- Robert Lange Studios
- “On Our Plate” by Robert Lange, 1957 and 2013
Everyone’s an artist when they’re six years old and they have a 64-pack of Crayola (with a sharpener on the back). But if they grow up to be a professional, their work tends to come a long way. For its Evolution show, opening this Friday, March 1 from 5-8 p.m., Robert Lange Studios invited its artists to revisit the works of their past — we’re talking everything from childhood crayon scribbles of fish to more recent pieces from the beginning of someone’s career.
- Robert Lange Studios
- “Trust” by Erik Johnson, 1989 and 2013
“We always are interested in the progression of how to make an artist,” gallery director Carri Schwab says. “How does it actually happen? Were you just born with it? Did you start out with some kind of talent or did you just love doodling? There’s all kinds of stories behind all of the very first paintings or drawings that are in the show, and then developing into the artist that we say today.”
The artist’s origin stories are interestingly varied. San Francisco-based Michelle Jader always loved painting fish, butterflies, and birds as a child, “And now, 40 years later, she still is painting things that float and fly,” Schwab says. When Ali Cavanaugh was pregnant and felt her baby kick, she decided to paint what she imagined her unborn child might look like as an adult. Nineteen years later, the new piece is strikingly similar to the premonition. And Nathan Durfee chose a painting he made only seven years ago. With his new piece, he shows how much he’s developed since then as he’s gone from the illustrative world to the fine art realm, growing his approaches to color theory, themes, and composition.
- Robert Lange Studios
- “Citadel, SC” by Fred Jamar, 1957 and 2013
We assume there will be a lot of red dots around before the night is up, and each new owner will get not only the new piece, but the original as well. The First Friday art walk opening will also feature music, wine, and hors d’oeuvres.
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