drawings Wes Mills & Marc Baseman
Marc Baseman, Convergence 2 x 3.5”, graphite on paper, 2022
203
FINE ART
Early Modern to Contemporary
drawings Wes Mills & Marc Baseman Opening Reception: 5 - 7 pm | Saturday, July 15 Exhibition Dates: July 15 - August 19, 2023
1335 Gusdorf Rd. Suite i. Taos. NM
203FINEART.com
575.751.1262
art@203fineart.com
Introduction 203 Fine Art is pleased to present an exhibition of remarkable drawings by two of Taos’ most reclusive artists, Wes Mills and Marc Baseman. While artists have traditionally used drawing as a means to an end— to be painted, covered, or merely used as a suggestive mark— these works on paper have reached their zenith in detail and emotion. Their devotion to the medium of graphite, accentuated by powdered-pigments and flecks of gold, becomes a striking signature not seen in many contemporary artists of today. Conveying pocket-sized stories, Baseman fills his scenes with cubist creatures and motifs, while Mills’ newly created works feature his signature vastness and meditative focus as he depicts adobe corners and softened sagebrush. Despite the representational quality of both artist’s work, the imagery that emerges comes from an unseeable source, echoing the whispers of a world that exists just along the peripheries of our perceived one.
Marc Baseman, Spider 2 x 2.75”, graphite & dry pigment on paper, 2000 SOLD
Wes Mills in his studio, photographed by Montanna Binder, 2023
Wes Mills Born in Tucson, Arizona, in 1960, Wes Mills has taken his time finding his own feeling of home as he moves from town to town in the great American West. The artist first moved to Taos, New Mexico, in 1990, where he integrated himself quickly as an artist and gallery owner. However, he left shortly after moving on to California and again to Montana. Having only recently returned to the place where the artist first formed friendships with modern masters such as Agnes Martin, this is Mills’ first exhibition in Taos since the turn of the century. While the town of Taos may have noticed the absence of such an innovative and inspirational artist, who also worked hard to support the arts community, Mills’ career continued to flourish. His artwork is featured in galleries, publications, and museums across the United States and Europe. His drawings and prints have found homes in collections such as the Harwood Museum of Art, Taos; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Missoula Art Museum, Montana; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
Wes Mills, Golden Twig 007 4.625 x 5.5”, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2023
Wes Mills, Golden Twig 011 5.9375 x 4”, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2023
Wes Mills, Golden Twig 003 3.5 x 3.5”, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2022
The works on paper in this exhibition feature a newly created series by Mills — Golden Twig. One can’t help but notice the singularity of the artist’s chosen title, reflecting Mills’ ability to dedicate the entirety of his focus to a single subject or emotion. In this case, the series’ focus has become the temporal sensations of a landscape glittering with adobe and gold, catching that light of illumination, if only for a moment. While some scenes may feel familiar to the residents and travelers of New Mexico, the images that emerge pull from subconscious imprints of the artist’s relationship with his on-again-off-again home. With seemingly random marks of gilded gold floating in front of an invisible layer, forcing the subject back, Mills uses this extra depth to ground his compositions in their provoked emotions.
Wes Mills, Golden Twig 005 3.25 x 5.0625”, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2022
Wes Mills, Golden Twig 082 15 x 12.5” framed, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2023
Full image of Wes Mills, Trampas Adobe - 010 3.25 x 4”, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2022 SOLD
Wes Mills, Trampas Adobe - 010 12.75 x 12.75” framed, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2022
Wes Mills, Golden Twig 081 15 x 12.5” framed, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2022
Wes Mills, Golden Twig 066 3.25 x 6.875”, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2023
Wes Mills, Golden Twig 068 3 x 4.125”, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2023
Wes Mills, Golden Twig 080 15 x 12.5” framed, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2022
Wes Mills, Golden Twig 063 12.75 x 12.75” framed, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2023
Full image of Wes Mills, Golden Twig 063 3.75 x 7”, graphite & gold paint on paper, 2023
Marc Baseman Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1965, Marc Baseman has long left the East Coast behind for the inspirations of the Southwest. Moving to Taos County in 1991, Baseman has since settled in Arroyo Seco, New Mexico, where he raised his two sons with his wife on land that has been theirs for over two decades. Baseman had his first group exhibition in Taos at the Barber Shop Gallery, owned and founded by Wes Mills. Between the smallness of the town, their neighboring houses, and their shared passion for drawing, Baseman and Mills quickly formed a unique friendship of support and comradery. Digging his roots deeper into the arts community of Taos, Baseman was offered a solo exhibition at the Harwood Museum of Art in 2003. The artist previously had a solo exhibition at James Kelly Contemporary in Santa Fe, NM, and went on to show internationally at places such as Edward Tyler Nahem, New York & Madrid, Spain; Holter Museum of Art, Helena, Montana; New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM; 5. Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; and Vivian Horan Fine Art, New York, NY. The scale of Baseman’s drawings, or lack thereof, that has become his most recognizable signature. With the largest drawing measuring just over 3 inches on each side, the artist capitalizes on the negative space within his objects frame to focus the viewer’s attention on the colliding details. For Baseman, depth comes naturally within his skewed proportions and overlayed horizons, and one has to intensely explore these miniature worlds to see all that resides within.
