PRESS RELEASE: David Aylsworth - Similarly Occupied
January 13, 2006 - Holly Johnson Gallery
Holly Johnson Gallery in Dallas, Texas is pleased to announce the opening of Similarly Occupied, an exhibition of new paintings by David Aylsworth. An opening reception honoring the artist will be held on Friday evening, January 13, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The exhibition continues through February 11, 2006.
Constantly recurring in the paintings of David Aylsworth are references to show tunes from Broadway musicals - specifically in the titles of his work. Wide, gestural brushstrokes immediately offer a playful appearance and an obvious pleasure in the artist’s handling of paint. However, underneath seemingly accidental drips, scrapes and semi-transparent layers resides a reverence for the material qualities of the medium.
The exhibition’s title as well as a painting of the same name, Similarly Occupied, is borrowed from the 1956 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I. Lyrics from the tune, “Shall We Dance?” conjure up images of Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner waltzing around a huge polished floor setting a tone of exuberance and flair.
We’ve just been introduced
I do not know you well
But when the music started, something drew me to your side.
So many men and girls
Are in each other’s arms
It made me think we might be
Similarly occupied…
Shall we dance?
On a bright cloud of moonlight, shall we fly?
David Aylsworth was born in Tiffin, Ohio in 1966. He received a Bachelor of Fine Art’s degree from Kent State University in 1989. He has lived and worked in Houston since participating in the Core Fellowship and Residency Program at the Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX (1989-1991). In 2001, The Galveston Art Center mounted a ten-year survey of his work and produced a full-color catalogue. The exhibition traveled to Texas A&M University in Commerce and the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. In 2005 he was awarded an Individual Artist Grant from the Cultural Arts Council of Houston/Harris County and his work was included in the Museum of Fine Art, Houston’s exhibition, “Acquisitions in the Last Five Years: Modern and Contemporary Art”, curated by Director, Peter Marzio. His paintings can be seen in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Dallas Museum of Art, The Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, and the El Paso Museum of Art. David Aylsworth and his partner reside in Houston, Texas.
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