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15 Bytes Utah's Art Magazine
April 3, 2015
June 3, 2015
Bountiful: Now Howa Gallery Adds a New Exhibition Space to-Salt Lakes Neighbor to the North
January 4, 2016
Michael Beasley Reveals His Masks
January 14, 2016
What’s New: Alexander Hraefn Morris
January 4, 2016
Michael Beasley Reveals His Masks
January 14, 2016
What’s New: Alexander Hraefn Morris
Salt Lake City Weekly
May 20, 2015
A construction mogul-turned-artist tries his hand at the gallery biz
September 9, 2015
Best of Utah Arts 2015
September 9, 2015
Best of Utah Arts 2015
Deseret News
May 23, 2015
Articles
15 Bytes Utah's Art Magazine Since 2001
What’s New: Alexander Hraefn Morris
Alexander Hraefn Morris has a thing for ravens – they are a sort of totem, a recurrent, though
“I have always been artistically inclined and have been exploring the vast ideas within the spectrum of abstraction since my early teens. I enjoy where it brings my mind and the freedom of interaction it grants my audience,” he writes in an email. “I am attracted to line work, color fields and the relationship between color and space, predominantly as they relate to the shape of the human soul: body and spirit. My lines, carved through cracking paint, represent existence and struggle; this life; the experience of living; dealing with chaos; trying to find order in the chaos.”
In 2016, he writes, he will be continuing to expound on these concepts. “I am excited to start my first new series here in the UK; the stark difference of colours , scents, and general ambiance of my new home is extremely inspiring.” He adds that he doesn’t as yet have a studio set up, but shared some images of paintings that best represent where his work is going.
“Desura ” 36″ x 36″
Michael Beasley Reveals His Mask
“Very different,” “unique,” “colorful” – all are words Michael Beasley hears when he shows his three-dimensional masks to people. The artist has been making the intricately patterned masks, reminiscent of Native American or Mexican folk art, for nearly five years but had never tried to sell them until recently, when he accepted Thomas Howa’s invitation to show his work in the Howa Gallery in Bountiful. Beasley’s work will be featured, along with pastel paintings by Chris Cook, from Jan. 8 to Feb. 1.
Much as an abstract painter responds to materials in an organic, intuitive way, Beasley allows each mask to evolve in ways that are different than the one before. “They are all one of a kind,” he says. “I couldn’t make a piece to look like another.”
The evolution also depends on the materials at hand, which include upcycled bits of plastic, pottery, metal, cardboard, or wood—even a cabinet door—though what’s behind the mask is seldom obvious. Beasley, who works as a chef, rescues potential mask materials from the garbage—a Costco-size mayonnaise plastic jar, for example, or broken ceramic plates.
Once he finds an interesting base, he applies layers of acrylic latex from the hardware store (like that silicone stuff that comes in a tube to caulk the bathtub). Beasley applies it thickly so that it can be pushed and pulled into interesting shapes and facial features. As it dries, it can be indented and scored using various tools to give it textural interest. Some features, such as a tongue, eyes, or horns, are molded separately and attached with acrylic later.
All of the work to this point has been an intuitive conversation with the materials, with no real vision of the finished piece. As the dimensional features take shape, Beasley draws on the surface with markers to designate the position of the next layers of features, such as the eyes or the mouth.
Eventually, the painting process begins. Using thick acrylic paints applied with brushes, bamboo sticks, or other tools, Beasley creates repeating, decorative patterns over the hills and valleys of the surface and features of the mask. Some are mounted to plywood bases. One used a cabinet door to frame the sculptural pieces. Base and 3-D features are unified with layers of paint and pattern.
Beasley was raised in Utah but ventured to Seattle with some friends when it appeared that Utah had not much to offer the young adventurers. Beasley worked in the hotel/restaurant industry but hung out with artist friends and learned a lot by watching. Though he might not have called himself an artist then, he now realizes that he’s made art since he was a kid, playing with materials in his dad’s wood shop, or drawing and painting. He noted that many of his Seattle artist friends incorporated found materials in their art. He also was influenced by the Native American totems prevalent in Northwest culture.
After about 20 years in Seattle, he noticed that his home state of Utah had become more interesting and progressive and moved back in 2010. He recalls that in February 2011, he had some broken plates that he thought might be repurposed as teeth in a sculptural mask. His mask-making evolved by trial and error. “Now that I’ve been doing it for five years, I’ve mastered my process,” he says.
