LAU R A BEA R D Thick and Smooth
bruno david gallery
LAURA BEARD Thick and Smooth
May 20 - August 20, 2011 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: Thick and Smooth Editor: Bruno L. David Catalog Designer: Yoko Kiyoi and Kara Gordon Design Assistant: Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Bruno David Gallery and Laura Beard Cover image: TS Red, 2011 (detail) Oil on Canvas 60 x 72 inches.
Copyright Š 2011 Bruno David Gallery, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery, Inc.
CONTENTS
THE PAINTED TRUTH by Nino Bischof AFTERWORD by Bruno L. David CHECKLIST AND IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION BIOGRAPHY
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THE PAINTED TRUTH by Nino Bischof
My connection to the work and progression of painter Laura Beard spans a period of over 15 years. As a writer, to engage the solitary practice of painting in any meaningful way is a task well worth the challenge. That being said, I have been fortunate to follow the long careers of several working visual artists. Potentially this has afforded me a unique perspective and with some trepidation qualified insight. When considered in depth, non-objective painting is no easy read. On the level of an experienced painter like Beard it is a language that carries a vocabulary of expansive and unpredictable possibilities. The commitment of over 25 years to the daily practice of painting is evident in every studio visit and interview. Acutely important for Beard is the recognition that contemporary painting follows a substantial history. While engaging that history and the overwhelming presence of movements and their iconic leaders, she clearly emerges as an American artist of singular vision and integrity. Beard embraces the crucial discipline and commitment to remain at the apex of contemporary painting engaging us with enduring and compelling force.
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“There are no ideas which occur in metaphysics more obscure and uncertain than those of power, force, energy or necessary connection.” David Hume Any attempt to describe this current body of work defies the very core of their invention. Revealing the psyche of an informed and sincerely dedicated practitioner of painting is akin to unraveling the complex language inherent in contemporary philosophy, street rap or the serendipitous nature of an instrumental rift. What appears fluid and deliberate evolves from the effort to include only the essential elements available for an evolving content. Concept, experience and process collide in waves of energy and focused deliberation. Intention and forceful action give way to intuitive response and impulsive disillusion. A full day of work in the studio may yield several resolutions in the effort to refine the “necessary connection” of composition and content. An image is realized, brought to fruition and then often scraped away, destroyed. After hours of conscious decisions rooted in a process of complex revisions a simple gesture or incidental mark may lead the path to an expansion of all the possibilities inherent in abstraction.
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A conversation with Beard about her work is an intellectual “workout” of the highest degree. If you are fortunate enough to catch an interview be prepared for an intense discourse. Her perspective is one of honest confidence and tempered vulnerability. Like many artists this is often an explosive and self-destructive combination. To describe Beard’s process as a struggle or relate it to abstract expressionist strategies is insufficient. What gives her paintings dynamic visual force runs much deeper. Consider the tradition of painting as a powerful, direct and enduring voice of our visual cultural heritage. The current paintings of Laura Beard require a contemplative open viewer. They deserve considerate observation as the paintings, in the process of their making, require the intense study that is the necessary for the path to the painted truth.
— Nino Bischof
Nino Bischof is a writer who lives and works in New York City. This essay is one in a series of the gallery’s exhibitions written by fellow gallery artists and friends.
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AFTERWORD by Bruno L. David
I am pleased to present a solo-exhibition by Laura Beard entitled “Thick and Smooth”. with the gallery. Support for the creation of significant new works of art has been the core to the mission and program of the Bruno David Gallery since its founding. Laura Beard’s remarkable and compelling paintings and drawings make her one the most impressive artist of the gallery. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Nino Bischoff for his thoughtful essay. I am deeply grateful to Yoko Kiyoi, who lent much time, talent, and expertise to the production of this catalogue and to Megan Vallowe for working on the exhibition. Laura Beard’s new paintings and drawings continue her exploration of the primary impulse of abstraction by focusing on the direction and texture of each brushstroke. By using this technique, the paintings take on a structured chaos that is both powerful and energetic. Through pure abstraction, the work strives to engage the emotional impact of color, the structure of human instinct and the complexity of a deliberately flexible process. This unique flexibility allows for the evolution of each new work to build on the experiences of the last. The paintings remain open to change at all stages due to the complex process Beard undertakes in their construction, resulting in each painting’s own evolving language. The final layers of refinement, the “thick and smooth”, ignited Beard to create a body of work that defies any simple explanation or description. The work seeks to illuminate its viewers through a message of experienced intention, as well as a heightened awareness that is essential to the painted truth that the artist represents. 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 between St. Louis and Texas.
