Critique Over an Art Gallery

The art gallery I chose is called the Silo gallery, it is the largest purpose built in central Texas. It features 3D sculptures and different art forms by a dozen of brilliant artists. The Silo gallery was built by Ralph and Jean Petley in 1985. Chester John and Elissa Beach then bought the Silo in 2004. Ten years later they moved into a different building and had a grand opening November 18th, 2014. Most people who aren’t into art haven’t heard of this place and a lot don’t seem to show interest in visiting but after researching tons different galleries and exhibits I was most intrigued by this one. The Silo gallery is about 20 minutes from where I live. I decided to ask my friend if she was interested in visiting an art gallery with me and she excitedly agreed. I was surprised because I personally wouldn’t go to an art exhibit on my free time if I didn’t have too.

As I arrived at my destination, I parked my car and walked into the building. Upon walking there, the first thing I noticed was the beautiful waterfall flowing into the koi pond with lily pads. I walk in and scan the room to see what I want to explore first, and I immediately become interested. The first type of art I noticed is the Koi Tranquility on the back wall called the North Shore Poetry by Bobbie McCrea. The painting was three different connected pieces that were hung next to each other, the artist made sure that since it wasn’t one huge painting that they all still flowed together. The painting was a bright blue ocean filled with what it seemed several similar fish. As I looked closer I instantly noticed the differences. Some were blue, orange and red. Some were small, and some were larger than others. The more I examined the picture the more I noticed every detail. The dull seaweed, the lily pads, the plants coming out of the water and the brown bottom of the ocean. Underneath it was a written description on the process of making the shard. A shard is a type of clay formed by hand. The shard has a fitted back with metal loops making it able to hang on a wall. It takes about two to three weeks before the first “bisque” can happen. A bisque is a firing that happens before its abled to be glazed. Artist uses the bisque the same way they use their canvas. The artist will first free hand their work with a pencil then is painted with the glaze. Thus, making the process longer, each glaze must have 3 to 4 coats making sure each layer is completely dry before applying the next one. After the shard is completely dry, they raku fire it. Raku pottery was invented in Kyoto, Japan in the 16th century. The most interesting thing about this piece was learning the process. I would’ve assumed it was just painted and I never would’ve known how tedious it was to create this piece.

As I continue walking around I find another interesting piece of art work that caught my eye. It was a light blue dish with a fish in the middle of it, taking up almost the whole piece. The glass is blue and clear so evidently the fish is swimming in the ocean. The artist made sure to incorporate important details like the bubbles coming out of the fish’s mouth to resemble the ocean being glass. I like that the artist Elissa Beach also resembled her last name into the piece. I began to explore some more and saw something so impressive, they turned their art work into jewelry; there were rings, necklaces and bracelets each one having different designs sculpted in them. I was fascinated and thought of buying a piece, but I knew spending loads of money wasn’t my purpose of being there.Art is everywhere and is viewed differently by everyone. We’re surrounded by art no matter where we go, and the sad part is, we don’t always notice it. If we would take time to admire more art work, we may be able to find more out about ourselves. I’ve been to many different art exhibits, and museums but I never listened to the art. Having to write an essay over the gallery impacted me and lead me to have a different outlook on all the pieces around the world. All art has a meaning behind it whether we know it or not. When you buy from an artist you’re buying much more than just a piece. Someone put their time, hard work and dedication into these creations and I find that very captivating. I didn’t know I’d enjoy going to an art gallery as much as I did and after visiting I noticed something super interesting, something I never quite thought of before. Art can be absolutely anything you want it to be and you can turn anything into art. A picture frame, small dishes, trees, handkerchiefs, etc. These things are all a part of our daily lives. To think art is created by someone’s thoughts and only their hands is super inspiring. I will visit the Silo Gallery again even though the art may be the same, I may be able to discover something I missed when I attended the first time.