Friday, February 25, 2011

Ethereal Art

Burton Callicott. One and Manifold #1

The first time I truly felt a work of art, it was a painting by Burton Callicott.

I went to a retrospective of his work at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in 1991. Funny thing was the works really weren't the style of art I was drawn to before, rainbows and such. But these paintings were different. Technically they were amazing, layer upon layer of thin oil glaze that created a translucent effect. Burton's works were more than technical, they were transcendent. Being in their presence literally opened my heart, a very physical sensation. It surprised and shocked me. (Hopefully one day I can own one of his creations.) I was fortunate enough to spend an afternoon with him and his wife in his Memphis studio and I learned he was a wonderful and very authentic person. Those positive qualities most definitely transfered to his creations.

When I saw this series of works by Gabriel Dawe on Design*Sponge I immediately was reminded of Burton. Ethereal, translucent, mesmerizing.

Gabriel Dawe, Thread Installation
Photo by Kevin Todora

You can see a slide show of Gabriel Dawe's site-specific work at FastCompany. I am going to have to seek out exhibits of his work and experience it first hand.

I love beauty that moves you from the inside out. And when I get out the brushes in the future, I will strive to someday create something that people can feel.

No comments:

Post a Comment