For a new solo show at InSight Gallery, Duke Beardsley has used old Western book pages as the foundation for his new paintings. Then he simply paints on top of the pages, creating a dynamic bridge from the past to the present.
West Swung the Valley, mixed media on pulp Western book pages on canvas, 18 x 48 in.
These new works—many of them with pages from Louis L’Amour books— are similar to ledger works by Native American artists, as well as other cowboy artists who are using old documents as their canvas. Like those artists, Beardsley is using the pages to recontextualize one form of art with another. “I’m not trying to desecrate or defile Louis L’Amour’s memory at all. This is the highest praise I can pay him,” he says. “I look at what Teal Blake is doing with his ledger works and those pieces have someone’s handwriting on them. But he just paints right on top of it. It’s pretty cool.”
Ficticios, 2409, mixed media on pulp Western book page collage on panel, 16 x 20 in.
One of the works in the show is Ficticios, which has four of his iconic horse-and-rider subjects over L’Amour pages. “The title is Spanish, and it’s literally glued-down pages from books,” the artist says. “I like the pulp-Western energy they create within the painting. These books helped perpetuate the idea of the West, so it’s fun to play with them a little.”
Beardsley’s show, titled High Noon, will open March 7 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The show will hang through March 28. —
InSight Gallery 214 W. Main Street » Fredericksburg, TX 78624 » (830) 997-9920 » www.insightgallery.com
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