PAPER. ON IT WE GIVE PHYSICAL PRESENCE TO OUR THOUGHTS. WE COMMUNICATE TO OTHERS ON IT. WE DRAW ON IT. WE PAINT ON IT.
WE SIGN OUR NAMES ON IT.
JAY MCCAFFERTY AND CHRISTOPHER FRENCH BOTH UTILIZE PAPER AS THE PRINCIPAL GROUND, BOTH FORMALLY AND CONCEPTUALLY, FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE WORKS.
WE HAVE ENCLOSED THE EXHIBITION BROCHURE ON JAY MCCAFFERTY’S UPCOMING EXHIBITION FOR YOUR PERUSAL AND FILES; THIS EXHIBITION WILL BE MCCAFFERTY’S FIRST WITH MARK MOORE GALLERY.
CHRISTOPHER FRENCH WILL ALSO BE PRESENTING HIS FIRST EXHIBITION WITH MARK MOORE GALLERY; BASED IN WASHINGTON, D.C., FRENCH
WORKS WITH THE EMBOSSED BRAILLE TEXTS OF GREAT LITERATURE AS A BASE FOR ABSTRACT PAINTING. THIS TACTILE PAINTING SURFACE ALSO ALLOWS FRENCH A MEANS TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN LOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL FORMS OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING.
IN AN EARLIER SERIES OF WORK, FRENCH UTILIZED THE TEXT OF SHAKESPEARE’S KING LEAR AS BOTH A TACTILE AND THEATRICAL GROUND ON WHICH HE INVESTIGATED THE SUBJECTIVE, ARBITRARY
NATURE OF REALITY - AS PERCEIVED BY BOTH THE CHARACTERS DEPICTED AND THE VIEWER.
FOR HIS EXHIBITION WITH MARK MOORE (THE ARTIST’S FIRST WEST COAST SHOWING), THESE THEMES ARE CONTINUED IN THE USE OF LEWIS CARROLL’S THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS AND ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND - A MORE SURREAL AND QUASI-COMIC TOME THAT IS REFLECTED FORMALLY IN FRENCH’S USE OF PATTERN AND COLOR.
CHRISTOPHER FRENCH WAS A 1993 RECIPIENT OF A NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS (NEA) FELLOWSHIP GRANT FOR WORKS ON PAPER.