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McGowan Fine Art has migrated over to an intra-website blog. Come visit us... here!

Craig Stockwell Studio Visit

Sarah and I visited Craig Stockwell in his his studio last week, in Keene, NH. Its always a treat to visit an artist in their studio, to see their new art and pieces still in the works.You never know what gems you will find.

Inspired by modernist painters Matisse and Diebenkorn, Craig's paintings are vibrant and lively. We were immediately drawn to the color and movement. Interested in the relationships of the forms, Craig has been creating series, with nine paintings in each series.

He selects one painting from the series to enlarge, and then takes it a step further by recreating the composition on the wall, but by deconstructing and reducing to the composition's simplest forms.

Craig has also been working on singular paintings. He starts with a grid of circles. We love the layering of forms, and the play between transparent and opaque shapes on top of this grid. He frequently revisits paintings, reworking and adding to them sometimes years later, encouraging an ongoing dialogue.

Craig was selected by the Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation to be awarded a studio in NYC this year. He leaves for NY next month.

 

- Jessica

Paper Artwork... and Humidity

With all of the wet weather we have been having lately I have been hearing from people regarding waves in their framed artwork. This can be distracting for the viewer as the ripples will cause shadows across the image.

Posters and prints are permanently adhered to their support board with glue so they are perfectly smooth and flat, although excessive moisture can cause even these to bow. Original artwork is mounted in a way that is reversible in order to preserve the value of the piece. This means that as the paper absorbs water it can shift and ripple inside of the frame.  It is like a barometer….indicating relative humidity.

Sometimes this is an indication that the hinges are a little tight. Loosening them can alleviate some of the rippling. As most of the reports come during the summer months it is more likely caused by the ambient humidity. Try changing the lighting so it is less obvious.

The rippling should disappear as soon as the humidity drops and the paper dries out. This can be hastened by using the heating system in your house. If you have any questions regarding your framed art, don't hesitate to bring it in.