Fri 10/18 @ 5pm
Throughout history — before photography — major cities like Paris, London and Rome were defined by their painters. Their work provided local residents with civic pride and outsiders with an advertisement for the unique energy and character of that city. Despite Cleveland’s impressive legacy of cultural achievement, few artists successfully captured its unique, industrial spirit. Perhaps the best was Randall Tiedman, who passed away last November.
This Fri 10/18, 78th Street Studios’ Kokoon Gallery and Hedge Gallery have teamed up to present a retrospective of Tiedman’s oeuvre. The show’s title, Genius Loci, means the spirit of a place — its essence.
Born in 1949, Tiedman spent his entire life — more than 60 years — living in the same house on Grovewood Avenue in North Collinwood. After a chance encounter with local artist Gary Dumm (of American Splendor/Harvey Pekar fame), Tiedman began painting at age 15. After a tour in Vietnam, he turned down an opportunity to attend Cleveland Institute of Art to pursue art on his own. He didn’t exhibit his work until 1982, but went on to win over two dozen awards in juried exhibitions. He was the co-founder and President of the Artist Archives of the Western Reserve, an organization dedicated to preserving the works of local artists.
His early work was more influenced by Surrealism, featuring figurative and landscape imagery. His later work shows the influence of Cleveland’s eclectic collection of sports stadiums, office buildings and abandoned factories. It is this later work that encapsulates the energy of Cleveland.
Working without reference photos or preliminary sketches, Tiedman began each painting by expressively spreading and splattering paint around his canvas. He reacted to these preliminary forms and intuitively used his process to create his compositions. The geometric and architectural forms seem to grow out of an ambiguous, organic abyss. This lack of exact detail gives the work an impressionistic style. Tiedman gave viewers just enough visual information for our own imagination to fill in the gaps.
“I don’t intentionally try to make anything I do look apocalyptic. I try to bring a more romantic sensibility to it in terms of the color,” said Tiedman in an interview just weeks before his passing. “Beauty has a wider dimension than just looking pretty. Beauty has more substance to it, and that’s what I look to bring to these paintings.”
While his landscapes have an ominous, enveloping and serious tone, his use of color, lighting and texture create an electrical kind of energy in his compositions. Tiedman’s landscapes radiate a warm, glowing light within dark compositions. This warm energy gives the viewer a sense of optimism about the scene. The landscapes would resemble something out of The Matrix if it weren’t for this warmth emanating from the city.
These works masterfully capture Cleveland’s unique energy at a time when we are collectively redefining ourselves. Tiedman successfully portrays the soul of Cleveland – without depicting any particular icon. This work belongs in museums around the world, but you can own one (for the right price) at 78th Street Studios this Friday! Also, this is a rare opportunity to see such a large collection of his work in one place. It may very well be your only chance to see some of this work. Don’t miss it!
This event, as well as the of 78th Street Studio’s Third Friday event, is free and open to the public. Exhibition runs through 1/4/14.
Cleveland, OH 44102