Inside Art with Michael Rose - Artist Portraits Highlighted at State House

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Michael Rose, Art Contributor

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

For many years Rhode Island has made the visual arts a cornerstone of its brand. The weight of this identity as an especially creative place comes from the many hundreds of artists who bring the arts to life in the Ocean State. In an inspiring photography exhibition on view now in the lower level of the Rhode Island State House, engaging portraits of local artists highlight a cross-section of the personalities who make Rhode Island a cultural powerhouse.

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On display through February 27, 2023, the exhibition Art of the State features 32 portraits executed by Pawtucket-based photographer Robert W. Easton. Easton first began making pictures during a darkroom class in junior high and then honed his skills in the U.S. Army Signal Center and School in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where he trained as a crash damage analysis photographer. Additional courses at Clark University and the Worcester Art Museum School helped to shape his photographic vision. In his cohort of artist portraits, Easton has created a collection of one-shot biographies, which capture his friends and colleagues in their studios and convey their respective uniqueness.

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Organized by the Secretary of State’s office, the exhibition of Easton’s vibrant and bohemian photographs forms a striking and fun contrast to the staid ceremonial portraits that populate much of the rest of the capitol. Of the show, Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore says, “Robert Easton’s exhibition highlights some of the talented artists who call our state home, and we are grateful to him for sharing his work with State House employees and visitors. The State House is open to everyone, and I encourage anyone who is interested to stop by, enjoy a tour, and visit the gallery to experience these powerful portraits firsthand.”

 

The portraits in the group are indeed well worth a visit and serve to bring their featured artists to life. They depict makers in the spaces where they create art, with the implements of their trade in hand. Artists are pictured next to anvils or with sculptural materials or with brushes at the ready. Hands are a central focus of the photographer’s lens. Easton’s photographs are also large-scale, so they serve to bring their featured artists face-to-face with the public. Nearly all of the subjects exhibited at the State House are shown at life size, a rare treat in a photography show and a particularly striking attribute when they are seen together.

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Speaking of the scale of these portraits, Easton says it came about through necessity. The project began as an art commission for a mill conversion and the scale was initially a response to that need. He says, “The sizes of the images evolved over time and location. When I took the first group, the client wanted 24” x 36” for display in the hallways of the building he was developing. I had to get those commercially printed. At the same time, I gave each artist a copy, about 11” x 14” that I could print myself. So, I could see that the bigger prints had some presence.”

 

Easton goes on to explain that other exhibition opportunities broadened and changed the parameters of his artist portraits. When he exhibited an expanded collection of photographs at Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket as he grew the series, he adapted the scale to fit that space, eventually growing his prints to 32” x 56”. The photos on view at the State House follow this measurement to impressive effect.

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Easton has exhibited his work in a variety of galleries from AS220 to Art League Rhode Island. Speaking of what it means to see this body of work on view at the State Capitol, Easton says, “For me, this is the biggest group of photographs I have exhibited, and they are in a prestigious gallery space. I feel that lends a certain gravity to the project. Unlike the work that was at AS220, this work isn’t about my own vision as much as it is about the artists themselves. Many have thanked me for including them, but I always reflect that back and thank them for being willing to participate. This is a sample of the creative population of Rhode Island, and they deserve to be in the center of a place that calls itself the “creative capitol.”

 

At a recent reception for Easton’s show, state employees, lawmakers, and artists mingled. The result of Easton’s labor has not only been to tell artists’ stories, but to form important connections centered on the visual arts in Rhode Island.

 

Art of the State is on view in the lower level of the Rhode Island State House during regular business hours through February 27. Learn more about Robert Easton at www.rweaston.com.

Michael Rose is a multi-talented fine art professional based in Southern New England. Since 2014 he has served as the gallery manager at the historic Providence Art Club, one of the nation’s oldest arts organizations. Through his current freelance work he advises collectors and artists, provides appraisal services, teaches, and completes curatorial projects.

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