LANCE LETSCHER at Conduit Gallery / by Todd Camplin
Think of an artist that has been plugging away in relative obscurity, then finally reaches a level of deserved recognition. It seems that Lance Letscher is having that moment. Shows have been opening up to him in the US and across the Atlantic. He has been featured in a film about him and his process. This weekend will be the end of his show at Conduit Gallery. With all this success, I can understand why he might think he is in a Parallel Universe, which is the title of his show.
Lance Letscher moves from narrative to abstract. Sometimes his picture tells a story that the viewer must decipher and other times the work consists of shapes and colors. Take his stapled piece The Clock Upon The Wall, Letscher is creating a formalist collage with hints of illustration. Yet the piece is mostly about the colors, shapes, and the conspicuous use of stapes. This makes the work feel more like a part of Frankenstein’s monster. The collage Space Race combines rockets and kitchen furniture to create a contrast of the present and future. Letscher has a third category of work here that combines then negates the formal and narrative style. Works like Partial Eclipse, The Lime, and Blue Book don’t quite tell a coherent story, but also do not follow a formal formula of pure shapes.
His collage has also migrated to some bicycles. These bikes are populated with images he has cut and collaged onto the surfaces. In the movie, he collaged over a gun. I wonder if he will ever have a whole show of objects that have been covered with collages? With his cutting skill, anything is possible. Lance Letscher will be showing his work through February 17th, so this is the last chance to see this show. It is worth mentioning that Reinhard Ziegler and Marja Ruznic are also coming down this weekend too. You will not want to miss Ziegler’s clean, simple black and white landscapes. more information about conduit gallery
featured image: Space Race 2017, collage on wood, framed 31×40.5″