photo by: bale creek allen
I first encountered internationally renowned, multi-discipline artist James Surls’ work via a piece that was hanging in the lobby of The Amon Carter Museum. It’s an impressive sculpture that I have photographed and shared many, many times. In a stroke of luck, I recently sat next to Surls and my dear friend, Bale Creek Allen, at an event at The Kimbell. I not only made James’ acquaintance, but I also learned from Bale that his recently relocated Bale Creek Allen Gallery was going to be hosting a show of his works, which officially opened on November 22, 2022.
I attended the opening, of course, and was pleased to find that the “Axe and Pencil” show was packed with friends and admirers alike. After a bit of mingling amongst the gathered crowd, Bale introduced James, and launched into his artist talk. The gallery, having just been a bustling scene only moments earlier, was now so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. One thing that immediately struck me was the passion in James’ voice when he talked about his artwork. Every piece has a story, and he was eager to share their various histories.
surls' artist talk
“When making art, I have to fully, absolutely and totally believe in myself.”
When describing the process of creating his drawings, James stated, “I make something good happen. I don’t erase, I don’t smudge or smear. Sometimes I can draw with my left hand or my right. Sometimes, I can do a drawing with my eyes closed.” When he’s finished, he doesn’t see mistakes. Each mark was intentional and purposeful.
To the uninitiated, let’s just say that James Surls works in a lot of different mediums. He draws, but he also carves wood with a knife and he makes molds. He draws on photographs, and he sculpts. James says he doesn’t have a favorite and that he loves all of his work. Interestingly, he says that he grew up as a “feral child”. In his formative years, he got to play in creek beds and the woods. He would wrap feed sacks around the saplings and ride them as if they were a saddle on a horse. He constantly made things in nature but didn’t realize it was the start of his creative future. He called himself the “Thing Maker”.
Eventually, this curiosity turned into purposeful art, and he has trained himself not to doubt what he does. Surls also said that he doesn’t see his work as being in competition with anyone else’s art, and emphatically volunteered that he’ll “never quit.”
Bale told the crowd that he has been a fan of James’ work since he was in high school. He said that he had first seen pictures of Surls’ work in art books, and here he was, all these years later, giving this respected artist a solo show in his very own gallery. It was a touching story, on a night that featured dozens of great tales.
“Axe and Pencil” on view at BCA through 1/2/23: 120 St. Louis, Suite #149, Fort Worth, TX
Article by: Mouty Shackelford, mouty@artsyscoop.com
