PLAYING FIELD: A Pop Up Exhibition
Glencoe, October 2025
I came across the opportunity to make changes to a space in Glencoe that my friend would be converting to a second location for his mens clothing store (Ford General) for a quick pop up exhibition in October 2025. The space had white vinyl tile, gold wood trim, massage chairs with a strange setup, bright teal wall accents everywhere, one lightbulb working. It wasn’t in the best shape. He was planning to demo the space entirely so said I could do whatever I wanted to prepare the space for a show of my work. In a matter of two weeks, I pulled up all the tile, cleaned the space, removed and added new lightbulbs, removed some trim on walls, patched, painted almost every wall with a large tub of paint from painting my own home, resolved the chair area as much as I could, and made the space ready for some art. I curated a very specific selection of works that both conceptually worked well together well as fit the parameters of the odd space. Literally the day after I finished all of it, there was a hiccup with the village that nearly prevented me fro having the events, but luckily it was resolved. It stalled me in promotional efforts though. In the end the show was up and open to the public only a select amount of days over a two week period. The floor had numerous flaws, the lighting was not great, but the transformation was significant and the experience was positive. I enjoyed being able to use what was available, alter where I could, use found tables I picked up on my drive to and from the space, and leave my mark on the space.I essentially mimicked my love of working with found objects and materials I have, to make the transformation possible.
Exhibition Statement:
The selection of pieces in the exhibition “Playing Field,” range from traditional oil on linen paintings, wall sculptures made of found objects and the traditional components of a painting, and mounted works on paper with sculptural frames made of wood and found objects. These works tell a story of relationships and a dialogue between parts with formal compositions of interacting elements as well as figurative abstracts such as Monster, Messenger, and the Talisman works serving as the personas involved. Works hold themes of transforming simple moments, the constant exchange within relationships such as marriage and parenting, and the power of the human hand in creating. Titles such as Negotiations, Playing FIeld, and Point of View, refer to these relationships. The cycles of materials also nod to the changing phases of life. For example, the Talisman sculptures have long bodies of repurposed paintings from earlier years, made into beads bound by strings of canvas. Bits and pieces from daily life, such as extra tiles from the home, scraps of jeans, and stretcher keys (typically used to tighten the backs of canvases) are used throughout the works. The exhibition is composed of pieces made between 2023 to 2025 with one small element previously made in 2017 (the cast cement and epoxy shelf).
Artist Statement:
My work is heavily rooted in highlighting the human hand and gesture, elevating unwanted or menial objects, and references the traditions of painting. My objects many times serve as archeological finds of my personal life as I incorporate found materials such as my kids’ sketchbooks, torn up parts of my paintings, to an entire box of wooden cabinet samples a builder friend left for me on my porch one day. I reappropriate these objects from my own experiences and focus on embedding the physical gesture. In the case of my recent piece, "The Inadequacies and Power of the Painterly Gesture," I do so without adding any paint and work with my found palette. In a world of AI and digital realms, I believe more than ever in the human touch. I also like to bend the rules with the basic components of painting and continually play on the line between image and object, fluctuating between series, formats, and primary materials. Many of my sculptures are made of found objects and the basic components of a traditional painting: wooden stretcher keys, picture hanging wire, canvas or linen, and paint.
I am forever intrigued by the painterly gesture (with its inadequacies, failings and power), the solid grid, and how to make decisive moves to push and pull between these elements. I think about play, moments of simplification, and the continual act of processing experiences by transforming materials in my path.
-Veronica Woodward
