Stephen Tuomala: A Permanent Gesture

Stephen Tuomala

Stephen Tuomala is showing a recent series of drawings at Fe Gallery in Lawrenceville. A permanent Gesture is a striking exhibit. The space lends itself to the large-scale work, providing enough room for the works to breathe and to be able to take the work in completely.

The works, regardless of scale, are created on bible pages. For the larger works, this means attaching the individual pages into expansive, wall-sized sheets. The smaller works are made from single interleaves and pages. Is that the correct term? When you disassemble a book, groups of printed pages are folded in half and sewn. So, you are looking at two pages on each sheet. (and aside: I find bookmaking fascinating.) I am not sure which bible edition Mr. Tuomala used for this exhibit, but the paper is beautiful and the volume must have been oversized, but not as large as a quarto volume would be.

Stephen Tuomala

As the name of the exhibit implies, the works are very gestural. The starkness of raw ink is counterbalanced by the texture of the printed word, lending subtle shadings to the deeper ink-covered areas and providing texture in the untouched areas. Mr. Tuomala shows a very expressive hand in these drawings, from the smallest to the largest. It was also intriguing to see the smaller works alongside their large-scale counterparts. Many of the smaller works looked like they could be studies, and gave a hint at the process of developing the figures for the larger works.

Stephen Tuomala

I think I'll leave this here. From the show description:

A Permanent Gesture is focused around Christian ideas of the Rapture. These large scale drawing installations depict juxtapose contemporary imagery as metaphors for the theoretical Rapture events.

From a thematic standpoint, I don't really think I can add anything to this succinct statement. There is a lot of implied violence in the works, and it supports the violence implicit in the biblical cycle of the Rapture.

The exhibit is up through March 3, and luckily the gallery has regular hours. If you really want a chance to find out more about Stephen Tuomala and the works in A Permanent Gesture, Fe is hosting a gallery talk on Thursday, February 21. There's a good chance I'll be there for the artist talk. I do have some questions.

Stephen Tuomala: A Permanent Gesture
February 1 - March 3, 2013
Artist Talk
Thursday, February 21
7-8:30pm
Fe Gallery | 4102 Butler Street, Pittsburgh PA 15201 | art@fegallery.org
Thursday – Friday: 4 – 8 pm Saturday: 12 – 6 pm Sunday: 12 – 4 pm

Laurie Trok: Words for Poems

Laurie Trok (photo credit to Garret Jones)

Laurie Trok's Words for Poems is romantic and seductive. The gallery was dim, with most of the light coming from small flashlights playing over the pieces. The opening was very active, with guests interacting with the works by playing light over the installed cut paper pieces. The delicate shadows distended and contracted across the walls, imbuing the space with subtle movement.

The scale of the works ranged from intimate to grand. One section of the gallery was installed with dozens of tiny pieces scattered across the wall. The interplay between light and shadow was fascinating in this installation. Shadows cast across the individual pieces seemed in the act of reaching but not quite touching, creating a tension of desire.

Each of the paper cut pieces are complex and delicate, curved and suspended, with an illusion of floating. The artist suggests that the viewing of the exhibit is best at night, but each permutation of light will emphasize different aspects of the exhibit. The paper cut pieces themselves are marvelously detailed, and in a more uniform light, the works will tangle in your eye.

Words for Poems is a very short run exhibit. The doors opened on Saturday and the show closes on Friday, January 25. Laurie will be sitting the gallery Tuesday and Wednesday to extend the gallery hours, and Fe Gallery has regular hours on Thursday and Friday. It's well worth the effort to get to the exhibit while there is an opportunity.

Additional images available

More info about this exhibit

FeGALLERY | 4012 Butler Street, Pittsburgh PA 15201 | 412-254-4038
Thu - Fri: 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Sat: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Sun: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
www.fegallery.org

What I'm doing this weekend

It's so nice when the universe aligns and so many good things happen at one time. Granted, there are plenty of weekends, weekdays and holidays when good things happen. Universal alignment is when they are all happening in proximity to where I live.

Play promises to be a really great show, because I am pretty familiar with most of the artists. Since it's also curated by Tim Fabian, I am more than sure the exhibit will be a good one. The list of artists, in case you are curious:

Sue Abramson, Ruth Drescher, David Grim, Tom Gigliotti, George Kollar, Jean McClung, Mark Panza, Michael Sahaida, William D. Wade

Now, isn't your curiosity piqued?

