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Ray Howlett

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ray Howlett
Born1940 (age 83–84)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Nebraska
OccupationArtist
Years active1965-present
Known forLight Sculpture
Ascension (2000) Ray Howlett

Ray Howlett (born 1940) is an American artist primarily associated with the light and space movement.[1][2] He is known as one of the pioneers of infinity light sculptures.[3][4][5]

Early life and education

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Howlett was born in Lincoln, Nebraska.[2] In 1963, he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Nebraska.[6] He moved to Los Angeles in 1965, where he was influenced like many of the other Light and Space artists at the time to experiment with sculptural mediums and became inspired by the interaction of mixing reflective surfaces with electric light. The result was the development of a completely new, complex art form that he calls "Contained Reflective Light Sculpture."

Work

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Howlett’s earliest work were painting on large canvases, experimenting with the push and pull of visual space. In 1972, he began making serigraph prints on glass, mounting and spacing them in front of his paintings. This expanded into experiments with mirror and transparent reflective coatings on glass. Finally, incorporating electric lights into his pieces, to increase the dimensional effects, his paintings became sculptural.[7][8][9]

In 1975, one of his first light sculptures was singled out by art critic, Alfred Frankenstein, while he called the show “an unmitigated disaster” he noted that “only one has any business being shown in an art museum. That work is called “Vortex” by Ray Howlett.”[10][11][12][13]

Howlett's sculptures create a colorful and abstract optical space larger than the piece itself what he calls an "optically expanding space". In his structural forms, illuminated graphic images appear to be floating within transparent sculptures. The internal composition and colors shift and change as the viewer moves around it.

Museum Permanent Collections

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Howlett's work is represented in numerous public collections[6][14] including;

Year Museum City Country
2013 , Amarillo Museum of Art Amarillo, Texas United States
2007 Loveland Museum Loveland, Colorado United States
2007 Erie Art Museum Erie, Pennsylvania United States
2007 Museum of Dichroic Art Orange County, California United States
2006 Butler Institute of American Art Youngstown, Ohio United States
2005 Northern Galleries at Northern State University Aberdeen, South Dakota United States
2003 West Valley Art Museum Surprise, Arizona United States
2002 Masur Art Museum Monroe, Louisiana United States
2002 Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, Pine Bluff, Arkansas United States
2002 Midwest Museum of American Art[2] Elkhart, Indiana United States
2001 Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery at Keene State College Keene, New Hampshire United States
2000 Museum of Neon Art Los Angeles, California United States
1999 Springfield Art Museum Springfield, Missouri United States
1999 The Kaleidoscope Art Museum Sendai Japan
1999 Midland Center for the Arts Midland, Michigan United States
1998 The Grace Museum Abilene, Texas United States
1998 Museum of Art Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma United States
1996 Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences Peoria, Illinois United States
1994 Louisiana Art and Science Museum Baton Rouge, Louisiana United States
1991 Museum of Science Boston, Massachusetts United States
1989 SciTech Museum Aurora, Illinois United States
1987 Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Los Angeles, California United States
1987 Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation Los Angeles, California United States

References

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  1. ^ Liebenson, Bess (February 14, 1999). "Light as a Plaything And in Science, Too". Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "DICHROIC GLASS - The Electric Light and Space Constructions of RAY HOWLETT" (PDF). 32. Midwest Museum of American Art. February 2010: 2. Retrieved June 19, 2018. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Antony, Marc (Winter 1986). "Opening Doors..to the Fourth Dimension". Meditation Magazine. 1: 5.
  4. ^ "Ray Howlett Peaceful infinity". Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  5. ^ Pettit, Susan (Summer 1987). "Technological Meditations". Visions Magazine: 16.
  6. ^ a b "Ray Howlett - Artist, Fine Art Prices, Auction Records for Ray Howlett". www.askart.com. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  7. ^ Fodiman, Aaron R (August 2002). An artist of infinite talent. Tampa Bay Magazine. p. 197. Retrieved June 19, 2018. Infinity art has been developed since the 1970s by artists such as Earl Rineback and Ray Howlett
  8. ^ "Ray Howlett Light Sculptures". mostlyglass.com. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  9. ^ "Ray Howlett, glass light sculpture". YouTube. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  10. ^ "A Rainbow Of Confusion At the Legion" by Alfred Frankenstein". SF Sunday Examiner & Chronicle. March 23, 1975.
  11. ^ "H2O vortex". The Erie Art Museum. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  12. ^ "Ray Howlett's "H2o Vortex" at the Erie Art Museum". YouTube. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  13. ^ Zone, Ray. "Ray Howlett". Art Scene.
  14. ^ "Museum Permanent Collections - Ray Howlett".
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