Journal

Donald G. Longcrier, Artist Journal/Blog

Wooden Fish: Review, The Oklahoman

http://newsok.com/wooden-fish-swims-against-the-tide/article/3897129

Wooden Fish at Mainsite Contemporary Art

Wooden Fish at Mainsite Contemporary Art

Installation View: Untitled (Tape Measures, 1, 2, & 3), Tape measures on wood.

Wooden Fish at Mainsite Contemporary Art

Wooden Fish by Donald Longcrier

The wooden fish is a simple percussion instrument used in some Buddhist traditions to maintain a rhythm while reciting sutras and Buddhist scriptures. Originally a large, carved fish found hanging outside temples along with the bell and gong; it was used to call monks to their assigned duties. The fish in Buddhist tradition never sleeps and therefore symbolizes wakefulness.

My work springs from a longtime interest in the contemplative life in both Western and Eastern traditions. I work with materials that are familiar to me: rope, wood, beeswax, carpenter’s tools, and fishing tackle. Individual pieces are quiet. Objects are presented in the simplest possible way, without embellishment or decoration.

Wooden Fish at Mainsite Installation

Wooden Fish by Donald G. Longcrier opens at Mainsite Contemprorary Art in Norman, Oklahoma on Friday, October 11. The exhibition runs through November, 9.

Opening Reception: Friday, October 11, 6:00 - 10:00 pm.

Artist's Talk: Thursday, November 7, 7:00 pm.

Closing Reception: Friday, November 8, 6:00 - 10:00 pm.

Installing Untitled (Whitehall Skiff)

Art Now 2013 at City Arts Center

Art Now 2013

City Arts Center

GALA EVENT: January 25, 2013

Exhibition dates: January 21 – February 8, 2013
Curator Talk: January 28, 6:00pm

Untitled (Chalk Box), 60" H. x 60" W. x 6.5"D., Acrylic and encaustic on wood with objects

Art Now 2013

City Arts Center

"Art Now is the contemporary art exhibition for Oklahoma, showcasing work by the state’s top artists. City Arts Center’s premier fundraising event, Art Now has impressed audiences for more than two decades

2013 Guest Curator: Louise Siddons

Assistant Professor and Curator of Collections at Oklahoma State University, Siddons is an art historian specializing in American art and the visual culture of modernity. She received her Ph.D. in Art History from Stanford University in 2005 and joined the OSU faculty in 2009. Before coming to Oklahoma State, Siddons was a visiting assistant professor and adjunct curator at Michigan State University and the Kresge Art Museum for two years. Prior to that, she was an assistant curator of works on paper at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco for several years. Siddons continues to have a museological role at OSU, where she is curator of an art collection that has particular strengths in twentieth-century and contemporary American art. She is currently involved in the planning process for a new museum of art at the university."

http://cityartscenter.org/Web_v2/events/cafe-city-arts/

Untitled (Chalk Line), 60" H. x 78"W., Acrylic and encaustic on wood, Carpenter's chalk

Untitled (Fundamental Principles), 44" H. x 37"W. x 1"D., Acrylic and encaustic on wood with objects

FISH 2012 from Hooked:

Discussion of FISH 2012 from Hooked:One Woman at Sea, Trolling for Truth

http://nerkasalmon.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/fish/

FISH 2012 From the Curator, Cedar Marie

FISH 2012

From the Curator

Cedar Marie

The University of Oklahoma School of Art & Art History and the Lightwell Gallery present FISH, a

multimedia art exhibition that explores a concern for one of the planet’s most diminishing food

resources. The exhibition is on display from Tuesday October 23 through Wednesday November 7,

2012 in the OU School of Art & Art History’s Lightwell Gallery. A free, public reception will be held

on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 6-8 p.m. Coinciding with the exhibition, The School of Art & Art History

welcomes visiting Guggenheim Fellowship artist Ray Troll. Troll will give a public lecture on

October 30 at 10:30 a.m. in the Mary Eddy and Fred Jones Auditorium at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum

of Art.

FISH offers a compelling range of perspectives on the culture of fishing. Interpreted broadly, the

artworks in the exhibition include sculpture, painting, video, and good old-fashioned storytelling,

among other media, from both U.S. and international artists. Oklahoma artist Donald Longcrier

speaks to some of the “American West’s foremost contemporary issues, particularly water and its

management.” His nine-foot wide paintings of native trout act as sentinels in the main entry to the

Fred Jones Art Center. Tim Waldrop and Catherine Reinhardt broaden these environmental and

habitat concerns, addressing topics related to Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Oil

Spill. Dave Beck makes historical connections, referencing Americankitschandpatriotismofthe1960s.Bangkok-based photographer Jane Iverson documents the simplicity and fragility of Asian

fishing culture, while Brooks Dierdorff and Brenda Oelibaum fish the Internet for appropriated

images to deconstruct notions of the trophy.

