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December Issue 2006
Craven Allen Gallery in Durham, NC, Features Works by Paul Hrusovsky and Jim Lux
The Craven Allen Gallery in Durham, NC, is presenting two new exhibitions including: Paul Hrusovsky: New Paintings and Jim Lux: New Pots, on view through Jan. 13, 2007. The two artists have shown together before at the gallery, and each is taking an exciting new direction in his work.
"Birds can be a metaphor for things we strive for in life but for some reason just can't seem to capture," says Paul Hrusovsky. His new paintings explore bird motifs and meanings, from realistic representations to retro images recalling childhood primers to nave works which incorporate masks or faces, all featuring Hrusovsky's trademark, heavily worked canvases. "We flit from idea to idea and land in the location that is most comfortable to us. There is comfort in retreat and solitude and yet we yearn for a chance to be free."
Hrusovksy paints primarily in acrylic on canvas, meticulously building the paintings up layer upon layer, scraping some away and adding others, sometimes incorporating stencils for even more depth. All the layers, including glazing and overpainting, give the surfaces of the paintings a tactile, almost sculptural feel. Color plays an important role in balancing the work-quiet blues, greens and browns are punctuated by vibrant reds and oranges.
Hrusovsky received a bachelor of fine arts in painting and ceramics from Ohio University, where he later returned for his master's degree. He has taught at all levels, from primary through university, and is a strong advocate for arts education. His work is featured in many corporate and private collections.
Jim Lux is known for his large scale, technically complex pots, but in this show he explores smaller, more intimate forms. And, knowing that Hrusovsky was exploring bird imagery, he even used feathers during the pit firing of his pots. The results are subtle and beautiful, with some small pots clustered together in the show almost like eggs in a nest.
Lux takes his inspiration for the smooth, elegant curves of his pieces from ancient clay pottery, where the maker's hand is often in evidence, and the tactile sense can be as rewarding as the visual experience. "I build each piece from coils of clay pinched together. Then, I carefully scrape the surface smooth and gently nudge the form into something that pleases my eye and soul. How their curves and surfaces feel are just as important as how they look." Making such thin-walled pots, resting on narrow bases is technically demanding, but for Lux, the process is instinctive-"Time disappears and decisions flow . . . Paddle away that slight asymmetry? Push the clay out to create a slight asymmetry? All of these questions arise and I react to them before the words that ask the questions are verbalized I my head."
After firing his pots, Lux paints thin layers of colored clay slips on their surfaces to create a blank canvas, on which smoke and fire makes its mark. Lux fires his pieces with combination of charcoal, pine straw, wood shavings and paper. Random patterns of carbon deposits cover each piece, evidence of the firing process.
Lux holds a BFA in Ceramics, with a minor in painting, from East Carolina. He maintained a clay studio in Creedmoor for several years, has exhibited widely and is in many corporate and private collections. More recently, he pursued a master's degree in art history at UNC in Chapel Hill, before discovering that "while I enjoy reading and writing about art, there's something stronger in me that needs to make clay objects." Born in New York, he grew up in North Carolina, and lives in Durham.
For more information check our NC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 910/286-4837 or visit (www.CravenAllenGallery.com).
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