I enjoy walking in the woods in the company of my wife, Colleen. My camera listens to the light as it whispers through the trees. On occasion, we come across a fragment of some remnant from a past dwelling, perhaps remaining bricks from the chimney or stones from the foundation. All are over grown with vines and brush. A tree, sometimes huge, may reside in what was once living quarters. Nature reclaims her domain.
I get the same sort of feeling from the "Dismantle" series of prints by Brad Winchester, one of which is on display at the Hoffman LaChance Gallery.
It is a tri-point etching with watercolors and charcoal pencil done on a beautiful, soft, toned paper. The etching is straight line, an obvious creation from the hand of man. It is not uniform, as though time has chipped away and dismantled it. The watercolors helps define areas which have print and together give the piece good depth. However, it is the charcoal pencil which sets this work apart. Fine line which is not straight seems organic in nature. Built up to compliment the watercolors/print, it provides shading for even greater depth. Printing was done in the Saint Louis Artists' Guild open print studio.
Brad, a graduate from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is currently working in oil on larger scale and has a show of this work in KC.
A moment of Art
An entire floor of the nearly vacant Saint Louis Centre Mall was resurrected for just one day in Art Dimensions "Winterfest". It was like a child's Christmas story where inanimate objects are brought to life for just a little while. All of the stores on the third floor were filled with artwork. Artwork which was usually displayed in tents at fairs was showcased in glass and chrome storefronts. A real gallery setting, if only for a moment.
Art Dimensions is a great organization because its goal is to display the work of local artists. This lets me enjoy watching them grow and evolve. One such artist is a young man,
Stan Chisholm. His work is embraces the newer style of stencil and 2-d graffiti. He is a student at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He took the train down for this show. This is one to watch.
Another "persons of interest",
William Lobdell, offered two sculptures: one was a extension of his earlier work. A large mixed media wall piece of a 3-d model of downtown. "Colums and Cubes". This work is monochromatic. I must admit, I missed the beautiful and skilled paint work which I really like in in his earlier work. He also offered a most interesting multi media sculpture, "Driftin Away" 2004. A large orange fish with all manner of interesting additions.
Michael Sleadd, not from the city proper but close enough for me, provided a large display of his pen and ink (and a feather) work on paper. A skilled illustrator, Michael, lays naked the thoughts of an artist's mind. "I draw from the inside out" He is a professor at Columbia College
I enjoy walking in the woods in the company of my wife, Colleen. My camera listens to the light as it whispers through the trees. On occasion, we come across a fragment of some remnant from a past dwelling, perhaps remaining bricks from the chimney or stones from the foundation. All are over grown with vines and brush. A tree, sometimes huge, may reside in what was once living quarters. Nature reclaims her domain.
