For Studio Comfort Texas, I select art and artists who respond to and dialogue with the forward momentum of life: the yearning, the connection, the expansion of our humanity. Life positive. Earth positive. Nature positive. Nurture positive. Solution seeking—searching and fumbling as it may be, but hopeful and upward turned. Danville Chadbourne’s sculptures and two-dimensional objects are tactile manifestations of this inward delving and upward reaching life force. His studio process incorporates an endless series of improvisational moments and mirrors his life philosophy—fully present discovery informed by objects, colors, patterns, textures, shapes, forms, experiences and ideas. He often takes what has been tossed aside and reinvents them, to include past forms and ideas he worked with 30 and 40 years ago, rediscovering and introducing them as new expressions. Danville’s forms are a discourse with our child selves, our ancient selves, the playful and mischievous within us. They invite us into a shared mythology that is ancient, humanistic, and universal, forgotten though it may be to our conscious selves. His titles are koans in the form of statements—playful but serious, and tugging at our collective, cellular memory of some ancient primal impulse. I was fortunate enough to meet Danville Chadbourne during the 2016 Biennial SculpTour event in Abilene, Texas. As then Gallery Manager at the Center for Contemporary Arts, I helped produce a compelling solo exhibition of Danville’s work in one of the Center’s five galleries. I was immediately taken in by the sense of “serious play” evoked by his work, his discourse and his presence. When we opened Studio Comfort Texas in 2019, Danville was one of the first artists my then business partner Jeannette MacDougall and I invited to join our new gallery. Danville’s work remains a central focus here, and it brings me great pleasure to highlight his newest this Fall. The New Works of Danville Chadbourne include 2-dimension wall-mounted objects, suspended sculptures, table-top and outdoor sculptures. This is also the first time we are exhibiting a featured artist concurrently at the historic Hotel Giles across the street. This combination of exhibition in a gallery setting and a functioning space offers viewers the opportunity to see his works in situ where they are “lived with.” The juxtaposition of his forms with the 140-year-old architectural gem is a testament to the enduring universal qualities of both. It is an honor to offer this exhibition in the charming destination location of Comfort, Texas, where contemporary art and rich history dialogue with each other, and with visitors, in yet another series of improvisational moments. – Cara Hines, Managing Principal |
STUDIO COMFORT TEXASTexas Art Gallery with a focus on Texas artists and poets Archives
October 2022
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