Though he’s never tried to price his work to sell it, he has shown work in a couple of Salt Lake City restaurants —Tin Angel and Frieda Bistro—for a few months at a time. “When I drove by Howa Gallery shortly before it opened, I stopped in and met Thomas Howa,” he recalls. “I had some pieces of my work in my car and invited him to take a look. He asked me to display my work for the opening last May, but I wasn’t ready.”
Beasley has been busy. He now has an inventory of about 70 pieces finished or in process. More than 25 will be on display during January at the Howa Gallery.
New Works by Michael Beasley and Chris Cook, Howa Gallery, 390 N. 500 West, Bountiful, Jan. 8-Feb. 1, opening reception Jan. 8, 6-9 p.m. www.howagallery.com
“Very different,” “unique,” “colorful” – all are words Michael Beasley hears when he shows his three-dimensional masks to people. The artist has been making the intricately patterned masks, reminiscent of Native American or Mexican folk art, for nearly five years but had never tried to sell them until recently, when he accepted Thomas Howa’s invitation to show his work in the Howa Gallery in Bountiful. Beasley’s work will be featured, along with pastel paintings by Chris Cook, from Jan. 8 to Feb. 1.
Much as an abstract painter responds to materials in an organic, intuitive way, Beasley allows each mask to evolve in ways that are different than the one before. “They are all one of a kind,” he says. “I couldn’t make a piece to look like another.”
The evolution also depends on the materials at hand, which include upcycled bits of plastic, pottery, metal, cardboard, or wood—even a cabinet door—though what’s behind the mask is seldom obvious. Beasley, who works as a chef, rescues potential mask materials from the garbage—a Costco-size mayonnaise plastic jar, for example, or broken ceramic plates.
Once he finds an interesting base, he applies layers of acrylic latex from the hardware store (like that silicone stuff that comes in a tube to caulk the bathtub). Beasley applies it thickly so that it can be pushed and pulled into interesting shapes and facial features. As it dries, it can be indented and scored using various tools to give it textural interest. Some features, such as a tongue, eyes, or horns, are molded separately and attached with acrylic later.
All of the work to this point has been an intuitive conversation with the materials, with no real vision of the finished piece. As the dimensional features take shape, Beasley draws on the surface with markers to designate the position of the next layers of features, such as the eyes or the mouth.
Eventually, the painting process begins. Using thick acrylic paints applied with brushes, bamboo sticks, or other tools, Beasley creates repeating, decorative patterns over the hills and valleys of the surface and features of the mask. Some are mounted to plywood bases. One used a cabinet door to frame the sculptural pieces. Base and 3-D features are unified with layers of paint and pattern.
Beasley was raised in Utah but ventured to Seattle with some friends when it appeared that Utah had not much to offer the young adventurers. Beasley worked in the hotel/restaurant industry but hung out with artist friends and learned a lot by watching. Though he might not have called himself an artist then, he now realizes that he’s made art since he was a kid, playing with materials in his dad’s wood shop, or drawing and painting. He noted that many of his Seattle artist friends incorporated found materials in their art. He also was influenced by the Native American totems prevalent in Northwest culture.
After about 20 years in Seattle, he noticed that his home state of Utah had become more interesting and progressive and moved back in 2010. He recalls that in February 2011, he had some broken plates that he thought might be repurposed as teeth in a sculptural mask. His mask-making evolved by trial and error. “Now that I’ve been doing it for five years, I’ve mastered my process,” he says.
Though he’s never tried to price his work to sell it, he has shown work in a couple of Salt Lake City restaurants —Tin Angel and Frieda Bistro—for a few months at a time. “When I drove by Howa Gallery shortly before it opened, I stopped in and met Thomas Howa,” he recalls. “I had some pieces of my work in my car and invited him to take a look. He asked me to display my work for the opening last May, but I wasn’t ready.”
Beasley has been busy. He now has an inventory of about 70 pieces finished or in process. More than 25 will be on display during January at the Howa Gallery.
New Works by Michael Beasley and Chris Cook, Howa Gallery, 390 N. 500 West, Bountiful, Jan. 8-Feb. 1, opening reception Jan. 8, 6-9 p.m. www.howagallery.com
15 Bytes Utah's Art Magazine Since 2001
Thomas J. Howa’s recently opened gallery is intimate, eclectic and a lot of fun. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a roster of some of Utah’s most well-respected artists. And he’s tossed in several lesser-known painters, like Sierra Dickey and Tyler Swain, graduates from USU with bachelor’s degrees in fine arts. “Both are technically good and needed an opportunity,” says Howa. “Cordell Taylor gave me a chance in 1998 at his gallery on 2nd South [he sold out the show], and I think it’s important to pay it forward.”
