Reviewer: Mark DeWolf-Ott
Venue: Saginaw Art Museum
Opening celebration of the exhibition art from B.B. Winslow of Midland Michigan at the Saginaw Art Museum & Gardens in Saginaw, MI October 17,2024
Shape, Form, and Color: The Building Blocks of Composition and Bruce “B.B.” Winslow: Restlessness in Me.
“I’m as much a musician as I am a painter. The paintings I do – they’re lyrical and melodic. There’s a crescendo and a pianissimo, and I think they are very musical in that way. I am an artist, which is, I think, a very audacious statement. It takes a lot of guts to say that and then live up to it, because bottom line, if you are an artist without a work ethic, forget it.” During the openings remarks Winslow spoke of his depression era work ethic taught to him by his parents. There were about 70 people attending.
“The imagery attempts to interpret my lifelong wonder about the infinity of the sky and my love of cloud forms.” His images have liquid characteristics. They flow. Like jazz, they are improvisational. If you can imagine what music looks like, these paintings are that. There are works ranging from 1978 to 2024. Included is a video showing Bruce’s painting process in his basement studio.
He is also an accomplished musician with a collection of 36 guitars. Winslow is the retired director and curator of Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art.
In Mr. Winslow’s artist’s statement, the viewer is invited into a world of color, form, and texture. This compares to the print show in the second-floor print gallery- Shape, Form, and Color: The Building Blocks of Composition. It’s a linear lesson in contemporary art.
The display of prints is from the Saginaw Art Museums permanent collection and was curated by museum staff member, Ben Champagne. The featured artists are Jasper Johns (pop art), Richard Estes (photo realism), Ellsworth Kelly (color field painting). Also included are works by Joan Miro and Roy Lichtensein. Estes realistic print of a New York City Storefront window looks very much like a photograph. And you can see all these various artists’ works and don’t have to drive to Detroit!
For the first time in a while all three major galleries are full. A third exhibit, New American Visions is a collection of five contemporary Michigan based photographers is in the Morley Gallery. It’s well worth the look while you are there.
Museum hours are Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, Noon to 5pm and Thursday, Noon to 7pm. General admission is $7.00 with discounts for students and seniors. There are no admission fees on Saturdays.
A visit is surely worth your time!