Fall Gallery Night October 2nd 5-9pm

I’m really looking forward to Gallery Night this October. The gallery is featuring Eric J. Lee  a Wisconsin artist out of Eau Claire. His work is nothing short of amazing with the use of unique mediums such as ignited gun powder, ash, and sawdust, mixed with oil paint. Conceptually his work is very personal and consequently best described by him. 

My paintings are based entirely on my personal relationship with the rust-belt city of Superior, Wisconsin where I lived off and on throughout my twenties. It was a very difficult time, and for reasons I’m still sorting-out, I had come to identify with the town and had in fact come to see certain structures as embodiments, as personifications and models of my own thoughts at the time; to look at these structures was to look at myself. And so I walked, every day over every inch of that city believing I could solve the problems at hand. I work toward this resolution today, and while my interests have broadened and the scope of my concepts grown ever more encompassing, it is because of this personal association that I work at all.

Conceptually, my paintings are the archetypal images of post-productive America, of the American interior, of American voracity and anxiety. This is the American temperament realized in its starkest terms as spelled-out across the industrial Great Lakes. They are portraits of the American character. But at bottom, they are self-portraits.

- Eric Lee

For more images and information about Eric Lee check out his website at

http://eric-j-lee.org

Please Join Us For Gallery Night

October 2nd from 5pm – 9-pm

Ending October!

What a month, I feel excited and energized just listing off the things that have been happening around the Gallery!  First off, a special thanks to all of you who came out for Gallery Night, it was a great evening all around town.  Remember we are now having an opening every First Friday, so mark your calendars to come by the State Street Gallery opening  November 7^th.

Things are always changing at the gallery.   Each time I walk in I notice something new and this month we have picked up two new artists.  I had the chance to do a short interview with each of them:

Interview with Jerry Baskfield

 I had the pleasure of having a phone interview with one of our new artists, Jerry Baskfield.  Although Jerry has had little formal training he is quite an accomplished painter.  His choice of medium floats between acrylic, oil, and watercolor.  After a taking few classes in painting several decades ago Jerry continued his art education on his own but was unable to fully devote himself to his art.  As a young man he enlisted and spent time in Korea and Japan.  Upon his return to the states he got his BA in English and French, and then continued on to get an additional degree in Social Work.  While raising his family, he worked for the state and spent limited time in his studio.  Jerry is now retired and spends lots of time painting in his studio.   This is the first time Jerry will show his work in a public venue let alone offer it for sale.  When I asked why the delay in putting himself and his work “out there”, he talked about how he paints from his soul, expressing his passion and was not interested in painting what might be more likely to sell.  He wants to continue to paint what he believes in.  Many of his idea and thoughts on painting, art and I would say on life in general, come from the writings of James Joyce and Joseph Campbell. Jerry is on a search for universal beauty.  When he paints he uses three ideas to help him decide where to go next in each piece: wholeness, harmony and radiance.   

Interview with Mary Bruno:

Well first off I would like to say you have some very charming and classic work, as well as some fun shall we say edgier work as well.

 We would all like to welcome you to State Street Gallery as one of our new artists this month! You’re currently the only art we carry who uses the letterpress, can you explain a little bit about this process?

Letterpress printing dates way, way back, to early books and then newspapers. It is the process of setting lead type (single letters) to form sentences, paragraphs, books, posters, whatever, and it can be paired with carved wood or linoleum blocks. That whole layout is then locked into a press, inked up, and then printed with either a hand-cranked press or an automatic hand fed press. I have one of each (what a lucky kid I am). The kind of paper used and the amount of pressure applied to the type determines the amount of debossing that occurs, what I like to call the “Squish Factor”, people love to  feel and see the texture.

When did you get started working with print?

My father was a brilliant Graphic Designer and taught at the College  of St. Bens and at St. Cloud State University here in Minnesota so I  got my BFA in Printmaking at SCSU. He had built up a sweet printshop and had a  major client base. I would print with him in the shop every chance I got and learned a lot about simple, clean design from him. I inherited my father’s printshop when he passed away suddenly 3 years ago and though it has been a supremely difficult challenge, getting used to  that shop without him, I have discovered that I carry on a lot of  what he had going on and I am rocking the shop big time. I have made connections all over the place and have learned from anyone who would let me. It is the coolest down and dirty process that helps me direct my creative madness and find a home for my crude sense of humor.

As an artist myself I know inspiration can come from every where I would love to hear about where your getting it from these days, weather it’s images in your studio the music in your car or just how you refresh yourself?

I am inspired my great design, I love to look at poster artists like Aesthetic Apparatus, Amy Jo!, Yee Haw Industries… I could go on and on. I spent time printing in Nashville, TN at a place called Hatch Show Print, where it all began. It was ridiculous and fantastic and the posters they are kickin out stay true to the old school look but incorporate so much more. I also make lots of great connections at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, the best workshop I ever took there lead me to one of my great inspirations, Amos Paul Kennedy Jr, of Kennedy Prints! He knows how to put words together and the simplicity and sharp edginess of his posters can make ya cry.

