Plants Are The New Pets
Revelry Gallery is pleased to showcase artist Norman Spencer for his anticipated solo show, Plants Are The New Pets. Norman has built his printmaking career depicting human/environmental interactions, identity, and his passion for nature. Block printing is deeply rooted in its ability to be used to depict nature with bold lines and detailed mark making. This block print series is based on Norman’s love for his indoor plant collection and the pride he takes in his ability to care for them. Please join us for the opening on February 3rd from 6-9 pm.
As a self taught printmaker working in woodcut and linocut block printing, process is an essential factor for Louisville artist Norman Spencer. Through the act of carving each block, Spencer develops an intimate relationship with his subjects, resulting in compositions that may be reproduced endlessly. No two prints are alike however, and their appearance can differ depending on how they are rolled, how hard they’ve been pressed and how much ink is used. In his newest solo show, Plants Are the New Pets, Spencer demonstrates his passion for his personal collection of indoor plants.
Using a visual language of monochromatic color schemes, which complement the graphic shapes and lines of each print, Spencer is able to attribute mood to non-sentient subject matter. The majority of works in the show are effectively “portraits” of some of his most beloved plants. Each portrait exudes its own personality, which is influenced by the environment the plant dwells in. The care and attention with which Spencer executes his prints is demonstrated in this series, drawing a connection between the process of artmaking and the process of plant care: both require patience, attention to detail, and a delicate hand to produce the best results.
Plants Are the New Pets offers snapshots of plants in everyday domestic environments, highlighting the beauty in the mundane. These portraits not only capture the unique being of each plant, but specific moments in time and place, observed in detail and executed with deft precision.
