Drawn In | Drawn Out at The Grace Museum

title wall featuring Rusty Scruby's artwork

Yesterday was the closing for "Drawn in | Drawn Out" at The Grace Museum in Abilene, TX.

This exhibition featured the works of

 
ADELA ANDEA  |  VERNON FISHER  |  LINNEA GLATT  |  HOLLIS HAMMONDS  |  TIMOTHY HARDING  |  RUSTY SCRUBY

The museum's statement for the exhibition noted,
"Drawn In / Drawn Out is one exhibition in two locations – The Grace Museum in Abilene, Texas and The Old Jail Art Center in Albany, Texas – presenting art by contemporary artists who challenge traditional concepts of drawing. Drawing, released from a preparatory role since the 1960s, affords a myriad of options for contemporary artists to reinvigorate image-making and representation. Over the last decade drawing has become recognized as a stand-alone medium and like other art media in this age of cultural and technological flux and innovation, the definition of drawing has expanded to include 3-D and conceptual forms.  Drawn In / Drawn Out explores new drawing strategies that include site-specific installations, wall drawings, multilayered compositions and atypical approaches to the art of drawing."

We stopped in Albany first to view the works at The Old Jail Art Center, and then made our way to Abilene for the opening reception at The Grace. A bus shuttled people between the two opening receptions, so we were able to see some of the artists from the show in Albany later in the evening.

Here are some of the sights from Drawn In | Drawn Out at The Grace:

Rusty Scruby, "Branches", 2013, enamel on poplar wood construction

Rusty Scruby, "Rip Van Winkle #4", 2013, charcoal on paper construction

Rusty Scruby, "Hexagonal Gridwork Study", 2001, paper construction

Rusty giving his artist talk

Vernon Fisher

Vernon Fisher

 

Vernon Fisher giving his artist talk

Adela Andea

 

Adela Andea giving her artist talk

Linnea Glatt

detail of Linnea Glatt

Timothy Harding

Timothy Harding giving his artist talk

Hollis Hammonds

detail of Hollis Hammonds

Welcome Back to You and Me

I should probably say "welcome back" just to myself. It has been almost two years since I last posted. However, I have continually viewed, bought, and documented art and artists during this time. I know some of you have continued to check in on my blog because I've received several comments on posts. Also, I recently heard that at least three artists that I have featured on this blog have received new gallery attention due to information those galleries found on my blog about those three artists. I need to hook back up to an analytic provider to find out what the current traffic is for this blog.

I'm going to be honest here and reveal why I've been absent. I don't have an arts degree, and I got paranoid about using some of the International Art English that I have become accustomed to by interacting with the art community. Not having a solid art history background, sometimes I felt out of my league describing my reactions to art and art events.There is more to it, of course. I started this blog while I was unemployed. The termination of my last position severely dealt me a mid-life crisis situation that I thought I had prepared for. I don't think there really is a way to prepare. Me starting this blog was a way to try to stay relevant and maintain my pc and critical thinking skills.It worked for a while, but that paranoia just kept eating at me. Then when after a year-and-a-half I found employment in a job far beneath my previous position and pay scale and with hours that competed with art viewing, I felt defeated and depressed. I stopped writing because I didn't feel worthy to offer my opinion.

Funny that. Depression is a monster riding around on shoulders continually whispering in the ear, "you're not good enough, and you'll never be." It takes work, lots of work, to shove that monster off your shoulders. But I like to work. So I keep at it. I did see lots of art these past two years, and talked about art with lots of people, and I posted lots of pics to my fb page, I just didn't offer up too much opinion in writing. A number of people have continued to ask me if I have been blogging, so while I've answered "no", their asking has been encouraging. So thank you all for that. And even though that new job was equivalent to where my career was twenty five years ago, I took the opportunity to re-examine that job position. So that now that I have returned to a management position, I have a fresh perspective from my team's point of view. I keep rotating out small pieces of art on my cubicle desk at work, too.It reminds me that my corporate job is not the total sum of who I am.

So with all that said, it is time for me to hit the streets and go see some art!

Just see what I post next.....

Thanks, y'all !!!!