Laura Beard: New paintings by Bruno David Gallery

LAURA BEARD NEW PAINTINGS

LAURA BEARD: New Paintings October 31 - November 29, 2008 Bruno David Gallery 3721 Washington Boulevard Saint Louis, 63108 Missouri, U.S.A. info@brunodavidgallery.com www.brunodavidgallery.com Director: Bruno L. David This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition LAURA BEARD: New Paintings Editor: Bruno L. David Catalog Designer: Yoko Kiyoi Designer Assistant: Sage A. David and Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Bruno David Gallery and Laura Beard Artwork photos by Bruno David Gallery staff Cover Image: Untitled M (detail), 2008. Oil on canvas, 72 x 60 inches (182.88 x 152.40 cm) Copyright ÂŠ 2008 Bruno David Gallery, Inc. All Right Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery, Inc.

Contents

Essay by Charles Schwall Afterword by Bruno L. David Checklist of the Exhibition Biography

GROUNDING, FLOW, RELEASE: The Paintings of Laura Beard Essay by Charles Schwall 2

Walking into Laura Beard’s south St. Louis studio, one immediately gets the sense of an artist who embraces the process of painting with energetic force and potency. Around the studio, paintings are either hung on the walls or placed on the floor in various stages of completion. There is a feeling of powerful action throughout the entire space. She and I discussed the dynamics of her creative process, her exhibition at the Bruno David Gallery, and her views about non-objective painting. Laura Beard’s painterly abstractions are filled with gestural and vigorous brushstrokes, often pulled across the canvas in strong horizontal and vertical actions. Beard frequently paints on large sized canvases, and often her choice of scale is larger than the human body. Through the execution of brushstrokes and marks of paint, the presence of the artist’s body can be felt in the paintings. Lines and forms move across the surface of each painting with unpredictable uniformity, resulting in a conception of space that is charged with latent geometry. The surfaces of the paintings are created with thick, viscous brushstrokes, but also with more open areas where all definition of mark is completely effaced. The handling of color in her work is bold, assertive, and characterized by sharp contrast of value and intensity of hue. In Untitled C (2008), dark colors are heavily layered to create an expansive impasto that is unified with the lighter colors underneath. Another large piece, Untitled K (2008), uses opaque whites, grays, and pinks which are filled with a sense of brightness and luminosity. Evidence of the artist’s thinking permeates each canvas. Continual revision takes place through direct mark making, as areas of paint are at first built up, then scraped or rubbed out, and ultimately completely repainted. These processes create tension and dialogue between the opposing forces of form and formlessness; the result in the work is a sense of being almost out of control, but somehow held in balance by an implied, illusive structure. Throughout our conversation, it became clear that Beard’s creative process has no predetermined destination. One small painting on paper completed last year served as a maquette for much of the work that was included in the exhibit at Bruno David Gallery. Beard described this composition as a path or a direction to follow, rather than an end in itself. She remarked that while the maquette was a distinct beginning, it quickly becomes a formative device. She further stated by adding that once the process of making many paintings was underway, the original small maquette “became secondary, the paintings become primary.”

She resists, even distrusts, the repetition of previous tactics and strategies that may have worked for her in earlier paintings. Rather, her work is born out of a continual search, discarding prior methods in favor of invention and the discovery of unforeseen solutions. This commitment to reinvention requires a cycle of ongoing effort and patience. When asked her about her studio practice, she replied, “Not knowing the outcome and exploring the process takes time.” When making the work she often moves back and forth from preparation to rehearsal, then to letting go, ultimately striving to find her way into a meditative zone, a flow of energy in space and time that cannot be controlled, only released. For Laura Beard, nonobjective painting is ultimately a way of seeing. The viewer often desires to see subject matter that is namable; Kasmir Malevich, a distinguished 20th Century Russian abstract formalist painter, pinpointed this when he declared that people “want the promised land of representation.” Beard’s approach to painting, however, values process over any particular aspect or mode of representation. Her work remains detached from any specific subject matter, and she is hesitant to make associations that would send viewers in any one specific direction. Her sensibility is one that withholds the impulse to explain imagery, and instead requires the viewer to follow the artist outside the boundaries of the literal. The approach to nonobjective painting that Beard employs is not interested in subject matter, namable categories, or attached to any outside narratives. Alternatively, it is through the material of the paint and the autonomous discipline of her creative practice that Beard transcends categories and potential limitations. — Charles Schwall

Charles Schwall is an artist, art educator and writer. His work was recently shown at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, and at the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art. As an artist educator, Schwall has studied the educational system in the municipality of Reggio-Emilia, Italy, and coedited and co-authored the book, In the Spirit of the Studio: Learning from the Atelier of Reggio Emilia. Charles lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri. This essay is one in a series of the gallery’s exhibitions written by fellow gallery artists and friends.

