March 4 - 30, 2023
From Archway Gallery:
“Archway Gallery presents No Matter What, Keep the Hand Moving, featuring new works by donna e perkins, on view March 4 – 30, 2023. The artist will be available to visit with guests during the opening reception on Saturday, March 4, from 5 – 8 p.m., with an Artist Talk at 6:30 p.m.
“No matter what, keep the hand moving” is the mantra donna e perkins has lived by these past three years. It has helped her cope with the fear and isolation of the pandemic, the chaos of moving to a new studio/apartment, and unexpected health challenges. Now with her health stabilized, her studio/living area arranged, all the COVID shots taken (and a case of COVID too), perkins is thrilled to be out in the world seeing people, shows and performances.
During the lockdown, perkins found that she had a number of small watercolor blocks. These are pads of watercolor paper with edges glued so the papers stay flat while being painted. Perkins added watercolor to these papers, then, using a pen, she mindlessly outlined the fluid lines formed as the rivulets of color dried. In stir-crazy fits, while she sat streaming TV and movies, perkins covered these little watercolors with lots and lots of obsessive, agitated lines. After her move, perkins’s artist neighbor would join her to watch the evening news. He drew in his sketchbook while she made her agitated lines. They dubbed these evening TV drawing sessions “news and booze” as wine was involved. They watched the nightly reporting of COVID deaths and threat levels, the storming of the Capitol, the January 6th Congressional Hearings, bitter political advertisements, and the frightful invasion of Ukraine by the Russians. It was not a happy news time. Collecting her little drawings, perkins found she had over 175 of them.
As Iife improved and she settled into her new spacious studio, perkins began using larger watercolor paper and returned to oil painting. She finished some canvases she had started in her old studio and began some new work. Perkins feels that these oil paintings show, in some way, the stress of the times.
By sharing these works and the tale of their origins, perkins seeks to remind the viewer that everyone has been affected by the traumatic events of the last three years. She hopes that viewers can see their way to granting grace, both to themselves, and to their fellow humans. We have shared stressful and tragic events.
Choreographer jhon r. stronks offers dance performances on March 10th, 11th, 17th, and 18th. Stronks and perkins have been collaborating since 2009. “I have found a space within the collaboration between donna and myself, that allows me to completely open in the direction of my becoming and developing my artistry/humanity,” stronks explains. “The space we inhabit together is wide and filled with curiosities that lead me in and out of a lifetime of memories, moments, and fantasies. These years spent in collaboration have manifested a world of its own. A world that shimmers and vibrates through all the grit and grime that currently surrounds us.”
ABOUT ARCHWAY GALLERY Artist owned and operated since 1976. Archway Gallery, one of Houston’s, and the nation’s, oldest artist-owned and operated galleries, is located at 2305 Dunlavy and is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m. Since 1976, Archway Gallery has been exhibiting the work of the area’s finest artists, providing a great selection of affordable, high quality art including sculpture, pottery, and painting in a variety of media and styles. One of the more than 30 member artists is always on site, providing visitors a unique opportunity to meet the artists who created the work, offering a personal insight into the process. Each month features a special exhibition highlighting member artist(s). The public is invited to the monthly opening receptions that celebrate the new installations and work, usually held the first Saturday of each month from 5 – 8 p.m. In addition to monthly exhibitions, Archway also hosts a variety of demonstrations and monthly readings for local writers and authors, as well as a “Tea and Tour” program, providing visitors with a free artist-led tour of the current exhibition, followed by tea and refreshments. With 30 artist-members, Archway Gallery is THE destination in the Houston area for affordable art directly from the artist. For more information, visit ArchwayGallery.com or call 713.522.2409. Like Archway Gallery on Facebook.”
Reception: March 4, 2023 | 5–8 pm
2305-A Dunlavy
Houston, 77006 TX
(713) 522-2409
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