The owner of phd gallery, Philip Hitchcock, methodically creates his own artwork, so the upcoming exhibition devoted to artists thriving on randomness seems out of character.
However, Rebecca Trawick and David Wallace piqued Hitchcock’s interest because, as he says, they “work intuitively.” The pair has been exchanging collages between California and Pennsylvania via U.S. Mail for two years.
The idea was to have a show in the hometown for both artists and then find somewhere in-between. Wallace explained how St. Louis became the spot for their first meeting: “I went on MapQuest and found what was a thousand miles from either of us.”
Wallace originally contacted Trawick simply to send compliments after seeing her work at a Pittsburgh gallery where he was showing the following month. After exchanging emails (emails plus Post-its comprise their communication), they decided to start swapping a dozen 8x10 collages without deadlines to meet or plans to exhibit.
“We actually worked on it for a year and a half before proposing a show,” Wallace said. “One of the very early pieces actually sold, and we could see we were starting to build a sort of language and starting to communicate in a certain way.”
This show, titled “Hand to Hand,” will be the first time the two artists will meet in person. Thumbnail pictures of the collage’s progress on display with the finished pieces will enable phd visitors to witness that language developing in layers of photos, advertisements, and text. Trawick has collected items used in these collages for years; two Christmases ago, her husband gifted her with 1,000 photos he’d found.
“Other people’s memories I can cut up with abandon,” Trawick said. “Sometimes I have to live with something before I give it up.”
While Trawick and Wallace may toy with other people’s memories, Rebecca Eilering, the accompanying exhibit artist at phd, generates art from personal memory in “Lost and Found.”
Maps provide the base in her paintings, and Eilering uses them to tie together elements of her travels as well as her life around St. Louis. “I try to make it relevant to my life,” Eilering said, which explains why most of the maps are Midwestern. Text on the maps is the only form of geographical clue in her paintings.
“I’d been doing all these repetitive squares,” Eilering said, “I think of them as plots of land, plans of subdivisions and cities.” The result is a series of paintings simulating the view from an airplane window.
“Eilering works by herself but deliberately introduces the wild card of the unknown,” Hitchcock said. “She purposefully sets out to get lost in her work and creatively finds her way home through her medium.”
None of the artists showing at phd this fall began their work with specific plans, but do make arrangements to see their work. The disorder created stimulating images, which could be beneficial to anyone stuck in a nine to five rut.
Wallace is also a musician; his group, Squonk Opera, will be performing in St. Louis during its First Night celebration on New Year’s Eve. The exhibition’s opening night reception is Saturday, October 13, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. “Hand to Hand” and “Lost and Found” remain on view until December 1, 2007. Hours are noon to 4:00 p.m., Thurs – Sun. 2300 Cherokee St., 314-664-6644, phdstl.com
