A Web of Artists: Friends from Social Networks

THE LATEST EXHIBITION AT THOMAS DEANS FINE ART

The latest exhibition at Thomas Deans Fine Art gallery not only has a witty title but an interesting mix of over twenty different artists! I along with what seemed like a few hundred other people decided to drop in this past Friday and take a look at what had been curated from friends both “old and new” on social platforms with Thomas Deans.

There had been quite a buzz around the show as people rightly thought it was a super good idea for an exhibition. I particularly wanted to see the sculpture of an artist in the show for a future blog I am working on.

GROUP OF MORE THAN TWENTY ARTISTS

It got the attention of artists and so many more wanted to participate than Thomas had room for. He cut it off after more than twenty he said and thought maybe next year he might do only 15. Many artists were from out of town and sent lots of smaller pieces.

Five or so of the artists were local. It was a challenge to hang the exhibition and keep a rhythm to it with so many small pieces but Thomas has a good eye and managed to pull it off. New additions to the gallery roster such as Lauren Betty and Eileen Braun were getting a lot of excitement from the crowd.

The paintings above were just two of Betty’s on show; Demystification of the South and Fall Rain. Lauren likes to take her inspiration from the natural breakdown that comes with age; corrosion, splitting, chipping and rusting resulting in a mark making attack on the canvas.

Since Eileen Braun is one of the subjects of another upcoming blog on sculpture I will simply say that the above photo gives you an idea of why I love her brilliant work!

GOOD CURATION ON TYPE, SIZE & LOCATION

As I looked around the front, middle and back galleries, I could see how Thomas had hung each with it’s own personality. The back gallery, recently added, is big and open for use as an installation space.

Thomas hung the largest pieces of a few “older friends” from social such as Thaddeus Radell, Scott Upton, David Kidd and Helen Durant which suited the space well. Radell’s Purgatorio was the largest and meatiest of the offerings with lots of texture from cold wax and bits of burlap.

Upton’s work has the usual clean contemporary design he is known for while offering lush color palattes that always seem to be front and center in designers minds. Two of his latest, Hideaway and Homeplace are no exception.

The middle gallery has a trendy black wall that Thomas uses to set off particular qualities of color in a piece and it is also great for letting clients picture art on something other than white walls. It housed a Lauren Betty beautifully on this occasion.

Her paper pieces were also in the intimate corner gallery along with a few works by Sally Veach; a spot with a sofa that is nice to sit and ponder the usual treasure trove of small works.

The colorful architectural pieces of James Isherwood worked well with a neutral painting of Casey Matthews entitled He Only Dreams in Black and White.

GREAT PRICE RANGES FOR ALL COLLECTORS

The front gallery was the best mixture from a type and size standpoint with large surrealistic paintings by Cason Adams mixing in beautifully with Eileen Braun’s contemporary sculptures and a lovely portrait drawing by Elana Hagler.

Landscapes by local artist John Cleaveland put Georgia paintings next to small treasure New York City scapes by Lisa Breslow reminding us that the North and the South are both muses for artists everywhere.

The thing that really had the crowd buzzing was the incredible price range displayed throughout the gallery. There was something for every category of collector from $100 to $14,400! The first red dot of the evening went on La Tricoteuse pictured above with a price tag of $4,750.

SOLD WITH FINAL THOUGHTS

All in all the evening seemed to be a big success! The crowd was not the usual suspects from openings either; a fresh group of faces and a big age range as well. The secret in the sauce being the artists coming from all the social platforms that Thomas uses on a daily basis which seemed to really interest people.

The artists he curated were varied in style, media and subject matter not to mention price but all were deserving to be in an exhibition in a commercial gallery space. I highly recommend you drop by and see this show. If you collect, you will find something you can’t live without at a price you can probably afford.

You might be interested in reading additional blogs about other artsy things under Artful Ideal. Hey, don’t be a stranger! Let me hear your thoughts on the artists and the exhibition. Let me know what else you might like to read about as well. Don’t miss my third installation on Merida, Mexico coming up next! Until next time…

Cheers,

ArtsyChowRoamer

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