 I love to carve linoleum blocks in my shop with the Beastie Boys, Jonny Cash, or any good chic music playing in the background. I have found my style (finally), I have found my audience (finally), and I have found my zen happy place (finally). Life is good at Bruno Press, c’mon up anytime and visit.

www.mcbpress.com

 

 

 

 

September’s Featured Artist

The show up for the month of September is by Adrienne Applegate. When asked to write a bit about the show and artist I became intrigued. Her work is full of such movement and life; I fell in love with each color she has chosen. Then I heard her music, which was part two of her opening for those of us who missed it. Her band, Dear August played at Magnus. You can hear clips of the music on You Tube, MySpace, or their own website. I tuned in and was once again in love with her voice, so clear and full. So I had a few questions for Ms. Applegate. . .

How do you view your music and your art? Are they separate?

For me, the art and music go hand-in-hand, and I can’t really imagine doing one
without the other. I like to work on many projects simultaneously, whether they
are songs or paintings. Having the flexibility to do both lets me trade back and
forth and keeps me from getting stuck in either place. My approach to both is
also very similar. I work very quickly and spontaneously. If I sit down to
paint (or stand, which is what I typically do) I usually start with a large
white sheet of paper and a permanent marker and sketch out whatever idea I want
to capture. Sometimes I work from photos for inspiration, other times I
completely wing it. Then I add color, lots of it, and usually make a huge mess
of myself and anything else in the vicinity. I also like to have a few
paintings out to work on at one time.

Songs I tend to write in whole verses, all at once, while driving in the car or
walking the dogs or anywhere. I usually can’t write them down on paper as fast
as they come to me. My painting and songwriting both stem from things that are
close and personal -  my surroundings, my day to day life. And I always attempt
to make both my art and music accessible, familiar, and open to the viewers or
listeners alike. I am down-to-earth, pretty laid back and generally a very
happy person. I think both seem to reflect that.

What else do you have up your sleeve? I’m wondering what the next paintings will
be? Landscape, figure, animal, abstract?

In the months ahead I plan to work on a series of paintings, but exactly what I
really can’t say for sure. I think I want to do some cities. Maybe flowers.
Maybe both. Some dogs will probably sneak in there too.

As for music, we are really busy playing a lot of shows right now. We have two
albums out, but we are sitting on a dozen or so new songs. I am really eager
to get the band back into the studio to record again. 

Gallery Night, not too late!

Mark your calendars because October 3rd is the much anticipated Gallery Night here in Madison.  (If you missed this night fear not most venues will be hosting their shows through the end of this month.) This event happens twice a year and is hosted by Madison’s Contemporary Museum of Modern Art. This event seems to be ever growing – while the spring gallery night was hosted by about fifty venues
the upcoming evening will be hosted by 54 official locations. There really seems no way to make it across Madison and hit them all, but you certainly should pick out a few for the evening. Like in the spring, not all the locations are traditional gallery venues – some are coffee shops, framing stores, vintage houses, schools, or boutiques.

For those making it a family outing, I would recommend stops that have artist demonstrations or other activities. Madison School & Community Recreation, Madison Public Library, Madison Children’s Museum, and Absolutely Art ‘s courtyard all offer a truly child friendly space.

If you’re hungry, there are a few cafes that will be participating in the event -  not as many as
in the spring, but there will still be some tasty places: Café Zoma where the homemade hummus is to die for; I recommend the peanut noodles at the Willie Street Co-Op; and Ma-Cha Teahouse and Gallery, where the tea sandwiches are very tasty. A few newcomers to the night are EVP Coffee, showing Ken Crocker’s lovely paintings of local scenes; Lucent Room Studio, a new photography studio with
space and equipment to rent as well as space for classes and seminars; and Studio Paran, a glass blowing studio with a large collection of work and styles. Here at  State Street Gallery we have some new works by Ginnie Cappaert, Steve Wirtz, Zhana Vaynberg, and Leonard Nagler. We are also now showing new artists Christina Fenner, Bill Reid, and Joye Moon.We hope you make it by, if not to our space then at least to one or two on the list.

October’s Featured Artist

Ken Thrift is our featured artist for this month. Ken has lived in Madison for about 10 years now. He graduated from University of Wisconsin, Whitewater with a BA in art. His brightly colored watercolors are a treat and worth a trip to the gallery. His work is inspired by the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky.
This San Jose native will have 6 original works on display as well as several unframed prints. Ken may be a familiar name and face as he plays in local band Muzzy Luctin and also runs the recording studio Mega Tone.