated by
Bonny Leibowitz | Julie Torres

500X Gallery
opening reception
Saturday, April 11th 7:00pm - 10:00pm
exhibition continues through May 3rd

On view Saturdays & Sundays, Noon to 5 p.m. Weekdays by appointment

Lots of art stuff happening in Dallas this weekend and I am so looking forward to my visit. 

Family Ties, co-curated by Bonny Leibowitz and Julie Torres "celebrates the limitless potential of artist supporting artists, " and I am so pleased to have been invited to participate and share the experience. The Dallas Art Fair is happening this weekend as well so much to do about Art in Dallas this weekend in April. I hope to see you there. 

Brooklyn-based painter Julie Torres and artist Bonny Leibowitz of Dallas, TX have partnered to co-curate a unique exhibition of 80+ artists from Brooklyn, 40+ local Dallas artists and several like-minded artists from around the country, in "Family Ties." 

Torres' recent "Family Style" exhibitions in NYC are the inspiration for this community-expanding project. Leibowitz and Torres share an affinity for the participating artists' exciting work and for collaboratively organized exhibits. 

"Family Ties" celebrates the limitless potential of artists supporting artists.

Julie Torres is a painter and arts organizer in NYC and will be in attendance for the opening. 

Bonny Leibowitz is an artist and "Family Ties" co-curator living in Dallas.

Family Ties artists
Albert Weaver, Alex Paik, Alexis Granwell, Ann Glazer, Anne Russinof, Ashley Garrett, Austin Thomas, Bailey K Chapman, Barbara Laube, Becky Yazdan, Ben Pritchard, Ben Terry, Bonny Leibowitz, Brett Dyer, Brian Edmonds, Caetlynn Booth, Cande Aguilar, Cecilia Salama, Chance Dunlap, Christina Tenaglia, Christopher Moss, Christopher Rose, Claudia Tienan, Daniel John Gadd, David Michael Connolly, David T Miller, Deanna Wood, Douglas Florian, Elizabeth Gourlay, Elizabeth Riley, Ellen Letcher, Emily Berger, Enrico Gomez, Eric Mavko, Erica Stevens, Fran Holstrom, Fred Gutzeit, Georgia Elrod, Ginny Casey, Giovanni Valderas, Gwendolyn Plunkett, James Prez, Jamie Powell, Jason Rohlf, Jay Henderson, Jeanne Neal, Jeff Parrott, Jennifer Shepard, Jenny Leigh Jones, Jill Vasileff, Joan Mellon, John Kesling, Jonathan Cowan, Julia L Trinh, Julia Schwartz, Julie Alexander, Julie S. Graham, Julon Pinkston, Justine Frischmann, Karen Schifano, Karl Bielik, Karla Areli, Katherine Mojzsis, Kevin Andrew Curran, Kristen Biles, Ky Anderson, Kyle Gallup, Lael Marshall, Lauren Collings, Leeza Meksin, Leslie Kerby, Levi Haske Liz Ainslie, Liz Atzberger, MaDora Frey, Maria Britton, Marian Brunn Smith, Mary Judge, Matthew Neil Gehring, Maxwell Stevens, Mayra Barraza, Meg Atkinson, Melissa Capasso, Melissa Staiger, Michael Frank Blair, Nancy Ferro, Paul Behnke, Peggy Epner, Phillip J. Mellen, Polly Shindler, Rachael Gorchov, RE Cox, Rebecca Litt, Rebecca Murtaugh, Roberto Munguia, Ryan Goolsby, Ryan Michael Ford, Sally Warren, Sean Montgomery, Stephen B. MacInnis, Suhee Wooh, Susan Carr, Susan Cheal, Teresa Ekasala, Todd Camplin, Vicki Owen, Vicki Sher, Wendy Klemperer, Will Hutnick, William Crump, William Eckhardt Kohler, William Lawler, Zak Vreeland

Flight of Fancy

Flight of Fancy, Oil and cold wax on Arches paper for oils, 16 x 12 inches, ©GwendolynPlunkett2015

Exhibition Announcement

Pulp

September 16th – October 25th, 2014
Opening Reception Thursday, September 25th 6-8pm

Our upcoming group exhibition Pulp  focuses on the creative potential of paper, both as a substance and a conceptual point of departure. The exhibition will feature works by Rix Jennings, Jon Lee, Gwendolyn Plunkett, Delaney Smith, and guest artist Curtis Gannon.

