Sunday, February 14, 2021

Current Exhibitions and Recent Artist Talk

 


Hi friends. It's been a minute, I know. Hope you're safe and well, whenever and wherever you're reading this. 

If you're in Chicago, check out my two-person show with Dale Knaak at Gallery 19, in partnership with Pilsen Arts & Community House. The show runs through February 26, 2021. 



I had the opportunity to talk with Dale and Tommy Reyes (of Gallery 19) about the show, our work, and our processes as observational painters. I've been a fan of Dale's work for years - I first saw his paintings at Frank Juarez' gallery when he was still in Sheboygan, so I'm especially happy that we now get to show our work together. 

You can watch the entire conversation here





Grey Noise: Sonic Meditation 5
 
2020, chalk pastel on paper, installation approximately 30x57.5"

The work above is a commissioned piece in response to the late composer Pauline Oliveros' Sonic Meditations, specifically Sonic Meditation 5: "Take a walk at night. Walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears."

These pastels are a record of the shifting color and light on my studio walls at different times of day. I keyed the values in each piece to match the grey of the paper as closely as possible, in an effort to make the drawings disappear into silence when seen from a distance. It is only upon closer inspection - "deep listening... in every possible way to every possible thing" - that the subtle shifts in each piece emerge.

I was deeply honored to be part of this project. Katie Baker curated an incredibly thoughtful exhibition of visual art responses to Oliveros' work. The show is on view at The Welcome Project in Cincinnati through February 27th. You can tour the show from the comfort of home here

That's all the news that's fit to print, for now. Stay warm, stay safe, and we'll talk again soon. 

2 comments:

  1. Great work Sam! I started your work with some students of mine. Thank you for doing this, it is really nice to follow you, especially in these times. Do you know Jane Fisher by chance?

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words! I saw Jane Fisher's work in the 2013 Labletter magazine, but I hadn't seen much of her recent work. I spent a long time looking at her fish paintings this afternoon - really beautiful. Thanks for reminding me of her.

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