Scratching the Surface
originally published January 24, 2007
Art by Caroline Montague
Backyard Chickens: Caroline Montague and Richard Olsen have work up at Athens Academy in the Myers Gallery until Feb. 16. Montague is exhibiting pastel drawings and sculptures. Her primary subject matter is the backyard chicken, but her history has taken her far from the farm. Montague received her BFA from East Carolina University, and earned her MFA from Instituto Allende in San Miguel d’Allende, Mexico. She also earned a PhD from North Texas University. As a well-known public artist in the 1980s, Montague taught many artists, apprentice-style, in her warehouse studio in Atlanta. She received commissions for numerous large-scale public art projects, including the Marta Brookhaven Station. After 14 years in the mountains, Montague has chosen Athens as her new home, arriving in Clarke County in October of 2005. She still has chickens in her backyard, even here. Montague’s pastel drawings push the medium’s palette towards earth tones. Within each drawing, she shows different views of the chickens. One view is in a highlighted rectangle, giving the composition a focal point, and details of feathers decorate the background, providing an overall texture. Montague’s sculptures feel larger than their actual size. Standing on podiums, the powerful bronze chickens “strut their stuff” with an abstract simplicity, scratching and pecking at the ground while simultaneously lifting upwards. Montague seems to believe that chickens can fly, and has depicted them with just such an aerodynamic quality.
Larger than Life: The intimate size of Montague’s cast bronze sculptures is contrasted by the large canvases of Richard Olsen, also on view in the Myers Gallery at Athens Academy. The most impressive of these paintings is “Wall LXXXII,” from 1992. This painting proves that sometimes bigger is better. With bold lines and a brave palette, Olsen retains an immediately recognizable style, with a philosophy guaranteed to invigorate. He has lived and worked in Athens for over three decades, and inspired many young painters in his capacity as a professor at the Lamar Dodd School of Art before retiring in 2000. His work is featured in prominent collections, such as the Vietnam Veterans Arts Group (VVAG) Collection, and is on display at the Georgia Museum of Art. Athens Academy is located off Hwy. 129 at 1281 Spartan Lane. Call 706-549-9225 for more info.
Wild at the Museum: “Wild Ride: Artistic Lessons of Nature by Eric Strauss” will be on display on the grounds of the University of Georgia’s Performing and Visual Arts Complex, which houses the Georgia Museum of Art, until Apr. 22. The centerpiece of the exhibit is “Roughstock: Dixie, Dot, Chick, Angel, Sun, and Lightning,” six separate sculptures that make up a herd of horses. Strauss’ work is inspired by the environments where he has resided, including dairy farms and a swamp. He studied under Caroline Montague, whose work can be seen at Athens Academy this month, see above. The Georgia Museum of Art is located off East Campus Road, at 90 Carlton St. Call 706-542-GMOA or visit www.uga.edu/gamuseum.
The Real Thing: When I first saw the work of DM Kirwin at The Grit on Prince Avenue, I thought I was looking at the result of a folk anthropologist’s research. I imagined a hip graduate from the University of Virginia traveling to shacks in middle-of-nowhere Alabama to look at murals on the walls of recently deceased savants, watching films like Grits is Plural on Saturday nights, and pouring over volumes of Henry Darger’s paintings in a living room furnished by Ikea. But I was wrong. Kirwin is the real thing, he says so himself. He learned how to paint by watching Bob Ross through the static on PBS stations while living in Alabama, though the artist is originally from Daytona Beach, FL. He moved to Athens from Alabama only five months ago, and has been looking at the work of other folk artists for inspiration. His exhibit at The Grit, titled "Southern Contemporary," is inspired by his time in Athens, an inspiration best seen in his portrait of the members of R.E.M. as Jolly Green Giants. The words “Eat your vegetables” are written across the top. His other imagery includes the General Lee car from the Dukes of Hazzard, Abraham Lincoln with an upside-down head, two paintings of iced tea in long, tall glasses, and a “peace salmon.” The paintings are hung salon-style, stacked in a seemingly random order, with as many painting as can fit, and a petite American flag thrown in for good measure. Kirwin’s painting surfaces are random as well: triangular surfaces, circles, found objects painted to look like windows. Kirwin will have work up at The Grit until Feb. 10. He’s working on pictures of famous people, so keep an eye out for his next show.
Opportunity: Lyndon House Arts Center is accepting entries for the 32nd Juried Exhibition on Thursday, Jan. 25, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday, Jan. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year’s juror, Leslie Przybylek, has served as Curator of Collections and Exhibits at the Fort Smith Museum of History in Ft. Smith, AK and as Curator of Exhibitions for ExhibitsUSA, with the Mid-America Arts Alliance. Call 706-613-3623 for more information. If you just can’t finish your latest masterpiece by that deadline, try this one: the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation will be accepting applications for the annual juried exhibit “Southworks” through Mar. 10. Visit www.ocaf.com or call 706-769-4565.
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