Pulp showcases works that explore and manipulate the materiality of paper itself, pushing a traditional medium into new dimensions. Artists Rix Jennings and Delaney Smith create three-dimensional form by casting handmade paper. Primarily interested in the relationships between material, form, and function, Smith’s wall installation is composed of book-like units cast with nonsensical words that create both a visual and aural texture. Jennings’s organic forms invite the viewer to reflect on the quite beauty of paper in its raw and imperfect states. Printing on bamboo paper for the first time, master printer Jon Lee’s new series investigates the visual manifestations of the golden ratio in printed media. Gwendolyn Plunkett uses re-purposed books to create a visual language of texture and mark making, and THE MISSION artist Curtis Gannon uses comic books as his primary media to explore the functionality of the comic book as a platform for communication.

Join us for the opening reception for Pulp on Thursday, September 25th from 6:00-8:00pm!

Image: Detail of Knebix by Delaney Smith; photo by Matt Golden.

http://huntergatherproject.com/Pulp at Hunter Gather Project

Cathie Kayser's 'A Thread Runs Through'...last time to see this week...Don't miss it!

Closing reception for Cathie Kayser's exhibition 'A Thread Runs Through' is this Thursday, July 18 from 4:30 to 6:30. It has been a pleasure for me to work with Cathie in curating this exhibition. All good work to choose from. Try to get there today if you haven't seen the exhibition. It is a beautiful show.

See my work in Houston, Austin and Corpus Christie this Month

Driven to Abstraction October 12, 2012 7:00 - 10:00pm  You must RSVP to attend. Driven to Abstraction will be on view from October 5 - November 4, 2012.  Visit the website for more information. The show runs the gamut from pieces so abstract that the only references to subject are in the name to representational pieces rendered in a way that becomes abstract. The artists: Bobbye Bennett (Houston, TX), Debbie Buie (Austin, TX), Rachelle Diaz (Austin, TX), C. Ellen Hart (Houston, TX), Chrys Grummert (Austin, TX), Gabe Langholtz (Austin, TX), Court Lurie (Austin, TX), Melanie Millar (Houston, TX), Chandana Paravastu (Houston, TX), Gwen Plunkett (Houston, Texas), William Ruller (Savannah, GA), Bill Santelli (Rochester, NY), Briana Sutton (Mineola, TX), Daniel J. Victor (New York, NY), Lana Waldrep (Austin, TX) and Dawn Winter (Austin, TX).                                              Some of the work I have in this exhibition below:

Booked/New Language,  Ink, old book page, encaustic medium and oil bar on panel, 12 x 9 inches
Gwendolyn Plunkett @ 2011

In Corpus Christie, you can see the painting below through October 20


The Third Coast National is a non-thematic, juried exhibition of new works of art from all across the USA. We are simply looking for innovative, interesting contemporary artwork. Now in its 6th year, The Third Coast National marks the anniversary of the opening of K Space Contemporary’s ground level space on Starr Street in downtown Corpus Christi, Texas.  This exhibition has proven to be one of the most popular exhibitions in Corpus Christi and one of the artistic highlights of the year.

Wed-Sat 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Free Admission

K Space Contemporary
415 D Starr Street
Corpus Christi, TX 78401

info@kspacecontemporary.org

Diver II from New Language Series, Acrylic, old book pages on canvas,  60 x 48 inches
Gwendolyn Plunkett @ 2011

In Houston at Bosque Gallery at LoneStar College, Cy Fair, through October 

you can see the painting below in the faculty exhibition. Reception is October 25, 4:30 - 6:30

Linear A from New Language Series; Ink, Lokta paper, old book pages, oil bar on panel,  16 x 20 inches
Gwendolyn Plunkett @ 2012

Happening in May

I am pleased to announce that I have work in two exhibitions this month. In the invitational Reclaimed Existence, the artist's life as a chair, at Art Cube Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA you can see my interpretation of the theme, Plein Air-Blue. The exhibition runs through the end of May. Other artists included in this show are William Catling, Dennis Hare, Connie DK Lane, Trace Mendoza, Gwendolyn Plunkett, Lucas Rise, and Gerard Stripling. 

