Journal

Donald G. Longcrier, Artist Journal/Blog

Fids in my work

Rope, knots and splicing have been important elements in my work from the very earliest stages. Consequently, I have used fids as the tools they were designed for and as sculptural objects within the individual pieces of art.

Feast Day of St. Joseph

In celebration of the Feast Day of St. Joseph, here are a few images from the shop during the building of Untitled (Wooden Fish), 2013.

Facing the Desert and Thomas Merton

Facing the Desert and Thomas Merton

I owe a great deal to Thomas Merton. I chose the title of Facing the Desert, my exhibition at [Artspace] at Untitled, based on the quote from Merton in my artist's statement.

"In The Silent Life, Thomas Merton states that 'the monastic horizon is clearly the horizon of the desert…His [the monk’s] eyes are not turned towards the battlefields in the plain [rather] they gaze out upon the desert…' ”

-Donald G. Longcrier, Facing the Desert, [Artspace] at Untitled2001

Installation View:

Art Now Shine at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center

Art Now Shine opens today at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center and runs through February 7. The Gala event and fundraiser is Friday, January 24.

Here is a peek at one of my small sculptures chosen for the exhibition.

Photography: ©Brett Deering

Article in Art Focus by Laura Reese

Here is a link to OVAC's Art Focus magazine and an article by Laura Reese about Wooden Fish at MAINSITE Contemporary Art in October and November 2013.

http://issuu.com/ovac/docs/artfocus-janfeb14/1

Art Now Shine at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center

Art Now Shine 2014 at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, January 20 - February 7, 2014. Gala event January 24.

I am fortunate to have been chosen to participate in Art Now at Oklahoma Contemporary for the third consecutive year.

"ArtNow is the contemporary art exhibition for Oklahoma, showcasing work by the state’s top artists. This event, Oklahoma Contemporary’s premier fundraiser, has impressed audiences for more than two decades."

"At the gala event, guests will have the opportunity to interact with Oklahoma's most respected artists and purchase their newest works"

Wooden Fish by Donald Longcrier

Installation view: Untitled( Tape Measure, Anvil), Paper, steel, tape measure,

Wooden Fish by Donald Longcrier. Images of the exhibition at Mainsite Contemporary Art have been added to the Gallery page and Exhibitions and Installations page of this website.

Photography by Brett Deering

Wooden Fish at Mainsite Contemporary Art

Untitled (Whitehall Skiff), Wood and rope with objects, 70"H. x 192"L. x 104"D. 2013

Wooden Fish by Donald Longcrier at Mainsite Contemporary Art

Closing Reception and 2nd Friday Art Walk

November 8, 2013 6:00 - 10:00pm

Wooden Fish at Mainsite Contemporary Art

Wooden Fish by Donald Longcrier at Mainsite Contemporary Art

Installation of tape measure pieces at Mainsite Contemporary Art.

I have spent the better part of two years collecting more than 10,000 feet of yellow, cloth carpenter's tape measures. There are four days remaining in my exhibition, "Wooden Fish" at MAINSITE Contemporary Art in Norman. Come by and see what I did with approximately 7500 feet of tape.

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

2nd Friday Art Walk: November 8, 6:00-10:00 pm

Artist Talk at Mainsite Contemporary Art

Wooden Fish by Donald Longcrier

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

Photography courtesy of Mainsite Contemporary Art

Wooden Fish: Installation of Untitled (Whitehall Skiff) at Mainsite Contemporary Art

Wooden Fish: Installation of Untitled (Whitehall Skiff) at Mainsite Contemporary Art

Installation Wooden Fish and final assembly of some of the larger pieces was accomplished with the help of Sandra Longcrier, and Elizabeth and Billy Dyer.

Unloading the base beam for the boat cradle assembly of Untitled (Whitehall Skiff).

Front: Michigan Steel Boat Company 14' Whitehall Skiff

Back: Untitled (Tape Measure 2)

Installation view: Untitled (Whitehall Skiff), Wood and rope with objects,

Wooden Fish: Review, The Oklahoman

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

Wooden Fish: Construction of Untitled (Whitehall Skiff)

Wooden Fish: Construction of Untitled (Whitehall Skiff)

Whitehall Skiff, photograph by Robert Ross

Fourteen foot Whitehall Skiff manufactured by the Michigan Steel Boat Company of Detroit Michigan in the early decades of the twentieth century. The rowboat has a steel skin and was procured in Massachusetts.

Delivery of Michigan Steel Boat Company Whitehall Skiff.

