A Painting Can Be a Place: Todd Lowery, Professor of Fine Art, discusses his artistic journey
The art faculty office was filled first with the refreshing sound of a soda can cracking open as Drury professor Todd Lowery prepared to talk about his most recent exhibition in the Pool Arts Center, entitled “Boundaries | Blocks | Borders.” The first piece of advice the jovial artist had to offer was an advocation for the brilliant invention that is Coca-Cola with Coffee. A renowned creator whose work has been shown in Sweden, Germany and Greece, Lowery also kept it casual: when the conclusion was made that his works have been shown worldwide, he was quick to correct the thought.
“I would say ‘in other countries’, I wouldn’t say ‘all over the world,’ because that sounds pretty grand,” he quipped, “and there’s never been any southern hemisphere exhibitions going on.”
As the conversation turns to the impact his art makes, however, Lowery is serious about his intentions. “I don’t want to do things just to look pretty over the sofa, I want it to actually speak in some way,” he firmly said. With his newest body of work’s visceral recollection of place and experience depicted in oil, watercolor and acrylic, he certainly succeeds.
The exhibition also succeeded in another important way: drawing an audience in. “Based on the number of handouts taken [at the opening], I would say at a minimum – minimum – we had about 120 people, which is shocking,” he said, enthusiastic. Since the pandemic, art events at Drury and in the community have seen low turnout, and Lowery is proud to have brought passionate viewership to the PAC.
Regarding the creation of his unique works, Lowery credits the programs at Drury during his early years of teaching with planting the seeds of the marriage between art and architecture. It began to direct his ideas of place, space, structure, and history; together with the stimuli provided by the “endlessly intriguing” topography of the Mediterranean locales he draws inspiration from, a new and fascinating approach to depicting place was born.
“There may be a blinking OPEN sign at the end of an alley, so you decide to go down that alley and keep going because it seems like the right thing to do,” Lowery explained when describing Derive, a concept that plays a crucial role in his work; he defines it as the activity of moving through a space without a planned route and letting the environment lead – responding to the experience provided.
The journey of “Boundaries | Blocks | Borders” to the walls of the Pool Arts Center gallery may well have been a study in Derive in its own right. Originally two different exhibitions, the floor installations and three-meter tall banners were to be shown last year as part of the final product of an experiential learning grant; the main body of work was set to be on display in a commercial gallery in Paris before COVID-19 brought both shows to a grinding halt. Even with an apparent setback, however, Lowery embraces the opportunities. The juxtaposition of street art, graffiti, and urban fabric with the overarching themes of his main body of work allow viewers to connect more deeply and gain a more holistic experience.
“In this situation, they illuminate each other because I am using strategies in my main body of work that came from the installation piece,” Lowery said.
The worldly, informed art that one can see at the “Boundaries | Blocks | Borders” exhibition has the power to impact the lives of those who view it, which is the goal for Lowery as an artist. “There are so many ways to impact the world, and this is the way that I do,” he said after sharing his appreciation for the opportunities he has had to share his creations. “I’ve done some things I wouldn’t have ever guessed I’d get to,” he added.
The most impactful lesson at the core of Lowery’s work seems to be the importance of the captured moment – the experience – wherever and whenever it may occur. Art and inspiration are everywhere, just waiting to be discovered; crack open a can of Coke with Coffee and step out into the sun.
Article by Kay Wacasey