Margins

MARGINS NATE CASSIE JOSEPH COHEN LARRY GRAEBER TOM HOLLENBACK CORNELIA WHITE SWANN ROBERT TIEMANN

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WITHOUT LIKENESS Making work without any referential identity can be hard to do. Even so-called abstract work by its very nature is referential. Most of our understanding comes by way of our associative intuitiveness and a good part of that is through visual referencing.

With this in mind, I have decided to focus this exhibition on artists who explore a “nonobjective initiative” - approaches that entail formulating ideas and creating objects by exploring strategies and methods applied to and in dialogue with a few chosen materials. This approach is less driven by subjugating or conforming materials into some deliberate likeness but one of following the lead of a strategy and its interplay with a chosen media, a task embroiled in action and reaction, assertions and adjustments, certainty and uncertainty, until a resulting artifact emerges.

Using a variety of materials, both conventional and unconventional, the essence of the resulting work stems from the unique strategies implemented by each of the artists. Some approaches entail adherence to particular schools of thought as with Joseph Cohen’s attention to the principles of the theory of “concrete art,” where he stresses attention to the properties of his materials as they assume shape and color when layered over the objects on which he paints. Tom Hollenback, on the other hand, uses less conventional materials to introduce new possibilities that alter his materials’ original utilitarian intentions to make objects of light, color and form.

Seeking to distance himself from representational tendencies of realistic painting, Robert Tiemann pursues the development of concepts that dissolve hierarchies; thus, by implementing matter-of-fact materials, string, dowels or pegboard, he is able to achieve equitable grid pattern paintings. Nate Cassie, Cornelia White Swann, and I explore unique approaches of technique-driven management of so-called conventional 2

We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art.

HENRY JAMES

art media. Swann’s approach is to apply a technique she calls “desire paths,” where she controls streams and puddles of acrylic paint while they are under the influence of the contours of her studio floor. For his paintings, Cassie makes use of a couple of strategies that adhere to principles he identifies as “nature’s rules,” by employing a “drip pour” technique of squeezing paint from a bottle and layering paint so that it assumes a flow that can be perceived as a “perception of chance.” I begin with one or two specific elements, then assess and manage my tools with an accumulated visual vocabulary to realize a resulting artifact.

Whether by methodology or technique, implemented instinctively or by some pragmatic rule, these disciplined practitioners skillfully illustrate the inventive nature of creativity. These works resonate with vitality and resolve, and whether dissident or harmonious, they capture our attention, inviting us to explore, revealing subtle inferences and distinct vantage points that sustain our scrutiny in the delight of discovery.

- Larry Graeber

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St. John’s Wort, 30" x 30", enamel on panel, 2003

NATE CASSIE For the last eight years or so Nate Cassie has sustained a practice, in and among his other work, of making paintings he refers to as “drip pour” paintings. These paintings are the result of a technique of rotating panels on the wall and squeezing paint from a hair coloring bottle and then allowing them to drip and dry.

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Avalanche #5, 30" x 30", enamel on panel, 2005

While they may look effortless, the

flow, the “perception of chance,” he sees

preparation is exhaustive, beginning with

as “nature’s rules.”

multiple layers of paint sanded between each coat to obtain the right surface

Fluid and spacious, or congested and

and then followed by the trial and error

dense, Cassie’s instinctive color and

of his gestural final marks. Whether

intriguing marks elicit an innate response,

painting in the “drip pour” manner or

one that captures our attention to ponder

with his spacious floating ellipses, Cassie

and decipher his paintings and glean from

maneuvers his expression in search of the

their subtle implications.

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Proposition 21, 37" x 38" x 3.5", reclaimed latex, enamel, and latex on vinyl and birch, 2007

JOSEPH COHEN Rather than pouring paint on objects as might be assumed, Joseph Cohen uses brushes to lay his paint down.

The mechanics of brushing reinforces for him an engagement that delivers the pieces from chance to a state of refinement. He resolutely and patiently can work on a single piece for months or years. Â Besides building surfaces 6

to paint, he also takes banal objects,

Proposition 203, 43" x 25", reclaimed latex and enamel on panel, 2007

like cigar boxes, presentation cabinets

Cohen calls his work a “proposition

and paint cans, and veils them in the

of offerings,” a theoretical premise of

same meticulous manner, layering

painting and perception, unconcerned

strata that then runs. This results in

with picture making. Their rugged and

what Cohen refers to as “concrete art,”

epic appearance compels exploration,

stressing elements in a fundamental way

rewarding us as we search their

that reinforces the character of paint, its

mysterious layers of time.

color, the form of the armature and the light that falls on them.

