April/May/June

2008

Collectors Circle 2008

The Broel Studio Collectors Circle continues to be an ever-widening family of passionate and like-minded people who celebrate creativity and the beauty of everyday living. I'm honored to have built lasting friendships with folks from all around the globe who similarly share my passion for beauty, simplicity and intentional living. I fully appreciate the encouragement that I receive from each of you. That continued support encourages me to persist in the exploration of my creative vision.

For 2008 I'm presenting an interesting alternative to the two-dimensional print or painting that usually goes along with signing up to be part of the Collectors Circle. This year I've created a cast sterling sliver pendant that references an icon that frequently adorned my work of the 1990's. Each individual piece has been hand-tooled in wax, cast in sterling silver and then antiqued and burnished to create a luminous surface. This abstracted lemon form titled "Lemon Drop" can be worn as a jewelry piece, but it can also be presented as a small cast sculpture on a shelf in a display box. If you would like to join this years Collectors Circle, or would like additional information please send an email to: info@broelstudio.com.

When you join, in addition to the cast sterling silver "Leomon Drop", you'll receive personal invitations to private Collectors Circle events at Broel Studio including private showings and a studio dinner event in October. Joining the Collectors Circle is a great way to find out what is happening inside the studio!

During the past couple of years I have worked to create pieces that combined cast metal and cast glass in an integrated form. Working with the technicians and artisans at Walla Walla Foundry and the artists at Studio Ramp I was able to merge the two materials in three-dimensional form and created "Lights of the Valley." The image below is a detail of the sculpture that shows the bronze and glass together.

I was encouraged by the successes of that process and was enthusiastic to continue in my exploration of merging various media. That enthusiasm has led me to a current project that takes abstract floral forms from my paintings and develops them three-dimensionally in fabricated steel and blown glass. Conical glass forms bloom out of the curved steel shafts that rise from angular leaf shapes. The sketches below show the conceptualization of the work.

Upcoming Events

Simon Edwards Gallery

During the month of May I'll have an exhibition of new works installed in Yakima, Washington at Simon Edwards Gallery. The exhibition will show new paintings and drawings that explore my observations and reactions to the regional landscape. Additionally, there will be some works that continue to investigate and utilize the fragile ginger jar form as metaphor for our humanity. The exhibition will run from May 2th to June 1st.

Simon Edwards Gallery
Phone: 509-248-6886
Web:www.simonedwardsgallery.com

Spring, the season that is ripe with efflorescent energy! The blossoms are bursting and color fills every vista. Based on appearances alone, it would seem that this is the season of creativity, but as I've been giving thought to this idea I was struck with the notion that spring is truly the physical evidence of creative energy that has been percolating - unseen - below the surface for quite some time.

The same can be said for the artist and artwork. The physical manifestation of creativity - whether it is a painting, sculpture, video, etc. - is the product of intense amounts of hidden creative energy. The activities that take place inside the artist's studio often do not look like what is experienced in the gallery or museum setting. Works are born of great toil, and often many failed experimentations before they are ready to be shown publicly. The "hidden" creative time is what is highly valuable to the studio artist because it is the time where understanding and insights are gained through the deliberate physical work of painting, drawing or sculpting.

Many artists that I've spoken with agree that a finished work is fulfilling only for a time. Now, this is not to say that the work has limited appeal or historical importance or value - but it is rather a commentary on the mentality of the artist. If the artist is truly an explorer and an innovator then there is an internal compulsion to move on. A finished work of art often provides a necessary pause before the artist continues on with the creative journey. Once the artist has finished a piece of art and placed it publicly for viewing, the "burden" of work has been transfered to the art viewer. The gazing, contemplating, and commenting can go on forever - however, the artist is rarely around to take part because the call to "continue on in the creative journey" has been heard and the toil begins again.

Sitting here now, as a joy-filled viewer of the energetic blooms of spring, I am so thankful for the often unrecognized work of nature that takes place in the dark, solitary months of winter. I hope you too enjoy the beauty and energy of this new season!

Recent Activities

Striving for balance in all that I do has been a theme that I've written about in previous newsletters, and it is still an important concept that directs my decision making. So, during the past couple of months I've been more intentional about the division of my creative studio time with my non-creative (but equally important) business development time. The outcome has been exciting and I want to share a few of the highlights with you.

In early February I flew out to the east coast to meet with collectors, gallery directors, and curators in New York. The initial meetings and introductions were promising, so I'm heading back to the city at the end of April for additional meetings, events and dinners.

Somewhere in-between flights I was able to plan out a few new sculptural pieces that I'll be fabricating during the next few months and developed some sketches for blown-glass elements that will be part of that sculptural installation. Once I returned home to Walla Walla I geared up for back-to-back evenings of exhibition receptions that highlighted my latest works in bronze, resin, glass and paint. The reception to the work was overwhelming and the number of people who ventured out to see the installations on the cold, dreary February nights humbled me.

After the festivities of the gallery receptions I made my way back into the studio to continue the development of paintings that will be unveiled early in May at the Simon Edwards Gallery. The work that will be exhibited there is a continuation of the themes I explored in the February exhibitions. The new show will consist of two-dimensional works in oil and acrylic and three-dimensional works in bronze, glass and resin.

"The dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world. In this long vigil he often has to vary his methods of stimulation; but in this long vigil he is also himself striving against a continual tendency to sleep."

- Marc Chagall

"It is very good advice to believe only what an artist does, rather than what he says about his work."

- David Hockney

I found myself laughing out loud when I read that last quote. I thought it was a good way to end this newsletter. Remember, I'm a painter, not a writer - but I sure enjoy trying to clarify my thoughts and ideas in this written format. However, when in doubt, skip my writings and go directly to my visual work. That's where I feel most adept at communicating my passions and emotions. Cheers.