Artery Laurence Channing 1999

The drawings of accomplished charcoal artist, Laurence Channing, will be displayed at The Bonfoey Gallery, 1710 Euclid Avenue, from November 3rd through December 2nd. The opening reception will be held on Friday, November 3rd from 5:00 to 7:30 pm.

Laurence Channing is a chronicler of Cleveland's distinctive architectural character; his compelling charcoal landscapes of streets, bridges and commercial buildings find an uncommon beauty in the urban grittiness of this rust-belt city. Deceptively photographic in appearance, Channing's exquisite charcoal drawings are guided by an acutely developed pictorial intelligence. The artistic process begins as he takes long walks with his 35mm camera – freezing in time glimpses of unremarkable, yet emotion invoking locals. In the studio, he translates photographic detail into black and white compositions. He grinds his charcoal in a mortar and applies it with various homemade tools made from sticks and rags. Channing has noted that edges are central to his work and an astute viewer can observe that the remarkable range of muted softness and formal crispness in his drawings is achieved through the mastery of his edges.

A graphic artist and designer, Laurence Channing received a BFA and MFA from Yale University. His work has included publication, exhibition, and interior design for the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, the Worcester Art Museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Since 1985, Channing has been Head of Publications at the Cleveland Museum of Art. He has had solo exhibitions in Cleveland since 1990, and has been included in group exhibitions at the Akron Museum of Art, the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, Massachusetts, the Riffe Gallery in Columbus, Ohio, MOCA Cleveland, the NEO show at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and Reeves Contemporary in New York City. Channing has received Ohio Arts Council Fellowships in 1990, 1998, and 2003, as well as the Cleveland Arts Prize  in 2000.

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