Afterword by Bruno L. David

I am pleased to exhibits a new series of work by Laura Beard. This exhibition, New Paintings, shows the ways in which Laura Beard smoothly integrates influences of painterly abstraction with a distinctly modern and inventive style. Laura Beard’s work has been described by art critic Jeff Daniel as “having an ability to move forward while keeping a firm grip on art history’s recent past.” She is able to produce energetic paintings that contain an aesthetic that is truly new. Laura Beard’s paintings combine both texture and color in such a way as to demonstrate the power and dynamism that is so characteristic of painterly abstraction. Her works are marked by a degree of chaos that is beautifully countered by geometric sequences. This combination brings continuity to her paintings, resulting in a serene sense of balance. Laura Beard was born in Plattsburg, New York. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and printmaking from Colorado State University and a Master of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Washington in Seattle. She lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri.

— Bruno L. David

Checklist of the exhibition and Images

Untitled C, 2007-08

Oil on canvas, 72 x 84 inches (182.88 x 213.36 cm)

Untitled J, 2008

Oil on canvas, 60 x 72 inches (152.40 x 182.88 cm)

Untitled M, 2008

Oil on canvas, 60 x 72 inches (152.40 x 182.88 cm)

Untitled K, 2008

Oil on canvas, 60 x 72 inches (152.40 x 182.88 cm)

Untitled A, 2007-08

Oil on canvas, 72 x 84 inches (182.88 x 213.36 cm)

Untitled O, 2008

Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches (91.44 x 121.92 cm)

Untitled N, 2008

Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches (91.44 x 121.92 cm)

Untitled L, 2008

Oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches (121.92 x 152.40 cm)

Laura Beard: New Paintings at Bruno David Gallery, 2008. (Installation View - detail)

LAURA BEARD Born in 1962, Plattsburg, New York Lives and works in Saint Louis, Missouri

EDUCATION 1990 1988

MFA in painting, University of Washington, Seattle, WA BFA in painting, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2001 2000

Bruno David Gallery, New Paintings, Saint Louis, MO Perimeter Gallery, Paintings, Chicago, IL Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Perception/Abstraction, Kansas City, MO Philip Slein Gallery, New Paintings, Saint Louis, MO Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, New Paintings, Kansas City, MO Contemporary Art Museum, A Change of Space, film by Laura Beard Aeling and Draza Jansky, Saint Louis, MO St. Louis Art Museum, A Change of Space, film by Laura Beard Aeling and Draza Jansky St. Louis Ethical Society, Winterkill, Drawings, St. Louis, MO Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Observations, Kansas City, MO Alice R. Rogers Gallery, Interiors/Exteriors-Paintings, St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art Center, Collegeville, MN Left Bank Books Gallery, Paintings-the Vermont Series, St. Louis, MO

2000 1998 1993

Forest Park Community College Gallery, Excavations, St. Louis, MO Messing Gallery, Laura Beard Aeling, Country Day School, St. Louis, MO Left Bank Books Gallery, Surreptitions, St. Louis, MO Contemporary Art Center of Arlington, Broad and Boundless-Encaustic Paintings, Arlington, IL

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2008 2007 2005 2004 2003 2002 2000 1999 1998

Bruno David Gallery, Controlled Chaos, St. Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, OVER_VIEW: Investigating What We See, St. Louis, MO Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, St. Louis Painters, Sedalia, MO Left Bank Books Gallery, Authentic Embodiment - Collaborative Exhibition with Ann Rast, St. Louis, MO Regional Arts Commission, Abstract Painting: 6 Points of View, Curated by Belinda Lee, St. Louis, MO Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Group Exhibition, Kansas City, MO Elliot Smith Contemporary Art, Group Exhibition, St. Louis, MO Philip Slein Contemporary Art, Group Exhibition, St. Louis, MO Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Group Exhibition, Kansas City, MO Museum of Contemporary Art, Art Cache, Group Exhibit/Auction, St. Louis, MO Left Bank Books, This is an Image, Collaborative Exhibition with Ann Rast, St. Louis, MO Springfield Museum of Art, Watercolor U.S.A., National Juried Exhibition, Springfield, MO Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Group Exhibition, Kansas City, MO Lemp Brewery, Inform, Group Exhibition, St. Louis, MO Des Lee Gallery, Landscape, Group Exhibition, Curator: Philip Slein, St. Louis, MO New American Paintings, Volume 22, National Juried Exhibition in Print Springfield Museum of Art, Watercolor U.S.A., National Juried Exhibition, Springfield, MO Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Group Exhibition, Kansas City, MO R. Duane Reed Gallery, Group Exhibition, St. Louis, MO Leedy Voulkos Gallery, Group Exhibition, Kansas City, MO

