I think of my artwork not just as a means of personal expression, but as a way to share with others, my delight and excitement in the things I find around me - in particular their spiritual nature. I revel in the discovery of apparently insignificant items, textures, colors, shapes, etc. and collect them constantly. Frequently I do not know exactly what inspires me about something and it can be quite elusive to define - an idea, a function, an association, a color, a resonance - and it can be about contrasts or conjunctions. Lately, for example, I’ve been celebrating my love of New York City’s gorgeously colored, vintage subway tiles in a series of textured paintings that I refer to as my "subway series". It’s a simple expression based on a frequently overlooked specific item, but simplicity is a keynote for me.
My assemblages explore those tiny and subtle qualities of each item compared or contrasted to those of another in the work. Each then relates in some small way to yet another which may relate to yet another in still a different manner. The resonances might be clear and loud, or they may be apparent only to me, the artist. These qualities can include purpose, function, spiritual nature, or other more esoteric attributes, while aesthetically technical relationships to one another within the grouping are also an ingredient -- colors connect, positions relate to each other, and materials have quixotic juxtapositions in both the physical and metaphysical realms..
Through simplicity and triviality, eventually can come sophisticated complexities rising to cosmic importance. In my work I most love to memorialize the ephemeral, celebrate the beauty of insignificance, recognize the tiny interconnected resonances between objects and ideas, and use as much of a sense of space, volume, surface and texture as I possibly can.
Bio/Resume Lewis Folden born: Tacoma, WA grew up: Santa Rosa, CA currently living: Manhattan
degrees: Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis - 1972 Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University - 1977
teaching experience:
assistant professor: Dept. of Theatre, SUNY Buffalo from 1978 - 1980
visiting assistant professor: George Mason University - multiple times Towson State College, MD - multiple times Georgetown University - multiple times
guest artist: Catholic University of America, Wash. DC - consistently over past 10 years
professional credits: In a 30+ year career as an award-winning scenic designer, my scenery has appeared in many theatres -- Washington DC's Kennedy Center, The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co., and Theatre J; Philadelphia's Peoples' Light & Theatre Co., Freedom Theatre and The Arden Theatre; Minneapolis' Children's Theatre Co.; Buffalo's Studio Arena; Norfolk's Virginia Stage Co.; and others. I have extensive dance experience including The Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, The Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet.
My scenic designs have appeared on both coasts and have traveled as far afield as London, Prague and Italy. Most recently I have designed world premieres by world-renowned playwrights Ariel Dorfman, Jules Feiffer, and Robert Brustein.
