Rusty Wolfe
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BIOGRAPHY:

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2009
Campton Gallery, New York, NY
Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
Rice Polak Gallery, Provincetown, MA
Tom Riley Gallery, Cleveland, OH

2008
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA,
Trajan Gallery, Carmel, CA

2007
Campton Gallery, New York, NY
Rice Polak Gallery, Provincetown, MA
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2006
Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL

2005
Finer Things Gallery, Nashville, TN
Art at El Paseo Square, Palm Desert, CA

2004
Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
Finer Things Gallery, Nashville, TN
Art at El Paseo Square, Palm Desert, CA

2003
James Tigerman Gallery, Chicago, IL

2002
Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
Finer Things Gallery, Nashville, TN
Elizabeth Edwards Gallery, Laguna Beach and Palm Desert, CA

2001
Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN

2000
Finer Things Gallery, Nashville, TN

1998
Finer Things Gallery, Nashville, TN
Flying Solo, Nashville International Airport, Nashville, TN

1996
Finer Things Gallery, Nashville, TN

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBTIONS

2009
Evan Lurie Gallery, Carmel, IN

2008
Palm Beach 3, Palm Beach, FL
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
SOFA New York, New York, NY
Evan Lurie Gallery, Carmel, IN

2007
Art Miami, Miami Beach, FL
Los Angeles Art Show, Santa Monica, CA
Palm Beach 3, Palm Beach, FL
Soho Gallery, Studio City, CA
Lurie Gallery, Miami, FL
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
SOFA New York, New York, NY
Affordable Art Fair, New York, NY

 2006
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
ARTscottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ
Affordable Art Fair, New York, NY

2005
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
Emerging Art Fair, Scottsdale, AZ
Anderson Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM
Tercera Gallery, Los Gatos, CA
Affordable Art Fair, New York, NY
Katie Gingrass Gallery, Milwaukee, WI

2004
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
SOFA New York, New York, NY
Affordable Art Fair, New York, NY
Katie Gingrass Gallery, Milwaukee, WI

2003
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
SOFA New York, New York, NY
Tercera Gallery, Los Gatos, CA
Affordable Art Fair, New York, NY
Black N White, BGH Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

2002
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
SOFA New York, New York, NY
Master Multiples, Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
Grids, Lewallen Contemporary, Sante Fe, NM,
Palm Springs International Art Fair, Palm Springs, CA
Elizabeth Edwards Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA

 2001
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
Palm Springs International Art Fair, Palm Springs, CA
Side by Side, Belfast Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
The Best of Tennessee, Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN
National All-Media Exhibition, Touchstone Gallery, Washington, D.C.

2000
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL

1999
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL 

1998
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
Confluence, 25th Annual Exhibition, Ingram, TX,

1997
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
New American Talent, 15th Annual, Austin, TX
Tennessee All-State Exhibition, 35th Annual, Nashville, TN
34th Annual Vague Art Exhibition, Parthenon, Nashville, TN

SELECTED COLLECTIONS:

Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN

Winzeler Gear, Chicago, IL

Lincoln Plating, Lincoln, NE

BellSouth, Nashville, TN

Baptist Hospital, Nashville, TN

Pinnacle Financial Group, Nashville, TN

Rising Tide Records, Nashville, TN

Technical Resource Group, Nashville, TN

B & G Wholesalers, Nashville, TN

Bacar Constructors, Nashville, TN

Harwell, Howard, Hyne, Gabbert & Manner, Nashville, TN

MTM Records, Nashville, TN

Robyn and John Horn, Little Rock, AR

Leann Rimes, Los Angeles, CA

Mrs. David Steine, Nashville, TN

AWARDS
Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN, Honorarium, 2000

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Metropolitan Home, “White On,” May - June 2003

Architectural Digest, “Art Across America,” May 2003

South Florida Times, “Rusty Wolfe: Pop Goes Minimal,” Alissa Lawrence, January 2003

Florida Design, “A Smart New Look,” October 2003

Rusty Wolfe: Off the Wall, published by Finer Things Gallery, September 2002

Laguna Beach Times, “Rusty Wolfe is Multi-Skilled,” Roberta Carusso, January 2002

Nashville Scene, “Layers Upon Layers,” Angela Wibking,  January 2002

Rusty Wolfe: Introducing Lacquer, published by Finer Things Gallery, July 2000

Tennessean, “Wolfe Puts a New Spin on Lacquer,” Liz Nutter, April 2000

INReview, “Solo Performance: Wolfe’s Work Flies High,” Adrienne Outlaw, November 1998

Tennessean, “All Lacquered Up,” Alan Bostick, September 1998

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

As a self-taught artist, woodworker, designer, musician, songwriter, and entrepreneur, I have learned that the only boundaries are those that are self-imposed. Diagnosed with a severe case of dyslexia at an early age, I have realized that my disability is actually a gift, for the conventional way of learning has never been an option; I rely on my own inventiveness to show me the way. My work is a product of the ability to open new doors where both visual creativity and inventiveness come together.

This current body of work brings together my ability to work with color, wood, fabrication, design and spatial relation. Each sculpture is based on the grouping of elements to create a whole. Each individual element is hand fabricated to exacting tolerances and then finished with 14 to 16 coats of lacquer. Each element is precisely hung with a patented hanging system to ensure the engineered integrity that defines this body of work. One might say this work is magically minimal.

 

ARTIST STATEMENT:

"From high above, the landscape viewed from the window of a plane appears as an intricate collage. The farther from earth, the more complex the collage becomes. The inspiration for these paintings came as I stared out the window during flights across the country. I saw roads, farmland, and cities intersect to create opposing angles and geometric shapes. Nature’s sym­metry provides the template for this work.

Like molecules that have been magnified, the map-like paintings suggest that something larger is being represented. As the body of work evolved, so did the repetitive use of single shapes. Elements are revealed in multiples of size and color, which now become an essential ingredient, a measure of weight. Color creates the balance between composition and emotion.

The complexity of texture in each painting is an alluring force that invites exploration of the surface and its supple interludes with time and space. An appreciation for antiques and a fasci­nation with the way objects become worn and the patina that results from age has informed my use of a multi-layered palette. This body of work illustrates a diverse blend of images suspended in time. For me, as an artist, the intrigue continues as though there is an endless road ahead."