In the pursuit of excellence, adversity often serves as the catalyst for growth. As the saying goes, "No grit, no pearl." This collection explores the journey of creation, acknowledging discomfort, embracing imperfection and the need for grit. Through transparent glazes, scratched details, and various paint events we see into the layered surfaces like gems. Each piece invites viewers to contemplate the interplay between struggle and triumph, emotion and intellect, darkness and light. Artwork Archive Vault
Sand in the Oyster oil on panel 16” x 20”
Breaking Ground oil on panel 12” x 16”
Daydreaming oil on panel 20” x 16”
String Quartet oil on panel 12” x 12”
On the Edge oil on panel 16” x 12”
Eclipse oil on panel 20” x 16”
Dark Side oil on panel 20” x 16”
Emerald World oil on panel 20” x 16”
Conducting the Wind oil on panel 20” x 16”
Mountain Winds oil on panel 16” x 20”
The Rhinegold oil on panel 12” x 16”
Divining oil on panel 16” x 20”
Making a Pearl oil on panel 20” x 16”
Prolog:
In "Pearl Grit," Duane Bousfield invites us into a world where creativity unfolds like the formation of pearls—born from perseverance and nurtured through dedication. This series, cultivated from 2015 to 2018 in the heart of New York, embodies Bousfield's lifelong commitment to art.
Bousfield's journey into the artistic realm began with an intuitive understanding of his calling, choosing psychology not just as an academic pursuit but as a means to navigate the complexities of an artist's mind. Working as a watchman at Apple Computer provided solitude conducive to honing his craft for 13 years. During this time, he practiced art full-time, studying at night, painting during the day. His canvases, up to 9 feet by 7 feet in size, became stages for exploring the interplay of color, form, and meaning, attracting attention through numerous exhibitions in California and New York City.
Relocating to Brooklyn in 1995 opened new avenues for Bousfield, deepening his engagement with the gallery world. He was hired as a gallery directory at Wally Findlay Gallery in East Hampton in 2001. Moving to Manhattan, he continued as a gallerist on 57th Street and SoHo. Bousfield maintained a focus on his studio practice of more intimate works that grew in depth of surface and stylistic breadth.
The pivotal year of 2015 marked a transformative phase in Bousfield's artistic evolution. His exclusive use of transparent paints on gessoed panels introduced a new dimension of luminosity and texture, with scratches on the surface echoing the voice of his creative process. This period of experimentation brought forth themes of internal struggle and artistic transcendence, celebrating the very act of creation as its own reward.
"Pearl Grit" is not just a collection of paintings but a testament to Duane Bousfield's enduring passion for art—a journey that mirrors the resilience and beauty found within the metaphorical grit of an oyster. Join Bousfield as he unveils these works, each a shimmering testament to the profound and transformative power of creativity.
Pearl Grit
Artist notes: This series grew as a pearl over many years, two blocks from Times Square, NYC, with a sea of humanity rushing by. Each work is built up with multiple layers of oil glazes, scratched through and veiled again in transparent paint to make them glow from within. The overarching concept became a metaphor for the creative process of how an oyster makes a pearl by repeatedly coating an irritant.
Ruminating on the series, and each work, these writings emerged:
Pearls are gems made by an animal like honey from a bee. Art and invention are in the realm of humans. Wrestling perfection is an endurance sport. Grit is experienced as expletives. Practice is enlightenment.
Sand in the Oyster Introduce a need to make. Surrender to the discomfort. Nurturing a project in the private cell of a workshop’s heart may be unattractive from without, but resplendent within. Each attempt refines the blooming opalescent iridescence, attending to a rock.
Breaking Ground Ground breaking – Earth shattering – Paradigm shifting Culminating vision, intention, & preparation on paths our ancestors illuminated. Forces converge at that pivotal moment of certainty to galvanize conviction. Embodying the decision changes what IS into what will become. Succeed or fail, action ignites intention into an inspiration to the future.
Daydreaming Before & after are united as footprints of a story, This is a construction site for a cathedral to the imagination. Encouragement empowers an idealistic child nested atop a pedestal. Moving ideas around mentally, mastery is gained through doing. Youthful adventures conjure a pearl of wisdom for an old sage to recall his life.
String Quartet Golden strings swell carried away into a heavenly blue gushing emotions that harmonize motifs into a web of allusions sufficiently ambiguous to hint at latent meaning.
On the Edge Transforming through action, frequency generates energy. Dancing with infinite possibilities, embodying the future transcends into light
Eclipse Stars shine during the day, eclipsed by the sun. The earth eclipses the sun every night. How we see is as important as what we see. Spectrums of waves inform sensation. Reality is a mystery limited by our perception.
Dark Side The embarrassing underbelly of inner struggle bares its cross. Intestinal fortitude, threatened with eternal darkness talks to truth. There is no testimony without a test. The valley of the shadow of death is where grit is most necessary, harvesting insights to illuminate a road that isn’t there.
Emerald World An emerald’s captivating network of fractures is a garden of imperfections. Conflict in drama keeps us engaged. Fruit is the culminating act of a tree. Importance is interpreted through cultural values. Appreciation is worth more than money.
Conducting the Wind Sailing in the flow-state is a dance with caprice. Controlling life is a symbiotic relationship. Getting upset won’t help. Aligning ideals with plans interrupted. A perfect world balances night and day with grace.
Mountain Winds Winds sharp as glass, the mountain hides a pearl. Attaining excellence is in the pursuit. Defeats temper the victory. Mountain climbing is an art.
The Rhinegold New water, same river. The source reinvents originality. A concerted effort produces luster, heroically delivering a pearl. As long as the treasure stays in the river, there’s no problem.
Divining Divining the future by making it. Weaving plans, habits and opportunities. Past and future align for intention to fulfill itself. Elevating humanity to royalty by virtue of a crown. Light waves particles into crystalline castles for the divine.
Making a Pearl Grit, the heart of a pearl engages the oyster’s sacred purpose consecrating nothing into everything making love as a religious experience midwifing a pearl
Buttons date from 2700BC, yet buttonholes were not in use until 1300 … 4,000 years later. What buttonholes are left to be discovered?