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Red Dash, 29" x 26", oil on canvas, 2011

LARRY GRAEBER My primary focus is painting and moderately scaled sculpture. Produced with brushes, trowels, squeegees and sticks on canvas, coalescing in reactive encounters, my paintings incorporate aspects of expressionism and formalism.

I often like to refer to this activity as “measuring districts for a chance of change.�

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April Noise, 39.5" x 58", oil on canvas, 2011

My sculpture, on the other hand, is about an effort to incorporate common and cast-off materials and fashion them into intriguing, aesthetically pleasing objects, simple and coherent.

The effort in both of these expressions is to emulate my fondness for nature, phenomena and convergences, as a means to discover orders and structures.

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Volumetric Painting - Green/Gold Rectangle, 6.5" x 4" x 4", cast acrylic paint and wood, 2009-2010

TOM HOLLENBACK The architecture and engineering of “built landscapes” that punctuate our surroundings inspire Tom Hollenback’s use of construction materials as a medium for his aesthetic investigations. With a direct approach and a less-is-more ethos, Hollenback uses plexiglass and steel studs and transforms their utilitarian intent into sculptural objects that capture 10

light and present visual intrigue.

Volumetric Painting - Red Rectangle, 4.5" x 7" x 4.5", cast acrylic paint and wood, 2009-2010

Hollenback’s “volumetric paintings” are

of transparency and interiority, while

made of paint and wood, the result of

the “volumetric paintings” challenge

pouring paint of different viscosities and

the norms of artistic painting, raising

transparencies into wooden molds he

questions of priority, medium or mass.

has made. After weeks and months of

Both of these sculptural expressions

pouring and drying, he releases the paint

assert provocative premises that

to rest as an encrusted block of paint.

challenge our notions of certainty and absolutes.

The interior/exterior effects of the plex/steel sculptures raise questions

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Untitled (Green), 17"x 21", acrylic on synthetic paper, 2009

CORNELIA WHITE SWANN Working on watercolor and synthetic paper, Swann prompts ink, watercolor and acrylic mediums to flood her paper in concert with phenomena, achieving expressive compositions. Laying her paper on the irregular studio floor, Swann maneuvers the diluted medium, shifting the paper over the contours of the floor in a manner that achieves what she calls 12

Untitled (Red), 17" x 21", acrylic on synthetic paper, 2009

“desire paths.� Often, she arrests these

points elicits a sense of both ease and

paths with opaque rectangles or heavily

risk as contrary elements collide. In this

brushed acrylic, evoking impressions of

collision, a drama ensues, evidence of

tension and boundaries.

consequences, tenuous comfort, and moments of risk for the sake of beauty.

A sense of territory and place embody Swann’s works, waterways contoured and shaped by nature and intervention. Her orchestration of these places or vantage 13

Untitled, 13" x 4 1/2", plywood, latex, acrylic, 1994

ROBERT TIEMANN Anchoring canvas on an oversized table and using string to make grid patterns of varying sizes was a seminal moment for Robert Tiemann. Looking to distance himself from realistic tendencies, he began experiments “… to see how far away I could get from realistic painting.”

Tiemann’s investigations make him acutely aware that the grids dissolve the notion 14

Untitled, 15.5" x 12.75", masonite, pegs, acrylic, 2007

of hierarchical meaning: “ no area is more

“a dialogue with the materials.”

important than another.” In one way or

With finesse and attention to detail,

another, the grid anchors and informs

he makes discernible each element,

all of his work, filling his bowls, topping

achieving a gestalt of rest and continuity.

circular wall reliefs, and informing his

This process results in arranged orders

recent dowel and pegboard paintings.

that implicate social and organic structures of equity.

Tiemann organizes, manages and coaxes his material in a manner he refers to as, 15

NATE CASSIE Leaves on a River (blue), 55" x 115" x 4", enamel on panel, 2007 Nelumbo, 60" x 60", enamel on panel, 2003 St. John’s Wort, 30" x 30", enamel on panel, 2003 Avalanche #5, 30" x 30", enamel on panel, 2005 Anger Control Study, 13" x 13", enamel and acrylic on panel, 2004 Avalanche #6, 13" x 13", enamel and acrylic on panel, 2005 Orange Pink Blue, 60" x 30", enamel and flashe on panel, 2010