Marc Baseman in his studio, photographed by Montanna Binder, 2023
Marc Baseman, Tower 2.75 x 2”, graphite & dry pigment on paper, 2000
Marc Baseman, Field of Heaven 1.25 x 2.5”, graphite, ink, & colored pencil on paper, 2022
Marc Baseman, First / Last 14.75 x 14.75” framed, graphite & colored pencil on paper, 2022
Full image of Marc Baseman, First / Last 2 x 2”, graphite & colored pencil on paper, 2022
Marc Baseman, Bridge 1 2.75 x 2”, graphite & dry pigment on paper, 2000
“... Taos during the ‘90s was an incubator for a new generation of low-tech scritchers, including ex-Taoseno Wes Mills, at whose Missoula, Montana, gallery Farm Art Space Baseman also exhibits. But if you mistake Baseman’s drawings for something merely charming, remember William Blake and his dark Satanic mills. Though Baseman is not really that gloomy, his minis still give off an insidious hum.” -Ellen Berkovitch, Art Forum 2004
The curated artworks in this exhibition reflect a timeline of story that emerges in Baseman’s work through both the subject and technique employed. In fact, it is the artist’s curiosity and discipline for learning new techniques that move his artworks through time. Baseman’s drawings may appear strictly concise; however, from the early 2000s to 2022, even his characters evolve in their roles and proportions throughout the years, reflecting the changes Baseman himself experiences within his own process. From copper plate etchings to the use of colored pencils as well as dry-pigment, the artist’s mediums are transforming themselves. This gradual shift over time, rather than stark chapters of study, creates a fluid storyline the viewer is able to follow. This notion of interrelated change and development has led Baseman to see his artworks as composing the loose pages of a singular book, tracing that which has captured his attention throughout his lifetime.
Marc Baseman, No Title #1 11.75 x 11.75” framed, graphite, ink, & colored pencil on paper, 2019
Full image of Marc Baseman, No Title #1 3.15 x 3.15”, graphite, ink, & colored pencil on paper, 2019
Full image of Marc Baseman, Landfall Drawing (Madrid III) 4 x 2”, graphite & colored pencil on paper, 2017
Marc Baseman, Landfall Drawing (Madrid III) 12.5 x 12.5” framed, graphite, ink, & colored pencil on paper, 2017
Marc Baseman, Untitled Observatory 2.75 x 2”, graphite & dry pigment on paper, 2003
Marc Baseman, Borderland 3.35 x 3”, graphite & colored pencil on paper, 2023
Marc Baseman, Madrid 25 x 19”, etching on paper ed. 4/15, 2018
Full image of Marc Baseman, Madrid 5.5 x 7”, etching on paper ed. 4/15, 2018
Marc Baseman, No Title #2 2.625 x 3”, graphite, ink, & colored pencil on paper, 2022
Marc Baseman, Field Drawing 1.5 x 4”, graphite & ink on paper, 2019
Marc Baseman, Mars 2 x 2”, graphite and ink on paper, 2022
Marc Baseman, After 2 x 2”, graphite on paper, 2021
203
FINE ART
Early Modern to Contemporary
1335 Gusdorf Rd. Suite i. Taos. NM 203FINEART.com
575-751-1262
art@203fineart.com