Cup(s) of the Day #106
Watercolor on used paper coffee cups
By Gwyneth Leech
I had been invited to send a large number of cup drawings for the exhibition, Luxuriant Refuse at the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts on the outskirts of Houston, Texas. With the floor plan of the Pearl in hand, I had designed and hung an
installation of hundreds of cups in my studio which, when transposed the
museum, would run for 32 feet along a glass wall at the entrance to the
main gallery. This task proved to be a Chinese puzzle in my much smaller
space, but I succeeded at last, carefully mapping the installation and
labeling every string of cups.
Prepping the installation in the studio
May, 2012
I was a assured that the sun was beating down and temperatures soaring into the mid 90's on these early days of summer. So I spent a long time carefully packing the cups, interleaving each one with stick-proof paper.
This is what I now know - 655 individual artworks is a lot of to handle, photograph and catalogue before sending off into the world, not to mention the time required to bubble wrap and pack them for shipping.
How disarmingly compact and small were the final boxes! I felt an anxious tug at the heart strings as the Fedex man stacked them effortlessly on his dolly and wheeled them out the studio door.
655 cups ready to ship to Texas
A few weeks later, There I was in Spring, Texas myself, actually stepping into the Pearl. I had come to be on hand for several community events and to attend the reception for the show. Directly inside, to my delight and relief, was the completed installation very much as I had envisioned it, the 80 strings hung from 80 cup hooks as per my map. It looked right at home as part of this show of nine artists, all of whom use trash as a medium to make extravagant works of art. I my next post, I will provide a full tour.
Gwyneth Leech: the Cup Drawings #1 - #655
through the glass wall of the main gallery
Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Art
Spring, Texas
In the meantime, here are a few of the shots of the cups in situ at the Pearl, where they will remain until August 5th.
Gwyneth Leech: the Cup Drawings #1 - #655
Main gallery, view looking East
Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Art
Gwyneth Leech: the Cup Drawings #1 - #655
Close up, Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Art
May 19 - August 5, 2012
MAIN GALLERY & REBECCA COLE GALLERY
The Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts presents the exhibition Luxuriant Refuse curated by Melissa Grobmyer of MKG Art Management.
Artists in the exhibition choose detritus as a medium, exploring ideas
about consumption, creativity, and transformation. Artists include
Adela Andea, Johnston Foster, Alison Foshee, Sarah Frost, Gwyneth
Leech, Shawne Major, Aurora Robson, Betsabeé Romero, and Paul Villinski.
6815 Cypresswood Drive
Spring, TX 77379
281.376.6322, fax 281.376.2944
For directions, hours and events click here.
This looks wonderful! I plan to visit the display later this week.
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