Fred Stonehouse

http://fredstonehouseart.com/bio.htmlaccessed 21 sep 09Education 1982 Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WISELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS2009 Blood Relatives, (scheduled) Taylor Bercier Fine Art, New Oleans, LAFred Stonehouse, Painting, Tammen Galerie, BerlinFred Stonehouse, Selections from the Natural History Portfolio of Marshall Deerfiled, Tory Folliard Gallery, Milwaukee, WIFred Stonehouse, Paintings and Drawings, Lakeside Gallery, Michigan City, MIThe Ice Pavilions, Ruschman Gallery, Indianapolis, IN2006 The Sanguine Sea, New Paintings by Fred Stonehouse, Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA Nohl Fellowship Exhibition, INOVA, Peck School of the Arts, UWMilwaukeeSigns & Souvenirs, Koplin/DelRio Gallery, Los Angeles, CAFred Stonehouse: Paintings, Philip Slein Gallery, St.Louis, MOSongs and Dreams, Gescheidle Gallery, Chicago, IL2005 Songs and Dreams, Howard Scott Gallery, New York, New York Fred Stonehouse: Paintings, Barone Odom Gallery, Rome, Italy2004 Family Land, Rucshman Gallery, Indianapolis, IN 2003 Dreams of Youth:Recent Painting, Koplin/DelRio Gallery, Los Angeles, CADope, Tory Folliard Gallery, Milwaukee, W2002 The Golden Game: New Paintings and Works on Paper,Carl HammerGallery, Chicago, IL2001 Fred Stonehouse: New Paintings and Works on Paper, Howard Scott Gallery, New York, NYThe Odor of Sanctity, Ruschman Gallery, Indianapolis, INPenance, Koplin Gallery, Los Angeles, CAFred Stonehouse, Eyre/Moore Gallery, Seattle, WA2000 Fred Stonehouse: Paintings, Entre Estudio Y Galleria, Puebla, MexicoJibberish,(And Other Communications), INOVA, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WILittle People For God, Dean Jensen Gallery, Milwaukee, WI13 Prayers, Lisa Sette, Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ1999 Fred Stonehouse: Sasso Casa (An Historical Account), Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, ILWool From an Ass, Koplin Gallery, Los Angeles, CAFred Stonehouse: Works on Paper, Project Room, M-13 Gallery, New York, NYFred Stonehouse: Collage Work, Pumphouse Regional Art Center, Lacrosse, WI1998 Fred Stonehouse: New Work, M-13 Gallery, New York, NYFred Stonehouse: Painting, Drawing, Collage, Dean Jensen Gallery, Milwaukee, WIFred Stonehouse: The Monkey’s Wedding, Ruschman Gallery, IN1997 Fred Stonehouse Furlong Gallery, UW Stout, Menomonie, WI13 Devils and El Libro de los Suenos, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZL’Altro Mondo, Koplin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA1996 Orazioni, Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CAJoy Farm, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, ILTener La De Malas, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ1995 Fred Stonehouse: Paintings, Thomas Barry Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MN Fred Stonehouse: New Work, Dean Jensen Gallery, Milwaukee, WIFred Stonehouse: New Paintings, M-13 Gallery, New York, NYFred Stonehouse, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TNFred Stonehouse, M-13 Gallery, New York, NY1994 Fred Stonehouse, Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CAFred Stonehouse: New Paintings, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, IL1993 Fred Stonehouse, Dean Jensen Gallery, Milwaukee, WIFred Stonehouse, Caplan Gallery, Los Angeles, CAFred Stonehouse, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ1992 Fred Stonehouse, M-13 Gallery, New YorkFred Stonehouse - 10 Year Survey, Madison Art Center, Madison, WI; Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, ILFred Stonehouse, Center for Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL1991 Fred Stonehouse, Dean Jensen Gallery, Milwaukee, Monoprints from Landmark Editions, Thomas Barry Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MN1990 Fred Stonehouse: New Work, Dean Jensen Gallery, Milwaukee, WIFred Stonehouse, Center for Contemporary Art, Chicago, ILFred Stonehouse, Pence Gallery, Los Angeles, CAFred Stonehouse, Thomas Barry Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MN1988 Fred Stonehouse: New Paintings, Michael H. Lord Gallery, Milwaukee, WIFred Stonehouse, Center for Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL1987 Fred Stonehouse: Recent Paintings, Artemisia Gallery, Chicago, ILFred Stonehouse, Bedrock Gallery, Chicago, ILFred Stonehouse, Michael H. Lord Gallery, Milwaukee, WI1984 Fred Stonehouse: Works on Paper, Van Straaten Gallery, Chicago, ILSELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS Twisted, Landfall Press Gallery, Santa Fe, NMFour Faces of Foofaraw, Feinkunst Kruger, Hamburg, GermanyBlab! , The Beach Museum of Art, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KSFlesh, Metal, Ink, Walkers Point Center for the Arts, Milwaukee, WIIn the Land of Retinal Delights: The Juxtapoz School, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CALooky See: a Summer Show, Ben Maltz Gallery , Otis Institute of Art, Los Angeles, CATwenty/08, Philip Slein Gallery, St.Louis, MOBorder, Priebe Gallery, UW Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WIBuilding a Visual Arts Legacy, James Watrous Gallery, Madison, WI40 Artists: Small Scale Works, Philip