AJ Atwater Talks About Her Upcoming Event: 400 Paintings

Discovering AJ Atwater initially felt like re-discovering an aspect of myself. Atwater is an abstract painter who has derived inspiration from the New York School. Perhaps it's a little like musical tastes in which one can still appreciate Motown or folk while being swept away by Dave Brubeck, or Beethoven.

I first saw her work at Duluth's Washington Galleries. Later in 2013 she conceived what she called Project 30/30 in which she publicly produced 30 paintings in 30 days at Perry Framing on the 200 block of Superior Street. The following year she produced a show called New York Paintings.And last year she collaborated with Elizabeth Kuth in a show called Affordable Fine Art, another fine show. Her latest endeavor is called 400 Paintings.

Atwater lives in two worlds that could not be more different, Manhattan and Duluth. The Big Apple is continuously abuzz with its big city energy. In contrast, Duluth is something akin to a seaside resort with beautiful vistas and plenty of open spaces to indulge the senses in a different way.

Though ambitious, 400 Paintings is the kind of thing I've come to expect from this energized, almost frenetic artist.

When I asked, "What's new with AJ Atwater?" She enthusiastically replied, "Life is incredible, amazing. I just got back from Manhattan again where I painted at the Art Students League of New York with Pat Lipske, a successful geometric hard-edged artist. It's always inspirational being in Manhattan, and influential... Manhattan is my Lake Superior."

As Atwater moves between these two worlds – Lake Superior and Manhattan – she's influenced by both.

"I'm now moving into large scale pieces," she explained. Her current project for 2016 is five panels that will end up 7 x 28 feet. "Working in scale, small and large, is pretty fascinating."

My own largest project in my college fine arts painting class was 8' x 12' and I found it exhilarating. When I shared my experience, he replied, "You're almost in it because it's bigger than you."

But every piece, no matter what scale, involves a push and pull, whether four by six inches or massive, she's observed. "It's interesting to move between sizes, just like different locations."

"There's really no difference," she explained. "There isn't a shift in mind. You have more real estate, but your thought process, composition, shapes, aesthetics... draw upon the same elements. Both call upon the same things whether big or small."

Atwater's upcoming show has an unusual twist to it. There will be a week of viewing where the work will be displayed online beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, August 12. And then the show goes live for purchasing, again online, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, August 19, closing at midnight on Sunday evening, August 21.

"The largest pieces in 400 Paintings are three foot by four foot," she said. "A good size for a painting on a wall. I think about my clients/customers." The price includes free shipping to the lower 48 states in the U.S.

Atwater noted that the title of the show is literal and not figurative. There are 400 paintings in this show. "The idea came from a place where all good ideas come from. Having an online show where people could see a huge range of my work from 2009 to 2016, select pieces.... Range gives people a lot of opportunity to find different sizes that work for them.

She shared how some of the work involved "conversation between colors, the interaction between the colors... letting them have conversation on the canvas." That was an interesting concept.

The reason for this online show was due to the quantity. "I wanted to show a body of work by an artist in one spot... in their living room late at night while sipping wine... to browse at your leisure."

It makes sense that an artist would visualize the people enjoying her art. It also opens the exhibition up to a wider audience, not limited by geographic proximity.

Breakwater Two, 36x48. Painted in MN, 2015

I myself am occasionally concerned about the proper representation of the colors when I put my work online. Atwater stated that this is not a concern of hers. "I work really hard on that to make sure that the colors are close. Also, the lighting in everyone's home is different, because of lighting or the color of walls. But I work very hard to get the colors right."

On another topic, I commented, "I've heard it said that the New York School has been played out. Why are you still enjoying the possibilities of this kind of abstraction?"

"I completely disagree," she replied. "If you go to Art In America for example, you will see right up front (paintings by) Willem DeKooning, Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell... Those names still dominate the gallery shows and the auctions. I love that. I'm so happy to see that's still the case. They're the foundation of abstract art. It's still as strong and sought after as any art movement."

Because I've been doing a lot of reading about the future, I wanted to know her thoughts on the future of art.

"I think the future of art is going to continue as it is, and I don't think the appeal of the New York School is going to go away. But one thing I like is conceptual art and I think conceptual art is going to expand.... Why not have the big yellow duck floating down the river. I think art can and should become all kinds of things we don't really think about. I think the same for online, bringing things out into the world that people don't see.

