What happens next? Mark Yearwood will show you...

"Abstract possibilities are endless...and after each mark is made on the substrate, I have to make a decision of what comes next.  In realism, you know where the painting will (or should) end up. This is the part of my work that is the most thrilling to me. What happens next?" - Mark Yearwood

Oklahoma abstract artist Mark Yearwood will be at Lovetts Gallery painting live and large on Saturday, February 25th from 10:00 to 5:00.  Many of you have become familiar with Mark Yearwood and his very distinct style over the last year, including his 12"x12" series, which remains in a constant state of SOLD OUT!  Well, it's time for you to see, in person, what exactly goes into the creation of Mark's emotive work.  His demonstration promises to dazzle and amaze with the creation of a large scale piece, possibly replete with drop cloths and hairdryers?!?!

So, mark your calendar for this live painting demonstration!Saturday, February 25th, 10:00-5:00

In addition to Mark's live paint, he will be exhibiting as many new works as he can bring with him!

 

More from Mark Yearwood:

I grew up in rural Oklahoma working early on my Grandfather's farm. Good old fashioned gritty, hard work. Later, I worked with my Dad in his custom auto shop where I eventually learned to pinstripe and letter cars. There was more gritty, hard work involved there as well!

I went on to develop a graphic arts career which spannned over 25 years with appearances in major industry publications and awards, all the while experimenting with various art projects. One day, out of the blue, I purchased some palette knives, acrylic paints, and some canvas to try my hand at abstract art. I immediately became amazed at how great it felt to express my own original thoughts to substrate. 

My textural work reflects the "grittiness" of working in nature and the structural elements come into play from my design backgound.  As for color?  Well, it may sound cliche, but I truly just paint what I feel inside.

 

Oklahoma abstract artist Mark Yearwood is represented by Tulsa, Oklahoma Art Gallery Lovetts Gallery.

Sky Dancers Unveiling - Paul D. Rhymer, Wildlife Sculptor

So...you have waited, patiently, for this first-ever, Oklahoma-specific bronze offering by renowned wildlife sculptor and 2011 Nature Works Monument Winner, Paul D. Rhymer...and come ice storm or earthquake...it finally arrives at the gallery Saturday, December 17th!

As you know, there are only 25 sculpture in the Sky Dancers - Scissortail Flycatchers edition, and it is available exclusively through Lovetts Gallery.  We thank you for helping us pre-sell the first 10 in the edition and we are moving forward with pouring the next 10 (ETA mid January). How great would it be to sell out the entire edition exclusively to Oklahoma collectors!?!?

We are so very proud of Paul and this piece...and we are very excited to finally be sharing it with you!

Please join us Saturday, December 17th from 11:00-2:00 in welcoming Paul Rhymer back to the gallery and for the unveiling of this much anticipated sculpture.

For those of you interested in acquiring Sky Dancers, deposits for the next pour will be taken at the event. Please note that they are no longer available at the pre-cast price. Edition numbers are reserved on a first come basis with deposit.

Paul D. Rhymer is a wildlife bronze artist who is represented by Lovetts Gallery, a Tulsa Art Gallery.

FAMILIAR? Exhibition Time-lapse Vids

Did anyone clock that turnaround?!?!  We've got our two most recent timelapse painting videos from our current exhibition FAMILIAR?, featuring the amazing artwork of James W. Johnson and Shanna Kunz, which opened 12/3/11.  Check out the videos below...and feel free to share them until your hearts content!

In addition, the exhibition runs through 12/31/11, so you still have time to soak it all in!  Did we mention some that there are some great smaller framed works, perfect for holiday gifting!

Contempoaray artist James W. Johnson and landscapist Shanna Kunz are represented in Oklahoma by Tulsa Art Gallery Lovetts Gallery.

FAMILIAR? - James W. Johnson & Shanna Kunz

Lovetts Gallery is excited to bring together two phenomenal artists who share a unique contemporary approach to their traditional subject matter.  Welcome the often whimsical or tongue-in-cheek wildlife work of James W. Johnson (TX) and the beautifully shrouded serene landscapes of Shanna Kunz (UT).  Both artists are working with familiar subject matter, however, each imbues unique contemporary aspects into their work.