Slein Gallery, St. Louis, MO25th Anniversary Show, Tory Folliard Gallery, Milwaukee, WIWorkbooks, Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WIDon’t Wake Daddy 2, Feinkunst Kruger, Hamburg, GermanyQuestion the War, Cory Helford Gallery, Culver City, CAThe BLAB Show, Copro Nason Gallery, Los Angeles & Philip Slein Gallery, St.LouisThe Exquisite Snake,Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Evanston, ILWisconsin Triennial, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, WI Circus Acts, Suspending Disbelief, Carthage College, Kenosha, WIWork on Paper, Howard Scott Gallery, New YorkThe BLAB Show, Copro/Nason Gallery, Los Angeles, CAThe New Collage, Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York, NYSummer in the City, Philip Slein Gallery, St.Louis, MOSummertime, Judy Saslow Gallery, Chicago, ILTooth and Claw, Tory Folliard Gallery, Milwaukee, WI2005 The Blab Show, Copro/Nason Gallery, Los Angeles,CAThe Animal Within, Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago, ILLe Papier, Gescheidle Gallery, Chicago, ILOut of the Suitcase, Milwaukee Institute of Art and DesignNational Biennial Watercolor Invitational, Parkland College, Champaign, IL, and Suburban Fine Arts Center, Highland Park, IL2004 Strange Presence, Tory Folliard Gallery, Milwaukee, WIThe Reflected/Refracted Self, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, ILThe Artist as Collector, Northern Indiana Arts Association, Munster, INTime Travel, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, IL2003 Wisconsin Landscape: Artistic Interpretations, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, WI2002 Living in the Presence of the Buddha, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZThe Elements, Walkers Point Center for the Arts, Milwaukee, WIDrawings VI, Koplin Gallery, Los Angeles, CAPasted On, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, IL2001 Fundamentals, Eyre/Moore Gallery, Seattle, WAAmused, Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago, ILContemporary Devotion, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CASmaller, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, ILItalianate, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ2000 Self Portraits 2000, Printworks Gallery, Chicago, ILThe Great Novels Exhibit, Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, CAAnniversary Show, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZDrawings V, Koplin Gallery, Los Angeles, CAWisconsin Classics, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Milwaukee, WISingular Visions, Wisconsin Academy, Madison, WIThe Exquisite Corpse, Printworks Gallery, Chicago, ILCarl Hammer 2000, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, IL1999 Storytellers, The Art Institute at Southern California at Laguna Beach, CAThe End Is Near: Portfolio 99’, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, ILTwenty Six Americans, Campo & Campo, AntwerpCollectors Choice, Galerie van der Straeten, AmsterdamDrawings, M13 Gallery, New YorkCats and Dogs, Jean Albano Gallery, ChicagoMilwaukee Love, Union Art Gallery, UW MilwaukeeNew Religion, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WAFormerly Known As Something Else, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ1998 Small Works: The Sequel, Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CAWhat’s Hot at Shark, Foster Gallery at University of Wisconsin, Eau ClaireSurreal Wisconsin, Madison Art Center, Madison, WIDrawings IV, Caplan Gallery, Los Angeles, CAFever, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZArt as Collaboration, Crossman Gallery, UW Whitewater1997 Small Works, Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CAA Game of Chance, Printworks Gallery, Chicago, ILSmall Wonders, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, IL The Enigmatic Landscape, Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, WIDevotional Rescue, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinatti, OHSalvation Damnation, Crossman Gallery, UW Whitewater4 x 4:Painters Choose Painters, Herron Gallery, Indiana Univ, Indianapolis, IN 1996 BIRDS!, Thomas Barry Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MN Great Balls of Art, Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CAHearts, International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago, ILTen Year Anniversary Exhibit, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZIn the Light of Goya, University Art Museum, UC Berkeley, and University Art Gallery, Cal State Hayward2005 Heroic Influences, Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CAPulp Fictions, Gallery A, Chicago, ILDaydreams, Capitol Arts Alliance, Bowling Green, KYDreams and Visions, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Milwaukee, WISelf As Subject, Thomas Barry Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MNFrame of Reference, Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CA1994 Historic References, Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CASuspended Landscapes, M-13 Gallery, New York, NYSmall Works, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZNew To the Gallery, Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CAOne Hand