Please please try to make it to Fe for Words for Poems. I am familiar with Laurie Trok's work and it is exceptional. But the show has a VERY short run and will be gone before you know it. If you happen to be in Larryville during Fe's extended hours for the show, venture down to Espresso A Mano. It's just a few blocks away from Fe, serves great coffee, and currently is hosting David Grim's work on it's walls.
David Grim: Looking @U
More information about this show
Espresso A Mano
3623 Butler St

Play, opening January 19, 2013
More information about this exhibit
Panza Gallery
115 Sedgwick Street
Millvale Pa 15209

Words for Poems, opening January 19 2013 at Fe Gallery
More info about this exhibit
FeGALLERY | 4012 Butler Street, Pittsburgh PA 15201 | 412-254-4038
Thu - Fri: 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Sat: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Sun: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
www.fegallery.org

Beautiful Dreamers: Paintings by Sonja Sweterlitsch

Sonja Sweterlitsch Heather

 As a painter myself, I am specifically interested in what other brush plyers are doing pursuing in their work. There's always something that you can learn from another painter, from color to handling the media. I definitely took a lot away from Ms. Sweterlitsch's work.

Sonja Sweterlitsch

In Beautiful Dreamers, Sonja Sweterlitsch presents an extensive series of contemporary portraits. The works are finely painted, with subtle color grades and painterly texture. The models are classically poised, but wear contemporary clothing ranging from formal to casual. With the backgrounds left relatively simple, the figure stands out. But the grounds are not without nuance and in some cases feature a metallic pigment or an ornamental pattern.

As an exhibit, the show is remarkable in its serenity, and in the beauty of the portrayed women. Without exception, the women are slim, beautiful and young. I suppose that is why the portraits seem so idealized, painted as they are with a sense of reverence. Each portrait is accompanied by a short story, outlining the artist's relationship with the model.

The exhibit is in place for a couple more weeks. In these early days of the year, with all the grey weather that we are having, this would be a great destination for a visit.  


Beautiful Dreamers: Paintings by Sonja Sweterlitsch
Show dates: December 7, 2012 - January 12, 2013
FeGALLERY
4012 Butler Street, Pittsburgh PA 15201
412-254-4038
Thu - Fri: 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Sat: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Sun: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
www.fegallery.org

Pittsburgh: Grey Market curated by Josh Tonies @Fe Gallery Opens Tonight

"Fe Arts Gallery is delighted to feature local and national artists who challenge notions of value. A Grey market enables person-to-person exchanges, like Craigslist and eBay, where individuals can negotiate value. With the proliferation of artist run spaces, the gallery has expanded to include alternate modes of distribution and exchange. Each artist in this exhibition speaks to various facets of this phenomenon.

Jim Kidd is the artist in residence in Transformazium’s screen printing shop. Transformazium is a collective emphasizing the neighborhood as a center for production of innovative ideas, collective action and public health. Kidd’s work challenges the archive by presenting a collection of objects and images that reassign historical value. Evoking nostalgia, Brianna Rigg reassigns cultural value through artistic composites of familiar objects. Chad Gordon’s work conceptually and figuratively juxtaposes the aesthetic of ubiquitous glossy magazines with his own reinterpretation that engages the global market economy. Questioning the concept of value altogether, Edgar Um Bucholtz presents an installation, using video of a burning car from a "Eurosleaze" cult film in dialogue with wall text."

FE Gallery non profit art space is one of the more important venues in the city series of great shows and events.

This Friday, Artist, Josh Tonies, who is on the west coast getting an MFA, returns to curate this show-which gives another peak at an artist connected to North Braddock's Transformazium.

Fe Arts Gallery
4102 Butler St. Pittsburgh, PA 15201

Opening Reception:
Friday, June 24, 2011
7:00-9:00pm

Exhibition runs June 24 - August 1, 2011

Donald Judd Remix Opens Tonight @FE Gallery

Donald Judd Remix @FE Gallery

OPENING RECEPTION

Friday March 18, from 7 - 9 pm
Exhibition Dates: March 18 - April 23


Don't be put off by this show if you find Donald Judd's work boring, it seems pretty clear the curator, Vicky Clark has used this is an excuse to bring to together four artist's with work losely related to boxes.

"It would take time for artists to assimilate and interpret his forms. So it began: any use of boxes referred back to Judd. I doubt that the four artists in Donald Judd Remix based their work directly on Judd, but there is the acknowledgment of a minimalist structure. All point to aspects of the originals: serialization, display, materials, etc. But they include the personal in a variety of ways, leaving the sterile behind. They add what Judd left out, creating a new kind of minimalism, or at least expanding the original definition by emphasizing meaning and the personal and the hand of the artist."

Jeremy Boyle
Bill Radawec
Mark Franchino
Janet Towbin

Janet Towbin has for a number of years lived in Arizona, but was once a significant figure in the scene here. Eager to see her work.

Thursday and Friday from 12-3
and Saturday from 12-4

Rock, Paper, Scissors @ AIR, Space And FE Gallery: Opens Friday

Chances are I will only be able to glance at this multi part show at best on Friday.

Great to see a collaboration with AIR, a place far too few people know about.

