AMASSED The Selected Works of Robert Reedy
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CONTENTS Forward Statement Landscape Series Mind's Eye Ceramics Printmaking San Pedro Mixed Media Index Contact
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FORWARD There were things we thought we knew about light and “illumination” but those things took a quirky sidestep when Einstein’s theory was proven to be correct. Light waves WERE affected by gravity and curved when they passed through a gravitational field. If light doesn’t move in a straight line then how can one trust form that is revealed by light and shadow? If you can’t trust your own shadow then what CAN you trust? If one intuitively understands that the only place light travels in a straight line is inside his head and he intuitively doesn’t trust his own shadow he will probably come to interpret the visual world as a surrealist. I would guess that these surrealist tendencies are a common thread in the weave of southern artists. In his opening statement Robert Reedy points out, “. . .it is who we are and how we visually interpret the environment that creates our individual identities as artists.” Looking through AMASSED: The Selected Works of Robert Reedy is an interesting visual journey. This is the work of a “research” artist. It is a compendium of works compiled in a search for a personal truth. It is not encumbered by an overwhelming desire to produce a marketable commodity and seeks, instead, to synthesize a world where those things revealed by light (both objects and experiences) can’t be trusted. Those experiences and objects are turned over to the only place in the world where light travels in a straight line and that is inside the artist’s creative brain. In this personal search, functional forms become nonfunctional and are seen for their simple beauty, and colors found in nature are applied in a creative and intuitive fashion to bring harmony to dysfunctional form. Scale and shape are distorted to make a uniform whole. Patinas are occasionally applied to shapes and three-dimensional objects to create a feeling of consistently-aged components. There is a varied and knowledgeable application of color to the works presented in this catalogue. Color serves a variety of purposes. When Reedy wants us to view a form with a 8
recognized heritage he uses subdued color. Classic teapot forms sitting atop face-jug heads receive a light green celadon glaze. Contemporary pots and modern still life ceramic constructions get the flashy high-toned color of hors d’oeurvres and swizzle sticks. When he wishes to point out different cultural perspectives or the changes brought about by time, then color is amplified to point out the differences. The overall mood of this compiled work is intentionally whimsical and upbeat. They are spots of light in an increasingly dark time. Reedy cites a rural Mississippi upbringing, storytelling, family and faith as supports for his positive outlook. Inside my own head, where light travels in a straight line, is the image of me as a young boy in a sweaty and starched white cotton shirt sitting stiffly upright on a plain pine bench in a small white clapboard church on raised brick piers and singing Harry Dixon Loes' gospel song This Little Light of Mine. I’m gonna let it shine Shine all over the neighborhood Hide it under a bushel? No! Don’t let Satan blow it out I’m gonna let it shine. That song has an interesting history. It became a powerful and positive motivator and a civil rights anthem. Reedy lets his light shine. It is hard to know what a little light will inspire. Ke Francis
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STATEMENT Growth as an artist is directly related to the acceptance of one’s self as an individual who dresses, talks, visualizes and creates differently from any other human. In fact, we are unique functioning designs. The more I embrace this the more freedom I exhibit as an artist. Understanding this, coupled with the history of art and a working knowledge of technical and visual language skills, enables me to create. These distinct aesthetic and sociological experiences create values and circumstances that shape my life and in turn impact my artwork. It is the pursuit of this individualism that is important to me. All artists are connected by history, visual elements, and principles of design. However, it is who we are and how we visually interpret the environment that creates our individual identities as artists. Growing up in rural Mississippi was challenging. Traditions such as storytelling, family, and faith had a tremendous affect in shaping my work. These traditions and experiences shaped my values. I see it as a refreshing force in a world that can sometimes be cold, static and impersonal. My philosophy is a balance between intellect and superstition, science and magic, New York and Mississippi. Currently, I am involved with a more sculptural approach to the vessel and recently have returned to a mixed media form of painting and drawing.
-Robert Reedy
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LANDSCAPE SERIES My work in this section can be divided into two groups: Plein Air This series of works constitute a visual diary of my painting excursions to The Natchez Trace in Mississippi and locally at The San Pedro Retreat on Lake Howell. I like to use acrylic paint because it dries so fast in the open air and forces me to respond quickly and intuitively to my surroundings. I enjoy painting like this because it forces me to trust my eyes and not “think” the painting to death. Mindscapes These dream-like landscapes are strictly from my imagination. Every morning when I wake up the visual camera in my mind’s eye is rolling. It is recording everything I see whether I access it or not. These landscapes are not bound by location. They are a documentation of my attempt to bring forward to the paper subliminal images recorded as I move throughout the environment.
