Eva Speer

One of the great things about running an art store is getting to meet and work with so many terrific artists.  Occasionally, I am lucky enough to convince one of them to work for me for a while, until they become famous or get tired of counting pencils.  One of those terrific artists, who is very likely to become successful, if not famous, is Eva Speer, whose work is now being shown across the continent.  A graduate of Indiana University’s MFA program, she shows at Viveza, in Seattle and was recently profiled on Oregon Art Beat.  Having been lucky enough to participate in some morning discussions of philosophy and art theory, I can attest to the intellectual vigor that Ms. Speer brings to the table.  You can also see it in the energy she conveys when talking about art materials, especially paint, which contrary to the adage, is pretty damn interesting to watch dry.

Eva’s work is still developing, and it is entirely possible that we have not even seen what will become her recognized style.  That is the problem of having a surfeit of ideas in an industry which is agonizingly conservative and narrow minded.  Most people think of the art world as a bastion of liberality, but the reality is that gallery owners and collectors really don’t want to see an artists change and grow, but would rather see a stable, constant production of the same piece, over and over again.  Think of Chuck Close churning out the same portrait of his homely friends and you will get an idea of narrow intellectual conformity of the artiverse.  I don’t see Eva being so constrained, at least until she gets really tired of counting pencils. 

Several of Eva’s gouache/collage work can be seen in Portland Modern .

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