The Two Of Us Nestled; 10x10 wood panel. Painted in MN, 2016

"I still think the sturdy foundation that comes from Picasso to Pop is still so influential. The future will build upon the past."

Morning Sky; 12x16 140 lb cold press. Painted at Art Students League, 2012

One thing that's apparent is the influence of technology on the art scene. "This show takes advantage of technology," she said. "Being able to sit in our living room at midnight and browse a show of this caliber online... People can look and ask themselves, 'What do I want? What kind of colors do I want to bring into my life?' The technology brings exposure to lots of people. Because it is online it isn't just for local audiences but for anyone who finds my website."

Awning Shell; 6"x8" canvas panel. Painted in MN, 2016. 

Here's where you can learn more: www.ajatwater.com

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Pricing on some of the paintings shown above:
Breakwater Two -- $1400
The Two of Us Nestled -- $400
Morning Sky -- $150
Awning Shell -- $50

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Get into it.

Sneak Preview: Kuth and Atwater's Affordable Fine Art Show

This past week I had an opportunity to get a sneak preview of what promises to be one of this year's premiere art events, the Kuth and Atwater Affordable Fine Art Show. For one week, beginning August 21, AJ Atwater's Studio and Gallery in Lakeside will become a one-time museum with six galleries featuring over 300 original, affordably-priced fine art drawings and paintings.

Every house has a history as well as the signature of its current occupant. Artist AJ Atwater’s home was built in 1888 by one of Duluth’s influentials, Frank Crassweller, an attorney who was active in the city council, the library board, Commercial Club of Duluth, Duluth Curling and the Masonic order. With its Queen Ann-style roofline, the classic Northland home features wide baseboards and narrow hardwood floors. And beginning a week from Friday, the interior will be showcasing the contemporary possibilities of abstract art.

It should be emphasized here that although the word "affordable" was selected in the naming of this show it's really not a fire sale. The delightfully first-rate works have been priced at $300 or less for paintings on stretched canvas and $100 or less for unframed fine art on paper. The show opens Friday, August 21, 4pm-8pm with light refreshments and continues through August 28th, noon-3pm daily. Atwater's home/studio/gallery, located at 4701 Cooke Street, will also open by appointment for tours through the show.

I first became acquainted with Elizabeth Kuth's work through a piece hanging in the office of former Duluth Art Institute director Kat Eldred, a piece that totally enthralled me. Kat insisted that I make it a point to visit her studio and see more of her work, a follow up that took a couple years to get to, but the mental note had been securely fastened upon my interior list of future action items. My first awareness of AJ Atwater's work came through a show called Urban Nightscapes at the Washington Gallery in Duluth's Central Hillside.

What I quickly learned, despite their completely different approaches, was that each took their inspiration from the influential New York School of abstract painters that so dominated the 1950's and whom I myself found inspirational when I was a young art student. During my visit Wednesday evening the conversational flew down many different channels, but one recurring theme was the contrast between Atwater and Kuth in both their art and their lifestyles.

On the surface the paintings themselves are comprised of Atwater's bright colors versus Kuth's muted colors. In much of the work we also see simplicity versus complexity. But the contrasts go far beyond this and as we talked these emerged.

Kuth's enigmatic work draws its power from an interior life reflected in images; Atwater is taken up with the energy of exterior life, reflected prominently in bold colors. Kuth loves the quiet of the country; Atwater gets off on the energy of the city.

Their homes are also a study in contrasts. Atwater lives simply, yet in the city. The house has few furnishings and plenty of open space. Kuth's Island Lake residence and gallery is filled with art and furniture, almost crowded while remaining homey. Their lifestyles contrast accordingly. For Kuth, think Walden. For Atwater, think Broadway Boogie Woogie. Bright lights, big city.

For the show, six galleries have been set up. The Blue-Green Gallery is the first room on your left as you enter, a room full of light where Atwater usually has her studio and paints. Adjacent to this is the first Kuth gallery called Layering, Mark-Making and Ancestry. Most of these works on paper show graphic kinds of symbols that become forms.

They each have three galleries, with names for each. And even though there are 300 works of art, there's remarkably still enough space to not feel cramped or overwhelemed.

One thing interesting is the titles for the rooms. Atwater's galleries are titled:
Blue and Green Gallery
Red Orange and Yellow Gallery
White and Black Gallery

Kuth's gallery rooms are titled:
“Layering, Mark-Making and Ancestry”
“Rooted Expression”
“Interior Landscape”

Atwater expressed the aim of the show this way. "People who come will experience something in themselves," she said. "We want people to have an experience that will enrich their lives. It's not just something to do."

