Four Artist TN: From this Point
May 6-28, 2022
Four Artist TN: From this Point
Opening reception: Friday, May 6, 5:00-9:00 PM
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
The pleasure taken from natural landscapes serves as an impetus for the four Tennessee-based artists Mike Martino, Emily McGrew, Susan McGrew and Randy Purcell. The group that came to be the Four Artist TN met when all exhibited work in a holiday show in December 2012. Although each member of the group worked in a unique medium, they found there was an overlapping tendency towards degrees of abstraction of the subject matter as well as in the subject matter itself: natural elements and subjective color. This allowed their work to display cohesively. Common ground was found in a variety of topics relating to the visual artist and the profession. They began meeting on a regular basis to discuss current work and professional outlook and had their first Four Artist TN show in 2017. The beginning of the pandemic in early 2020 forced some changes and the group decided to use that time to grow. Organically, the discussion eventually touched on the idea of designating assignments that might give the work even more cohesion when presented together. From This Point the meetings provided additional focus, loose deadlines, and a different kind of purpose in the studio practice of each artist as they created specific pieces for critique by the group. In this, their fourth group exhibition, they will show for the first time group projects developed over the past two years as well as individual artworks.
We pursue the dilemma of realism in different ways. Landscapes, some stark and sad with evidence of human industrial impulse reminiscent of the Ashcan School, are depicted in acrylic by Emily McGrew. Randy Purcell may start with a similar overlying view, which he transforms with his own unique process compromising ink transfer on beeswax base, creating a mosaic like surface in the process. In contrast, Susan McGrew’s contemporary oil and cold wax landscapes and focused close-ups, teeming with lush vegetation and wildlife reflect an optimism reminiscent of the Hudson River School. The printmaking process used by Mike Martino pushes the print medium with a more painterly effect, but conveys the same softer view of the natural world.
While we pursue the dilemma of realism in different ways with different media, we have an affinity for each other’s work based on our interest in the landscape as a vehicle for our expression. Like a camera taking pictures from different perspectives, our work shown together provides a more multidimensional model of the world we inhabit.
www.facebook.com/fourartisttn
www.instagram.com/fourartisttn
Mike Martino: www.bluefigeditions.com
Emily McGrew: www.emilymcgrewart.com
Susan McGrew: https://susanmcgrew.artspan.com
Randy Purcell: www.randylpurcell.com