Gallery [1]: W. Tucker: to stand in a boat that floats

September 24th – October 18th, 2012
Artist’s Lecture: Monday, September 17 | 2:30 p.m., Gallery 2
Preview with the Artist: Sunday, September 23 | 4 – 7 p.m.
Opening Reception: Monday, September 24 | 5 – 7 p.m.

W. Tucker, HO 89¢, 2011, charcoal, coffee, paper on paper,9 1/2 x 11 5/8 inches

“As a space to place images, a wall to me seems to be yet another version of a found object – which is what I often paint on: drawer fronts – reclaimed, old slatted wood blinds, book covers stripped of their pages.” - W. Tucker

Drawing on whatever surface seems appropriate – so goes the practice of Austin based artist W. Tucker. The richness of Tucker’s work is found in the relationship between his chosen “found” surfaces and what gallerist Nancy Whitenack calls “the idiosyncratic cast of characters he draws on these materials.” The patina of the materials contrasted with the fluidity and earnestness of the drawings upon them results in works that explore and exploit the relationship between a surface changed by time and the immediacy of a freshly made drawing. As Whitenack goes on to say, “The end result illustrates an artist that teeters between the world of the calculated and formal studio practice of materiality and the loose and unconscious practice of mark making.”

In addition to smaller works exhibited, Tucker will take up residence within the gallery space for the week prior to the exhibition’s opening to create a site-specific narrative drawing – made directly on the wall – which will evolve throughout the artist’s time there. In a unique opportunity to see Tucker at work, viewers will be allowed to watch the installation progress throughout the week.

[www.wtucker-art.com]