NASHVILLE – The work of Chuck Close, renowned as one of America’s foremost artists in any medium, will be featured in Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration, opening in the Frist Center for the Visual Arts’ Ingram Gallery June 26, 2009. The exhibition will remain on view through the summer and will close Sept. 13, 2009.

The exhibition, which includes more than 130 works, explores Close’s continuing investigation into the relationship between artistic process, vision and creativity. On view in this comprehensive survey will be prints that are widely regarded as masterworks of contemporary printmaking, as seen in such techniques as aquatint, lithography, pulp-paper multiples, direct gravure, silk screen, traditional Japanese woodcut and reduction linocut.

Chuck Close, Self Portrait I, 1999, Two Palms Press, New York, printer and publisher (Pedro Barbeito, David Lasry). Courtesy of Two Palms Press and the artist

Close is internationally renowned for creating paintings and prints on the subject of the human face. By transferring gridded sections of a photograph square by square onto the canvas or paper, he explores the relationships between the whole and its parts. Each tiny square bears an abstract mark, which functions as an expression in its own right; when seen from a distance, these parts coalesce into a shimmering whole. This transformation emphasizes the gravitas and power of the carefully observed human face.

“Inviting feelings of pleasure and awe, works in this exhibition convey the sheer bravura of an extraordinary artist and human being, one who uses art to attain a deep understanding of the nature of visual experience,” said Frist Center Chief Curator Mark Scala in describing the artist and the exhibition.

Close began printmaking as a serious part of his artistic career in 1972. This survey shows his remarkable technical skill and the wide range of expressions that arise from his explorations of extreme scale, abstract mark making, and remarkably intricate combinations of color.

Close’s paintings are the result of laborious and time-consuming effort. While they often take months to complete, his prints may take as many as two years to complete. Collaborating with some of the world’s finest printers, the artist takes an interactive, “hands on” approach to the creation of his prints, carving linoleum blocks, drawing on and applying acid to his etching plates and personally directing the intricate handwork involved in the creation of the prints. The exhibition also celebrates his collaborators, the master printers into whose hands Close commits and entrusts his work.

Chuck Close, Emma/Woodcut, 2002; Pace Editions Ink, New York, printer (Yasu Shibata), Pace Editions, Inc., New York, publisher. Courtesy of Pace Editions, Inc. and the artist.

The exhibition is divided into broad categories. The first gallery introduces visitors to the basic principles of printmaking and includes Close’s earliest prints, which set the tone for the collaborative and experimental approach that characterizes his career. As visitors move through the exhibition, they will see how Close has used the portrait as a “constant” in his career; one gallery features only self-portraits, while others focus on images of his art world contemporaries such as Philip Glass—a favorite subject for more than 30 years—Alex Katz, John Chamberlain and Lucas Samaras. These famous artists are portrayed in a range of mediums, colors and types of marks that create an astonishing encyclopedia of visual effects. Additional galleries explore Close’s pulp-paper works, various silk screen techniques and explore his work with master printmakers.

Exhibition Sponsors

The HCA Foundation on behalf of HCA and the TriStar Family of Hospitals is the exhibition’s Platinum Sponsor.

Frist Center Exhibition-Related Programs

The Martin ArtQuest Gallery will connect with one printmaking technique by giving visitors the opportunity to create a fingerprint portrait that includes a range of values and a reference to facial proportions. The medium is washable ink.

Tuesday, May 5–Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009

New Edition: College Printmakers The work of printmakers at five area colleges and universities will be featured outside the Martin ArtQuest Gallery on the Upper Level of the Frist Center in a series of rotating presentations.

New Edition Schedule

• Tue., May 5–Sun., May 31:  Austin Peay State University
• Tue., June 2–Sun., July 5:  Belmont University
• Tues., July 7–Sun., Aug. 2: Middle Tennessee State University
• Tue., Aug. 4–Sun., Aug. 30: Vanderbilt University
• Tue., Sept. 1–Sun., Oct. 4: Watkins College of Art and Design

Friday, July 17, 2009

ARTini: Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration 7:00 p.m.
Meet at the Information Desk.  Free with purchase of gallery admission

Join Shaun Giles, associate educator for outreach, as he leads an informal conversation about one or two works of art in this exhibition. Complete your evening by relaxing in the Grand Lobby with beverages from the cash bar or café and visiting with friends.

Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009 and Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009

Adult Workshop: Printmaking
Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Sunday: 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Frist Center Studios
$50 members; $60 non-members; cost includes all supplies and gallery admission.
Call 615.744.3247 to register.

Mary Pat Tuner, a Nashville-based artist and visual arts instructor at Lipscomb and Belmont Universities, will lead this two-day workshop in conjunction with the exhibition Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration. Participants will first tour the exhibition and discuss some of the techniques Chuck Close uses to create his prints. Participants will then move to the Frist Center studios where the discussion will continue while learning how to make linoleum block relief prints.

Friday, Aug. 7, 2009
Films at the Frist: Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
6:30 p.m.
In the Auditorium. Free and open to the public.

Join us at the Frist Center for a night of music, art, and film as the Frist Center collaborates with the Nashville Opera and the Nashville Film Festival. Get a sneak peek into the opera’s upcoming season as you listen to soprano Sabrina Warren, accompanied by Amy Tate Williams, sing an excerpt from composer Philip Glass’s The Fall of the House of Usher. Gain insight into the connections between Glass and visual artist Chuck Close, whose images of Glass, are among those included in the Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration exhibition. Top off your evening with the 2007 documentary Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts, courtesy of the Nashville Film Festival.

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009

Gallery Talk: Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration
7:00 p.m.
Meet at the Information Desk
Free with purchase of gallery admission
Frist Center Chief Curator Mark Scala will lead a tour of this exhibition.

Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009

Curator’s Perspective: Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration
6:30 p.m.
Auditorium
Free

Join Terrie Sultan, director of the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, New York, and curator of Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration, for a lecture about the way Chuck Close developed his unique approach to printmaking. With illustrations, behind-the-scenes photographs, and personal anecdotes, Sultan will show how Close’s prints relate to and inform his painting practice and will also discuss the reason he says “problem solving is over-rated.”

Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009

Teen Workshop: Printmaking
10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Frist Center Studios
$40 members; $50 non-members; cost includes all supplies and gallery admission.
Call 615.744.3247 to register.

Mary Pat Tuner, a Nashville-based artist and visual arts instructor at Lipscomb and Belmont Universities, will lead this one-day workshop in conjunction with the exhibition Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration. Participants will first tour the exhibition and discuss some of the techniques Chuck Close uses to create his prints. After, they will move to the Frist Center studios where they will create their own linoleum block relief prints.

Exhibition Credits

Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration was organized by Blaffer Gallery, the Art Museum of the University of Houston. The exhibition and publication have been generously underwritten by the Neuberger Berman Foundation. Additional support was made possible by the Lannan Foundation, Jon and Mary Shirley, The Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation and Houston Endowment Inc., Jonathan and Marita Fairbanks, Dorene and Frank Herzog, Andrew and Gretchen McFarland, Carey Shuart, The Wortham Foundation, Inc., Karen and Eric Pulaski, Suzanne Slesin and Michael Steinberg and Texas Commission on the Arts.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tenn., is an art exhibition center dedicated to presenting the finest visual art from local, regional, U.S. and international sources in a program of changing exhibitions. The Frist Center’s Martin ArtQuest Gallery features 21 interactive stations relating to Frist Center exhibitions. Gallery admission to the Frist Center is free for visitors 18 and under and to Frist Center members. Frist Center admission is $8.50 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and military, and $6.50 for college students with ID. Thursday and Friday evenings, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m., admission is free for college students with a valid college ID. Discounts are offered for groups of 10 or more with advance reservation by calling (615) 744-3246. The Frist Center is open seven days a week: Mondays through Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; and Sundays, 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with the Café opening at noon. Additional information is available by calling (615) 244-3340 or by visiting our Web site at www.fristcenter.org.

