Bradley Gallery exhibit spotlights reverse painting works
Artwork by Milwaukee artist Lee Grantham takes the spotlight at the next Bradley Gallery exhibit at Lakeland University.
An opening reception for his solo exhibit, entitled “From the Beginning,” will be held at the Bradley Gallery on Lakeland’s campus on Friday, January 23, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through March 6.
The Bradley Gallery is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, when Lakeland is in session.
Grantham, who uses the reverse painting technique, said the idea for this show came after visiting a museum and seeing numerous famous artworks.
“I have often wondered what these artists were doing artistically before they became famous,” he said. “What did their art look like in the beginning? So, I decided for this show I would take the viewer from my beginnings as a young artist to the present. I have been making art my whole life before I had any Idea what being an artist meant.”
Grantham’s artistic roots go back to crafting and drawing as a child before starting oil painting in sixth grade. He has worked in nearly every style, although his studies at Ball State University centered primarily in oil on canvas painting, after which he started painting in the reverse technique with acrylic on plexiglass.
He was inspired by the work of a group of Chicago artists known as the Hairy Who. “I would attend every opening and show of their work and ask them questions about reverse painting,” Grantham said. “I found out these artists didn't do a lot of reverse painting, and I had to figure out how to do it on my own.”
Reverse painting refers to painting on one side of the glass but turning the glass around to see the finished painting. Everything is painted in reverse so that the artwork shows up correctly when the painting is turned around.
Grantham said all his paintings start with the title which drives his creative process. He lays plexiglass on a piece of paper and traces around the glass, then begins with line drawing, moving images and patterns around the drawing. Once the drawing is finished, he decides on colors.
“There are times when I feel as if something is missing or needs to be changed and I will deliberate for hours to days,” he said. “When I start the painting, I do not get to see the painting until the painting is finished. The impact of seeing the painting for the first time as it is turned around is quite exciting, almost anxiety producing, knowing that you are finally getting to see what you may have worked on for weeks or months.”
Born and raised in Indiana, Grantham served in the U.S. Navy then studied art at Ball State University graduating with a bachelor of fine arts degree.
He has been included in exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Museum of Wisconsin Art, Illinois State Museums and Northern Illinois University Art Museum. He’s been represented by galleries in Chicago, New York and Indianapolis. Most recently he has been represented by Jean Albano Gallery in Chicago.