Clapping, Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CA Summer Exhibition, Caplan Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1993 Visceral Landscapes, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, IL, Winter Introductions, Caplan Gallery, Los Angeles, CALandscape As Object, Thomas Barry Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MNA Loose Form of Narrative, Gallery A, Chicago, ILSummer Exhibition, Caplan Gallery, Los Angeles, CAThe Animal In Art, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TNMultum In Parvo, Caplan Gallery, Los Angeles, CAThe Face Not Only A Parent Could Love, Triplex Gallery, Manhattan Community College, New York, NYSmall Works, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ1991 Source Material, Center for Contemporary Art, Chicago, ILGhosts: Spells of the Past in Contemporary Art, Dean Jensen Gallery, Milwaukee,Works on Paper, M-13 Gallery, New York, NYSix Pence, Pence Gallery, Los Angeles, CAWord As Image, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI; Oklahoma City Art Museum, Oklahoma City, OK, and Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, TX1990 Monster Paintings, Thomas Barry Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MNFaces, Marc Richards Gallery, Los Angeles, CAWisconsin Triennial, Madison Art Center, Madison, WIVictoria, Pence Gallery, Los Angeles, CATelling, N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago, ILFrom Impulse to Obsession, Madison Art Center, Madison, WI1988 100 Years of Wisconsin Art, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WIAfter the Drought: Bountiful Harvest, Dean Jensen Gallery, Milwaukee, WIThe Power of Drawing, Center for Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL1987 Wisconsin Triennial, Madison Art Center, Madison, WI, 1986 Patrick and Beatrice Haggerty Museum of Art, MarquetteRomanticism and Cynicism in Contemporary Art, University, Milwaukee, WIMade In America: The Great Lakes States Spaces, Gallery, Cleveland, OH_______________________________________http://www.artnewyorkcity.com/2006/10/07/interview-with-fred-stonehouse/accessed 21 sep 09I am honored to have an interview to share with Midwestern Artist Fred Stonehouse. If I execute a search on Brainboost.com with the query “who is Fred Stonehouse“? this is what the search engine kicks out.“Fred Stonehouse is a Midwest regional artist who resides in Wisconsin. He received his BFA from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in 1982. Although his art is representational, Stonehouses illogical settings and actions are reminiscent of Magic Realism , whose fantastical realities are associated with Latin American art and literature. In this regard, the indigenous art of pre – modern Mexico, Frida Kahlos Surrealist paintings , and the writings of the Columbian author Gabriel Garca Marquez were influential in Stonehouses formulation of his art. Here’s a recent photo from 2006 and another from 2000 showing Fred Stonehouse with his paintings (you can click on both photos to get more detail).But there’s a lot more to Fred Stonehouse and I crafted some questions that are hopefully different and bring out new information.Me: How did you become interested in painting the “Spirit World“?Fred: I grew up in a family that loved to tell ghost stories. My mother is Sicilian, and her side of the family was very superstitious. My Grandmother would talk about the “Evil Eyeâ€? and my great Aunt Rosalie was known for her psychic visions foretelling deaths including her own. Between my family and the Catholic Church, I was convinced that we were surrounded by spirits; they were very real to me.Me: Is there any tie in between common symbols in your paintings (ie: skulls, bees, birds) and events in your life?  Can you elaborate on the “Americana” symbolism in your work, (ie:what does the black devil with blue eyes mean)?Fred: The symbols in my work are drawn from a multiplicity of sources, but they can be summed up as coming from the alchemical categories of: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. I was always interested in the hagiography that accompanied images of saints. I was never quite sure what the symbols represented, but I knew they were there for a reason. For me, they suggested secret and mysterious powers and were akin to magic and voodoo. It wasn’t important that I understood the specific meaning but that they represented an unknown mystery. The black devil was done as a way to add something new to the traditional representation of the fiery red character.  I imagine that character as “burnt to a crispâ€? or perhaps as blackened, Cajun style. Besides, black is so graphic and makes for a powerful and haunting image.Me: Can you talk a little bit about your connection to Solid State Tattoo and do you create Tattoo art?  Noticed the logo of Solid State Tattoos looks like one of your paintings â€?was it?  