With a wide variety of genres spread over three rooms – making a visit to this gallery at 390 N. 500 West in Bountiful more than interesting – Howa will feature his own excellent work in an unusual way: by having a studio in the back with an opening cut in the wall so passersby can watch him paint. “I’ll show my work there, too, so I don’t take away gallery space from my artists.”
“I want to be a different kind of gallery. But be enough the same to achieve the success of the other galleries. I want things to happen now. And I realize that’s not going to happen. But it doesn't mean I can’t have that attitude: because that’s what has made me successful – the ‘I want it now’ attitude.“
He gives his artists a better split on commissions than most galleries and has tried to select the best artists he could find in the state: for example glass artist Sarinda Jones sits as a board member of the Salt Lake City Arts Council; watercolorist Nancy Maxfield has served as president of the Utah Watercolor Society; found-art sculptor Frank McEntire, former art critic for The Salt Lake Tribune and Salt Lake Magazine, author and former Executive Director of the Utah Arts Council was selected by Mayor Ralph Becker for an award for Service to the Arts; Cordell Taylor who’s also received a Mayor’s Award in the Arts as well as an NEA grant, and more.
“Traffic’s picking up,” says Howa. “We’ve got jewelry and clothing, too, and that’s drawing people in the door. The biggest problem I’ve got now is convincing people in Salt Lake that it’s worth taking a 15-minute drive to see some good art. Bountiful is not Alaska,” he adds.
Deseret News
Owner of new Howa Gallery in Bountiful says supporting Utah artists is 'crucial'
The interior of the new Howa Gallery, which is located at 390 N. 500 West in Bountiful.
Provided by Thomas Howa
BOUNTIFUL — Visitors to the new Howa Gallery in Bountiful can expect to be impressed — and perhaps overwhelmed — at the selection of art that awaits them.
The gallery, located at 390 N. 500 West, opened earlier this month and takes its name from the gallery’s owner, artist Thomas Howa, an enthusiastic proponent of artistic expression and growth in Davis County.
According to Howa, the gallery is a response to the increasing artistic excitement of the region. In addition to his gallery, the Bountiful Davis Art Center recently opened at 90 N. Main St. after an extended renovation and move.
“Davis County is the fastest-growing county in the state and has the highest median income as well; the growth in the area has been phenomenal and has the ability to expand,” Howa said.
“The misconception of Bountiful is that it's a sleepy community that is far away from Salt Lake,“ Howa said, “but it’s actually closer than people think.”
Thomas Howa worked in the construction industry for more than 20 years before becoming an artist in the early 1990s. Since switching to art full time, he has gained representation with multiple galleries in the Western United States and participated in a number of exhibitions in the Salt Lake Valley. While he maintains important ties to the Salt Lake art scene, he sees Bountiful as a distinct market for showcasing Utah’s talented artists.
“Supporting the artists is crucial to me,” he said. “I understand how it is as an artist myself.”
Among a number of mediums and styles to choose from, many bold, attractive abstract paintings stand out in the exhibition space, including work by David Maestas, Bill Lee, Toni Youngblood, Chauncey Secrist and Alexander Hraefn Morris.
Layne Meacham’s striking painting “Protea and Oxalis Lilies” greets observers with a series of brightly colored abstract shapes intertwined in a vibrant visual field. Reminiscent of the high modernist masterpieces littering major museums, the painting showcases the joys inherent to abstract art.
The gallery also has a number of realistic works, such as Nichole Houston's "Bye Bye Boys," an attractive pastel drawing of a horse and rider. Houston's delicate handling of the subject and incorporation of acute detail affirm her mastery of technical precision.
While paintings constitute the majority of the collection, the gallery also carries sculptures, jewelry and clothing. Located in a bustling commercial intersection, the gallery capitalizes on shoppers and diners in the nearby area. The location, as well as the aesthetic, were selected consciously in hopes of breaking down the pretentiousness often associated with cultural institutions and to invite any and all to share in the thrill of art.
If you go ...