Kuth affirmed their hope that people will be "inspired to create, or to look at life in a different way. When exposed to fine art you have a real opportunity for inspiration to strike." The artists will be there to discuss the work and nurture that.

"If you go to an abstract art show you’re going to be challenged," Atwater added. "And questioning is OK. Art creates wonder almost more than anything."

Kuth pointed out that their contrasting styles add to "the possibility of finding something that could speak to you. We have a vehicle here to be able to offer that to people."

Atwater jumped on the word vehicle. "I like that word. Art as a vehicle between worlds. People will see different things, especially in abstract art. What do you see here? A beach house on a prairie? A supersonic structure? People who engage art see different things."

Elizabeth Kuth (L) and AJ Atwater

"It brings us to what we should be, like children, to experience that awe," said Kuth. "Awe is one of those things in life where you never know where you will find it. 'I don’t know what it is but something here really speaks to me.' We’re seeking awe even when we don’t know we are, and you never know where you’re going to find it.

This led Atwater to affirm two key things that are especially important in their work, ambiguity and authenticity. "I think what we each accomplish, even though through different means, is authenticity. The work has to be authentic. We each make an aesthetic call, and thru form, line and color, something ambiguous and authentic happens."

"If people come in and see the contrast between two styles, questioning is ok, ambiguity is ok, and it gives you a sense of wonder while posing questions," Atwater said. "Even if you don’t figure it out."

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Enter here.

I'll close by noting once again AJ Atwater Studio and Gallery is located at 4701 Cooke Street, in Duluth’s Lakeside neighborhood The artists themselves will be available for conversations about their art and its possibilities for gift giving and to affordably grace homes, cabins and offices in the Northland.

For what it's worth, you can gain five minutes of enjoyment by engaging a work of art in a gallery, or you can take it home and enjoy it for the rest of your life. The latter can be very rewarding.

Spotlight on AJ Atwater, Artist on the Move

Today we are on day 15 of AJ Atwater's Project 30/30. It seemed, therefore, a good day to share the interview I had recently with this energetic artist. Atwater has been showing her work for two decades here in Duluth and the region. Currently she lives in New York City in the spring and fall where she has been studying under Ronnie Landfield.

In addition to painting she is also a poet, with works published in a number of literary reviews. She's fun to talk to, but you will also find it entertaining to stop by Perry Framing on the 200 block of East Superior Street  here in Duluth between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (during your lunch hour) to watch her work. There will be a showing of her Project 30/30 works from 5-7 p.m. at the Zeitgeist on July 31.

EN: What prompted you to begin your New York painting?

How much is that painting in the window?

AJA: I am drawn to the scope and scale of New York. My family has ties through business. I heard so many tales of New York, so it has always been a fascination. When I got there myself I knew I could sink into that place and I could thrive there. Its energy, scale and scope are what keep drawing me back. Each neighborhood has a different kind of energy and you can experience it very fast.

Galleries on the Lower East side are growing. It’s great to see the Lower East Side start to jump with galleries. I’m attracted to that force. It’s the art capital of the world as well as the publishing capital of the world. There are 300+ galleries in Chelsea alone. It’s alive with energy, hipsters kicking butt….

EN: So what have you been doing in New York?

AJA: What I’m doing is studying at the Art Students League under Ronnie Landfield.

EN: How did you connect there?

AJA: I saw a YouTube video of Landfield and knew immediately I wanted to study under him. He’s a lyrical abstract landscape painter. He was invited by the Whitney to show his work there when he was just 20. It’s fascinating to be working in the same place and same studio.

Landfield has a good presence. He’s modest… not on the international stage, but exactly what I love to work with. He has a good demeanor and his art is really thought out.

EN: You seem quite passionate about your work. What’s your driver?

AJA: There’s not an option. I’m a painter, an artist, that’s what I do.

Painting is just part of the gig. I think now that I’m devoting my life full time to art and writing, that’s when it started to happen because my life is not divided by the necessities of a day job. You have to live, breathe, sleep art. If you are not, you will not make it as an artist.

Yes, family and friends come first but art is the center and creates a momentum, which is a bi-product of working hard. If you don’t work hard, the bi-product is evasive. The main thing is making your art. If you do that the other follows. That’s why I am building on the energy for my show for Project 30/30. For thirty days during the month of July I am painting live at Perry Framing from 11 to 2.