Also great to see Jill Larson curating a show outside her own space, FE. I find it pretty shocking and boring how rarely new guest curators are used. Seems like some of this insular clubiness is breaking down.

3-WAY: An Exhibition By Three Pittsburgh Artists @ Fe Gallery

Sorry for the hasty cut and paste job here. The opening is tomorrow night, but you can also see the show on Saturday during the Lawrenceville Artist's Studio tour.

Remember, the gallery is now only open Thurs-Saturday, 12-3

Fe gallery is proud to present:

3-WAY

An exhibition by three Pittsburgh artists:

Anna Mikolay
Josh Tonies
Laura Tabakman

Opening Reception: October 16, Friday from 7-9pm
New Gallery Hours: Thurs-Sat 12-3pm
Dates: October 16- December 2, 2009

4102 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201

412.860.6028

Free and Open to the Public


The exhibition includes individual bodies of work by three local
artists, along with a collaborative project. The artists, unfamiliar
with each other, were brought together by Fe's curator, Jill Larson,
and asked to create a site specific collaboration.

For your G20 art fix, see G-SPOT at Fe Gallery

The inimitable Fe gallery is presenting the exhibit G Spot. It includes a number of artists from the recent Visionary Arts Festival. This will be another terrific exhibit from Fe.

From the Fe website:

An exhibition of artwork at Fe Gallery in Lawrenceville
G-SPOT
As the world descends on Pittsburgh for the G - 20 Summit, we invite you to plunge into G-Spot
September 24 - 26, 2009
Artwork by artists from the Visionary Arts Festival

Thursday September 24, 7 - 9 pm: OPENING RECEPTION

Exhibition Hours
9/25 12 - 4 pm9/26 12- 4 pm
Fe Arts Gallery 4102 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201 412-860-6028 info@fegallery.org

Artists in the exhibit include;Alberto Almarza,Ian Green,Kyle Ethan Fischer,Randie Snow,Garry Piles,Christine Bethea,David Grim,Deanna Mance,Matthew Marrino

In the Making; 250 Years/250 Artists @Fe Gallery

This is a pretty enormous exhibit. The exhibit, as the title suggests, encompasses the work of 250 regional artists. While I have always considered the Fe Gallery to be a nice-sized space, it is certainly not large enough to comfortably hold this exhibit. Immediately below is an image of the back left of the gallery.



The thumbnails below are, from left, the front-left, back-right and middle-right images. Clik on the thumbnails for a larger view.



This was a pretty ambitious undertaking. Conducting the jurying process and installation were probably harrowing. I find these salon shows difficult to view as I get older. My eyes are not as sharp as they used to be and a lot of the show was hung outside of my visual range.

With that said, it was still very representative of Pittsburgh arts. Not every artist in Pittsburgh is in the exhibit, but no matter what type of art you produce, I can absolutely guarantee that you will find a familiar face in the crowd. As a survey show, it makes a good overview of the breadth of the local art scene.

As with any show of this nature, you come away with a few favorites, pieces that will make it worthwhile to go back and view the work again. Following are images of some of the works that I found had that draw for me. Given the length of the exhibit, there is still plenty of time to get back to Fe Gallery and visit with old and new friends.


Crystala Aragost

I just really liked the layering in the above work.


Michelle Browne


There were a few fiber works in the exhibit. Although this is mixed,I really liked its simplicity and the combining of the materials.


Ruth Levine

I've been a fan of Ruth Levine's work for a few years now. There is always this austere beauty to her work. Also a nice touch with materials.


Debra Tomson

Another mixed material fiber piece. This one is a little spooky-creepy, mainly because of the staples. Maybe I would feel differently if the piee were larger. The staples, in proportion to the substrate, are just a little threatening.


Danielle Brannigan

The textures in this work are just wonderful. If it was a little lower on the wall, I probably would have been tempted to explore those textures. Good thing it was hung high!


Terri Bradley

There is a terrible hot glare on the middle right of this work. Please, take the time to go to the exhibit to see some of these works. This one is well worth going in to see. It is eerie but beautiful.


Akiko Kotani

I almost didn't catch this work. It was installed fairly low on the wall. I didn't catch it until I was on my way out of the door. Really nice small work.


David Grim

I thought that this digital print was very striking. There is a certain controlled violence to the work.

Well, that's it. Try to make it in to the exhibit; you won't be disappointed. There is a special Catalog Launch Party coming up pretty quickly. The exhibit has a long run and will be in place until mid-January 2009

In the Making 250 Years/250 Artists
Exhibition Dates: September 12, 2008 – January 10, 2009
Catalog Launch Party
Saturday October 18, 2008
from 5-7:30 pm.
Catalogs can be purchased for $40 each.
Fe Gallery
4102 Butler Street, Lawrenceville
Pittsburgh PA 15201
412-860-6028
Gallery Hours: Wed-Sat 12 - 4