About the Artist

James Chute grew up in a small Maine town and attended rural schools where there was no formal art education. Consequently he believed that people who could draw had some special secret talent. What a fool he was. Later on he went to college in another state and learned something. Then he got married to Sara Hayes and they had two children, Ethan and Bethany. He worked in the public sector for 30 years: proof that he had not learned much. Realizing at last that his children were artists and that they could not have gotten all of their talent from their mother, he began to make "art". 

About the Exhibition

The exhibition includes ink on paper drawings and one large-scale collaborative drawing project, The Rhombi.

Artist Statement

I draw.  Spontaneous and improvisational mark-making. Drawing is the most immediate, or least mediated, means of making a visual analogue to sense impressions or mental states without using language. Although nature has been a strong influence throughout my life, most of my work is improvisational and does not represent objects in the world.

I use a variety of media and tools, but I tend to favor ink applied with brush or pen. I work on a piece until I think it is done. Often this happens just after I make a mark that I regret making. I have also made paintings and a small number of sculptures and installations, but currently I am focused on drawing.

The Rhombi

This is my second collaborative drawing project. The first, talking & drawing (2012), used abstract drawing as means of memorializing otherwise ephemeral private conversations.

We met somewhere, usually studios, homes, and coffee shops, occasionally bars and public parks. We both drew on the same piece of paper. We both used identical drawing tools. The other person had to make at least one mark. The duration of the drawing session was chosen by my collaborator, who also chose whether we drew simultaneously or took turns, and who also had the option to talk or remain silent. The first of 59 drawings was on made 28 April 2013, the last on 19 March 2014.

**OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, February 18, 5-7pm**

**DRAWING GAMES WITH THE ARTIST: Thursday, Feb. 25th and Thursday, March 24th, 2-4pm**

For more information about James Chute and these events please visit our website.

Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 12-5pm