Valerie Fowler: Habitats & Pathways
July 18th - August 15th, 2020
Location: 6448 Hwy 290 E., Suite A102, Austin, TX 78723
Gallery Talk and Virtual Walk-Through
Saturday August 8th, 202o ~ at 2:00pm on YouTube (click here for a link and to set a reminder) and other social media ~ Gallery Director and co-founder Troy Campa will visit with artist Valerie Fowler about the exhibit and artworks.
Visit our YouTube Channel to watch short video clips of each artwork in which the artist Valerie Fowler talks about her inspiration.
Limited Edition Exhibit Catalog
This perfect bound soft cover catalog is limited to an edition of 50. Sized 9" x 6", with 48 full color page. Each copy is signed by the artist. Contents include:
Photos of all artworks in the exhibition
Photos of the exhibit installed
Maps of locations inspiring artworks
Artist’s statement
Abbreviated Artist biography
Artist’s CV
Cost of $25.00 each.
Purchase the catalog online HERE or contact the gallery.
IMAGES FROM THE EXHIBIT: scroll through or click an image to enlarge
Habitats and Pathways is Austin based Valerie Fowler’s second solo exhibition of paintings and mixed media artworks at CAMIBAart Gallery. Developed over an eight month period of time, and partly during our recent pandemic lockdown, Valerie set out to create a series that was inspired by her local nature haunts. The artist’s familiarity, derived from her frequent visits to the locations, enabled her to imagine what was percolating below the surface. The resulting artworks are compelling; they portray the inherent beauty of nature, inviting the viewer to look deeper and experience a more expansive understanding of our earthly habitat.
In her signature style Valerie Fowler pulls almost entirely from her memory to document the nature found in South Central Austin, with a healthy sense of place and a gentle touch of abstraction and surrealism.
As we find our daily lives still severely affected by the ongoing pandemic, we believe that visitors presented with the stunning beauty of these artworks will be inspired to reconnect with the natural world around them. Therefore this exhibit has a bonus element - a sort of “treasure map” that identifies the specific locations that gave rise to each artwork. If you live in Austin or are visiting, take this opportunity to use our map and explore the Pathways and Habitats that Valerie frequents. Google maps are on our website HERE or there is print version available for download HERE and in the gallery.
TREASURE MAP
click the image to go to our page featuring location images that inspired each work and Google Map links to find the actual location
Artwork: Retaining Pool at Lady Bird Lake ~ 2020 ~ 14” x 18”
In her own words:
“My artworks portray settings or scenes illustrating states of nature on earth. Through implied narratives I relay my concern and love for our fragile home as I explore the mark we humans make on it. Stories, taken from my own interactions with nature, are integral. Over time I’ve developed personal touchstones and archetypes sourced from my native Texas environment which hint at allegories. Through the unique intensely of my personal vision, I endeavor to communicate themes examining the qualities of beauty in nature, and also, our common mortality”.
About the Artist:
Valerie Fowler grew up in Houston as the daughter of noted Houston sculptor, Bob Fowler (1931-2010). After graduating from the University of Texas with a B.A. in Art, she made Austin her home and has been actively creating and exhibiting artwork for over 30 years. Nature is her chosen subject. Her complex and intricate oil paintings and drawings describe a natural world of extreme beauty and vigor while also conveying nature’s sensitive vulnerability.
Artwork: High Ridge at Onion Creek Metropolitan Park ~ 2020 ~ 60” x 48”
Her past work includes painting murals for Whole Foods Market in Austin, Chicago and Ann Arbor; illustration and layout work for The Texas Observer; illustrations for CD jackets for local musicians, including a fully illustrated, 64 page book that accompanies the CD for “Ivy and the Wicker Suitcase”, a musical project written, recorded and produced by her husband Brian Beattie. In 2016, Fowler held Nature and Other Stories at Austin’s Dougherty Arts Center, a solo exhibit and mid-career retrospective, with artworks spanning 2 decades. Fowler teaches art in her home studio and is also an art instructor at The Contemporary, The Art School at Laguna Gloria. Fowler has exhibited widely in Austin and throughout Texas and is collected nationally.
See more artwork by Valerie Fowler and download her Artist Statement & CV on her artist page here.
This project is sponsored in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the Center for Women and Their Work.
