Joan of Aric

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James Byrd
Joan of Aric
1990

About the Item

James Byrd is an American artist living in San Francisco -- now in his 80s -- who pioneered a "glass on steel" process. This piece is composed of 11 panels. His work is in private collections as well as in the corporate collections of many Fortune 500 companies. James Byrd has come a long way from his first art project -- a cup he made on his first day of school, using a folded sheet of paper to scoop drinking water from a nearby spring. Years later, Byrd is earning national recognition with his art -- gouache works on paper, richly painted in a language of whimsical gesture across fields of color; and enameled steel wall structures of layered melted glass with surfaces like marbles. As a young artist, Byrd was fascinated by the works of the Old Masters. He was drawn to their exquisite execution, with their heroic and spiritual moods emphasized with rich tones. By the time he was 25, Byrd was captivated by deKooning, Pollack, and Kline and their "direct drive" approach to painting. "Although in the years to come I worked my way through a variety of styles and media -- from figurative and abstract painting, to elaborate assemblages, on into lyrical abstraction, and high tech surfaces," Byrd recounts, "I have always revisited the trilogy of my early interests: strong childhood memories of rich color; the magic captured in the surfaces of the paintings of the Old Masters; and the thrill of immediate-approach abstract expressionism." Today, Byrd still defines his painting style as "abstract expressionism," but adds that it "leans toward a color field, with a sense of lyricism." While he never fully knows the final outcome of a piece when he begins, Byrd says that he has a "general idea from the accumulated experiences of past works, and from those experiences, I acknowledge that change is always up for grabs." A balance of structure and spontaneity is the hallmark to Byrd's approach to his work. He describes this balance and his creative process: "It's a disciplined game, in a sense. When I paint, there needs to be enough spontaneity that the work has a vitality of its own, and yet, it also must represent enough of a disciplined, structured language that it will satisfy me aesthetically. Each work reflects an energy, but an energy which cannot be stiff or too calculated." Color and size also play a part in the "energy" of Bryd's works. Byrd paints with colors that have a vibrant intensity.. Although he paints on a flat surface, for such large-scale creations, Byrd repeatedly climbs to the top of an eight-foot stepladder to maintain his perspective as he develops the work in progress. Byrd has exhibited his works in numerous one-man shows throughout the country -- from San Francisco to New York, and from Houston to Chicago. His pieces are included in several museum collections, such as the Brooklyn Museum; the National Collection of Fine Arts in Washington, DC; the Achenbach Foundation of the Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco; and the Plains Art Museum in Minnesota. His creations also are in the collections of countless corporations, including American Express, AT&T Company, Bank of America, Coca Cola Company, Eastman Kodak Company, Hewlett Packard, IBM Corporation, 3M, and Price Waterhouse. "I produce my art mainly out of curiosity," explains Byrd. "Much as a scientist or an inventor might imagine a possibility and then pursue it, I develop a vision and then attempt to make it a reality -- always led by the question: 'What would it look like if.. .?' Most artists who produce enough work over a period of time hope to find a personal way of expressing themselves, a visual language of their own. That language, flowing through a body of work, is a reflection of the artist as a person. The degree to which my art has reached that flow is my accomplishment; the greater perfection of it is my goal.” The piece measures 75”x91”x3”and weighs close to 200 lbs when assembled. It consist of 11 separate panels and a wood mounting frame.

Creator:
James Byrd (American)
Creation Year:
1990
Dimensions:
Height: 91 in (231.14 cm)Width: 75 in (190.5 cm)Depth: 3 in (7.62 cm)
Medium:
Steel,Glass
Movement & Style:
Contemporary
Period:
1990-1999
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Park City, UT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU56932308951