EN: Why 30 when July has 31 days?

AJA: 30 canvases for 30 days, all 30” x 30”… with an opening on the 31st at Perry Framing… a showing at the end of the 30 days.

EN: Ah! I get it. What do you like about the NY School?

AJA: De Kooning, Motherwell… Rauschenburg a little later… He was diverse, and he really did not worry. Rothko, his work amazes me. Grace Hardigan… her work is phenomenal. Helen Frankenthaler, another woman, Motherwell’s wife. Lee Krasner, was married to Pollock… It’s harder to find women from the NY school of abstract expressionism.

EN: How did you make the leap from job to career painter.

AJA: I always had both and devoted a great deal of time to both. I bought art supplies for UMD stores, created my painting and writing while working full time. I came a point where I wanted to do the painting and writing full time and made the move.

EN: Do you worry about insurance?

AJA: I don’t worry about any of that. I have a well laid-out plan. You have a plan set forth and you put it into action.

You have to be a visionary. You have to have a vision about what you want to do and how to get there. I visualized what I wanted to do and moved toward that. It takes tenacity. It takes hard work, and it takes loving what you’re doing… passion.

Even if it didn’t become a successful endeavor, I would do it. Obstacles are good because you figure out how to get under them, around them or over them and when you get to the other side the strength you gain from the experience is amazing.

It’s more than just painting. It’s a philosophy, it’s your whole life….

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See more of AJ Atwater's work at ajatwater.com.

AJ Atwater and PROJECT 30/30

Every house has a history as well as the signature of its current occupant. Artist AJ Atwater’s home was built in 1888 by one of Duluth’s influential, Frank Crassweller, an attorney who was active in the city council, the library board, Commercial Club of Duluth, Duluth Curling and the Masonic order. He and his wife Alison shared this Lakeside home for many a year, with its wide baseboards and narrow hardwood floors. The current resident is a painter and writer who seems to be in her prime and riding the wave.

As I entered, I noticed that the first room to the left was completely bare except for an easel in the center where a dining room table might otherwise reside, along with a small table with paints and art supplies. “I’m a minimalist,” Atwater explained. The other downstairs rooms had no clutter, seemed to be placeholders for her paintings, some quite large and colorful, others muted. One piece reminded me of Arshile Gorky, another of Spanish painter Pere Salinas; all of it captivating.

The original purpose of my visit was to interview this Duluth-based New York City abstract landscape painter for the Reader. What I learned is that the house itself has stories to tell as well. For example, Sinclair Lewis used to come to the Crasswellers to play chess when he was living in Duluth for a time. What I also learned is that Atwater has an exciting project coming up during the month of July called PROJECT 30/30: Artist at Work on the 200 Block, Superior Street Downtown Duluth. This latter is why I'm posting this today and not waiting two weeks for the Reader. PROJECT 30/30 begins tomorrow, hence the timing of this blog entry.

In addition to being an artist Atwater is also a writer of literary fiction. Much of her work is online and has been printed at small presses. She currently has a novel which is just about set to go to an agent. The novel "is about a woman with eleven sons called Lisa’s sons." Her two passions, writing and painting, contend for her time. "Painting has pulled ahead but writing is also competing." She has no lack of energy for her work.

I first became aware of AJ Atwater through a recent show at the Washington Gallery downtown called Urban Nightscapes. Her abstract paintings energized the room, and perhaps one should not have been surprised as her work was about the vibrancy of New York City at night. But not the way you might expect. 

We talked about New York and the art scene there. We talked about the business of making art. We talked about her favorite artists, many of them names we've both appreciated from the New York School. We talked about her teacher there, Ronnie Lanfield. And then we talked about her upcoming project.

PROJECT 30/30 is essentially thirty days of painting, in public at Perry Framing, with the aim of having 30 finished pieces when done, 30 canvases for 30 days, all 30” x 30”. The description of the project forced on me a question: Why thirty days when July has 31? Atwater laughed. On the 31st she'll have an art opening at Perry Framing… a showing at the end of the 30 days. Ah!

Atwater will be painting daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and during special Downtown events. The project was a brainchild of both Atwater and gallery owner Penny Perry. The showing will be at Perry Framing on July 31st from 5-7 p.m., so mark your calendars. I just marked mine and aim to be there.