What: Howa Gallery
When: Monday-Friday, 11 a. m. -6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a . m. -5 p.m.; and by appointment
Where: 390 N. 500 West, Bountiful
Phone: 801-232-5710
Email: howagallery@gmail.com
Salt Lake City Weekly
Best of Utah Arts 2015
Your votes and our picks for the Best in local arts
BEST ECLECTIC NEW GALLERYHowa GalleryThe former vice president of Howa Construction, Thomas Howa, recently turned his sights toward opening an art gallery in Bountiful, where as an artist, he has had a studio for a number of years. His time pursuing his second career as a painter provided him opportunities to network with local artists, and, as such, the gallery's opening in May 2015 provided a potpourri of local artistic genres and styles, a cross-section of some of the best local art . Set in a strip mall, it's decidedly more friendly than some venues that keep the viewer at a distance. Facebook.com/HowaGallery
Salt Lake City Weekly
Howa Gallery
A construction mogul-turned-artist tries his hand at the gallery biz
One of the newest galleries along the Wasatch Front has a decidedly northern flair—northern Utah, that is. Thomas Howa opened Howa Gallery in Bountiful on May 9 and the 30 artists in the debut show—representing just about every imaginable artistic genre and style in the area—offer a remarkable cross-section of current local artists. Their works range from challenging, abstract paintings and sculptures to more readily accessible representational paintings featuring Western motifs and landscape; glass art, pottery, jewelry and even clothing are also featured. It was one of the most exciting and well-attended art openings of the spring season.
As a successful businessman and an artist in his own right, Howa has a unique perspective on the local arts scene and on operating a gallery—and that perspective shows in his selection of artists and design of the space. "[Since I'm] familiar with the art community in the state, as well as some out-of-towners, the show was invitational at first," Howa says. "But then, as news traveled, artists contacted me."
The Salt Lake City resident has had an art studio in Bountiful for three years, and when a space became available next door to that studio, he jumped at the chance. "I always wanted to be in the art-gallery business, and the space is ideal," he says. In addition to the 30 "house" artists at the opening, he plans in the coming months to mount shows featuring solo artists.
Frank McEntire, who has several sculptural pieces in the show, says, "Thomas Howa's gregarious personality and desire to be an influence in Utah's art scene are but two reasons he had no refusals by artists to his invitation to show their work in his new Bountiful gallery, myself included. His inaugural exhibition showcased an eclectic mix of work by a diverse group of artists, some [who have been] friends for many years and others I'm just getting to know—a third reason for me to have consented to his invitation. Besides, not many people venture to my studio way out west in Kearns. And for Tom to do so showed me how serious he was about me and my work."
Abstract painter Layne Meacham, also featured at Howa, applauds the gallery's diversity and approach: "It's high time that a third contender entered the ring, giving A Gallery and Phillips a run for their money. Howa is a businessman, not an arty social butterfly. He stacks 'em deep, and when he sells a piece, there is no red-dot baloney; he puts up more stock, and the buyer hauls out their artwork. I watched this, personally, a number of times. He also has a sense of humor and likes to have a lot of fun. I can let myself be 12 years old around him."
Prior to becoming a full-time artist in 1998, Howa was vice-president of Howa Construction for 24 years. "This business gave me the experience that is required to operate a profitable, sustainable business," he says. "I carried this philosophy not only as artist , but in incorporating basic business models.
"The community north of Salt Lake is flourishing—the whole bench, from Farmington to Ogden," Howa says. "With more homes being built in the area, and more affluent residents, it's becoming a real art community. Davis County is the fastest-growing county in the state, with the highest median income. From there to Ogden, art options have been limited." Along with the recent remodeling of the Bountiful-Davis Art Center, he hopes Howa Gallery will help attract Salt Lakers, as well as those farther north who are eager to view a wide variety of local artists on display.
It's uncertain what underlying scheme informs how the artworks on the wall are organized, unless it's sheer eclecticism—and that is a strength. The overall quality of the work suggests a democracy of styles, in which everything should be considered equally. Viewers can proceed from John Collins' oil "Wasatch Fall Aspens" directly to a Bill Lee abstract painting like "DKY831" with all its frenetic energy, or from the intricate detail of Alexander Hraefn Morris "City to Sea 0720" to a David Maestas with its violent brushstrokes . The playfulness of Susan Kirby's oil "Cat on Oriental" or Traci O'Very Covey's gouache "Two Birds With Flora," influenced by fabric art, meld in the mind with the sociopolitical impact of a work like Lenka Konopasek's oil "Flooded Landscape New Orleans"—and the effect is quite breathtaking, if not downright mind-blowing.
Like any innovative gallery space, Howa's has the effect of being pleasantly educational, coaxing you to look at the world anew. "Diversity was the main objective," he admits. "Realism, abstraction, sculpture, jewelry—I wanted to include a lot of different things here."
15 Bytes Utah's Ary Magazine Since 2001
Whitespace Closes, Howa Gallery to Open
One gallery has closed in northern Utah, but another is opening.
