Group Show at Gallery 4463

I have the pleasure of exhibiting with three fine representational artists this coming January. William Entrekin, Rick McClung, and Robert Meredith. This is the first group exhibition at Gallery 4463 which opens Saturday, January 12 at 6:30pm.

Rockin' the Suburbs

Wow Acworth, what a turn out, what a show. To put it mildly the Inaugural Exhibition of Gallery 4463 surpassed every ones expectations. The attendance was somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000, literally wall to wall people from 6:30 to 9:00 when you could actually see the art on the walls again. The 1st photo is the ribbon cutting ceremony, the honorable Mayor Tommy Allegood with the big scissors, immediately to his right are gallery founder Clemens Bak and building owner Laurie Massaglia. Surrounding the three are mostly all 25 charter artists of Gallery 4463.


Here are few more shots of the exhibition.

















My good friend Rick McClung and his Acworth Street scene painting. Blue dot? Isn't that supposed to be red?

...and who is this handsome man?

Women In Art

Seven, Seven, Oh Seven

I’ve heard this day referred to as the luckiest day of the century. Me, I believe luck is a direct result of hard work and dedication when considering our professional careers and I guess our personal relationships as well. Numbers, dates, calendars are nothing more than an invention of man required for creating and maintaining a civilized society. Numbers and math are however the only absolute truth we have. Our entire universe is based upon this fact. Certain numbers when squared, multiplied, divided, etc. will always produce the foundation for everything in our physical world. Never fail, every time. So can the same truth in numbers be applied to the metaphysical?

I cannot say anything of great importance will or will not occur nor any or magical mystical event shall materialize for myself or any other soul today. But, I’d be a lair if I said certain numbers or dates have no more meaning to me than any other of less apparent significance. After all, the name of this blog “The Golden Mean” is a direct indication of that very thought. I can tell you that that on this day, sixteen years ago, was one of the most important days of my life. The day my third son William Christopher Boehm was born.

Naturally talented as are his older brothers, he simply explores the art of creation with more passion and conviction than the two. His recent work reflects his current lifestyle and interests which includes a series of dead rock star portraits of whom he admires, hand painted shoes (Vans) and other wearable assemblages. It is a pleasure watching and assisting (if asked) in each of his creative journeys.



So is today, seven, seven, two thousand seven any luckier than any other day of the century? Time will tell, all I know is what a lucky man I am to have a son such as the one born on this day sixteen years go.

Happy birthday Will.

To our Father

Some of my earliest and favorite memories involved my father, Gary Howard Boehm. Early sixties, sometime around Kennedy’s assassination, ping ping ping, Chris’s memory began to kick in. Daytime, an easel, against the wall leaned a large painting. It was a portrait of a Spanish woman with huge exposed beasts and dark purple hair. It sat unfinished in the corner of the room facing Arthur Avenue. I don’t recall ever seeing him work on that piece and it burned in our house fire with most of his work years later. The easel held a landscape, a rock fence created by the farmer and his plow. As he tilled the soil stones would be unearthed removed from the field and stacked forming a stone wall as my father told me. Near the wall was a tree in full autumn colors. It was that painting where my love of art and painting began. I was four years old and I knew I would be an artist when I grew up.

My natural born artistic skill came from the Boehm family. Two of my father’s brothers, Eddie and Don, both painted and had a great appreciation for art. Their uncle Gene, the Southside favorite’s brother, was an artist. A Rockwellian painting of his depicting a barefoot boy laying on his back gazing at a cloud formation reminiscent of a pirate ship hung in my grandmother’s house for years. He spent his formal years as a wall dog painting commercial murals in Vegas. However, it was my dad’s influence that drew me to art.





It’s been nearly sixteen years since he passed and well I don’t think about him as often as I used to. Occasionally he will appear in a dream where we have conversations similar to those long distant phone calls we had years ago. Mostly nonsense, comfortable, bonding. This I believe was my fathers greatest legacy, his relationship with each of his children. Gary maintained a personal individual connection to each son, like a best friend. Always interested in our lives, the good and the bad, always available to talk, listen, or help and always there with that avant guarde sense of humor to lighten the subject. He also loved his grandchildren and worked to get as much time with them as he could.



