Cynthia Reid Presents Over/Under
By Kristie Stevens
Cynthia Reid is a Texas Artist who has built more than just a body of work to behold. She has spent almost 50 years teaching art, promoting other artists, and continuing her own education. In the winter of 2020, she took an online class with Colorado paper artist Helen Hiebert that required her to create a new paper weaving every day for 30 days. This show celebrates the work that was inspired by that daily discipline.
She has had fifteen solo shows in galleries across the state, but this is her Georgetown debut and her first time to present her paper weaving to the public. The show reflects three categories that are specific to her art throughout her life.
The first category is the reincarnation of unfinished paintings and prior works. She chose the piece Obscured Vision as the promotional image for the show because it incorporates a reused watercolor of her own eyes. Since taking up paper weaving, Reid has used the opportunity to explore her work from a new perspective. Bliss is a reworked version of a self-portrait she painted in the 80s. The show is a visual metaphor for weaving the past into the present. It’s also a celebration of color that includes an 18-piece installation entitled Triple Rainbow.
The second category speaks to her previous life as an antique dealer. Over the last three years, she has woven a number of vintage photographs into her current art form. The third category represents her love of paper. Here she weaves together a combination of handmade and commercial elements, mixing colors, textures, and patterns. Using specialty paper like chiyogami from Japan and Shizen from India, which is made from recycled cotton, the idea of making new things from what came before is reinforced.
The show will be open from June 2-July 2, with a reception from 4:00 PM-6:00 PM on Saturday, June 3. Reid will give a talk about her work on Sunday, June 4, at 2:00 PM.
Reid has remained a lifelong student, always thirsty for new techniques and mediums. She took classes with renowned watercolorist Arthur Turner at the Glassell School of Art in Houston and completed her MFA in Watercolor at Sam Houston State University in 1988. She treated herself to “Art Camp” at the Texas Tech Summer Art Program for a decade in order to immerse herself in art-making not possible during the school year.
She developed, with Professor Edie Wells, the Art Education Summer Studio Intensive at SHSU for art teachers and now teaches weekly classes at the Conroe Art League. Reid has also curated The Angel Show in Huntsville each December for the last two decades, showcasing the work of area artists and students.
Reid will host a paper weaving workshop at the Georgetown Art Center on June 24 and 25. The class will cover basic techniques of weaving, warp and weft, and cutting windows. No skills are required, and the class fee includes a curated pack of beautiful papers.
Day one begins at 10:00 AM and goes to 5:00 PM with a mid-day lunch break. Day two is from noon to 4:00 PM, and participants are invited to bring old letters, wrapping paper, maps, or paper prints to personalize their work. Students should also bring scissors, an Exacto knife, and a cutting mat or heavy-duty cardboard at least 9×12 inches or larger, up to 12×18. The workshop will yield at least four completed pieces.
The Georgetown Art Center is located at 816 Main Street. For more information about their programs and events, visit https://www.georgetownartcentertx.org/. To sign up for the Paper Weaving Workshop, visit https://www.georgetownartcentertx.org/workshops/reid.
Comments