Jim Mott presents a retrospective of his paintings
at
Anderson Alley, Fourth Floor, Rochester, N.Y.
I never know what to expect when I go out to see exhibitions... My expectations for a First Friday round of wonderful exhibitions was rewarded this month with a visit to Rochester Contemporary Art Center, and the Anderson Alley studio shows, making the trip all worthwhile, The first stop on my itinerary was on the fourth floor of Anderson Alley to see the paintings by Jim Mott. I have been following Jim's work for years and in this particular show, Jim presents a kind of retrospective, with a few surprises!
One surprise is a large drawing ( in charcoal? or conte crayon? ) of a bridge, and Jim mentions that the work had been created from memory...and I thought that he must have a photographic recall of the places he visits!
Jim Mott presented quartets at The Oxford Gallery months ago...
At Anderson Alley, Jim Mott presented a new quartet ( four panels joined together ) and he described his visit to facilities operated as detention centers for ICE. I would say that this is an effort to bring to our attention some of the effects of our current political climate. Just what can a visual artist do to capture our attention for a meaningful engagement?
Jim Mott paints on the spot
Some of Jim's older work was also on display, especially. from his travels around our country. Over the years he has produced a kind of visual diary of stops he has made across America, and these works have a remarkable clarity and care taken as he painted at each place on his trek. For some of his trips it really has been a kind of lottery! He digs right in with his paints in an acute sense of purpose, with wonderful results. I also understand that Jim will have a future showing at Rochester Contemporary Art Center.
Sally Wood Winslow paints with Encaustics
Speaking of RoCo, there is a big group exhibition in the main gallery worth your attention. The show is "Fire and Form" and it is all about artists and their work with encaustic paints. Encaustic is a wax based medium that has real depth and vitality. The thing with encaustic paints is that they have a translucency which is really attractive. For the artist, once the paints have been heated on a hot plate the paints can be applied with a brush. Encaustic is a process which allows the artist to really dig into the surface of the paint and also create layers that glow. Here in Rochester we have a number of artists working in this medium, so check it out!
Pat DeLuca has a larger work with encaustic mediums at
RoCo
This week I was at the opening of a major exhibition presented in the University Gallery at the Vignelli Center of Rochester Institute of Technology. This new exhibition presents 50 years of prints and sculpture by Tarrant Clements who graduated from R.I.T. with her concentration on ceramics. I was really looking forward to this event, especially because Tarrant was being interviewed by Wendy Marks who recently retired from being the Director of the gallery. It took years to plan this show as there are over 80 works of art dating back to the early 1970s up to the present.
Wendy Marks ( left ) interviews Tarrant Clements
at
R.I.T. University Gallery
I think that the work that Tarrant Clements has on exhibit is only a fraction of what she has produced
over these many years, but it is a good introduction to her vision and her sense of form and composition. I am a big fan of this show, and it was nice to be back at R.I.T. since I have spent so much time there when I was teaching. Tarrant explores a lot of territory in her sculptures and her prints. It really is engrossing to look at the forms she has created.
Tarrant Clements and her sculpture
Tarrant Clements at The R.I.T. University Gallery
One thing I want to mention is that the art that Tarrant has created is very evocative, but she does not give each work a title - she does not want to limit what people take away from the show, or the effect that a title may give to a work of art. She wants it to be an open experience, and I recommend that you go there and see the work for yourself!
