ALCHEMY:
Cooper . Carlyle . Bonesteel
An exhibition of three Taos artists
Alchemy has been defined as “any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance, usually of little value, into a substance of great value.” Alchemy is the art of turning lead to gold.
An artist takes on the role of alchemist by transforming things like paint and canvas into visual poetry.
This is the theme of an upcoming exhibition of paintings at the Stables Gallery in Taos which will include the works of Conrad Cooper, Adeana Carlyle, and Peter Bonesteel. While they each explore a different aspect of painting, all three build universes of their very own out of the simple elements that are paint and canvas, shaped by vision and imagination.
(Opening reception Friday June 8, 5-8 p.m. Stables Gallery, 133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, in front of the Taos Community Auditorium, Taos NM. Show runs June 8, 9, 10)
Conrad CooperArtist Statement
It is more important to me that a painting raises questions than answers them. When I am drawn in to a painting, be it mine or someone else's creation, and find myself wondering, marveling, and puzzling, I feel engaged by the piece. I like to feel included in an imaginative dialogue with an artwork rather than merely be a passive reader of the imagery. Often, the most alluring aspects of an artwork for me are areas that are indistinct, blurry, or lost in shadow, where my mind tries to fill in the blanks.
It is more important to me that a painting raises questions than answers them. When I am drawn in to a painting, be it mine or someone else's creation, and find myself wondering, marveling, and puzzling, I feel engaged by the piece. I like to feel included in an imaginative dialogue with an artwork rather than merely be a passive reader of the imagery. Often, the most alluring aspects of an artwork for me are areas that are indistinct, blurry, or lost in shadow, where my mind tries to fill in the blanks.
As an artist I have always sought to find harmony between the creative forces that drive me: a balance between precision and abandon, between technique and vision.
Rediscovering my essence and being honest about what I find exciting visually and symbolically are what drives my work today.
Humor is an aspect of my paintings which serves as an invitation to draw people in to the painting to share the mood, mystery, and composition which are the real meat of the work.
Merging 'High Art' with 'Low Art' is deeply satisfying for me. To borrow figures from famous paintings and juxtapose them with images from the popular culture of my childhood is to show a real analogue of the kind of things that spark my imagination. Both worlds are important and exciting to me. I love the paintings of Velasquez. I also like vintage sci-fi robots. Why not put them on the same plate? My plate doesn't have compartments to keep the gravy from running together with the dessert. Those collisions are where them magic happens for me.
Rediscovering my essence and being honest about what I find exciting visually and symbolically are what drives my work today.
Humor is an aspect of my paintings which serves as an invitation to draw people in to the painting to share the mood, mystery, and composition which are the real meat of the work.
Merging 'High Art' with 'Low Art' is deeply satisfying for me. To borrow figures from famous paintings and juxtapose them with images from the popular culture of my childhood is to show a real analogue of the kind of things that spark my imagination. Both worlds are important and exciting to me. I love the paintings of Velasquez. I also like vintage sci-fi robots. Why not put them on the same plate? My plate doesn't have compartments to keep the gravy from running together with the dessert. Those collisions are where them magic happens for me.
Oil paint is fun! You can build flesh out of it. You can make fire out of it. You can forge
butcher knives out of it. Build robots, giant tomatoes, and vampires. You can steal from the Old Masters! It's truly magical stuff! It’s alchemy in a tube applied with a brush! I love the stuff.
Although I embrace traditional techniques in oil painting and drawing, I do not isolate myself from the digital age. I love the ability to search the internet for photo reference! If in need to know exactly what a diving helmet looks like, I can get a trove of images in a matter of seconds! What used to take me loads of time tracking down an image, I can now reach out and find any reference I need instantly.
The two most common questions I hear about my paintings are: "What is it called?" and "What does it mean?" It may sound trite, but my usual response is, "Well, what does it mean to you?" Once my painting is varnished, framed, and hung on a wall, it is, to a large degree, out of my hands. I said what I needed to say within the visual confines of the canvas. It must speak for itself. In a painting, I hope I have built a worthy springboard for your imagination and have sowed the seeds of mystery to flower in your mind.
A child of the Southwest, I graduated from Parsons School of Design and The New York Academy of Art in New York City, where I learned the skills of painting, drawing and sculpting.
-Conrad Cooper MFA
Although I embrace traditional techniques in oil painting and drawing, I do not isolate myself from the digital age. I love the ability to search the internet for photo reference! If in need to know exactly what a diving helmet looks like, I can get a trove of images in a matter of seconds! What used to take me loads of time tracking down an image, I can now reach out and find any reference I need instantly.
The two most common questions I hear about my paintings are: "What is it called?" and "What does it mean?" It may sound trite, but my usual response is, "Well, what does it mean to you?" Once my painting is varnished, framed, and hung on a wall, it is, to a large degree, out of my hands. I said what I needed to say within the visual confines of the canvas. It must speak for itself. In a painting, I hope I have built a worthy springboard for your imagination and have sowed the seeds of mystery to flower in your mind.
A child of the Southwest, I graduated from Parsons School of Design and The New York Academy of Art in New York City, where I learned the skills of painting, drawing and sculpting.
-Conrad Cooper MFA
Peter Bonesteel,
Artist Statement:
I have always been in and around the Rocky Mountains and the
southwest. The power of the mountains and the sweeping vistas have made a
deep impression on my visual senses. My art has evolved through and with
this connection. Its style followed modern trends and has settled into a
decorative mode "art deco southwest".
southwest. The power of the mountains and the sweeping vistas have made a
deep impression on my visual senses. My art has evolved through and with
this connection. Its style followed modern trends and has settled into a
decorative mode "art deco southwest".
Adeana Carlyle
Artist Statement
I began the process of developing an artist statement by examining the stated motives and rationales of other artists. As I undertook to contemplate my own artistic motivations, searching for noble purposes, I came to the realization that for me, I have no greater
truths to be revealed. My true motivation is much more selfish: I just like to create art. The process of making any kind of art provides me with a deep level of satisfaction and enjoyment and that suffices. I do, on some level, wish I had insights to those greater truths that clarify the mysteries of life; however, for me, the basic truth is that certain images, from landscapes to figures, inspire me and I find immense personal joy in the creation of art related to those inspirations. That I love doing it is enough. I do find that other’s enjoyment and evaluation of my completed efforts adds an additional level of satisfaction; however, that is a bonus, not a requirement for me to have a complete and positive experience. And, it is cheaper than paying a psychiatrist.
Adeana Carlyle
Conrad Cooper will be teaching painting 2 at UNM Taos this Fall
