Jan 13 – Feb 24, 2019

96 Bowery, Floor 2

And the things speak with their own voice

Guy Church

Exhibition view of Guy Church: And the things speak with their own voice, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Guy Church, The Edge, 2019. Colored pencil on paper, 20 3/4 x 17 3/4 inches / 52.7 x 45.1 cm (framed), 17 x 14 inches / 43.2 x 35.5 cm (unframed)

Exhibition view of Guy Church: And the things speak with their own voice, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Guy Church, Old Noah builds himself an Ark, 2018. Colored pencil on orange sandpaper, 14 1/2 x 16 1/2 inches / 36.8 x 41.9 cm (framed), 9 x 11 inches / 22.8 x 27.9 cm (unframed)

Guy Church, House on Sand, 2018. Colored pencil on orange sandpaper, 14 1/2 x 16 1/2 inches / 36.8 x 41.9 cm (framed), 9 x 11 inches / 22.8 x 27.9 cm (unframed)

Exhibition view of Guy Church: And the things speak with their own voice, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Guy Church, The Drop Off, 2016. Charcoal on paper, 30 3/4 x 38 inches / 78.1 x 96 1/2 cm (framed), 22 1/2 x 30 inches / 57.1 x 76.2 cm (unframed)

Guy Church, The Feathered Friend, 1992. Colored pencil on paper, 29 1/2 x 37 1/2 inches / 74.9 x 95.2 cm (framed), 22 x 30 inches / 55.8 x 76.2 cm (unframed)

Exhibition view of Guy Church: And the things speak with their own voice, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Guy Church, The end of the train, 1987. Colored pencil on paper, 35 3/4 x 44 inches / 90.8 x 111.7 cm (framed), 33 x 40 inches / 83.8 x 101.6 cm (unframed)

Guy Church, Not enough shade, 1995. Graphite on paper, 10 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches / 27.3 x 27.3 cm (framed), 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches / 12 x 12 cm (unframed)

Guy Church, Call of the back woods, 1997. Graphite on paper, 15 1/2 x 13 inches / 39.4 x 33 cm (framed), 14 x 11 inches / 35.5 x 27.9 cm (unframed)

Exhibition view of Guy Church: And the things speak with their own voice, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Guy Church, Fido cannot play ball, 2014. Charcoal on paper, 15 1/4 × 18 1/2 inches / 38.7 × 47 cm (framed), 14 × 11 inches / 35.6 × 27.9 cm (unframed)

Left: Guy Church, The Great Outside World, 2017. Graphite on paper, 22 3/4 × 19 1/2 inches / 57.8 × 49.5 cm (framed), 16 1/2 × 13 inches / 41.9 × 33 cm (unframed)
Right: Guy Church, The Backdoor, 2018. Colored pencil on paper, 17 3/4 × 15 1/4 inches / 45.1 × 38.7 cm (framed), 14 × 11 inches / 35.6 × 27.9 cm (unframed)

Guy Church, A Pile of Books, 2018. Colored pencil on paper, 18 1/4 × 15 1/4 inches / 46.3 × 38.7 cm (framed), 13 1/2 × 10 1/2 inches / 34.3 × 26.6 cm (unframed)

Guy Church, The Den Tree, 2015. Graphite on paper, 18 1/4 × 15 inches / 46.3 × 38.1 cm (framed), 14 × 11 inches / 35.6 × 27.9 cm (unframed)

Exhibition view of Guy Church: And the things speak with their own voice, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Guy Church, And the Things Speak with Their Own Voice, 2017. Charcoal on paper, 38 × 30 1/2 inches / 96.5 × 77.5 cm (framed), 30 × 22 inches / 76.2 × 55.9 cm (unframed)

Guy Church, A Study for Janie, 1997. Graphite on paper, 15 1/2 × 13 inches / 39.4 × 33 cm (framed), 14 × 11 inches / 35.5 × 27.94 cm (unframed)

Press Release

I always enjoyed the Great Master paintings I found in books. Their power and beauty made me wish I could have some of them. I just had to pick up a pencil and start to draw. Art has a way of seeing things like a poem has a way of saying something. And the warp of the abstract can extend beyond "The Outer Limits."

I get bothered sometimes about people that won't understand or don't care about art. They are just missing so much. All the many forms enrich our lives in every way. Consider some of the many art forms. Drawing of course and painting, music and dance, literature and theater, sculpture, architecture, fashion, photography, and even the way we cook our food. What identifies our culture from the culture of another country is virtually an artistic expression.

I like "people subjects" that show an art in living. I know the House built on sand is not strictly a people subject, but it is about people. I try to do some different things.

– Guy Church

Guy Church (b. Wisconsin) is a self-taught artist living in Memphis for the past twenty years. Since beginning to make drawings in 1986, his exhibitions include: Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta; Tops Gallery, Memphis; Coop Gallery, Nashville; Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, Madison; Good Weather Gallery, Little Rock; Natasha Nicholson Gallery, Madison; Bradbury Art Museum, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR. Downs & Ross is indebted to Matt Ducklo of Tops Gallery for assistance in organizing this exhibition.