1997 1997 1996 1993

Erector Square Gallery, International Women’s Exhibition, New Haven, CT Art Loft Gallery, Extirpate, St. Louis, MO Courthouse Gallery, National Juried Exhibition, Woodstock, IL Forum of Contemporary Art, Stations of the Cross, Group Exhibit, St. Louis, MO Laguna Gloria Museum of Art, Primarily Paint, Curator: Peter Doroshenko, Austin, TX Artist’s Lofts Gallery, National Group Exhibition, Galveston, TX Wayland Babtist Gallery, National Group Exhibition, Wayland, TX Mcallen International Museum, National Group Exhibition, Mcallen, TX Firehouse Gallery, National Group Exhibition, Del Rio, TX Red Mesa Art Center, National Group Exhibition, Gallup, NM

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Schwall, Charles. Peters, Megan. Callahan, Teresa. Baum, Jennifer. Daniels, Jeff. Hackman, Kate. Stapley, Caprice. Shockley, Ben. Trafton, Robin. Daniels, Jeff. Daniels, Jeff.

“Grounding, Flow, Release: The Paintings of Laura Beard” , Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2008 “Laura Beard Aeling and Gary Passanise-Perception/Abstraction” at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art REVIEW, Kansas City, MO. May 2007 “Varied Show of Bold Abstracts Revels in the Joy of Paint”, West End Word, October 2004 “Contemporary Moves” West End Word, October 2004 “Laura Beard Aeling - Winterkill at the St. Louis Ethical Society” St. Louis Post Dispatch, February 23, 2003 “Something for Everyone” Kansas City Star, June 29, 2001 “Fresh Raises Expectations for the New” The Review, July 2001, vol 3, #9 “Abstraction for the Sensory Overload” The Review, 2001 “Driven to Abstraction” Kansas City Star, March 30, 2001 “Landscape Go In All Directions” St. Louis Post Dispatch, July 9, 2000 “This Just In…Painting Still Alive” St. Louis Post Dispatch, summer 2000

Daniels, Jeff. “Excavations: New Paintings by Laura Beard Aeling” St. Louis Post Dispatch, Mar. 19, 2000 Zevitas, Steven T. “New American Paintings” volume 23, 1999 (national distribution) Daniels, Jeff. “Laura Beard Aeling: Surreptitions” St. Louis Post Dispatch, April 1998 Daniels, Jeff. “Extirpate” St. Louis Post Dispatch, December 17, 1997 Silva, Eddie. “Extirpate” River Front Times, December 1997 Weeks, Stephen. “Route 66 Brings Real Art to Life” The Independent, September 22, 1992 Weeks, Stephen. “Artist Converge for Route 66 Revisited Exhibit” The Independent, Gallup, NM, September 18, 1992 Brown, Gaye. “Route 66 Art Show a Must See at Red Mesa” Gallup Gazette, 1992 Doroshenko, Peter. “Primarily Paint at the Laguna Gloria Art Museum”, Laguna Gloria Art Museum 1990 GRANTS & AWARDS Fellowship, Vermont Studio Artist Colony, June 2000 Jessie Rickly Award, St. Louis Artist Guild, St. Louis, MO Graduate Fellowship, University of Washington, Seattle, WA Susan Denny Fellowship, University of Washington, Seattle, WA National Fine Art Award, Binney and Smith, U.S.A.

ARTISTS Margaret Adams Ingo Baumgarten Dickson Beall (video) Laura Beard Elaine Blatt Nanette Boileau (video) Martin Brief Lisa K. Blatt Shawn Burkard Bunny Burson Carmon Colangelo Alex Couwenberg Jill Downen Yvette Drury Dubinsky Eleanor Dubinsky (video) Maya Escobar (video) Corey Escoto

Beverly Fishman Damon Freed William Griffin Joan Hall Takashi Horisaki Kim Humphries Kelley Johnson Howard Jones (Estate) Chris Kahler Bill Kohn (Estate) Katharine Kuharic Leslie Laskey Sandra Marchewa Peter Marcus Kathryn Neale Moses Nornberg

Patricia Olynyk Robert Pettus Daniel Raedeke Jessica Rogen (video) Chris Rubin de la Borbolla Cherie Sampson (video) Frank Schwaiger Charles Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas Sleet Lindsey Stouffer The Fancy Christ Cindy Tower Ian Weaver Brett Williams (video) Ken Worley

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