Press Release for Drawings by Sculptors -
Sketches, Studies and Experimentations by Sculptors
April 19th - May 24th

For Immediate Release LeQuire Gallery (615) 298-4611 Press Contact: Elizabeth Cave ecave@mindspring.com “DRAWINGS BY SCULPTORS” SKETCHES, STUDIES AND EXPERIMENTATIONS BY SCULPTORS, MIKE ANDREWS, OLEN BRYANT, TED JONES, ALAN LEQUIRE, SCOTT WISE, MURAT KABOULOV AND VICTOR SCHMIDT. April 19th – May 24th 2008 Opening Reception for the Artists Saturday, April 19th 6-8pm Nashville, TN -- On Saturday, April 19th from 6:00-8:00 pm LeQuire Gallery will open Drawings by Sculptors: a series of works on paper by some of middle Tennessee’s most talented sculptors. Although Mike Andrews, Olen Bryant, Ted Jones, Alan LeQuire, Scott Wise and Victor Schmidt are best known as sculptors, drawing is an integral part of their studio practice as artists. This exhibit presents the full scope of the sculptor’s eye examining the cross-pollinating relationship between the drawings and the finished three-dimensional pieces. The exhibit highlights some of Olen Bryant’s line drawings from the 1950’s. They are precursors to the sculpture work he explores for the next 50 years –indicating early on, a deconstruction of his subjects to the barest essentials – a trademark Bryant is well noted for in his sculpture today. Many of Alan LeQuire’s experimentations with quick sketches are also of interest. His pencil sketch of Reclining Man & Woman from 1994 is an idea for a sculpture based on the union of the Roman Sarcophagus and the television set. It is a box, bursting with form and energy, which can be both casket and alter. The ease in which LeQuire creates such uninterrupted lines seems impossible considering the dynamic composition of the drawing, but is totally indicative of the silhouettes and fluid surface textures found throughout his figurative sculptures. Drawings are often directly related to specific sculptures sometimes drafted from the artist’s mind’s eye, sometimes made by undertaking separate rounds of sittings in the studio such as for portraits. There are several related drawings and finished sculptures in this exhibit. Other drawings are obvious experiments, depicting cropped figures or subjects isolated against empty backgrounds. Regardless, the drawings of this exhibit bear evidence to the conception, progression and revisions of the artist and reinforce the finished works of the sculptor. ARTISTS Mike Andrews and Scott Wise both live in Clarksville, TN. Wise studied at the Johnson Atelier in Mercerville, NJ and the Blackheath School of Art in London. Both studied under Olen Bryant at Austin Peay State University. Exhibits include Sofa, Chicago and the Affordable Art Fair in New York, NY as well as TACA Craft Fair in Nashville where Wise was selected “Best in Show” in 2005. Sculpture has been collected from both artists all over the country and has been commissioned by Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, the City of Clarksville, the Nashville Public Library, the Customs House Museum of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University, the Nashville International Airport and the Tennessee Arts Commission. Olen Bryant, Professor Emeritus, Austin Peay State University was professor of art and taught sculpture at the well-known middle Tennessee University from 1964-1991. He was recognized by the state as one of only two recipients for the Distinguished Artist Award, for the 2007 Governor’s Awards in the Arts. Olen Bryant has had an impressive career as a sculptor and an educator. His body of work is remarkable and very consistent, as is his record of exhibitions. Since he received his MFA from Cranbrook in 1954, Olen has created beautiful and unique sculpture in wood and clay. His work has brought him national recognition in the area of fine art, but also in the realm of fine craft. Olen never made a distinction between craft and art, and he shows his work at craft fairs as well as at museums and fine art galleries. He is extremely modest, so it is very hard to find out from him about his awards and honors but they are numerous. He has work in many collections in Tennessee and the Southeast and he has shown regularly in Chicago for several years. Olen’s career as a sculptor might be even more recognized were it not for the many years of teaching and service to his local community. As a member of the Nashville Artists Guild and other organizations, Olen was and he remains an important part of the cultural life of Middle Tennessee. During the 1960’s and 70’s, the Artists Guild brought many artist and exhibits to Nashville. Olen remains active in many of the local artists’ organizations, showing his work in regional group shows. He has always been willing to share his insights and technical expertise with other artists. Customs House Museum and Cultural Center of Clarksville, TN honored Bryant with a retrospective exhibit in the fall of 2007. Murat Kaboulov began drawing when he was five – on pieces of paper, on the sidewalk with chalk; he even once used his mother’s tablecloth as canvas. He went to art school for children in Vladikavkaz, Russia and when he was 15 his art teacher convinced his mother to send him to St. Petersburg (Leningrad). In St. Petersburg Kaboulov entered the art college named for V. Serov. He studied there for five years and after graduating, Murat passed the entrance exams to one of the country’s leading art schools – The Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. His teacher was Professor Evsey Moeseyenko, one of the most famous representatives of “social realism”. His works can be found in many art museums throughout Russia and in private collections all over Europe, as well as Japan, Norway, and Israel and now in the United States. Ted Jones has been teaching printmaking, design, sculpture and photography for over 34 years. He is currently Professor of Art at Fisk University. Jones is originally from New Orleans and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Xavier University. He continued his art training receiving a Masters at Michigan State University and MFA at the University of Montana. His works have been featured in exhibitions at numerous universities and museums throughout the eastern U.S. and can be found in the Museum of African Art, in Washington, D.C., the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, South Central Bell, Louisville, KY and the Tennessee State Museum. His work was also included in American Drawings II, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. LeQuire Gallery was moved to learn of Ted Jones’ choice to donate 50% of his earnings from this exhibit to Fisk University. With respect for the professor’s generous actions, LeQuire Gallery has also decided to donate a percentage of overall sales from this exhibit to Fisk. Alan LeQuire is one of the nation’s premiere sculptors. He has enjoyed more than a two-decade critically acclaimed career capturing the essence of character and real life personalities in his neoclassical figures. His works adorn the walls of institutions like Vanderbilt University, and the Country Music Hall of Fame as well as private collections around the world. His monumental works such as Timothy Demontbrun at Riverfront Park and the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial at the War Memorial Plaza enrich the visual landscape of Nashville. LeQuire’s recreation of Athena Parthenos is the western world’s largest indoor statue and his sculpture of Musica (40-feet tall) is the largest bronze figure group in the United States. Victor Schmidt studied at the Institute Orthodoxe St. Denys in Paris, France. Licence 1982, Maitrise 1989 Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, France 1976-1978 and at the Universite d’ Aix-Marseille in Aix-en-Provence, France. DEUG 1976. He has apprenticeships in metal casting with Sylvain Hairy in Dijon, France and Georges Gay in Paris, France. Schmidt’s experience with metal is as a craftsman, a mechanic, a technician, an instructor, (at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N.Y.) and as a free-lance sculptor. His abstract works, mostly forged in steel, are unique examples of skill and expressionism. MORE INFORMATION Additional information on the Drawings by Sculptors exhibit opening at LeQuire Gallery on April 19th is available by calling the gallery at (615) 298-4611. LeQuire Gallery is located at 4304 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, TN. The gallery is open from 10:00am -3:00pm, Tuesday – Saturday. This exhibit is free and open to the public.

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