Construction of the boat cradle begins in the studio. Cradle measurements when completed:

70" H. x 192" L. x 104" D.

Construction of the rope net for the boat cradle. The cradle net is woven using manila rope that is 1 1/8" and 1 1/4" in diameter. The end connections are made by splicing the rope using a traditional fid.

The perimeter of the net is made with 1 1/4" five-strand manila rope.

Boat cradle net, approximately 60" x 96".

Wooden Fish: Construction of Tape Measure Pieces

Wooden Fish by Donald Longcrier

Contruction of Untitled (Tape Measure 1,2,3), 108" H. x 108" W. each, Tape measures on wood.

The Tape Measure pieces began with a two year effort to acquire enough yellow, cloth, carpenter's tape measures to accomplish all three pieces. My calculations estimated a need for between 7500' and 10,000' of carpenter's tape. The search required almost two years and yielded more than ten thousand feet of tape.

Tape measures exceeding ten thousand feet in total length

To prepare a surface on which to tack the tapes, panels were constructed of one half inch plywood, 108" x 108" each.

Tape measures were then attached to the panels with half inch nails. The process began at the center of each panel and worked continuously outward until the edge was reached.

The construction of each Tape Measure piece utilizes between 2200 feet to 2500 feet of carpenter's tape. There are approximately eleven to twelve thousand nails per piece.

Installation view: L-R, Untitled (Tape Measure 1,2,3), 108" H. x 108" W. each,

Donald G. Longcrier to serve as Juror for the Paseo Arts District's Container Show

Donald G. Longcrier to serve as Juror for the Paseo Arts District's Container Show

http://www.thepaseo.com/events/container_show/container_show.html

the Paseo Arts District

CONTAINER SHOW
THE 2013 CONTAINER SHOW

BACKGROUND AND THEME:
Originally inspired by artist Michi Susan, this juried exhibition challenges artists to create a mixed media, three-dimensional work of art that can be described as a container. Michi Susan remains a generous sponsor of this show each year.

JUROR: Donald G. Longcrier produces paintings and sculpture in a variety of scales and materials. He has exhibited work in Colorado, Missouri, Texas, and Oklahoma. His work is in numerous private collections. Longcrier holds Master of Fine Arts (1994) and Bachelor of Science in zoology (1979) degrees from the University of Oklahoma. In 1995, Donald Longcrier recieved the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Artist Award of Excellence Fellowship for outstanding creative work.

Donald Longcrier is the Director of the Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery and Adjunct Professor of Art at Oklahoma City University. He has taught sculpture, painting, drawing, and design classes at the University of Oklahoma. Don Longcrier lives in Norman, Oklahoma with his wife and two daughters.

Wooden Fish at Mainsite Contemporary Art

Wooden Fish by Donald Longcrier at Mainsite Contemporary Art

http://www.normanarts.org/2013/10/oklahoma-artist-donald-longcrier-presents-new-large-scale-works-at-mainsite-contemporary-art/

Oklahoma Artist Donald Longcrier Presents New, Large-Scale Works at MAINSITE Contemporary Art

Posted on October 9, 2013

Longtime Oklahoma art fixture Donald Longcrier stays busy as Director of the Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery and as an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City University, but when it comes to his art, he likes to keep the peace.

“My work springs from a longtime interest in the contemplative life in both Western and Eastern traditions,” Longcrier said. “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. The results are intended to be humble and contemplative.”

Wooden Fish is just that, a tranquil collection of new, large-scale works that opens to the public on Friday, October 11 with a reception from 6 to 10 p.m.

The pieces vary in media and scope, ranging from the massive, vaguely hypnotic wall pieces composed of thousands of feet of measuring tape to the Wooden Fish itself.

The wooden fish is a simple percussion instrument used in some Buddhist traditions to maintain a rhythm while reciting sutras and Buddhist scriptures,” Longcrier said. “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.”

Longcrier is joined by Norman Arts Council Individual Artist Award winner and printmaker Barbara Ryan, whose exhibit Play Is Practice will be on display in The Library gallery.

The Water Closet Gallery will house prints from Estonian artists, collected and curated by Norman printmaker Laura Reese.

The opening reception will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, October 11 at MAINSITE Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main, Norman, Okla. in conjunction with October’s 2nd Friday Circuit of Art. The exhibit will run through Saturday, November 9 with a closing reception schedule from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, November 8.

MAINSITE Contemporary Art is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Visit mainsite-art.com for more information on the gallery.

For more information on Longcrier, visit donaldglongcrier.com.

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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)