JOSEPH COHEN Proposition 106, 29.5" x 51" x 1.25", reclaimed latex, enamel, automotive paint, resin on pine, 2009 Proposition 27, 16.25" x 13.5" x 4.25", reclaimed latex, resin, epoxy, and latex on Brazilian cherry wood and oak, 2007 Study for Proposition with Paint Can, 8" x 12" x 8", reclaimed latex, bubble pack on paint can, 2011 Proposition 14, reclaimed latex and enamel on white pine and redwood, 16.5" x 13.9" x 4.5", 2007 Study with Paint Brush, 13" x 9" x 4", reclaimed latex enamel on brush and pine, 2010 Proposition 203, 43" x 25", reclaim latex and enamel on panel, 2011 Proposition 10, 14" x 11" x 2", reclaimed latex on reclaimed wood, 2007 Proposition 21, 37" x 38" x 3.5", reclaimed latex, enamel, and latex on vinyl and birch, 2007

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LARRY GRAEBER Intercept, 54" x 95", oil on canvas, 2011 Inlet, 70" x 68", oil on canvas, 2011 Red Dash, 29" x 26", oil on canvas, 2011 Two Reds, 16" x 30", oil on canvas, 2009 April Noise, 39.5" x 58", oil on canvas, 2011 Tripod, 70" x 24" x 22", wood, latex and enamel, screws, 2011 Wire and Tube, 23" x 11" x 6", wire, wood, paint, tube, 2011 Platform 112, 24"x 8"x 7", wood, wire, foam, aluminum, 2009 Tube Collection, 29" x 7" x 8", wood, paint, tubes, 2011 Paper Chase, 44" x 10.5" x 7.5", cardboard, wire, wood, latex paint, 2009

TOM HOLLENBACK Volumetric Painting - Brown, 5.75" x 3" x 5.5", cast acrylic paint and wood, 2006-2009 Volumetric Painting - Gold/Brown, 6.5" x 5" x 5", cast acrylic paint and wood, 2010-2011 Volumetric Painting - Green/Gold Rectangle, 6.5" x 4" x 4", cast acrylic paint and wood, 2009-2010 Triple Channel, 110" x 16" x 114", glass and steel, 2011 Volumetric Painting - Red Rectangle, 4.5" x 7" x 4.5", cast acrylic paint and wood, 2009-2010 Volumetric Painting - Graphite/Cedar, 6.125" x 6.75" x 5.125", cast acrylic paint and wood, 2010-2011 Volumetric Painting - Olive Green Cube, 4.5" x 3.75" x 3.75", cast acrylic paint and wood, 2009-2010 Volumetric Painting -Â Orange Rectangle, 4.25" x 17" x 5.25", cast acrylic paint and wood, 2009

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CORNELIA WHITE SWANN Untitled, 22" x 30", watercolor on paper, 2004 Untitled, 22" x 30", watercolor on paper, 2004 Untitled, 22" x 30", watercolor on paper, 2004 Untitled (Red), 17" x 21", acrylic on synthetic paper, 2009 Untitled (Green), 17" x 21", acrylic on synthetic paper, 2009 Untitled, 24"x 60", acrylic on synthetic paper, 2010 Untitled, 22" x 30", ink on watercolor paper, 2009 Untitled, 22" x 30", ink on watercolor paper, 2009 Untitled, 22" x 30", ink on watercolor paper, 2009 Untitled, 22" x 30", ink on watercolor paper, 2009 Untitled, 22" x 30", ink on watercolor paper, 2009 Untitled, 22" x 30", ink on watercolor paper, 2009

ROBERT TIEMANN Untitled, 60" x 60", canvas, jute, acrylic binder, 1986 Untitled, 60" x 60", canvas, string, acrylic binder, latex, 1985 Untitled, 60" x 60", canvas, string, acrylic binder, aluminum oil base paint, 1985 Untitled, 10.5" x 7.375" x 7.375", wood, particle board, dowels, marbles, latex paint, 2005 Untitled, 14" x 3 1/2", canvas, string, and enamel, wood, latex, 1994 Untitled, 13" x 4 1/2", plywood, latex, acrylic, 1994 Untitled, 10.5" x 12.5", masonite, pegs, acrylic, 2002 Untitled, 15.5" x 12.75", masonite, pegs, acrylic, 2007

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Nate Cassie, Joseph Cohen, Cornelia White Swann and Robert Tiemann for opening their studios to me, putting up with my snooping around, and supplying not only their work but support material. Thanks to Tom Hollenback for his willingness to do this project via e-mail. Also thanks to the Wade Wilson Gallery for assistance.

Many thanks to Scott Sherer for inviting us to do this summer show.

His guidance and direction throughout and his advice and editing were indispensable. Finally, my thanks to the University of Texas at San Antonio for commitment to the liberal arts, seeing to it that this fine exhibition space exists, and for support of the arts in the community at large.

Larry Graeber

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