"Deceptively familiar, there is much to be discovered with James and Shanna.  With James, the juxtaposition of the traditional and contemporary is more obvious, however, with Shanna, one has to see the works up-close to capture the abstract impressionistic elements that underlay her landscapes, as well as the realist touches that have a tightening effect on the work." - Waylon Summers, Gallery Director

Beginning at 10:00 on Saturday, December 3rd, artists James W. Johnson and Shanna Kunz will be exhibiting more than 16 new works created especially for Lovetts Gallery and our collectors.  In addition to the exhibition of new works, both artists will be producing works live in the gallery from 10:00 to 5:00.  Veteran artists and colorful characters, James and Shanna will be more than happy to discuss their works, techniques, inspirations, and future artistic hopes!  Did someone say there will be a dog suitcase there???

The public is invited to join James W. Johnson, Shanna Kunz, and Lovetts Gallery for the opening of FAMILIAR? on Saturday, December 3rd, between 10:00-5:00.

Exhibition runs through December 31st

 

Lovetts Gallery is a Tulsa Art Gallery specializing in original art and whom represents contemporary wildlife artist James W. Johnson and contemporary landscapist Shanna Kunz.

Coming Home - Camille Engel, Live Demonstration & Artist Talk

Although Lovetts Gallery has only received a small handful of works from internationally acclaimed contemporary realist (and Tulsa native) Camille Engel, more are coming...we promise!  In the meantime, the artist, often referred to as the backyard bird painter, will once again be wetting collectors appetites during a brief gallery visit on Saturday, December 10th, from 11:00-3:00.

Camille Engel will be at the gallery, with a few new works, and painting live from 11-2.  Directly following her demonstration, Camille will present a brief talk on her work, career, and future direction.  The talk will begin promptly at 2:00.  There is also a hint of something surprising around that time...

Live Demo - Saturday, December 10th, 11:00-2:00
Gallery Talk - Saturday, December 10th, 2:00

 

Born and raised in Tulsa Camille Engel had her own advertising business in Tulsa in the 1980s, where she designed logos for Random House Publishing and album covers for several music icons such as George Strait, Reba McEntire, Hank Williams Jr., etc...Success in her field eventually took Camille to Nashville, TN to found a design group.  In 2000, and after several years of operating a successful design studio in Nashville, Camille decided to heed the advice to “Pursue the dream that burns inside you.” Engel began oil painting, intuitively in a realistic style. She and her husband immediately realized this was where she needed to apply her artistic talent and husband Todd took full control of the design firm.

Since this time, Camille has garnered numerous national editorial features and has won many awards, including wins at the International Guild of Realism and Oklahoma's own People’s Choice award in the Gilcrease Museum’s 2008 American Art in Miniature.  In addition, this is the first time Camille Engel has painted live in Tulsa.

 

Lovetts Gallery is a Tulsa Art Gallery specializing in original art and whom represents contemporary realist Camille Engel

"Photographs and Paintings: 1968 - 2011" - Eve Sonneman, J. Donald Feagin Visiting Lecturer

Lecture on Thursday, October 27, in the Chapman Lecture Hall.

Internationally renowned as a photographer, Eve Sonneman has secured a unique position for herself in the world of contemporary art. In his 2003 gallery guide, David Cohen, director at the New York Studio School and editor of artcritical.com, described Eve Sonneman as a photist whose “medium is light, as in lightness of being, radiance, speed and clarity.”

Sonneman has participated in the 1977 Documenta and in the biennales of Venice, Paris, Strasbourg, and Australia, has published five books, and has been the subject of 77 solo exhibitions. Poet David Shapiro in the catalogue of her mid-career retrospective at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 1980, noted “She is a painterly photographer [who] reminds us that photography, as with Man Ray and Rodchenko, must never be denigrated as mere materiality.”

In addition to her career in photography, Sonneman works in paint, making large abstractions, watercolors, and painted objects.

Her work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; the Art Institute of Chicago, and over 30 other museums around the world.

Sonneman will lecture  on Thursday, October 27, at 7 pm in the Chapman Lecture Hall.  This event is free and open to the public.

The day following her University of Tulsa lecture, Sonneman will photograph autumn gardens of Tulsa.  Then, she will collaborate with students of the Tulsa Girls Art School on an abstract 6-foot by 3-foot oil-on-linen painting  based on the Tulsa autumn gardens photos. The painting will remain in Tulsa.

Contact:
Mary Whitney
918-631-2739
mary-whitney@utulsa.edu

From Deco to Fruition with Curator/Artist Mickel Yantz

Lovetts Gallery is excited to introduce to you an artist whom you may well know, albeit as a curator or gallery colleague, Mickel Yantz.  For his very first large scale gallery work, Mickel has provided us with an open studio, via blog posts, demonstrating both his thought process and technical execution of the fabulous "Equestrian."  Enjoy! 