So today I spent the day with my boys. Mostly men now as Will is nearly two years from joining his older siblings in adulthood. We found another waterfall off an old logging road in north Georgia and did our brand of father son bonding that my father taught me years before.

I can thank my father for some of my best traits and for some of my worst vices, but I still hear his lessons when ever I mix a color or hold a brush. One of the greatest gifts a father ever gave a son.

AJC Arts Coverage Petition

The following post was lifted directly from the Atlanta Artnews blog. Sign the petition at the end of the article - its painless and serves the greater good of the Atlanta Arts Community.

To: insideajc@ajc.com (Ms.Angela Tuck)
Dear Ms. Tuck,

I just read your questions for Julia Wallace in today's paper (May,05). Thanks for taking the time to inform your readers.

I am forwarding to you another petition that is circulating. The visual arts community is very concerned about the reviews of local art events. That is, critical reviews of art exhibitions in town which are normally written by Cathy Fox.
Ms. Wallace said in your interview that there would be 'artist profiles', that is good, but we are very concerned about the actual coverage of exhbitions and having a visual artist critic that can provide a critical analysis of the art that is produced in this city. That is a very different function than 'profiles' which center around a 'story' about the artist that is featured, as opposed to a critical analysis of art. Profiles are interesting to read but perform a different function.

Major newspapers in the country have culture critics. Critics perform a unique service to a community. They create interest in the culture of that specific city, they create a dialogue between the art and the community, they bring insight and understanding to the work at hand, and they 'criticize' that is they apply their knowledge and discernment. A critic's voice is essential in any creative community.

Many of us realize the difficulties facing all newspapers today. But, as you can see by the uproar that has been caused by the recent 'restructuring' at the AJC----newspapers matter. People want their paper to be a source of intellectual information not only the fastest source of news....you can get instant news by flipping on CNN in two seconds. NEWSPAPERS CREATE A COMMUNITY.

Attached is the petition circulating for the Visual Arts critic.
Thank you for your time,
Rocio Rodriguez
Atlanta, GA

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/AJCArt/petition.html

Best foot forward

My son Will "the apprentice" has been busy painting lately. He sees a blank canvas as most artists do... opportunity. Thus his white vans didn't stay white for long. Take a look.




A popular fashion statement these have become and he has had a number of requests from teens and adults. He's currently taking orders and will gladly create a custom pair for you.

Rejection, Life and Art

Rejection. Every artist understands (or at least should understand) rejection is part of the territory that comes with the business of art. Recently I received a rejection e-mail for a contemporary unconventional portrait exhibition I had entered. The painting I submitted “A Fool’s Still Life” is perhaps my best realist work I have yet created. Not simply my opinion, this painting has won numerous awards including the Grumbacher Gold Metal at the 27th Annual South Central Art Competition in Nashville. You might call that validation. Regardless, the entry process required a statement. So I finally put into words what I have felt about this painting for some time. Hope you don’t mind me sharing.



“A Fool’s Still Life”
A self portrait by Christopher Boehm

The approach to most all of my work is simple; each painting is treated as a project, a single area of exploration and discovery. “A Fool’s Still Life,” began no differently. Objects of interest selected for their shape color texture and representation either metaphorically, symbolically or literally and arranged juxtaposed entirely for the viewer’s enjoyment. This painting began purely as an exercise in an attempt to conquer still life realism as an artist.

The beauty of realism for the artist is that careful deliberate examination of chosen subjects is required. You learn all the subtle aspects normally passed over through casual observation. On this particular work, hours were spent intimately getting to know all objects assembled. And during this time of craft a realization occurred to me. Each object chosen for some reason above and beyond had a deep personal meaning and connection to me, the artist. Mostly gifts, mementos or discarded items from close family members, nearly all offered without much ceremony or thought. These items meant more to me because of the personal connection from who, where, when, and how they were collected. The Clown (Fool) however, was acquired on one of my many antique/thrift store hunts. The significance of this item was the timing of the acquisition coincided within days of the birth of my son, seemed almost magical. This collection of items was more than a simple still life painting, in many ways it represented my life.

