Two Views of the Midwest
BY TYLER FRIEDMAN | JANUARY 2, 2018
*to read this article on the Shepherd Express website please click HERE
Two solo exhibitions opening Jan. 5 at Tory Folliard Gallery find two regional artists meditating on the singular beauty of Midwestern landscapes.
The vaporous earth tones of Rodger Bechtold’s oil on linen canvasses capture with Impressionistic accuracy the many faces of the Midwest and emphasize the ways that edifices such as farmhouses, barns and bridges interact with the landscape. Living and working outside Chicago and in Door County affords Bechtold and his wife, botanical illustrator Glory Bechtold, ample opportunity to appreciate nature’s changing face. “As I See It” collects the painter’s recent work.
The aluminum sculptures of Richard Taylor’s “My Farm” are inspired by the artist’s fascination with the geometric beauty of agricultural organization. Installed on gallery walls, the sculptures are viewed from a bird’s-eye view and recall the experience of flying over the Midwest. Taylor also cites music—in particular the “rhythms, harmonies, syncopations and dissonances of jazz and classical music”—as a central influence on his sculptures, which is evident, for instance, in the repeating patterns of furrowed fields.
“As I See It” and “My Farm” are on display through Feb. 10. An artists’ reception will be held during Gallery Night on Friday, Jan. 19 from 5-9 p.m.