Plein Air-Blue, Encaustic with various papers and fabrics, inks, watercolor on repurposed painting panels,  30 x 10 x 10 inches, © Gwendolyn Plunkett 2012.  

Closer to home, at the Live Oak Art Center in Columbus, TX, you can see two of my paintings Under My Skin 3 and 4 in the 2012 Annual Juried Art Exhibition beginning May 19. 

This show continues through June 30, 2012. 

Details for Saturday, May 19: 

4PM-5PM-------Lecture and Awards

5PM-7PM--------Reception

7PM-10PM-------Music by Central Texas Sounds  

Leonard Lehrer was the juror for this exhibition.

Under My Skin III, 16 x 16 inches, Encaustic over papers on panel with oil stick 

Under My Skin IV, 16x16 inches, Encaustic over papers on panel with oil stick

 

Conrad Wilde Gallery
439 N. 6th Ave #171, Tucson AZ
85705




I am pleased to announce that I am one of the artists whose work is included in this exhibition at Conrad Wilde Gallery in Tucson.

Artists featured are:
Alicia Forestall-Boehm      Molly Geissman
Willow Bader                     Deborah Kapoor
Amelia Currier                   Sue Katz
Peggy Epner                       Catherine Nash
Gwendolyn Plunkett           Kelly Wagner Steinke 
Margaret Suchland             Robert Treat

Click here for more information about the artists.
Press Release here.

Very Hot and Way Cool!

Sizzling!

Logo

The air temperature wasn't the only thing sizzling in Houston this summer.   Heating up Houston's art scene is Burning Bones Press, a brand new full service print studio located at 1518 Yale Street in the Heights.  Artists and printmakers Carlos Hernandez and Patrick Masterson partnered up, leased the space and opened for business this summer. Their inaugural party June 11 was planned to coincide with PrintHouston 2011. If you missed the party like I did, watch their video of that event. Not quite the same as being there but....

Patrick Masterson and Carlos Hernandez

 Working along with Pat and Carlos are studio managers  artists Cathie Kayser and Nancy Luton. 

Cathie Kayser 

Patrick, Carlos, Cathie and Nancy are all members of PrintMatters, (see more about that further down) and Cathie is currently serving as president of that organization. 

Full service printing studio means just that. Lithography, intaglio, relief printing, screen printing, solar etching and all the ins and out that each printing process brings. Besides doing their own work here, these artists offer printmaking classes, and collaborate with other artists helping them develop their own ideas into a realized edition, as well as doing projects for museums, businesses and other organizations. The goal, according to master printer Patrick Masterson, is to create an open and inviting environment conducive of collaboration with other artists, as well as taking on jobs from institutions, publishers and dealers.

Nancy Luton

A bit of biography.....
Carlos Hernandez has fame for his limited edition screen prints of gig posters of rock n' roll legends such as B.B King, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, to name a few, as well as his Day of the Dead Rock Stars Series. Carlos also has selected works featured in the 2011 Communication Arts Typography annual and the 2011 Communications Arts Illustration annual.  Carlos said he started out setting up a studio in his garage so he must be loving this new studio!

Patrick Masterson wears several caps, artist/teacher, artist/printmaker, and business owner. He teaches printmaking at both University of Houston and Glassel School of Art. He served as master printer at both Mad Cap Press in Houston and Flatbed Press in Austin. In Austin he collaborated with artists James Surls, Luis Jimenez,  Trenton Doyle Hancock to name a few. You can find his work (Masterson's) in the collections of the Whitney Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Photo courtesy of Jenny Antill. Patrick and Carlos are bounded on right and left by some of their work; next to Patrick is  a James Surls piece and next to Carlos, several prints from his Day of Dead Rock Stars series.

One of their goals is to bring more attention to traditional printing processes and techniques. I questioned all three, (Carlos, Patrick and Cathie) if digital technology has impacted their work and business in a positive or negative way and the overall response was positive.
Some of the new technology has really impacted what they can do in the studio in a positive way, saving time and steps.

