Sunday, January 18, 2009

2008 The Year in Review

Well. guess I'm about 2 years behind on the year in review update as my last entry regarding such was posted here. So lets see if I can wrap up the year that was a couple weeks into the year to be with at best a modest attempt to interest.

By all means, 2008 will be remembered as historically significant for many reasons, both good and bad, and like most everyone else I simply went along for the ride and watched. Sometimes in total disbelief, at other moments in absolute awe. On a personal level however, 2008 proved to be quite productive and satisfying for me as an artist.

January began with the 1st of 2 group shows with my very good friends, William Entrekin, Rick McClung, and Robert Meredith at Gallery 4463 in Acworth, Georgia. Immediately followed by a solo show at The Seen Gallery. The October issue of American Art Collector magazine featured an article of our second group show, Personal Visions at Mason Murer Projects. The show opened on a cold rainy Friday night shortly after the complete collapse of the world economy. Yay!




From left to right, Robert Meredith, William Entrekin, Christopher Boehm, and Rick McClung at Mason Murer Projects opening night, October 24th.

A good deal of my 2008 however, was dedicated to painting. 2 paintings were hold overs from the year or years before, but finished in 2008. In the case of "Brass Autumn" this was a painted started in 2005, put on hold for 3 years and picked up again and finished in 2008. Sometimes, after working a painting for too long, I put it away for a while. The time in between allows me to see it again with a fresh perspective.









Brass Autumn is an autumn (obviously) landscape depicting Georgia's highest point, Brasstown Bald. Can't say why it took me 3 years to pick this one back up again, or why I set it down for so long. Sometimes the emotion that made a piece special to begin with is lost and it takes time for the feeling to return.











"Path to Rabun Gap", was another holdover from 2007 and wasn't quite ready for the January show, but made its debut at the Seen show in February. The sun had just come out in this morning scene after a night of stormy weather. The sky appeared to be taking back the rain and in the process lifting the mountains along with it.

Two paintings were inspired by a rare Georgia snow fall last January. "Spared Alone" and "Early Delivery", were both by products of a wonderful day, reminiscent of my childhood in Wisconsin.




















Then there's this wickedly difficult painting depicting an obstructed setting sun. "The Promise" would not have been completed without the undying support of a beautiful brunette named Jessica.














A couple of still life's punctuated the year 2008. At the Early in January, Portals was finished. The helmet was a borrowed prop from a diver. This intriguing devise of brass, copper, and glass was begging me to paint it every time I laid my eyes on it. The photo was a gift of my late uncle Ed. Navy friends standing in front of the Imperial Palace in Japan dating back to 1947.













We finish out 2008 with "The Warning"