Austin, Texas artist Lance Letscher (kind of a super hero-y name…) brings his layered collages to the Tayloe Piggott Gallery January 31-March 15 2011. Letscher is new to the gallery, and as he hails from Austin I’m thinking that Tayloe’s good friend and former Jackson gallery owner Leya Oswald may have hooked the two up. Just guessing, but isn’t that what you’d think? It’s a good thing.
The show, Hard Eye, opens to the public Friday, February 4 with a gallery reception 5-8pm.
Those who follow the arts know that most work presents itself very differently in media than it does in real life; once we see an artist’s work in front of us for the first time we can envision future work more accurately. So, when Letscher’s work is described as being reminiscent of Joseph Albers, Piet Mondrian and James Castle, I think “okay”…but I can also tell from the images of Letscher’s work that I’ll draw other parallels when I see his collages. I may change my mind, but right now his work brings to mind tipping towers of childrens building blocks, quilts,..and really, Folk Art. And maybe a dash of Alexander Calder; the latter because of his astroid designs featuring floating straight lines with circular ends.
Ooh, and that reminds me of Tinker Toys! You are probably too young to remember Tinker Toys…..sigh.
But Tinker Toys and Folk Art and Calder and printed, colored blocks are all there. Letscher has talked about craft. Here’s a quote:
“When something is designed as a utilitarian object, decisions are made in its construction that give it a voice – what fabrics are available – and I am trying to invest the work with a structure that has
an underlying logic of craft that is expressive of something else: a personal and intimate experience in making it,” reflects the artist. “It is an intuition I have; it is not completely conscious.”
Another quote (from an article entitled “The Book on Lance Letscher: What Lies Beyond the Buzz of Austin’s Hot Collage Artist?”):
“His intriguing images activate the reflective in viewers, who connect to their own feelings and memories, perhaps even more than to the delight in the eye-catching colors, patterns, and textures that formally compose the works.”
How conscious are we of design when we’re kids? Not very! But we still make the very best designs then because we’ve not self-censored via self-consciousness. Castle’s compressed, intense energy seems best likened to Letscher’s. And that is why I think I will like this show.
www.tayloepiggottgallery.com 307.733.0555
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Awesome speaker/Save-the-Date Alert:
March 10,2011 Public Art Director for the City of San José Office of Cultural Affairs Barbara Goldstein will visit Jackson. Sponsored by Jackson Hole Public Art (JHPA), Goldstein’s visit will include a workshop and presentations at the Center for the Arts. The morning presentation’s topic will be Public Art: Best Practices, the Pros and Cons of Different Funding Sources,Use in Cultural Tourism and Creative Placemaking. An evening talk discusses “The Next Generation,
National Trends in Public Art.”
More on Goldstein at a later date, but for now here is her resumé, provided by JHPA: “Barbara Goldstein is the Public Art Director for the City of San José Office of Cultural Affairs and the editor of Public Art by the Book, a primer recently published by Americans for the Arts and the University of Washington Press. Prior to her work in San José, Goldstein was Public Art Director for the City of Seattle. Goldstein has worked as a cultural planner, architectural and art critic, editor and publisher. From 1989 to 1993, she was Director of Design Review and Cultural Planning for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. From 1980-85 she edited and published Arts + Architecture magazine. She has written for art and architectural magazines both nationally and internationally, and has lectured on public art throughout the United States, and in Canada, Japan, China, Taipei, Korea and Abu Dhabi. She is currently Chair of the Public Art Network for Americans for the Arts.”
Good. We’re getting very serious now. Yay! RSVP your interest in attending to Carrie Geraci, [email protected].
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February 4th–A reminder to check out Wendell Field’s new show at the Factory Studios. How fun is it to refer to “Factory Studios” in Wyoming? I’m hoping to get some images of Wendell’s new work before the show. In case I don’t, get a feel for his paintings (Field’s heaping piles of yurt, mountains and snow remind me of soft ice cream and clouds…) and other work on his website, www.wendellfield.com.
Tammy Christel 