In "King of Spades" (17 X 23, 2008), Lewis’s most recent work embodies her aesthetics and ideals as an artist that anyone can have their portrait done, and shows her flare for detail while capturing the innermost essence of her subject, a trait she shares with regional portrait artist, Billy Price Carroll. Featured here is Ryle.

Though Monet said, “My life is useless,” artist Judy Lewis disagrees with this statement, though she can see how Monet may have felt this way. “It is a tough life to live struggling to make a living as an artist because you feel such desire and passion. If you look at art history, many artists lacked the customer base to feel appreciated during their lives,” according to Lewis, a native Clarksvillian.

Lewis, a devoted mother, has one daughter, Keegan, from a previous marriage and has lived in Clarksville for the majority of her life. In addition, Lewis has done work in Texas, and recently returned from Gettysburg, PA.  Lewis has been steadily producing art work sometime after, Art Cantu, a Christian minister from south Texas, witnessed to her, and sparked a hope in her that she could achieve her dreams. At this point in her career,  Lewis has done over 300 exhibit-worthy pieces, and continues to produce more art every day, not counting numerous drawings.

Of late, Lewis has delved into painting oils and acrylics with a style and color technique as unique and original as her drawings. The painting, Phoenix Rising on Angel’s Wings, captures the colors of a young girl and her gallant horse, Angel, as they properly go riding across a verdant field. Her vivid brush strokes in Christmas Carriages on Franklin Street capture the light and color of night lights downtown during a Christmas extravaganza.

Starting out, Lewis did drawings, and Christian poster art, and was always drawing more. Ms. Lewis got five commissions for her work from having her art work in a downtown window in Schumer’s. The client later told her, “You’re the best kept secret in this town.” As we sit in a local restaurant, Lewis unveils her life as a regional artist in the following interview.

At what point did you first realize you were an artist?

“I always thought I was since I was a kid—first grade—all I wanted to do when I was a kid was color. My friend would get mad at me and say, ‘all you ever do is color.’”

“But it goes earlier than that. In my grandmother’s Bible there were real, detailed paintings in between each book of the Bible, and woodcuts in the appendixes. I was around four or five at the time. I remember while I was redrawing them, the thought came to me–maybe I want to be an artist? At that moment something inside me said that I wanted to be an artist. Growing up, I got in trouble in school a lot for drawing in class.”

Could you tell us some more about your work?

“I mostly do portraiture. I do love to do portraits of people. Norman Rockwell was a storyteller, but feel that I can capture a feeling like the innocence of childhood. Say I had twenty studies of a child’s portrait but there was only one that captured my heart. That’s when I know it’s going to be a good portrait, and my goal is to pay tribute to that person the best I possibly can.”

"Portrait of Abraham Lincoln" ( 17 X 23, 2006) by Judy Lewis was done in Gettysburg, PA., site of Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address, during his dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery.

One of my favorite pieces that you’ve done is the portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Is that the case with this historical piece too?

“Yes, I wanted to portray Abraham Lincoln as best I can. I loved going to the Smithsonian and seeing the presidential portraits, but Lincoln was the first one I wanted to draw. Also, because I was in Gettysburg, it was right to do him and I’m glad I did.”

What about doing portraits of historical figures and celebrities?

“I’d like to do Joan of Arc’s portrait! I’d also like to do Wilma Rudolph, Frank Sutton, Sgt. Carter from Gomer Pyle, [because] he’s from Clarksville—anyone from Clarksville who was well known, or celebrities.”

Why Joan of Arc?

“Because she’s an interesting character in history. You don’t see a lot of portraits of great women, since it’s been a men’s world.”

Which five artists would you like to be stranded with on a deserted island? You know—the art world’s version of Lost?

“Van Gogh, Renoir, Norman Rockwell, da Vinci, and Michelangelo. I’ve read a lot of van Gogh—his life was depressing but interesting. Other artists I like are Sargent. Rockwell is number one for me. The art world didn’t consider him [because] he was more of an illustrator but an illustrator is still an artist. And I like Norman Rockwell’s portraiture. He did Eisenhower’s portrait and Nixon’s portrait—they were in the Smithsonian. Norman Rockwell is a major influence.”

