Corporate Project - Horizon Beverage Company

 

McGowan Fine Art recently completed an installation of artwork for Horizon Beverage Company, located at 44 Chenell Drive in Concord, NH. Horizon is the largest distributor of spirits, wine and beer in New England.

This multiphase project was managed by Amanda McGowan Lacasse - Corporate Art Consultant with McGowan. Highlighting Horizon’s commitment to the region, Lacasse selected a range of familiar New England scenes, from landscapes to iconic historic sites in NH, ME and VT.

McGowan Fine Art has over 30 years of corporate consulting experience, working with businesses throughout the New England region. Lacasse specializes in complementing and enhancing professional spaces through thoughtful placement of artwork and historic materials.

Please contact Amanda McGowan Lacasse for more information on corporate consulting: amanda@mcgowanfineart.com.

Native American Art at Dartmouth

Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art 

October 8, 2011, through March 11, 2012

I have just returned from the “Native American Art at Dartmouth” exhibit at The Hood Gallery at Dartmouth College. A friend, who loves Native American history, went to see this exhibit this past fall and came back raving about it. I have no such inclination so it took an errand to Hanover to entice me into the Hood to see this show. It is a fascinating exhibit that contains traditional craft and contemporary paintings from their permanent collection. This show will end on March 11 so there is still time to see it.

I am aware that much of recent Native American History is full of the treachery of the US government and the struggle to adapt. I can’t help but reflect that much of the handiwork is the story of their adaptation to the new techniques they learned from Europeans and the introduction to new materials such as beads, paper, metals and yarn. They took these items and transformed them into items to transmit their culture.

Looking at the early bead work made me consider the time, effort and patience that went into creating the elaborate surfaces. While the beads are manufactured in Europe they are still uneven in size and form. Covering a surface evenly takes time and constant readjustment to get them to all lay flat. Of course, this is a period where there were no electronic or social distractions. Seeing the transformation of the craft over time was also enlightening. Early bead work was much more geometric and bold following the patterns traditionally used on their pottery. Over time the patterns became more elaborate and floral reflecting  their relationship with nature. I wonder if it wasn't also due to exposure to Victorian patterns on clothing and home goods.

The more contemporary artists such as Fritz Scholder and T.C. Cannon adopted a recognizable modern technique but addressed Native American focused themes.  I will leave you to your own interpretation but they both knew how to put the paint down lusciously. It feels familiar- not too much of a departure from other American painters. I did enjoy an updated ledger drawing that portrayed Custer and an Indian doing proxy battle with a Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots game. 

While this show isn't a splashy one it offers a lot to think about.... such as how much of the Native American oeuvre was created for the tourist trade? And how exactly do we transmit our culture via the arts? It is only up for another month so I recommend making the trip to the Upper Valley.

A Fine Line: Frederick Lynch and Elizabeth Mayor

McGowan Fine Art announces the opening “A Fine Line: Frederick Lynch and Elizabeth Mayor”. The show will run from February 21 to March 23, 2012, with a reception February 24, 5 – 7 PM. There is a snow date of March 2. The public is welcome.

Seemingly disparate visions- the rawness of Mayor’s work and the careful, precise style of Lynch- are brought together in “A Fine Line.” These two artists approach surface manipulation with a variety of techniques.

Mayor’s recent woodblock prints are unique pieces – combing variations, of pigment, chine colle, thread and manipulation. Some pieces are old prints that she has cut up and stitched back together with thread. “As a printmaker, you do multiples. I have so much work! I just started cutting up the old”, says Mayor. The result is intriguing – out of chaos and disorder, something truly unique and exciting is created through Mayor’s thoughtful piecing back together.                                              

Unlike her re-stitched prints, Mayor takes a methodical approach to “Playing with Sol”. Inspired by a wall drawing of Sol LeWitt, Mayor repeats a mathematical pattern sequentially. “More Lingo” expresses Mayor’s desire to create shapes that are totally abstract. Her approach – whether disorderly or methodical – elicits a body of work that is playful and exciting.

Elizabeth Mayor has been with McGowan Fine Art since the gallery opened over 30 years ago. She received an MFA from Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Her work has been displayed extensively in solo and group exhibitions throughout the region, and can be found in the Hood Museum of Art and the Currier Museum of Art’s permanent collections.

Maine artist Frederick Lynch will have three dimensional work on display, working with oil, enamel, glass, and aluminum on MDF- a dense fiberboard. Lynch takes an analytical approach to working abstractly. “This current series, (Divisions) is based on an idea that repeated sectoring of a given area can produce infinite shape variations. The resulting visual effect is a systematic display of controlled chaos and random patterns”, says Lynch.

Lynch incises into the enamel surface creating intricate patterns. Oil paint wiped across these surfaces is caught in the incised lines giving them a quality of a printed image. Lynch’s work has an organic quality to them – the patterns are based on observations from nature, such as branching, or cracking. Some appear biological, reminiscent of cells under a microscope. The Division Series began as paintings. By working three-dimensionally, a real, rather than illusory presentment is suggested. “These pieces seem to stir memories of important monuments to daily life”, says Lynch.

Frederick Lynch has exhibited through the U.S., and his work is found in numerous collections, such as the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, the Portland Museum of Art, and the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, ME.