Ogden’s Whitespace Contemporary held its last show March 27 at 2420 Wall Ave., featuring the work of Collin Noortmann Chandler – three artists showing under a single name. After almost two years in operation, Scott Patria announced that the venue for contemporary art in downtown Ogden would be closing. Whitespace was a multi-use venue, hosting shows curated by Patria’s own gallery, Patrajdas Contemporary, as well as other exhibitors. In a press release, Patria said, “We’ll be around . . . we ’re pleased to announce we’ve received funding to mount an even bigger/better Guerrilla Truck Fair this June . . . and maybe we’ll do another pop-up somewhere in town . . . and maybe we can find a new home this fall.” The nonprofit thanks those few who pledged support but “sadly, it was not enough, and your donation subscriptions will be cancelled.” We regret to see them go (you can see some of our coverage of the gallery here).
But seasoned artist Thomas J. Howa , a businessman probably best-known as former vice president of Howa Construction, will be opening a gallery in Bountiful at 390 N. 500 West, Suite H. A reception is May 9th from 4-9 p.m.
The roster of artists who will be showing isn’t complete, but includes Sarinda Jones, Cordell Taylor, David Maestas, Susan Kirby, Lenka Konopasek, John Collins, Layne Meacham, Ron Russon, Traci O’Very Covey, jewelry by Lisa Howa and paintings by a few out-of-state artists: Ray McCarty (originally from Utah), Julie Lewis, and Nichole Houston. Partitions will ensure there is room for everyone.
He plans on doing group shows for the first several months and then solo shows after that.
“I have lived in Las Vegas and California for the past 15 years and plan to hit those markets as well as what I believe to be an underserved northern Utah market,” says Howa. “I am also pretty well connected in Salt Lake City. I hope people there will begin to realize that Bountiful is only a 13-minute drive from downtown.” In any event, he adds, “it’s really all about the artists a gallery has to offer.”
He will feature his own work in an unusual way: by having a studio in the back with an opening cut so people can see him work, even from the street. “I’ll show my work there, so I don’t take away any gallery space from my artists.”
Ann Poore is a freelance writer and editor who spent most of her career at The Salt Lake Tribune. She also worked for Salt Lake City Weekly and has written for such publications as Utah Business Magazine and Salt Lake Magazine.
One gallery has closed in northern Utah, but another is opening.
Ogden’s Whitespace Contemporary held its last show March 27 at 2420 Wall Ave., featuring the work of Collin Noortmann Chandler – three artists showing under a single name. After almost two years in operation, Scott Patria announced that the venue for contemporary art in downtown Ogden would be closing. Whitespace was a multi-use venue, hosting shows curated by Patria’s own gallery, Patrajdas Contemporary, as well as other exhibitors. In a press release, Patria said, “We’ll be around . . . we ’re pleased to announce we’ve received funding to mount an even bigger/better Guerrilla Truck Fair this June . . . and maybe we’ll do another pop-up somewhere in town . . . and maybe we can find a new home this fall.” The nonprofit thanks those few who pledged support but “sadly, it was not enough, and your donation subscriptions will be cancelled.” We regret to see them go (you can see some of our coverage of the gallery here).
But seasoned artist Thomas J. Howa , a businessman probably best-known as former vice president of Howa Construction, will be opening a gallery in Bountiful at 390 N. 500 West, Suite H. A reception is May 9th from 4-9 p.m.
The roster of artists who will be showing isn’t complete, but includes Sarinda Jones, Cordell Taylor, David Maestas, Susan Kirby, Lenka Konopasek, John Collins, Layne Meacham, Ron Russon, Traci O’Very Covey, jewelry by Lisa Howa and paintings by a few out-of-state artists: Ray McCarty (originally from Utah), Julie Lewis, and Nichole Houston. Partitions will ensure there is room for everyone.
He plans on doing group shows for the first several months and then solo shows after that.
“I have lived in Las Vegas and California for the past 15 years and plan to hit those markets as well as what I believe to be an underserved northern Utah market,” says Howa. “I am also pretty well connected in Salt Lake City. I hope people there will begin to realize that Bountiful is only a 13-minute drive from downtown.” In any event, he adds, “it’s really all about the artists a gallery has to offer.”
He will feature his own work in an unusual way: by having a studio in the back with an opening cut so people can see him work, even from the street. “I’ll show my work there, so I don’t take away any gallery space from my artists.”
Ann Poore is a freelance writer and editor who spent most of her career at The Salt Lake Tribune. She also worked for Salt Lake City Weekly and has written for such publications as Utah Business Magazine and Salt Lake Magazine.