GO TO ARTIST'S GALLERY

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Stephen Daly: Drawings & Sculpture, an exhibition featuring works by Texas artist Stephen Daly, will be on display October 18-November 29, 2008, at William Campbell Contemporary Art. An opening reception will be held Saturday, October 18, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

This solo show will present a selection of Daly's most recent sculptures and drawings, including a large three-dimensional piece titled Controller, a new series of smaller bronze sculptures, and a group of drawings created during the artist's three-month residency at Barcelona's Can Serrat International Art Center in 2008.

Daly's concentration on both two- and three-dimensional artwork illuminates his fascination with elements intrinsic in each medium, and explores how he can connect with viewers using those elements. He remarks: "I enjoy the static, deliberate nature of sculpture and its existence in the same space as that of the viewer. Conversely, the gesture, immediacy, and atmosphere possible in drawing can accomplish much that the discrete object cannot." In some instances, Daly combines the two mediums to create a more complex visual landscape, as well as additional avenues for audiences to access the work.

Daly displays an ongoing interest in communication-whether with words, images, or a hybrid of both. "[My] content usually deals with how we communicate (or don't)I think we talk a lot, but wonder about what is [actually] communicated," explains the artist. By commingling various individual shapes, lines, colors, and textures, Daly assembles an atmosphere of broad recognition. The stylized visual elements conjure up a sense of familiarity that resonates with viewers, allowing for personal interpretation and appreciation of the work. Daly feels that if he can create memorable art, then he has communicated successfully with his audience.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Stephen Daly taught art at the University of Texas in Austin for more than 25 years, and in 2007 became professor emeritus there. Widely acclaimed throughout Texas, his work has been exhibited at such venues as the Amarillo Art Center, the Art Center in Waco, Blue Star Contemporary Art Center in San Antonio, the Galveston Arts Center, the Longview Museum of Fine Arts, and the McNay Art Museum. He has been exhibiting at William Campbell Contemporary Art since 1985. Nationally, Daly has shown at galleries in New York, Chicago, Denver, and California, and internationally in Budapest, Havana, and Florence (Italy). In 2002, the Polytechnic University in Valencia, Spain, mounted a retrospective exhibition of his work.

Daly has received numerous awards, among them the Grace Hill Milam Centennial Fellowship in Fine Arts from the University of Texas, the Louis Comfort Tiffany Award in Sculpture, and the prestigious Prix de Rome. Most recently, in 2008, he was selected as a finalist for the coveted Hunting Art Prize. Daly's work appears in many collections, including those of Texas A&M, the Arkansas Art Center, Oakland Art Museum, McNay Art Museum, Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, and the American Academy in Rome.

ABOUT THE GALLERY

Founded in 1974 by William and Pam Campbell, William Campbell Contemporary Art exhibits high-quality contemporary art in a variety of media, including paintings, works on paper, mixed-media constructions, photography, prints, ceramics, and sculpture. By exhibiting nationally recognized artists, along with new and emerging talent, the gallery aims to nurture an awareness and appreciation of the exciting diversity found in contemporary art.