dreams and bones.

Linger Awhile. mixed media on canvas.

Andy Luce’s (visualarmory) solo show Slowly went up tonight at Coop Chicago.

The show celebrates the creative process of the artist as he engages the personal in making. Indeed, Luce creates these works slowly, through the building of many layers.

Watching Luce explain his process, using his hands to motion the way he works with his materials, I have a feel for the deep and tender handling of his works. When some layers have been completed, he revisits and sands the work down, smoothing and working with the piece. It is evident solely in speaking with him that process is inherent to the concept of his art.

Most characteristic of Luce’s work is the signature script he uses.

All in the Detail.(close detail) mixed media on wood.

This script is so present of Luce’s hand that it is unmistakably his. The strokes are his own, smoothly flowing from heavy to delicate. It is a beautiful inclusion of a contemporary style into a very traditional medium.

Not coincidentally, Luce is inspired by the work of Morris Louis and Clifford Still. These men were some of the grandfathers of Abstract Expressionism, a movement that focused on process, color, treatment of materials, and the signature style of the artist. Abstract Expressionism has influenced the trajectory of art for the last 60 years, both in positively and negatively. However, the initial position of the movement existed to encourage artists to create for and of themselves. It’s clear that the color study influences Luce’s style of artmaking.

Nun. 1959. Morris Louis.

November 1954. Clifford Still.

Duane King was referenced by Luce in the creative process. In an excerpt included as artist’s influences, King describes the idea of craft and process. Luce connects to craft, but in the sense of acquired skill, mastership, and strength. Through craftsmanship, we are returned to the idea that “taking your time equal[s] quality.” (King) This is the vision of Slowly.

Craft. silkscreen and letterpress.

History has shown craftsmen to be masters of their practices, creating well-made works that require a fundamental understanding of skill and materials. Slowly celebrates the return to this tradition. Luce’s craftsmanship engages the personal, the humanity in art. The work reflects heavily on the presence of artists’ touch.

Andy Luce’s work is everything I look for in contemporary art. After viewing some previous piecees of his in November ‘10 while we juried an exhibition together, I distinctly thought to myself: “this is the work I have been longing to see in contemporary art.” His treatment of materials results with colors that reach to the very core of my being. Whether it is subdued color, cool tones, or bright warm hues - Luce’s colors reach many deeper levels of each viewer’s personality.

Renewal in Decay. mixed media on wood.

One is inclined to stay with a piece, connecting so deeply that departure is not a desired option. What Luce brings to his artmaking is not only the reconnection to process and personal, but the language that engages the viewer’s mind. The handwriting commands attention but invites viewers to admire and ponder it.

All in the Detail.

After studying and adoring Rothko for years, I joked with my art history colleagues that I must be “broken” for not reaching the spiritual ascension scholars suggested I should. I stood in front of Rothko pieces and thought “boy, I love this, but I’m just not affected.” Later I spent time with Luce’s work and realized the reality scholars were talking about. With soft hues, dripped pigment, layer upon layer of media, and thematic phrases or words, the depth and thought Luce’s pieces featured at Slowly invite a level of contemplation beyond other contemporary artists.

Luce strives to create “work that’s more human,” with “colors that people see all the time, surfaces that people see all the time, and language that makes them think.”

Slowly will be featured at Coop Chicago through April 14, be sure to see the work for yourself.
   845 W. Fulton St, #201, M-F 9-5.