Every year, Wally Workman asks gallery artists to create a portfolio of 10 works on paper. This year, I’ve used the word ‘fig’ (its homonyms and abbreviations) as the conceptual inspiration behind the series.
Recently, I have been looking closely at formal and coincidental similarities between objects that give rise to meaningful connections and concepts. Here, with a variety of media (printmaking, pencil, collage, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, and enamel on pastel card) I’ve searched for and clarified these connections as they arise. Specific subjects include fig leaves, fig wasps, figures from scientific journals, figurines, and figurate numbers. It’s a lighthearted exploration of ten different ways to look at one little word.
The individual pieces are titled (left to right, top to bottom):
1. Fig Leaf and Fig Fruit
2. Figures 1-27
3. Fig Leaf Impressions
4. Figure 194
5. Figurine with Bowl and 7 Up for Scale
6. Figures 1 and 2
7. Figurate Numbers
8. Figs and Other Fruits Growing Against Gravity
9. Fig (bannann fig) (Haitian banana)
10. Fig Wasp Escape Plan
What: Figs, a Portfolio Project
Where: Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX
When: Fall 2021
Ambiance: Greens, Browns, Golds, Reds