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MIND’S EYE "The eyes are blind to what the mind will not see."
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CERAMICS "Clay is a living material ready to be formed."
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PRINT MAKING "Vision, pressure and rhythm. . ."
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SAN PEDRO For the past two years I have watched a 500-acre parcel of land next to my horse farm decimated in the name of progress and a new housing development called Hawk’s Crest. This parcel was once a home for over 15,000 live oak trees and untouched natural wetlands. It was home to a variety of beautiful wildlife and indigenous plants. Most notably were the birds. Due to the total destruction of the trees and plants these birds have appeared to migrate towards our farm. Over the years we have seen a notable increase in the number and types of birds on our property. Everyday we see magnificent hawks, eagles, wild turkeys and other types of birds. It has been a thing of beauty to observe but for all the wrong reasons. This migration has been so overwhelming I decided to document this process through a series of mixed media bird paintings. My birds are not based on illustrative accuracy like Audubon rather they are an expression of movement, emotion and color.
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MIXED MEDIA "Vulnerability is a strength not a weakness. . . always take the challenge."
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INDEX 1. Natchez Trace. Acrylic on paper. 22 1/2” x 18 3/4”. 2. Oban, Acrylic on paper. 6” x 14”. 3. Isle of Mull. Acrylic on masonite. 13 1/4” x 16 1/4”. 4. Mead Garden, Acrylic on board, 8” x 10”. 5. Untitled Mindscape, 2020. Acrylic on board. 27 1/2” x 97 1/2”. 6. Mindscape #1, Mixed media. 18” x 24”. 7. Mindscape #2, Mixed media. 18” x 24”. 8. Mindscape #3, Mixed media. 18” x 24”. 9. Mindscape #4, Mixed media. 18” x 24”. 10. Samurai. Acrylic on canvas. 4’ x 8’. 11. Geisha. Acrylic on canvas. 4’ x 8’. 12. Hain’t No Way. Acrylic on canvas. 6’ x 8’. 13. Number 3. Mixed media, 4’ x 6’. 14. P51. Acrylic on canvas. 4’ x 8’. 15. Zero. Acrylic on canvas. 4’ x 12’. 16. Danger. Acrylic on canvas. 4’ x 8’. 17. Self portrait. Acrylic on canvas. 4’ x 8’. 18. Jody’s Gone. Acrylic on canvas. 4’ x 8’. 19. Vase. Earthenware. 14” in height. 20. Casserole. Earthenware. 12” in diameter. 21. Multicolored Teapot. Earthenware. 14” in height. 22. Striped Teapot. Earthenware. 16” in height. 23. Wall Platter. Earthenware. 18” in diameter. 24. Teapot Ceramic Collage. Earthenware. 6” x 12”. 25. Bottle Ceramic Collage. Earthenware. 6” x 12”. 26. Tornado Vase. Earthenware. 24” in height. 27. Bottle. Earthenware. 30” in height. 28. Tornado Wall Platter. Earthenware. 30” in diameter. 29. Basket. Earthenware. 24” in height. 30. Teapot Platter. Earthenware. 30” in diameter. 31. Tornado Cereal Bowl. Earthenware. 20” in diameter. 32. Red Vase. Salt fired. 18” in height. 33. Yellow Bottle. Salt fired. 22” in height. 34. Platter. Salt fired. 36” in diameter. 35. Mutt, 2020. Ceramic. 18 1/2” x 10 x 8”. 94
36. Jeff. 2020. Ceramic. 18” x 10 x 7”. 37. Red Devil, 2020. Ceramic. 20 1/2” x 10 x 8”. 38. Red Tea bowl. Earthenware. 6” in diameter. 39. Yellow Basket. Earthenware. 8” x 14”. 40. Yellow Teapot. Earthenware. 8” x 16”. 41. Blue Crab, 2020. Ceramic. 14 1/2” x 10 1/4 x 7 1/2”. 42. Blue Basket. Salt fired. 7” x 12”. 43. Red Striped Teapot 1. Earthenware. 16” in height. 44. Red Striped Teapot 2. Earthenware. 16” in height. 45. Aqua Teapot. Earthenware. 18” in height. Aqua Tea Bowl. Earthenware. 6” in diameter. 46. Blue Teapot. Salt fired. 14” in height. 47. Gold Basket. Salt fired. 7” x 12”. 48. Gold teapot. Salt fired. 14”. 49. Tan Teapot. Earthenware. 16” in height. 50. Untitled Teapot. Earthenware. 18” in height. 