FISH also comprises artworks that foster community awareness and education. Texas-based artist

Christine Foerster creates interactive installations based on green design. She takes her work to

public schools and universities where they are integrated into the curriculum. The Sitka

Conservation Society in Alaska works to deepen youth understanding of local food resources with

their “Fish to Schools” program, which develops strong connections with local fishermen and the

fishing community, and integrates locally-caught seafood into public school lunches.

FISH recognizes and includes the voices of fishermen, the men and women who risk their lives

daily on the open sea in order to bring a quality food product to the table. In her audio story

Sisterhood, writer and commercial fisherman Tele Aadsen explores what it means to be a woman

“trolling for truth” in a male-dominated field; while Fisher Poet and performer Moe Bowstern

catches—and releases—stories written by the various “species” of fishermen in her arty zines. In

his photograph Ryan Harris Sea Rescue, commercial fisherman and photographer Joel Brady-

Power guides a Coast Guard rescue team in a miraculous save of a nineteen-year old fisherman.

Visiting Guggenheim Fellowship artist Ray Troll’s quirky images based on the latest scientific

discoveries bring a street-smart sensibility to the worlds of ichthyology & paleontology. His

drawings and paintings are also a delightful commentary on the fishy behavior of humans. The

author and illustrator of nine books and lead band member of the Ratfish Wranglers, his unique

blend of art and science has reached a wide audience in major shows at the California Academy of

Sciences in San Francisco, the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, and the Denver Museum of

Nature and Science. He has been awarded a Gold Medal for Distinction in the Natural History Arts

by the Academy of Natural Sciences, and is the art director for the Miami Museum of Science’s

Amazon Voyage traveling exhibit. Sharkabet: a Sea of Sharks from A to Z, and a new exhibition

based on his book Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway–written in collaboration with Dr. Kirk Johnson–is

currently on tour.

Taking a stream to plate approach, FISH offers the public an opportunity to consider how we tend to

our relationships with the food we grow, harvest, and consume.

The University of Oklahoma’s School of Art and Art History is located in the Fred Jones Art Center

(FJC), 520 Parrington Oval, in the OU Arts District. The Lightwell Gallery is located on the second

floor and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and closed on holidays and

weekends.

For special accommodations call 405.325.2691 or email art@ou.edu.

From the Curator Cedar Marie

FISH 2012 Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Cedar Marie, cmarie@ou.edu

CONTACT: Jessica Upson, jess@ou.edu

OU School of Art & Art History

(405) 325-2691

OU Art Exhibition Offers Glimpse into the Culture of Fishing

NORMAN, OKLA. (October 12, 2012) – The University of Oklahoma School of Art & Art History and the Lightwell Gallery present FISH, a multimedia art exhibition curated by OU professor and artist Cedar Marie. The exhibition explores a concern for one of the planet’s most diminishing food resources and includes sculpture, photography, video, and painting from U.S. and international artists.

“FISH offers the public an opportunity to consider how we tend to our relationships with the food we grow, harvest, and consume,” said Cedar Marie. Artwork represented in this exhibition includes pieces from Bangkok-based photographer Jane Iverson, whose work documents the simplicity and fragility of Asian fishing culture, and Texas-based artist Christine Foerster who creates interactive installations based on green design. Other artists address Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, American kitsch, and patriotism.

Coinciding with the exhibit, The School of Art & Art History welcomes visiting artist and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Ray Troll. Troll will give a public lecture on October 30 at 10:30 a.m. in the Mary Eddy and Fred Jones Auditorium at the red Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

Ray Troll bases his quirky aquatic images on the latest scientific discoveries and brings a street-smart sensibility to the worlds of ichthyology & paleontology. “His paintings and drawings are also a delightful commentary on the fishy behavior of humans,” said Cedar Marie. His unique blend of art and science has reached a wide range of audiences in major shows at the Smithsonian, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Troll received a Gold Medal for Distinction in the Natural History Arts by the Academy of Natural Sciences, and is the art director for the Miami Museum of Science’s Amazon Voyage traveling exhibit. An exhibition based on his book “Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway”–written in collaboration with Dr. Kirk Johnson–is currently on tour.

FISH is on display from Tuesday October 23 through Wednesday November 7, 2012 in the OU School of Art & Art History’s Lightwell Gallery. A free, public reception will be held on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 6-8 p.m., with locally sourced, sustainable and seasonal food donated by LOCAL of Norman, Oklahoma, and fish hors d’oeuves prepared by Pepe Delgaldos.

