The Captiviting Armor of John Petrey at the Tennessee Valley Art Museum

Genevieve by John Petrey

Tennessee and Alabama have some wonderful art museums- some large and well known, others small and tucked away.  I am amazed at the quality of exhibits some of the smaller art museums have.

The other Sunday afternoon a friend and I went to the Tennessee Valley Art Museum in Tuscumbia, Alabama.  I had gotten an postcard announcing a new exhibit and it seemed to fantastic to pass up.  We were fortunate to be there when the  Stephanie Qualls, the Curator of Exhibitions was working.  She gave us a wonderful tour with interesting facts about the artist and his work.

John Petrey, a Chattanooga artist, works in found and repurposed materials to create fabulous sculptured metal dresses.  Genevieve is a stunning dress made from copper that for the bottom and train is cut into leaves with a red patina.  The copper shows through the patina looking like veins in the leaves.

Carina is a dress made from aged steel rod, wire and vintage ceiling tiles.  The dress is 54"x33"x12" that hangs from a hanger.  Think Tim Burton movies and you'll get the idea.

There are small dresses some made from bottle caps, others from the nails with the plastic disks that roofers use to nail on the tar paper.  Lainey is 27" x 15"x 16" and is made from embossed aluminum and red bottle caps.  There was a Japanese feel to this dress but  it also reminded me of Rosie from the Jetsons.  Another one reminded me of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz or one of the Mom's from that certain era of TV when the women of the house where all dress impeccable with peter pan collars and pearls.  However that dress was made from roofing nails with blue discs and metal ovals.

Melissa by John Petrey

Video about John Petrey and his work.

The exhibition, “John Petrey: Captivating Armor,” is open through Friday, May 10. Hours at the museum, 511 N. Water St., Tuscumbia, are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 1-3 p.m. Sundays. Admission to the exhibition is $5 adults, $3 students, free to museum members and free on Sundays.

Artwork in this post is the copyright of John Petrey.

Robert A. Johnson- On Becoming a Painter

In case you haven't figured it out, I'm a book-aholic.  Its been pointed out to me that all chairs in my house (with the exception of the kitchen chairs- sometimes!) have a pile of books and magazines next to them.  Never want to be to far from reading material and never have enough time to read as much as I would like.

Today I want to highlight an art book that is both a book for an artist in terms of philosophy and a book for anyone who enjoys looking at beautiful art.  The book is Robert A. Johnson's On Becoming a Painter.

Robert A. Johnson is a member of the Oil Painters of American and Allied Artists of American.  He has won numerous awards and is represented by several galleries.  He has the credentials to talk about art philosophy. The book is 222 pages with 100 color images- several of them close up of brush strokes in larger paintings.   As with most books full of luscious color images it is not inexpensive.  The copyright is 2001. The forward is written by Senator John Warner of Virginia who has been one of Johnson's students.

The book is available on Amazon.  It may be available from your local library or art organization.  I have my art book collection out on Goodreads and if you live in or around Huntsville I'll be glad to loan an art book to you.

Pansies by Robert A. Johnson

14"x 18" oil painting

"While painting the vibrant, colorful pansies can be a delight- as this was- the real power of the painting comes from the high value contrast and the wide range of edges from completely lost to razor sharp."

 In this book Johnson asks and answers what is takes to become a painter like those whose works hang in Museums and whose works stand the test of time.  In his quest to become one of these type painters he is following the path of the old Masters- Vermeer, Rembrandt, etc.  To aid in this goal, he has become a copyist at one of the Washington D.C. museums.

The extreme close-ups of some of his brush work highlight how even representation art is made up of abstract shapes.

At the same time I watched "In the Studio with Robert A. Johnson- Azaleas and Oranges".  The DVD is produced by Liliedahl Video Productions.  The Liliedahl videos I have watched have been consistently high quality with good lighting, close up shots, etc.  The video is geared to artists as it takes a painting from start to finish.

Azaleas & Oranges

by Robert A. Johnson

Video Copyright 2007

Troy Crisswell - Artist of the month

Every month I am going to feature an artist whose work inspires me.  I want to learn their stories and share them with you.

The artist featured this month is Troy Crisswell-  all of the art work feature in this post is his.  In 2010 I had the pleasure of taking a workshop he taught at the Huntsville Art League.  That's when I first tried the two color value portraits featured in my last post.

I don't have one of his originals yet but I do have a copy of his book- "Thoughts on Painting".  Both the art and philosophy are very interesting.

"Self-Portrait" by Troy Crisswell

 How did you get started painting?

I first started like most people as a kid with crayons, then started again at about 10 or 12 drawing strange and hideous faces and heads with pen and ink, moved on to painting and peaked out at 18 or 19. I started again at age 26 for real, teaching myself how to do things “right”. Now, at 60,  I know there is no “right”….

What inspires you?

Mostly figures, but not necessarily.

by Troy Crisswell

Describe your techniques, favorite paint color,  and/or favorite thing in your studio.

Well, now the techniques are in my book, plus, there ever-changing…not very helpful, huh? No favorite colors – monochrome is as good as anything to me. No favorite “thing” either, but I would like a natural human skull if anybody out there has one to get rid of.

What’s the one thing you wished you know starting out or had learned sooner?  It’s the same thing – everybody is taught by parents, school and society that there is a right way to do things – anything…that’s garbage folks.

 If you could spend the day with any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

None, really – I would probably get on their nerves, and they on mine…I admire many artists work, but not always their different quirks and personalities – mine included.

The question that is usually expensive for me- What is your favorite art book or DVD and why?

Once again – I own many art books , but no favorites – I wouldn’t lock myself into such a thing…I do like certain painters though – Rembrandt, Manet, DeChirio, Picasso/Braque Cubism, Dali, Maxfield Parrish, Winslow Homer, Hopper, and certain illustrators of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

Where can we see your art- galleries, website, etc.? 

 www.troycrisswell.com  

In Huntsville, I’ll be at Monte Sano Art Show in September – bring any wealthy art collector friends along.

(He also teaches a weekly class at Alabama Art Supply in Birmingham)

Check out his music video at 

Troy Crisswell

Anything else you want to share?

 Well, plenty….watch for the next book.

by Troy Crisswell