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CHECKLIST & IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION
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TS Red, 2011 oil on Canvas 60 x 72 inches 12
TS Red (detail) 13
TS Red/Black, 2011 Ink on paper 28 x 22 inches 14
TS Orange, 2011 Acrylic on paper 28 x 22 inches 15
TS Fab, 2011 oil on Canvas 60 x 48 inches 16
TS FAB (left), TS Black Edge (right), installation view 17
TS Black Edge, 2011 oil on Canvas 60 x 48 inches 18
TS Black Edge (detail) 19
TS Sloping Green, 2011 oil on Canvas 60 x 48 inches 20
TS Sloping Green (detail) 21
TS Yellow, 2011 Ink and acrylic on paper 30 x 22 inches 22
TS Loop, 2011 Ink on paper 28 x 22 inches 23
TS Green Stripe, 2011 Ink on paper 28 x 22 inches 24
TS Untitled, 2011 Ink on paper 28 x 22 inches 25
TS Blue, 2011 oil on Canvas 60 x 72 inches 26
TS Blue (detail) 27
TS Tempest, 2011 oil on Canvas 48 x 60 inches 28
TS Tempest (detail) 29
TS Blue Heaven, 2011 oil on Canvas 72 x 60 inches 30
TS Blue Heaven (detail) 31
LAURA BEARD: Thick and Smooth at Bruno David Gallery, 2011 (installation view - detail) 32
LAURA BEARD: Thick and Smooth at Bruno David Gallery, 2011 (installation view - detail) 33
LAURA BEARD: Thick and Smooth at Bruno David Gallery, 2011 (installation view - detail) 34
LAURA BEARD: Thick and Smooth at Bruno David Gallery, 2011 (installation view - detail) 35
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LAURA BEARD Born in 1962, Plattsburg, New York Lives and works in Saint Louis, Missouri and Denton, Texas
EDUCATION 1990 1988
MFA in painting, University of Washington, Seattle, WA BFA in painting/printmaking, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS 2011 2010 2008 2007 2006 2003 2001 2000 2000 1998
Bruno David Gallery, Thick and Smooth, Saint Louis, MO Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Velocity/Volition, Kansas City, MO Perimeter Gallery, Flutter and Yaw, Chicago, IL Bruno David Gallery, New Paintings, Saint Louis, MO Perimeter Gallery, New 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 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. John’s Art Center, Collegeville, MN Left Bank Books Gallery, Paintings-the Vermont Series, St. Louis, MO 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
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1993 1991
Contemporary Art Center of Arlington, Broad and Boundless-Encaustic Paintings, Arlington, IL Arthead Gallery, Paintings/Prints, Seattle, WA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2010 2009 2008 2007 2005 2004 2003 2002 2000
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Bruno David Gallery, RECESSION REJUVENATIONS, St. Louis, MO Arthouse Contemporary Museum, New American Talent, Juror: Hamza Walker, Austin, TX Bruno David Gallery, OVERVIEW_09, St. Louis, MO University of North Texas, Faculty Exhibition, Denton, TX Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, St. Louis Painters, Sedalia, MO Columbia Inaugural Invitational, Curated by Sherry Leedy and Doug Freed, Columbia, MO Metropolitan Gallery, Webster University Faculty Exhibition, St. Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Controlled Chaos, St. Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, OVER_VIEW: Investigating What We See, St. Louis, MO Philip Slein Gallery, Small Work Invitational Exhibit, St. Louis, 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 Kemper Museum, Washington University Faculty Exhibition, St. Louis, MO Philip Slein Contemporary Art, Group Exhibition, St. Louis, MO Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Group Exhibition, Kansas City, MO St. Louis Art Museum, Change of Space, Film by Laura Beard and D. Jansky, St. Louis, 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
1999 1998 1997 1996 1993 1990
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 Erector Square Gallery, International Women’s Exhibition, New Haven, CT Art Loft Gallery, Extirpate with Andy Milner and Heather Bennett, 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 Henry Art Gallery, MFA Thesis Exhibition, Seattle, WA
BIBLIOGRAPHY Cooper, Ivy. Bischof, Nino. Cooper, Ivy. Schwall, Charles. Nikravan, Ladan. Miller, Rob. Peters, Megan.
