Russ Havard, an artist residing in Lufkin, Texas and David McClain, an artist who lives in Houston, Texas debut new work at Gallery 1724 on Saturday, October 27, 2012 from 8-10pm. The work will remain on view through January 26, 2013.
Havard's drawings arrive from a meditative, intuitive process seeking to make sense out of uncertainty and to serve as a record of noticing and letting go. McClain explores spontaneity and the active moment of creation with his works. Both artists work with additive and subtractive methods, formal elements and the abandonment of formal elements.
The exhibition will be accompanied by three Sundays of drawing salons. The drawing salons will be: Sunday, October 28 from 2-4pm lead by Russ Havard Sunday, November 11 from 5-7pm lead by Merilee Minshew Sunday, December 9 from 5-7pm lead by David McClain. The exhibition and activities are curated by Emily Sloan.
(Above image by Russ Havard)
About Russ Havard: Born in Lufkin, Texas in 1971, the landscape and culture of deep East Texas influenced Russ in an important way. Working in traditional and experimental methods Russ uses landscape as both a center and as a point of departure. Major personal and artistic changes occurred however, when Russ fell ill with an auto-immune disease in 1994. He worked and completed graduate studies at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas until a major relapse in 1997. This forced him to change his working methods and materials from large mixed media works to small-scale watercolors. The circumstance gave a new meaning of growth through volatility, resulting in more content-driven work, concerning spiritual issues. Russ Havard's paintings have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions both regionally and nationally, including George Billis Gallery in New York and Los Angeles; the Longview Museum of Fine Arts in Longview, Texas; the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; and the Museum of East Texas in Lufkin, among other venues. In addition, his work has been published in New American Paintings: Western Competition, Vols. 30, 48, and 102.
(Above image by David McClain)
About David McClain: David McClain has exhibited his work in Texas, at the Upper Valley Art League, The Kenmore, Matteson-Parrish Art Gallery, 4411 Montrose Project Space, Williams Tower Gallery, Box 13 Artspace, Annex Gallery, Artstorm Galleries, Schlumberger’s corporate headquarters, the Houston Center for Photography, the Houston City Hall Annex, and the Austin Figurative Gallery; and in Chicago, at the Sullivan Galleries; and published or reviewed in publications in Texas and Germany. He is currently an Artist in Residence at Houston Community College Southeast and a member of Box 13 ArtSpace. McClain received his BA from Rice University, his JD from the University of Houston Law Center, and MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. About Gallery 1724: Gallery 1724 is a gallery, salon, home, and chicken ranch located in the Houston Museum District at 1724 Bissonnet Street. The space features experimental rotating exhibitions and salon-type dialogues. The salon, home and chicken ranch are organized by Tim Deason, owner of 152 Art Center in Yorktown, Texas. The gallery and “art salons” are organized by Emily Sloan, whose art practice includes object making, performance, social choreography and curating unique venues such as a contemporary art salon, a mini-fridge, and a bathroom hidden behind a bookcase. General information: Gallery 1724 1724 Bissonnet St. (between Dunlavy and Woodhead) Houston, TX 77006 Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6pm or by appointment. For an appointment, please call 713-582-1198.