All of them through their teaching gigs found many students with heavy digital backgrounds have a real longing for the 'hands-on' experience that traditional printmaking methods provide.

Cathie reminded me how photography at one time put the fear into artists and printmakers alike, that photography would render both obsolete. That didn't happen.

 New Addition to the family

With  half dozen various presses in the studio at opening, their long awaited 4 x 8 foot Takach motorized press arrived this week enabling them  now to print large format images. Below are the four of them posing with the inaugural print compliments of Nancy. 

Carlos, Nancy, Patrick and Cathie with the inaugural  pull using the new press.

Several projects are in the works  keeping them busy.  Patrick is working on a project with Francesca Fuchs for the Houston Museum of Fine Art's Core Program, for one.  Besides several teaching gigs at the studio, Carlos is adding new images to his Day of the Dead Rock Star Series, as well as collaborating one-on-one with artists wanting to learn more about the silk screen process.

Print Houston
If that weren’t enough to create sparks with Houston artists who have been chomping at the bit for sizable Houston-based  print studio, PrintMatters, a Houston art organization,  after declaring June as PrintHouston 2011 month. 

It was a month long celebration of  traditional and nontraditional printmaking, held printing workshops, sponsored  the Rockin’ Rollin’ Steam Roller event, invited curators to propose print-related exhibitions and galleries and museums to participate with print-related exhibitions.  June’s exhibitions spilled into to July, then into to August. Seems PrintHouston 2011 is really Print Houston Summer!  See my Nov 2010  post about PrintMatters at WHAM here.

Very Hot and Way Cool!

PrintHouston  will happen again in 2012 so all you print makers keep your radar turned on for exhibition calls and announcements.  


Founding members, Cahtie Kayser, Andis Applewhite, Ann Johnson, Vivian Hordes and Ruth Shouval, organized with the following goals in mind: to promote traditional and non-traditional printmaking, encourage print collecting, and further the professional growth of our members.

Gallery Talk - Kevin Mullins, Jonathan C. Leach

Darke Gallery now showing work by Kevin Mullins and Jonathan Leach through March in the upstairs gallery,  hosted an artist talk with these two artists this past Saturday. The opening reception was Friday evening, the night before.  This kind of event is a great opportunity for us bloggers to get first hand information from the artists as well as providing a possible photo opportunity if the both artist and gallery are supportive.

Image above and below complimentary of Kevin Mullins web site.

 

Proud Flesh is the title of the Mullins exhibition which includes screen printed images on paper like the one below and smaller paintings/printed images on plywood.  Click here to see the slide show of some of these works on paper.

Proud Flesh series Red/Green, screen print

Says Mullins, "I’m a painter and print maker currently living in Wichita, Kansas.
Mechanical reproduction and repetition (I find great truth in the dictum, “repetition is the foundation of clarity”, have been both the subject of my work and the means by which I produce it." Quoted from Mullins' statement here. He works with an oil based inks and paint on various supports, including paper and wood and a type of PVC plastic used in outdoor signs.  He spoke of these repetitive marks in relation to meditation, an idea that I have embraced in relation to some of my work. Unlike Mullins, I don't participate in any formal meditative practices.

Kevin Mullins on right talking to visitor about the smaller works.

Artist Jonathan Leach is a Houston resident and currently represented by Sonja Roach Gallery.
 The several pieces in this exhibition are with permission from that gallery. About his pieces here, Jonathan uses acrylic paint on canvas and plexiglass supports, in this instance, a plexi box.

On right is Jonathan Leach talking about his work. To his left is Kevin Mullins, and far left is artist Marcelyn McNeil.

He tapes and and paints areas both outside and inside the box. He is interested in allowing evidence of the artist's hand to be visible in the painted areas although I didn't really see any brush marks. One must have to get very close.  Although these are essentially painted boxes, the artists must approach the placement of the designs onto the surfaces as a sculptor would.

On right is Jonathan Leach talking about his work. To his left is Kevin Mullins, and far left is artist Marcelyn McNeil.

View shifting to the right

View from opposite side. 

You can see more of Jonathan's work here.
This exhibition runs through early April.