Do you contribute to the online art of this site?Fred: If this is the Solid State Tattoo of Milwaukee, the owner is a friend of mine and one of my paintings does hang in the shop. I have designed and drawn all of my tattoos so far, but I do not tattoo. John Reiter (the owner) tattooed both of my arms and I stop in there quite often as it is near my studio and just down the block from the Hi-Fi Café which is my favorite coffee shop. I haven’t seen the art on his website, but my work is very visible in Milwaukee and has influenced any number of younger artists.Me: How did you come to show your work in TheBlabShow?Fred: Monte Beauchamp, the creative mind behind Blab, invited me to be included in his annual publication six or so years back and I have been in it every year since. When Monte decided to start curating shows of Blab artists last year, he asked if I would be interested, and I thought it would be great to have my painting seen in that context in a gallery as well as in print.Me: Of the 9 paintings of your work in BlabShow, 4 have Skulls as part of imagery – Does the Skull stand for something besides the obvious (Death)?   Two of the paintings have Skulls with Crowns while the other two don’t – is the crown represent the “King of Death“?Fred: I use the crown on figures other than the skulls, but I suppose it is meant to suggest a sort of supremacy.   I have always been interested in the way the Mexican Dias de los Muertos festivities represent death and skulls as being integrally tied to a sense of life and celebration. I guess it’s the old ‘life is much sweeter on the eve of death’ kind of sentiment.Me: How do you start a painting? Do you know what you’re going to paint before hand or does it materialize as you paint?Fred: I don’t pre-plan paintings and I’m pretty open to discovering the image in the process. I start with an idea that the painting will have a certain ’tone’ more than anything too specific.Me: What role does the Motorcycle culture play in your work and in your life? Fred:  I started riding motorcycles when I was 15 and rode until my wife grounded me after a pretty hairy crash in downtown Chicago left me with a concussion and a broken collar bone, but I do still have a bike in the garage in parts and have ideas all the time about riding again. Bikes get into your blood and it’s hard to give it up. I have a lot of friends that ride and collect and repair vintage motorcycles and I think it’s beautiful, but until my 14 year old son is grown, I think it’s probably four wheels for me.Me: What role does the internet play in your work? (same question that I asked Joe Coleman)Fred: It’s possible to see quite a lot of my work on the internet, but I have nothing to do with that. I don’t have a website, though I probably should, and it scares me a little that so much stuff is out there that I have no control of. I tried to talk my tech savvy son into helping me create a website, but he just rolled his eyes and proceeded to snipe a German soldier in the online game he was playing.note: One way Fred Stonehouse could control some of his work on the internet is to have an official website and become part of the dialog and flow.Me: What Artists do you admire the most?   Why?Fred: I admire Philip Guston for the courage he showed late in his career to abandon what had made him a success and embark on those incredibly dumb and beautiful paintings. He knew those painting would be seen as stupid, but he made them anyway and thank god, because they are the best things he ever made. Too many artists worry about appearing dumb, so they try hard to make ‘smart’ work, and that is the surest way to make bad art.Me: There’s another “Fred Stonehouse” who wrote books about Lake Superior and Scuba Diving ” Lake Superior’s ” Shipwreck Coast “. Do people ever ask you if you’re related ?Fred: I am convinced that the other Fred Stonehouse is a relative. My father is from the Upper Penninsula of Michigan and I believe that is where the Great Lakes researcher lives. Somebody bought me his book on the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald as a joke. There is another Fred Stonehouse who sells real-estate in the Sacramento area and his website has a really awful jingle that accompanies his homepage.Me: Noticed you had a show at the Howard Scott gallery in Chelsea last year. Are you planning another show in New York anytime soon? How did you find showing in NYC different than showing your work in other places in the country?Fred: I will be showing 4 new drawings with Howard this December in his annual drawing exhibit. Howard is also currently working on a show for me with a dealer in Berlin. Without question, the New York audience is the most sophisticated due to their access to great museums, galleries, criticism etc. Most of the people who are interested in what I do are pretty sharp cats anyway, but New Yorkers are the real deal. They just get it.Me: I love the dream like state your paintings evoke in your viewers – often your use of language seems cryptic and symbolic – can you tell me how you arrive at the words your going to use in your paintings?Fred: I guess I am something of a frustrated poet. Words just seem necessary sometimes, both visually and aurally. I like the idea that when a viewer reads the text in one of my paintings a sound is created in their head. It’s a way to broaden the experience and cram in a little extra content. The words come about mostly as poetic reflections on the image.   ========= END of INTERVIEW with Fred Stonehouse ==========