51. Wall Platter 1. Earthenware. 24” wide. 52. Wall Platter 2. Earthenware. 24” wide. 53. Red Bird Teapot. Earthenware. 18” in height. 54. Leaf Vase. Earthenware. 24” in height. 55. Aquamarine Platter. Earthenware. 20” in diameter. 56. Aquamarine Teapot. Earthenware. 16” in height. 57. Yellow Teapot 2. Earthenware. 14” in height. 58. Gold Teapot 2. Salt fired. 12” in height. 59. Bronze Teapot. Salt fired. 16” in height. 60. Pink Trees. Hand colored monotype on paper. 11” x 14”. 61. Blue Trees. Hand colored monotype on paper. 11” x 14”. 62. Red Trees. Hand colored monotype on paper. 11” x 14”. 63. Landscape. Hand colored monotype on paper. 11” x 14”. 64. Blue Bird. Hand colored monotype on paper. 8” x 10”. 65. Blackbird II. Hand colored monotype on paper. 16” x 19”. 66. Blackbird III. Hand colored monotype on paper. 16”x19”. 67. San Pedro #1. Mixed media. 23 1/2” x 41 13/16”. 68. San Pedro #2. Mixed media. 23 1/2” x 41 13/16”. 69. San Pedro #3, Mixed media. 23 1/2” x 41 13/16”. 70. San Pedro #4. Mixed media. 24 1/2” x 41 1/2”. 71. San Pedro #5. Mixed media. 23 1/2” x 44”. 72. Reclamation 1. Mixed media. 8” x 24”. 73. Reclamation 1. Mixed media. 8” x 24”. 74. Pacific Coast. Mixed media. 11” x 14”. 95
75. California #2, 2017. Mixed media. 18 1/4” x 20 5/16”. 76. Cyprus, 2017. Mixed media. 18 1/4” x 20 5/16”. 77. Birdcage. Mixed media. 10” x 24”. 78. White Cyprus. Mixed media. 10” x 24”. 79. Spruce Pine. Mixed media. 18 1/2” x 22 1/2”. 80. Spruce Pine 2. Mixed media. 12 7/8” x 27 1/4”. 81. Walking Man 1. Mixed media. 10” x 24”. 82. Walking Man 2. Mixed media. 10” x 24”. 83. Red Dog. Mixed media. 10” x 24”.
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CONTACT ROBERT REEDY 407-719-9754 robertreedy@gmail.com www.robertreedy.com
Degrees/Honors
BFA, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS MFA, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS Penland School of Craft and Design, Penland, NC Artist in Residence, National Endowment for the Arts Visiting Scholar, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI Visiting Scholar, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Collections/Exhibitions
Museum of American Ceramics, Pomona, CA American Crafts Museum, NY Museum of American Art, Washington DC The Renwick Museum, Washington DC Collection of Walter and Joan Mondale, American Embassy Tokyo, Japan George and Norma Kottemann Collection
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Administrative Experience
Chairman of Fine Art, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL Chairman of Fine Art, Bradley University, Peoria, IL Chairman of Fine Art, Ringling School of Art and Design, Sarasota, FL Chairman of Fine Art, Itawamba Community College, Fulton, MS
Teaching Experience
Foundation Faculty School of Visual Art and Design, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL Three Dimensional Design, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL Two Dimensional Design, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL Ceramics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL Creator of Advanced Design Lab, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL Creator of PAVE (Partners in Art for Visual Education), University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL Creator of Flying Horse Editions, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL Creator of CREATe (Creative Research and Education in Art and Technology), University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL Artist in Residence, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI Visiting Artist in Residence, Turo Center for the Arts, Turo, MA Ceramics Instructor, Arrowmont School of Art and Design, Gatlinburg, TN
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Designed by Andrew Guarente www.andrewguarente.com @andrew.guarente 941-225-0601