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Thoughts on Paper

"Making works on paper has captivated me since childhood- I have created thousands spanning my 35 years as a professional artist. I like the undaunted intimacy and nomadic portability of paper. The surface promotes both precise articulation and softer strokes plus experimentation with media, as conveyed by the diversity of the submitted artwork. Whether a grid painting using pigmented gypsum, a detailed graphite abstract, a magical ocean view with collage elements or combinations thereof, the foundation of each piece is an intuitive architecture with glyph drawings, many hidden beneath subsequent layers. As I construct the work, these marks dance between fanciful and simple, lofty and humble, sacred and profane, still and kinetic, like the fractal impressions streaming through my subconscious. Each artwork takes flight as a noumenon capturing something from another plane seeking expression, informed by motifs and materials from nature to provide a glimpse into that realm. Absorbing each of these works on paper fulfills a number of different unspoken needs in me, and my hope is that they speak to you as well." - Matt Baumgardner, 2016

 

During summer 2021, Callie Oliveira, Anne Heaton Sanders, Grayson Sloop, Madeleine Wiggs, and Laina Wilson researched the art and life of artist Matthew Baumgardner, working with art history professor Dr. Sarah Archino to curate an exhibition of his art for the European Cultural Centre’s 2022 exhibition and to create a digital tour of his Travelers Rest studio. In the process, these students spent hours among Baumgardner’s personal and business archives, learning about his process and the ways that art intersected with his everyday life. This selection of works on paper represents only a fraction of the drawings, sketches, notes, and experiments that they discovered in the course of their research – and which they share here to reveal some of the more private and playful ways that Baumgardner captured the world around him.

Explore the virtual gallery Below.
Hover over or click on the images for their title and description.

Exhibition Installation Shots
Click on the images to magnify.

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All images, text, and other content on this website may be used for educational and non-commercial purposes only. 

 

Images of Matthew Baumgardner and his artwork, as well as text authored by him, are the sole property of the Estate of Matthew Baumgardner, and may not be reproduced in any form without express written permission granted by the Estate of Matthew Baumgardner.  Reproduction rights for all possible uses by third parties must be cleared in advance in writing with the Estate's copyright representative, ARS (Artist Rights Society).

 

Other content and the design of the website are the sole property of Furman University Art Department. Such content may not be reproduced without the Department’s express written permission.

 

© Estate of Matthew Baumgardner.  All Rights Reserved.

© Furman University Art Department.  All Rights Reserved.

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