“Review”, St. Louis Beacon, May 31, 2011 “Grounding, Flow, Release: The Painted Truth”, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2011 “Light and Depth at Bruno David”, St. Louis Beacon, November 11, 2008 “Grounding, Flow, Release: The Paintings of Laura Beard”, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2008 “Fresh Paint, Fresh Faces”, Inaugural Columbia Invitational, Courtesy of Jason Pollen, Vox Magazine, October 9, 2008 “Comments and Reviews of Visual Art”, St. Louis: Open Studios Tour, 2008 “Laura Beard Aeling and Gary Passanise-Perception/Abstraction” at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Review, Kansas City, MO. May 2007
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Callahan, Teresa. Norton, Sydney. Daniels, Jeff. Hackman, Kate. Stapley, Caprice. Shockley, Ben. Trafton, Robin. Daniels, Jeff. Daniels, Jeff. Daniels, Jeff. Zevitas, Steven T. Daniels, Jeff. Daniels, Jeff. Silva, Eddie. Weeks, Stephen. Weeks, Stephen. Brown, Gaye. Doroshenko, Peter.
“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 “Excavations: New Paintings by Laura Beard Aeling” St. Louis Post Dispatch, Mar. 19, 2000 “New American Paintings” volume 23, 1999 (national distribution) “Laura Beard Aeling: Surreptitions” St. Louis Post Dispatch, April 1998 “Extirpate” St. Louis Post Dispatch, December 17, 1997 “Extirpate” River Front Times, December 1997 “Route 66 Brings Real Art to Life” The Independent, September 22, 1992 “Artist Converge for Route 66 Revisited Exhibit” The Independent, Gallup, NM, September 18, 1992 “Route 66 Art Show a Must See at Red Mesa” Gallup Gazette, 1992 “Primarily Paint at the Laguna Gloria Art Museum”, Laguna Gloria Art Museum 1990
GRANTS & AWARDS Research Enabling Grant, University of North Texas, 2010 Junior Faculty Fellowship, University of North Texas, 2010 Purchase Award, First National Bank, Columbia, MO 2008 Fellowship, Vermont Studio Artist Colony, June 2000 Jessie Rickly Award, St. Louis Artist Guild, St. Louis, MO 1996 Graduate Fellowship, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 1990 Susan Denny Fellowship, University of Washington, Seattle, WA National Fine Art Award, Binney and Smith, U.S.A. 1988
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ARTISTS Margaret Adams Dickson Beall Laura Beard Elaine Blatt Martin Brief Lisa K. Blatt Shawn Burkard Bunny Burson Carmon Colangelo Alex Couwenberg
Damon Freed William Griffin Joan Hall Takashi Horisaki Kim Humphries Kelley Johnson Howard Jones (Estate) Chris Kahler Bill Kohn (Estate) Leslie Laskey
Patricia Olynyk Robert Pettus Gary Passanise Daniel Raedeke Chris Rubin de la Borbolla Frank Schwaiger Charles Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas Sleet Buzz Spector
Jill Downen Yvette Drury Dubinsky Corey Escoto Beverly Fishman
Sandra Marchewa Peter Marcus Genell Miller
Lindsey Stouffer Cindy Tower Mario Trejo Ken Worley
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