Solo Exhibit in Albany, NY

“The Pump Collection:  21^st Century” and

Selections from the “Barnwood Quilt”

The Rugged and the Fabulous

James Thatcher, of Cobleskill, NY will be displaying rugged constructions and colorful paintings at the Alacrity Frame Workshop and Gallery, 215 Lark Street in downtown Albany, NY.  The exhibit opens Friday evening, July 5^th as part of Albany’s “First Friday” arts and culture event, and will continue to Tuesday, July 30^th, 2013.

Mr. Thatcher moved to upstate New York from North Carolina in 2011.  His art career spans over three decades, with solo exhibits in many galleries and regional art centers including the Washington Project for the Arts in Washington, DC.  His work has been featured in numerous group shows including the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington, DC, the Devos Art Museum in Marquette, MI, and the Budapest Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest, Hungary.

 Mr. Thatcher has also manufactured and marketed high end furniture in Washington, DC and has his woodwork in prestigious collections worldwide, including those of news personality Paula Zahn, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and late Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping, among many others.

The paintings at Alacrity Frame Workshop and Gallery draw from Thatcher’s experience as a graffiti artist.  He spread his iconic symbol of “A Classic Evening Pump” throughout Washington, DC in the early 80’s. 

 

 

Revisiting the subject matter 30 years later on a more domestic scale  (11” x 14” framed), Thatcher uses spray paint on primed paper, rendering various styles of fashionable and fabulous footwear.

 

 

“The Barnwood Quilt” is an ongoing series of constructions made from weathered wood.  Thatcher assembles a central square and then frames it in longer strips of the rustic material.  The seams of all the mitered corners line up when multiple squares are mounted together, creating lines that span entire walls from piece to piece. 

 

 

“These two series are visually very different, but are symbolic of male and female,” Thatcher said.  “Tension and drama exist in their coming together.”  He continued, “The social metaphor of this display is a newly discovered surprise; but these two groups of work share a formal interest in materials and processes”

James Thatcher graduated from the Corcoran College of Art and Design, Washington, DC in 1984; beginning his post-secondary education at the Columbus College of Art and Design, Columbus, OH.