March 22, 2019: Amarillo Museum of Art – Selections from the William Campbell Contemporary Art Gallery

Bill and Pam Campbell of William Campbell Contemporary Art Gallery in Fort Worth, have been a part of the contemporary art scene since 1974, subsequently exhibiting the work of some of the most important artists of the era. The Amarillo Museum of Art is exhibiting the works of a number of those artists, a few of which are noted here, with the show running through March 31.

Bernd Haussmann paints by impulse, connecting to the voice within which becomes a portrayal of mindfulness. Textural layers are revelatory of psychological currents, eternal verities, doubts and questions. “The more information and energy I put into painting, the more it will resonate with the viewer.”

James Marshall maintains that he likes to play with shapes until they morph into something almost recognizable. The firing and glazing process is consistent with the tradition of the American Southwest, making his work both contemporary yet timeless.

Benito Huerta extracts art from art, as shown in Shock and Awe, whose context draws upon Gauguin, but whose layered connotations are both contemporary and apocalyptic.

John Holt Smith was initially inspired by the possibilities deriving from spectroscopy, which quantifies the unique color signature of any form of matter. He works from photos, enlarging a cross section then edits that selection into unique chromatic striations. He then depicts that color sequence on iridescent aluminum panels, a process again that is both traditional and contemporary

That this is such a spectacular exhibition at the Amarillo Museum of Art is a surprise to those who think that contemporary art in this area is the most recent rendering of the plains with cowboys, cattle and windmills. Again, that’s why we assert “Keep Amarillo Artsy! Keep Austin Weird! Keep Lubbock in the Rear View Mirror!!!!”