Synthesis - Minimalism with Expression (Non-objective Paintings)

I earned a BFA in Sculpture at the University of Alabama in 2004. I started painting seriously in 2004, and my concerns in painting are the same as they were in sculpture. I start with a minimal look, and then tweak it to provide expression. Rothko and Anish Kapoor have influenced my work. I am using color as expression. Many of my canvases are 3D; I like to respond to an actual shape (other than a flat canvas) with paint.

My earlier works are sculptures.  Click on older dates under Archives to access the images.  They include "Red Tide," a monumental sculpture on the campus of UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham), Birmingham, AL.

"Woman in a Bottle" at Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts

"Woman in a Bottle" in situ at Montgomery Art Guild Museum Exhibition.

"Woman in a Bottle" Wins Award in Montgomery Museum of Arts MAG Juried Exhibition 2013

Detail of "Woman in a Bottle"

Acrylic on Shaped Canvas, 5' x 18" x 6"

This painting won the MAGA (Montgomery Art Gallery Association) Award.

Video of Opening Reception of "Bound", NYC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st_sfaSmgtk

Here is a video of the opening reception Feb. 16, 2013 at Phoenix Gallery, NYC, of the exhibition "Bound."

I am standing in the background all in black, talking to my friend with long blonde hair.  My painting "Corinthian White" is shown in closeup (see description below on this blog).

Exhibition "Bound" at Phoenix Gallery, NYC

With my painting "Corinthian White"

Artist Statement (Answer to a Viewer)

In answer to a viewer who said upon viewing "Corinthian White," he "sees 4 nipples and that he doesn't get it" my answer was the following:

Well, the viewer sees what he/she sees. And that is fine. To me, this is a non-objective construction dealing with the questrions "What is a painting?" and "How can I deal with paint in a minimal way but with expression?". I am interested in combining 2D with 3D. My last series dealt with the grid -  very symetrical, as I am interested in geometrical configurations, and now I am going "off the grid." The work is not an answer, but a search. That is the message.

It is my personal preference to look at a non-objective (or abstract) painting and wonder about it and think about it and stretch my mind, and see something different every time I see it - than to see a realistic painting and "get it" right away, never needing to look at it again.   

"Corinthian White" is chosen for exhibition "Bound," Phoenix Gallery, NYC

"Corinthian White", Acrylic on Shaped Canvas, " 24" x 24" x 3", has been chosen for the exhibition "Bound" to be shown at Phoenix Gallery, NY, NY, from Jan. 30 to Feb. 23.  Juror is Cora Rosevear, Associate Curator at MOMA.

"Shape and Color," Martha Hopkins & Sandra Rice, Kentuck Gallery, Tuscaloosa, AL

During November 2012, an Exhibition of Paintings by Martha Hopkins and 

Clay Sculpture by Sandra Rice

Double click on pics to enlarge.

"Off the Grid" Series in Off Whites, Acrylic on Shaped Canvas, 24" x 24" x 3"

""Corinthian White"

"In Your Eyes"

"Hint of Mint"

"Pink Moire"

"Organic Fence," Unglazed Ceramic, 3' x 20' x 3", Installed on Univ. of AL Campus 2004

"Night Sky" (Diptych), Acrylic and Coal Dust on Shaped Canvas, 47" x 34" x 3"

"Contemporary Women Artists" Exhibition, St. Louis Univ. Museum of Art

http://www.wca-stl.org/wca-stl.org/View_catalog_artwork_Purchase_catalog_artwork.html

Look for my painting "Nine" chosen for this exhibition.

"Water, Earth," Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas, 12" x 12"

"Air, Earth," Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas, 30" x 30"

"Fire, Earth," Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas, 36" x 36"

"Flight" (4 Parts), Acrylic on Shaped Canvas, 21" x 21 x 1.5"

F

"Spinner 2," Acrylic on Shaped Canvas on Board, 13"x 13" x 2"

"Diving Board," Acrylic on Shaped Canvas on Board, 14.5" x 13" x 2",

"Four Squares," Found Objects, Acrylic, Ink, and Charcoal on Canvas, 13" x 13" x 1.5"

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Contemporary-Women-Artists-XVI---Longevity.html?soid=1110757552745&aid=egFzlk4Yd5k

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Contemporary-Women-Artists-XVI---Longevity.html?soid=1110757552745&aid=egFzlk4Yd5k

"Nine" Chosen for "Contemporary Women Artists" at St. Louis Univ. Museum of Art

"Contemporary Women Artists" is an international juried exhibition sponsored by Women's Caucus for Art to be held at the St. Louis University Museum of Art at St. Louis, MO, from August 24 to October 15, 2012.  The juror Barbara Buchanan won a Guggenheim Fellowship and has work at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

"One Wire" on Exhibit in Chicago

Here is my small piece "One Wire" (10" x 10" with one wire and 2 tacks) in the exhibition Bare Essentials: Minimalism in the 21st Century" at Woman Made Gallery in December 2011. "One Wire" is a bit dwarfed by surrounding works, but hey, it's surely minimal! Double click to enlarge photo.

Bare Essentials: Minimalism in the 21st Century

My work "One Wire" was chosen to be included in this Chicago exhibition. Click on images to enlarge.

Bare Essentials: Minimalism in the 21st Century

Click here to see this Chicago exhibition that includes my work.
http://womanmade.org/show.html?type=group&gallery=minimalism2011&pic=16

Chosen for Chicago Exhibition: "One Wire," 10" x 10" x 1", Wire and Tacks on Rabbit Skin Glue on Board

Chosen to be exhibited in the 39th Montgomery (AL) Art Guild Museum Exhibition, March 25-May 15, 2011, at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL

"One Wire" was also chosen to be in an international juried exhibition at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, IL, Nov. 4-Dec. 22, 2011, entitled "Bare Essentials: Minimalism in the 21st Century."

"One Wire" was chosen for the Meridian (MS) Museum of Art 2012 Bi-State Art Competition, August 22-October 6.

"Five II," 24" x 24" x 4", Acrylic on Shaped Canvas

"Five," 12" x 14" x 3", Acrylic and Sand on Shaped Canvas

"Floating" (Diptych), 24" x 49" x 4", Acrylic and Sand on Shaped Canvas

"Incomplete," 24" x 24" x 4", Acrylic on Shaped Canvas

"Circular II," 12" x 12" x 3", Acrylic on Shaped Canvas

"Pool," Acrylic on Canvas, 36" x 24" x 2"

"Moving Target II" and "One Wire" at Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts

Click on photo to enlarge.

"Four Wires," Wire, Tacks, and Rabbit Skin Glue on Canvas on Board, 10" x 10" x 1"

"Moving Target II," Acrylic on Shaped Canvas, 48" x 48" x 5"

Chosen to be exhibited in the 39th Montgomery Art Guild Museum Exhibition, March 25-May 15, 2011 at Montgomery Museum of Arts, Montgomery, AL.

"It's a Bird; it's a Plane!," Acrylic on Shaped Canvas, " 20" x 16" x 2",

"Here, Kitty," Acrylic on Shaped Canvas, 24" x 24" x 4"