So what is a portrait, a mere representation of the individual? Well this painting then in many ways represents who I am. A good portion of my being is a collection of memories associated with friends and family through a journey of time together. Reading like a diary, items rendered here are closely tied to those memories. One more thing, I’m an artist and this is one of my paintings, it is what I do and who I am.

Christopher Boehm

Rejection is also part of life and I have had another more painful dose of that lately too. Like I said, with art rejection comes as part of the territory. It makes us better. You create, put your work out there and wait for the world to respond. The efforts of which may not yield the sought after results, but in most cases ultimately have positive affects on the artist. The self portrait example outlined above forced me to put my thoughts to words. I may never have done so without the attempt. So I guess with love sometimes comes rejection too, but does this type of rejection also make us better? I certainly would like to think so.

Last Gasp

67 days, impressive I think for a toy balloon to remain aloft, but to earth (my studio floor) is where she clings now. Been hanging around watching me gesso the ten (gift from Kathryn) canvases from a low vantage point. Still working my plan for them in my head, hope to share some ideas in the near future.

Day 59 - Balloon Update

Yep, it's still up there. I know, I know, "what, four more days, big deal!" Well things have changed. Still clinging tight to the ceiling, however, when I came home today I found the balloon was in my dinning room. Big deal? No, just weird as it would of had to drop its altitude by at least 20 inches to get beneath a 24 inch wide concrete ceiling support. See for yourself.




Now how could this balloon lower itself under that support? There is no breeze to speak of in here. I doubt the air pressure could change that drastically in my house to alter temporary alter it's lofty pursuit. I'm at a total loss? Unless of course it's Rachel messing with me...

Day 55 - The Saga Continues

Day 55 - Totally defying gravity and clinging to my ceiling since New Years Eve, the balloon still floats. "I thought it would have given up the ghost a week after the New Year began, shows you what I know," I was quoted as thinking. How I resisted sucking the precious gas into my lungs to speak like a munchkin for the delight of my friends and neighbors immediately following the Midnight festivities still remains a mystery in itself. Stay posted this could in fact be a worlds record.

Stretcher Strip Heaven


My good friend, Artist Kathryn to my benefit began her spring cleaning early this year. After years of moving a box full of 24" stretcher strips around her house, she decided to part with them. It was me or Goodwill, "are you kidding, sure I'll take them'!" Now, what to do with them? hmmm... I have this idea... (to be continued...)

The Long Way Home

...and finally, my latest work. Titled "The Long Way Home" This is a route I take to avoid traffic on Holcomb Bridge Rd from time to time. Beautiful stretch of road with bike/running/walking paths along the Chattahoochee River in Roswell. Oil on canvas, 40" x 30" part of a continuing series of paintings. Light breaking through a dark wooded area, creating somewhat of a tunnel vision effect.

2006 Review

Wow, been a while since my last post. A lot has happened, too much to cover. So I'll try to summarize 2006 from a personal artist accomplishment perspective. As evident form an earlier post, the figure is back in my work. This painting "Study in Contrast #1" is one of a male female pair painted specifically for a figurative group show early in the year. The style complemented "The Southside Favorite" oil on canvas of my Grandfather, Oscar Boehm.

For a drastic change in style, subject and pallet we'll look at another set of oils once again specifically painted for another group show, "The Motorcycle, Life and Lifestyle" about half way through the year. While I enjoyed the change, these two works took their toll on my patience as I probably have over 50 hours in each piece.


Commissions always keep me going and usually stray from my typical subject as well. This piece "Tanya's Apple" once again borrowed its style from some of the figurative work, but also employed some of my still life realism .



Better than half way through 2006, I once again participated in the "Trash to Treasure" benefit. My submission "Momentum, the ATL Express" by far was the most radical break from the norm for the year. Relying more on my industrial design background, there was absolutely no painting involved in this piece. Another back breaker, but well worth the effort.

And then back to a more familiar look and style to complete 2006.