The university of Oklahoma’s School of Art & Art History is located in the Fred Jones Art Center (FJC), 520 Parrington Oval, in the OU Arts District. The Lightwell Gallery is located on the second floor and is open from 8 a.m-5 p.m., Monday through Friday and is closed on holidays and weekends. For more information on the University of Oklahoma School of Art & Art History please visit art.ou.edu.

For special accommodations call 405.325.2691 or email art@ou.edu.

###

Preparing Native Trout Paintings for FISH 2012

Preparing two of the Native Trout paintings for the upcoming FISH 2012 Exhibition to be held in the Lightwell Gallery at the University of Oklahoma. FISH will run October 23 through November 7, 2012.

The paintings to be exhibited will be Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi and Apache Trout, Oncorhynchus gilae apache. The paintings are acrylic and encaustic on wood panels and measure 54" H x 108" W.

FISH 2012 International Art Competition

I will be exhibiting two of my large-scale Native Trout paintings in the upcoming FISH 2012 International Art Competition Exhibition to be held in the Lightwell Gallery in the University of Oklahoma School of Art and Art History. The Exhibition will run from October 23 through November 7, 2012.

Apache Trout, Oncorhynchus gilae apache, Acrylic and encaustic on wood,

Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, Acrylic and encaustic on wood,

FISH 2012 International Art Competition

Exhibition: 23 Oct - 7 Nov 2012

The University of Oklahoma School of Art & Art History will host FISH 2012 International Art Competition in the Lightwell Gallery from October 23 to November 7, 2012. The exhibition will feature "artists who focus on themes that relate to the culture of fishing". According to the exhibition prospectus, the exhibition will explore a "broad range of interpretations...such as fishing as an economic lifestyle, the process of fishing, work and gender issues, conservation & politics, environmental habitats & sustainability, food quality & safety, fishing for subsistence, fisheries collapse, & community education."

Donald G. Longcrier to serve as Awards of Excellence Judge at 2012 Arts Festival Oklahoma

Oklahoma City University School of Visual Arts, Director of the Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery and Adjunct Professor of Art Donald G. Longcrier will serve as an Awards of Excellence Judge at the 2012 Arts Festival Oklahoma.

2012 Arts Festival Oklahoma, September 1-3,
Oklahoma City Community College
http://www.occc.edu/afo/index.html

Native Trout of the American West

Native Trout of the American West or the big fish paintings!

A few years ago, one of my large-scale, encaustic paintings of native trout was installed in the contemporary art section of an exhibition of Western Art. Someone asked me, "What the hell are you doing in an exhibition of Western Art?" I think the answer to that question lies at the heart of the paintings from Native Trout of the American West at the Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery, Norick Art Center at Oklahoma City University in 2007.

These paintings represent a discussion of some of the West's most pressing contemporary issues, the first and foremost of which, will always be water and its management. One cannot speak about the West without discussing public land and private ownership, environmental and economic concerns such as mining and farming arid land.

Golden Trout Creek Golden Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita

Acrylic and encaustic on wood, 54" H. X 108" W., 2007

The native trout species I have chosen to paint were once common to most rivers and streams from the Pacific Ocean to the Rockies, from Mexico to Canada. Now, they number a fraction of their original population and many are only found inhabiting tiny, isolated headwater streams in small areas of their original range. Where some of these fish once grew to legendary size--Lahontan cutthroat trout were reported to reach sixty pounds--many now survive as six to ten inch specimens.

Wild, native trout populations are indicative of the environment in which they live, and reflect the choices we have made and will be making regarding the use of these watersheds. Native trout habitat has been affected by grazing, farming, and irrigation needs. Blocked by dams, spawning runs have ceased. Many native species have been displaced by the introduction of non-native species.

Fortunately, recovery efforts supported by, private organizations, government, and tribal agencies are underway throughout the region.

Coastal Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus

Acrylic and encaustic on wood, 54" H. X 108" W., 2007

A simpler explanation of the paintings might have to do with the fact that research for the work requires me to spend as much time as possible, chasing after wild native fish in remote but beautiful locations. Regrettably, the time spent on research is never enough. But, fishing is all about hope*

Native Trout of the American West, Nona Jeane Hulsey Gallery,

Norick Art Center, Oklahoma City University, Installation view, 2007

Colorado River Cutthroat Trout, Oncorhynchus clarki pleuriticus

Acrylic and encaustic on wood, 54" H. X 108" W., 2007

Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi

Acrylic and encaustic on wood, 54" H. X 108" W., 2007

Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi

Acrylic and encaustic on wood, 54" H. X 108" W., 2007

Native Trout of the American West, Nona Jeane Hulsey Gallery,

Norick Art Center, Oklahoma City University, Installation view, 2007

Apache Trout, Oncorhynchus gilae apache

Acrylic and encaustic on wood, 54" H. X 108" W., 2007

*From: Native Trout of the American West, Donald G. Longcrier, 2007