Have you found it difficult having a realistic drawing style in a contemporary art world?

“No, I just do what I do and I’m not concerned with what the art world says about a particular style. You don’t see hordes of people going to see movies they don’t understand—they go to movies that touch their hearts—I think art is so loved. That’s why Norman Rockwell is so beloved—he did work people could understand. To me, art is art if it shows emotion—I think that’s good art—great art. I like Jackson Pollock—his work was well balanced and beautiful. Georges Seurat’s pointillism—I love it. In fact, when I was a kid when I saw A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte— I said, ‘I love it!’ There’s something about umbrellas—the parasols and it was brilliant outdoor lighting.”

How do any of these people influence your work and why?

“Renoir—Luncheon of the Boating Party—influenced me because I like his romantic themes, his impressionism, his boating party, and people with feeling. I think I want to achieve something like Renoir, except in a Norman Rockwell fashion. [Laughs] I also have been influenced by Chuck Close’s big portraits—he’s a contemporary influence, and Daniel Green.”

Is creativity innate? What are your beliefs on this?

“I think we’re all born with it, because we’re made in God’s image and he’s the creator. I think we all like to draw when we’re kids—I don’t know any kid that doesn’t like to draw, but when they grow up—adult—they think it’s stupid. I think we can create far beyond what we think we can actually create. We don’t realize the depth of our own creativity—we’re limited by how much we think we can create. A lot of times I felt like Don Quixote chasing rainbows and windmills and [thinking] it’s not going to happen, or is this really real? Chasing something after the wind— it was right after that Art ministered to me in Texas and I became a Christian that my art took off. He asked me, ‘What do you want to do in your life?’ ‘To be an artist,’ I said. Something sparked. He gave me a glimmer—just a glimmer of hope that with God all things are possible and it was all I needed to start drawing again. If you live your whole life without being an artist when you’re supposed to be, you’re going to regret it. Ten years ago I thought I’ll be better than I am today and it gave me hope.”

Where do you see yourself then in ten years from now?

“I’ll be better ten years down the road than I am now. I like to challenge myself.”

Training

“I’m self-taught. We’re all self-taught in a way. Even with someone training you—you have to compose the piece and do the work yourself. I read a lot of books and practiced hard. I drew a lot. I have 300 final pieces. But that doesn’t account for every practice drawing by any stretch. If you count them, oh, who knows? It’s very difficult to draw for pleasure and try to sell [it] versus doing commissions since I’m used to doing commissions. Although, I think they’re marketable, I do some pieces for me.”

What are the best and worst parts of being a full time working artist?

“The best part is being your own boss, and doing what you’re free to do, and you’re happy. The worst part is if I’m able to survive or not. I hate the term starving artist. I feel like it’s the only profession where people expect them to be starving—you don’t hear of a homebuilder being a starving homebuilder, or a doctor, [etc.]. Donating work is great—if you have pieces lying around—I’ve given to auctions in the past. I also feel it’s the only profession where people expect you to do work for free—people don’t realize that talent is work that you need to be paid for.”

“Early on, when I saw it as a hobby, I kept practicing, and practicing thinking one day I’d be good enough and in those times I would often give work away. In the past. I’ve had to do work on weekends as a single mom, and when I was working other forty-hour-a-week-jobs. The myth of the starving artist is so strong, and it needs to be broken. Getting people to pay what you need is difficult because of the starving artist myth. It’s not cool to be a starving artist these days–you have to be able to make a decent living, even though you love fulfilling your passion but now I have to look at it as a business.”

"Working Hands" ( 16 X 19.375, 1995) displays Lewis’s knowledge of art history in doing work after Albrect Dürer and Dürer’s influence on her life and work.

Tell me why Working Hands is one of the most beloved pieces you’ve done?

