Sunday, March 11th, from 5-8pm, Momentum Gallery, in downtown Asheville, opens two new exhibitions pairing gallery artists. Local printmaker Bill Hall makes his Asheville gallery debut in a show that plays his graphic works off those of the late Maltby Sykes (1911-1992), while landscape paintings on found metal by Drew Galloway are presented with works by renowned wood sculptor, Christian Burchard. These two Duos run through April 28, 2018.
Master printer Bill Hall worked with several well-known artists including Helen Frankenthaler, Jim Dine, and Chuck Close during his 30-year career with Pace Editions in New York. Hall’s recent original prints combine aquatint with collage in graphic, minimalist compositions that play with the viewer’s perception of depth, while nuanced surfaces created from organically scratched copper plates provide visual interest to the work.
Bill Hall, Flipped, Aquatint etching with dry point, collage 14 5/8 x 24 5/8 inches
Hall’s prints complement vintage lithographs and mezzotints from the 1950s and 60s by Modernist Maltby Sykes (1911-1992). Revered by generations of students, Sykes was Professor Emeritus of Printmaking at Auburn University, where he taught for many years. Having trained with John Sloan in New York, Diego Rivera in Mexico, and André Lhote and Fernand Léger in Paris, Sykes conquered diverse printmaking techniques and sophisticated subject matter inspired by his travels, mythology, and world events during his lifetime.
Maltby Skyes (1911-1992), Caterpillar, Mezzotint, 8 x 18 inches
Drew Galloway creates his signature painterly works on asymmetrical applied sheets of metal. This unique canvas provides patina and texture, adding depth to his masterful ability to paint reflections of light, trees and sky in pools of rippling water. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Galloway attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts, Memphis Academy of Art and received his BFA at the Atlanta College of Art in 1987.
Drew Galloway, September Song, Oil on tin, 36 x 48 inches
Nationally recognized for his artistic achievements, Galloway has exhibited extensively throughout the Southeast, where his works are in numerous public, private and corporate collections. Complementing the natural movement in Galloway’s paintings, is the work of Christian Burchard, a master wood sculptor born in Hamburg, Germany, now living and working in Oregon.
Christian Burchard, Baskets 18 parts, Pacific madrone burl
Burchard uses green, unpredictable wood from the Pacific Madrone burl, which naturally warps and twists, changing shape as it dries, making his final forms unique and nearly impossible to replicate. His works can be found in the permanent collections of over 30 prestigious museums across the country.
An artist reception for both Duo exhibitions (Hall/Sykes & Burchard/Galloway) takes place at Momentum Gallery on Sunday, March 11 from 5-8 p.m. In keeping with the duo theme, the refreshments at the reception will include thoughtful pairings of craft beer/wine and cheese. This event is free and open to the public.