Saturday, July 9, 2011
New Scuplture for a New Show

Greetings everyone.

I know it has been a while since I posted, but I thought my new project is worthy of me dusting off the virtual dust from my blog and let you follow along as I try to create a new 5 foot sculpture in a ridiculously little amount of time.

So what is it? I have been honored enough to be included in "Oh Tulsa" opening August 5, 2011 at Living Arts of Tulsa . This art/media show has the theme (what else?) TULSA!!!! It will be curated by Melanie Fry with Cynthia Marcoux as co-curator.

I have always loved art deco design and many of my previous sculptures have shown my deco side, but I'm jumping in feet first with this one.

My muse: 

 
 
Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa.  (A church? Yes, my Mom will be proud)

Built in 1929, credit for the building’s design is still debated. One account credits Tulsa art teacher Adah Robinson, while others credit her former student, Bruce Goff. The exterior is decorated with numerous terra cotta sculptures by the Denver sculptor, Robert Garrison.

Specifically:

 
 
Above the south entrance are the equestrian Circuit Riders. Two of the three riders represent historic individuals, Bishop Francis Asbury, the first American Methodist bishop and Bishop William McKendrie, while the third figure, the one in the center, is symbolic of all the other men of God who did His bidding from horseback. The face on this rider was created by Garrison using the church minister's father-in-law, the Rev. T.L. Darnell. Rev. Darnell had in fact been a circuit rider for half a century. 

 

I wanted to focus on one rider and chose Rev. Darnell. I wanted to challenge myself and I have not done a person in any of my sculptures. I love this style of deco architecture and thought I could try out a couple new techniques while putting my spin on it.

Here's an even closer look at Rev. Darnell 

 

So what's the plan?

After weeks of drawing and scaling everything. "The Equestrian" will be a 5 foot free standing sculpture made from 10 layers of 3/4" wood stained to match the terra cotta color with the main image media blasted into glass with the horse and accent panels laser cut from brushed metal.

 

Oh and the deadline? It must be dropped off at Living Arts on July 31st.

Let the insanity begin and look for updates all month long.

Thanks!

Friday, July 15, 2011
Making Pieces
 
To put a puzzle together you need the pieces. The fun part of being an artist is making my own pieces.

 

I have finally learned something in making art. They say measure twice, cut once. If you cut your patterns out of paper first. You know that the pieces will match up. And yes I had to cut some of them out twice.

 

Laying out the paper patterns on the wood

 

Chopping up the boards

 

Getting the big pieces ready

 

  

After the blanks are cut I needed to laminate a few of them to give me the wide blank. The wood is in there under the clamps, paper and braces...I think.

 

Back pieces are cut down to size.

Shapes are coming out.

The glass is ready to be picked up and the wood is about ready for the long journey of sanding. Time is short on this project so every day counts. I hope for a productive weekend.

Thanks for following.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Metal Design
 
I am trying a new feature with this piece. I been working with the wonderful crew over at Visual FX in Tulsa for my exhibit labels, signs, banners and other crazy ideas I have.

 

I decided to bring them on board and help me with a new texture - cut metal.

 

The gray areas in the above pic shows where I want to add the metal to accent the side features and the entire horse will be made out of metal.

 

The first thing I need to do is design what I want cut out. I use Adobe Illustrator to design the outside shape and the pieces that will be routed out by machine.

  

Luckily, with VFX's help I fix the design to work best with their machine. The great thing about have great partners is having many pieces being worked on at once.

After sending the file to Tulsa, I need to get down and get my hands dirty. I need to route the 2 boards that will hold the glass in place.

 

I use simple technology for this step. I lay the glass on the boards and measure a hundred times, then mark it with a pencil.

 

I use a hand trim router so I have more control getting right on my lines without it jumping and tearing up the wood.

 

Woohoo. It worked the first time.
 
I will next mock everything together to make sure the pieces work and see where I need to sand. 

Thanks for following. More this week.

Sunday, July 31, 2011
Glass Design
 
Lets tie up a loose end. After showing the metal design process, here is the final outcome:

 

Visual FX did a great job. I certainly will be back. If you need anything label, banner, display wise, talk to them, they are great.

GLASS
Glass design is similar to the metal, but I do it myself.

 

I design what I want on the computer, based on photographs from the Boston Ave. Church.

 

I then print out the design on the printer.

 

After adding clear vinyl to the glass. I trace the design in red. After it is drawn out, I hand cut the design with a sharp xacto.

