Michael w. Howes: Life @ Lac Boeuf

oct 3 - 26, 2023

FIRST WEDNESDAY OPENING: oct 4, FROM 6 - 9PM

ARTICULATE ARTIST TALK: SUNDAY, oct 8, AT 4PM.

NORMAL GALLERY HOURS: TUE - SUN, 12PM - 6PM

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Living and teaching in South Louisiana has had a profound effect on Howes’ art. His observation of and concern for the changing culture, vanishing coastline, and endangered wetlands of the area are evident in his work. The flora and fauna of South Louisiana are the sources of the “Irds,” “Rugas,” and “Sects” that populate his drawings and sculptures. Using these creatures of his invention as metaphors, Howes expresses the vulnerability and the uniqueness of the people, animals, and plants of this unique region, highlighting the often unforeseen and unpredictable changes that occur in their surroundings.

In one of his most recent series of works, known as the Lac Boeuf Assemblage Group (the L-BAG drawings and sculptures), Howes uses an array of colored foils, and papers to create collage drawings and employs many different materials including bamboo, wood, fabric, fiber, and resin to create the sculptures. Depictions of the various Irds and Rugas, represent the lighter and darker sides of the Lac Boeuf world. A number of the sculptures are kinetic, using air currents to activate their movement.

These works are a continuation of the thematic struggle of good and evil set within the context of Lac Boeuf, a locale that is both real and imagined. The Irds and Rugas are "stand-ins" for ourselves on the stage of Lac Boeuf. Their actions and pursuits often parallel our own. The refraction of light on the colored foils emphasize different areas within the composition and enhance the overall effect of the collages. The materials and forms of the sculptures have a direct connection with the Lac Boeuf environment.

This exhibition is presented alongside the latest works from Paulo Dufour, James Flynn, and Jacqueline Dee Parker. All works from these artists are on view, free of charge, during regular gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) from Oct 3 - 26, 2023.