Ms. Lewis shows me a picture after Albrect Dürer of his Praying Hands, that she has entitled, Working hands and tells me how Dürer’s story inspired her to draw this piece and to write his story over the art. “Albrect Dürer had an older friend –another struggling artist who roomed with him.”

“Albrect Dürer did these praying hands in a woodcut as a tribute to his roommate’s hands. Albrect Dürer’s older roommate spent his life scrubbing floors in a restaurant to support Dürer and got a job until Dürer made enough money to support them both with his woodcuts that finally sold years later. Dürer told his roommate he could go do his art now, but both his hands were so shot—his roommate couldn’t hold a paint brush anymore due to the pain. One night Dürer saw his roommate praying when he came home, and Dürer said he’d paint those hands to show that toil and work for others—the sacrifice his roommate made for him. God honored Albrect Dürer and the man who toiled for him.”

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?

“Be committed to the piece. Give yourself time and patience, and try not to get discouraged. Just keep doing it, because you’re going to be further reaching your goal just pressing on. It takes a lifetime and you can’t do it with just a few pieces. When you get forty or fifty pieces in a room—that’s when you can tell an artist’s quality and workman style. And seeing your work in a collection—seeing my work in a collection gave me, for the first time, an appreciation of my work. Usually, you’re just so focused on one piece. It’s the feeling and emotion that’s there in the room. Get to that point, and feel [it].”

What are your hobbies or life outside of art?

“There’s nothing much outside of art, spirituality, and God. But, I like to read about quantum physics—atoms popping in and out—where do they go when they pop out, and pop back in? If you break matter down, you’ve got nothing—where does matter start? It all comes down to spirituality. I think there’s a spiritual lesson in everything. God is literally in the details.”

Of her early works, Lewis said that Jaime and Baby Lucy was one of her first portraits. Dormitory Window was one of Lewis’s first pieces drawn at APSU of two college students looking out a Sevier Hall window. In 1984-85 she had the prints shrink-wrapped and placed in the APSU bookstore. Local street scenes that Lewis has vividly rendered include Owen’s Barber Shop, The Roxy, Ely Feed Co. and Uneeda Biscuits.

"Portrait of Alexis" (17 X 17, 1996) shows a young girl and her pet dog sitting on the steps as she enjoys reading her book.

A volunteer, Lewis is a member of the Downtown Artist’s Co-op, which helps promote the arts in the community. Of her current exhibit at Hodgepodge, Lewis said, “Paige King has been very, very helpful in helping me show my work since I’ve returned to Clarksville.” Lewis has portraits in homes that range from factory workers’ homes to mansions of high stature, and covers a vast client range and all income levels. Subject matter in Lewis’s works ranges from pets, animals, children, people, and famous figures to street scenes, and landscapes.

When asked about her portrait and art work commissions, Lewis said, “I want people to understand I can do a portrait of anyone—as individual in character as the subjects themselves. By that I mean not just a stately business man or woman, but portraits of teenagers, or young adults. Portraits always last forever, and the older they get, the better. Photographs fade and the clothes seem dated by time. Unlike photographs, portraits have a timeless presence and they get handed down from one generation after another. People have hunted me down to do portraits. I can try to meet anybody’s price range.”

If inquiring about a commission, call Judy Lewis for an appointment at (717)-357-7526 to visit her at her studio on Excel Rd., off Madison St. Lewis is open to inquiries for a wide variety of other subjects in various media.

After speaking with Ms. Lewis, I felt like I was just beginning to scratch the surface of a deep pool. Judy Lewis’s current work can be seen in Rogate’s Boutique and in her two person show with Reisa Peters at Hodgepodge through the 3^rd of September. Lewis will also have a booth at the Frolic on Franklin Street event in downtown Clarksville on September 20th.

Current Exhibits:

Rogate’s Boutique

Phone : (931) 645-3526

115 Franklin St
Clarksville, TN 37040

Hodgepodge

Phone : (931) 647-0444

Upstairs Gallery; Thru Sept. 3^rd

125 Franklin St
Clarksville, TN 37040

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