Valerie Fowler: The Story of the Deer in the Road
September 7th - 28th, 2019
Opening Reception
Saturday September 7th, 2019
6:00pm to 9:00pm with the artist in attendance
A brief Artist Talk will start about 7:00pm
Facebook event link HERE.
Crankie Performances
In conjunction with the exhibit, Valerie Fowler has created a 30-foot long narrative drawing to be “cranked” on a roll and accompanied by live, original music written and performed by Brian Beattie, her husband and long time collaborator. In addition, writer Robin Chotzinoff will present a reading responding to the artwork in the exhibit. There are three free performances however, space is limited so an RSVP is suggested.
Saturday September 14th, 1:00pm
Saturday, September 21st, 6:00pm ALL SEATS ARE FILLED - NO LONGER ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS (There may be standing room on a first come basis)
Thursday, September 26th, 6:00pm ALL SEATS ARE FILLED - NO LONGER ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS (There may be standing room on a first come basis)
Link to all Crankie events on Facebook HERE.
Location
6448 Hwy 290 E., Suite A102, Austin, TX 78723
Images from the exhibit: scroll through and click image to enlarge
CAMIBAart Gallery is pleased to present Valerie Fowler and her exhibit “The Story of the Deer in the Road”. Viewers familiar with Valerie’s artwork will automatically recognize her expressive style, with its bend toward surrealism, and her sense of place, often a romanticized life in Central Texas. Her vision is uniquely personal, yet universal in message. She employs elements from the natural world as allegorical characters to imply storytelling with a mission to inspire contemplation concerning human interaction with our natural world.
The artworks in this exhibit explore Valerie’s personal visions of vulnerability and confrontation with death and threats to human existence in general, manifested in the form of a deer. The animal, ubiquitous in Texas and throughout the U.S., transgresses into human habitat such that its presence is a constant reminder to us that its own natural habitat has shrunk and is continuously being altered. This deer, a female, portrayed in various visions or settings, is, in turns, the protagonist in a story not completely revealed, an omen, or an alter ego to the artist.
Artwork: Threshold Onion Creek Metropolitan Park
Download Valerie Fowler’s Artist Statement & CV here.
In her own words:
Through implied narratives I relay my concern and love for our fragile home as I explore the mark we humans make on it. Stories, taken from my own interactions with nature, are integral. Over time I’ve developed personal touchstones and archetypes sourced from my native Texas environment, which hint at allegories.
Austin Chronicle review of the exhibit
written by Wayne Alan Brenner - click to follow link to the article
Austin Art Talk with Valerie Fowler
Learn more about Valerie and her artwork with this podcast interview from 2018 with Austin Art Talk’s Scott David Gordon.
Artwork: Portal to the Meadow
About the Artist:
Valerie Fowler is a visual artist, a painter and mixed media artist, and most recently, a visual performer. Her past work includes painting murals for Whole Foods Market in Austin, Chicago and Ann Arbor; illustration and layout work for The Texas Observer; illustrations for CD jackets forlocal musicians, including a fully illustrated, 64 page book that accompanies the CD for "Ivy and the Wicker Suitcase", a musical project written, recorded and produced by her husband, and frequent collaborator, Brian Beattie. The "Ivy" project toured the East and West coasts and she and Beattie produced the full stage production for Austin's Stateside at the Paramount Theater in 2014. Fowler teaches art in her home studio and is also an art instructor at The Contemporary, The Art School at Laguna Gloria. Most recently, the Texas Book Festival chose Fowler as their 2018 Festival artist. Her painting Spring, Everything Changes; Fredericksburg, Texasgraced the festival poster and corresponding campaign materials.
About Robin Chotzinoff:
An all-purpose writer of books, songs, skits and odes-while-U-wait, Robin Chotzinoff has been telling stories from stages around Austin for the past decade. She is the author of People With Dirty Hands and four other published books, as well Project Time: the DIY Musical. She works both as a general contractor, helping clients make their construction dreams concrete, and a ghost-writer-for-hire, specializing in burnishing and tightening narrative voices. A long-time supporter and admirer of Valerie Fowler’s art, she is honored and excited to contribute to The Story of the Deer in the Road.
About Brian Beattie:
Brian Beattie, Valerie Fowler's husband and frequent collaborator, is an Austin based musician/songwriter/record producer. He's worked with Bill Callahan, Daniel Johnston, Shearwater, and Okkervil River, among others. He produced K. McCarty's landmark album "Dead Dog's Eyeball- Songs of Daniel Johnston". More information about Brian can be found on his website here.
This project is sponsored in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the Center for Women and Their Work.