I love being an artist. The only problem is that there is just too much to do and too little time to do it in. I wish I had a twin. One of us could stay home and make art while the other went to parties and art openings, caught up on the gossip of who’s doing whom, and who’s having a nervous breakdown … all the good stuff. It would be fun if there was one good twin and one bad twin. The good one could write all of the socially acceptable stuff, and the bad one could tell you what REALLY goes on behind the scenes — the morsels of life everybody talks about at black tie parties but nobody prints.
There are just too many distractions in our world and too many choices. Which opening do I go to? Which museum show can I see? Which lecture to take in? It can all become a blur when working to bring Metro readers a true sense of the art scene. Now I am leaning toward the Luddite view more and more. I called up the cable company and had them yank out the line because all of those talk shows had me hypnotized. I threw my cell phone out of my window because I was tired of constant interruptions during my drives. Since your time is equally valuable, I am getting down to basics so I can distill the world of culture and art into information that you will find both informative and entertaining.
Bold Colors
I recently had the pleasure of visiting with artist Paul Hrusovsky at his studio, nestled in the trees just north of Chapel Hill. Hrusovsky was working on a series of paintings for his upcoming show this month at Craven Allen Gallery on Broad Street near Duke’s East Campus in Durham (www.cravenallengallery.com). Hrusovsky has always been the most gracious artist. I never see him throwing fits the way some artists do, and he is a polite and congenial host, as well. Hrusovsky was working on a series of colorful paintings with avian themes. Crows on the wing, parrots at play, the felicitation of finches … flight was everywhere. Hrusovsky has long been a painter intrigued by bold line and color, but in the past few years, texture has taken on even more of a starring role. The embossed imprint of a leaf embellishes a wing. Graphic embellishments are painted, rubbed, repainted and glazed until they form layers of texture that inform the surface of the paintings with new meaning.
Oriental Aesthetic
Showing along with Hrusovsky is Jim Lux, whose sensuous pit-fired pots are always popular and always in demand. With names like “Beautiful Mess,” “Hard to Say” and “Never Surrender.” The vessels for this round show more color than earlier collections, pulled from the pit before the colors become subordinate to smoke and fume. To me, the works have an oriental aesthetic, forming stylized over-ripe pomegranates, figs or pears just waiting to be plucked for your collection.
Triangle Trouper
Congratulations to Nancy Tuttle May for her stellar performance recently in Chapel Hill at Tyndall Galleries (www.tyndallgalleries.com). May is the original artist trouper of the Triangle. She was selling art around here before there really was any developed art scene. She has painted everything from beachscapes to large scale abstracts, and her style is as confident and colorful as ever. If you are considering making a living as an artist with all of its ups and downs, look no further for advice than Nancy Tuttle May, who has been doing it in style for decades.
Class Act
I don’t know what’s up at the Durham Art Guild (www.durhamartguild.org), but I like it. There seems to be a lot of energy over there now. I do know that Lisa Morton has been a true godsend to the place. She is a class act and handles the pressure with grace and style. Last year the DAG had the largest number of submissions ever for the juried competition when internationally recognized artist Judy Chicago came to town as guest juror. This year’s juror is the amazingly talented Petah Coyne, who’s lush and lyrical assemblages of wax and feather, fabric and flower are fantastic images of spirituality and transformation. Coyne is in all the right places and museums, including a new work for our very own Nasher Museum of Art. Will the artists turn out in even greater numbers this year for a chance to be chosen by such a radiant art luminary? To see more of Coyne’s work go to www.galerielelong.com.
Let me add that a good portion of The Durham Art Guild’s good fortune comes from the enthusiastic patronage of board member Lori Leachman, who seems to have all the right contacts when it comes to procuring only the best guest artists as jurors. An avant-garde such as Coyne giving the thumbs up and thumbs down this year, the show should have tongues wagging all over the state. Go see for yourself.