 

I have a blasting cabinet in the shop, but for anything larger than 2 feet long, I have to move my operations to the "Blasting Cave." The cave is outside so even though it looks dark, this was actually done at 8am before it got so hot outside I would melt.

1 hour and 50lbs. of glass beads later, the design is etched in. The blue background is tape I place on the opposite side to protect the glass and it helps see the blasting process.

 

Detail shot.

Okay, Its time to sand, sand and sand. After that, its a big puzzle to put together. I will post more this week leading up to this Friday's opening of Oh Tulsa at the Livings Arts Gallery in Tulsa where this piece will make it's debut. Come on out and thanks for reading.

Thursday, August 4, 2011
Equestrian=Done
 
Thanks to everyone who has been following along.
I am passing over the sanding period and taking you straight to the final construction. The sanding was about 24 hours, but its not visually interesting, trust me.

  

I had to mount some the pieces in a certain order to make sure I had room to work. Although it is easier to work in layers, to hide the mounts and glue sometimes you have to work backwards. This is the metal horse done and mounted to the top wood element being glued to the lower level.

  

Adding the last metal trim to the sides before calling it done.

 

I wanted to show the steps of each layer so I photographed it after every few pieces to show it coming together. (click pic to see it full size.)

  

It's Done!! On display at Living Arts in Tulsa for the Oh Tulsa opening August 4th

 

Ok, one shot of me for scale reference.

Thanks again for following and I hope you come out for the Oh Tulsa opening August 4th at Living Arts in Tulsa keep an eye on my website MickelYantz.com for some upcoming news!

DR. WOOD - Solo Exhibition...

 
So, you've probably heard or read about October's huge event, DR. WOOD - Solo Exhibition, happening at Lovetts Gallery on Saturday, October 1st, but there's a chance one may miss the magnitude of this rare solo exhibition. 

 

Since 2007, Lovetts Gallery has had the honor and distinction of representing the multi-media, multi-genre contemporary artist Stephen Wood.  Over the course of these four years, Stephen has won numerous awards spanning from New Mexico to Indiana; garnered critical acclaim through his recent museum exhibitions at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe and the Heard Museum in Phoenix; lost his mother to cancer; created his most significant, challenging, and refined works to date; is included in the New York Museum of Arts and Design's groundbreaking exhibition series Changing Hands; and Stephen Wood has become the most collected artist in the 33 year history of Lovetts Gallery.  Are you starting to see the bold strokes here? 

   
For those of you who have supported Stephen's career over the last several years (thank you), DR. WOOD - Solo Exhibition promises to be an amazing visual and tactile experience, offering you intimate access to the next phase of Stephen's ever-evolving career.  For those of you new to the work and life of Stephen Wood, this exhibition of clay, paintings, and blown glass, invites you into "the know."  To further understanding of and appreciation for Stephen's work, the artist will be on hand for the exhibition opening on Saturday, October 1st from 10:00-5:00, providing individual narratives and technical commentary.

 

We are very excited about this rare event and we invite you to join us on Saturday, October 1st, from 10:00 to 5:00.  Please note, all works are available on a first-come basis and are not subject to hold.

 

The exhibition will run through October 30th.

Time-lapse & Interview: Sculptor Paul Rhymer

Enjoy these three new videos created with footage from our live sculpt and new works exhibition with wildlife sculptor Paul D. Rhymer, held at Lovetts Gallery on 7/30/11. 

The first video is Paul's creation of a Roadrunner (beginning with a fox skull?!?!?)  The second video is Paul's interview.  The third video is Paul working on his Bighorn Sheep maquette, which will serve as the model for his 10' sculpture that was commissioned by NatureWorks, and will ultimately be permanently installed in Tulsa!

 

Paul Rhymer, a wildlife bronze sculptor, is represented in Oklahoma exclusively by Lovetts Gallery, which is a Tulsa Art Gallery that represents over 90 artists from across the nation.

"Wars and Rumors of Wars" at Philbrook Museum

Check out this great intro to one of Philbrook Museum's newest exhibits, "Wars and Rumors of Wars," curated by the brililant Christina Burke, Curator of Native American and Non-Western Art.  The exhibit runs through October 9th.

Wars and Rumors of Wars @Philbrook from Philbrook Museum on Vimeo.

Through October, 9 2011

"For many Native people, combat was not only a way to defend one’s family and territory it also served as a way to gain status within the community. Warfare was not undertaken lightly; councils were held to discuss the matter, men fought bravely in battle, and relatives celebrated their victories upon their return. This exhibition features scenes of various phases of warfare, from initial community discussions, to intense combat, and commemorations of battles fought and won."