Facing the Desert
Donald G. Longcrier 2002
Untitled Gallery
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Facing the Desert


In "The Silent Life", Thomas Merton states that "the monastic horizon is clearly the horizon of the desert…His [the monk's] eyes are not turned towards the battlefields in the plain [rather] they gaze out upon the desert…"


The work exhibited here grew out of an interest in the contemplative life of monks, from both eastern and western religious traditions. It is simple, plain, and sometimes mysterious. Rather than attempting to illustrate ascetic principles and the monastic ideal, found objects are assembled and presented in a very simple way using materials and tools familiar to me; rope, wood, beeswax, measuring tape, and carpenter's chalk.


Donald G. Longcrier
2002




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Facing the Desert , Installation View:
Left :Untitled (Bridge Timbers/ Yellow Balls), 9'H. x 15.5'W. x 4.5'D., Wood, metal, rope. 1996
Right: Untitled (Carpenter's chalk pile),
15.5" H. x 45" W. x 45" D., Chalk and beeswax, 2002


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Facing the Desert , Installation View: Installation View: Right: Untitled (Rope Nets), 9' H. x 4.5' Diameter, Rope. 2002



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Facing the Desert , Installation View: Installation View: Left: Untitled (Rope Nets), 9' H. x 4.5' Diameter, Rope, 2002

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Facing the Desert , Installation View:
Left:
Untitled (Steel Circle), 44" Diameter x 3.5" D., Steel, wood and cloth, 2001
Right:
Untitled (Measuring tape,tape),
7.5" Diameter x 3.5" D, Paper and Cloth , 2002


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Untitled (Measuring tape, tape), Paper and cloth, 7.5" Diameter x 3" D., 2001



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Facing the Desert , Installation View:
Back:
Untitled (Yellow Boxes), 42" H. x 22' W. x 16" D., Metal. 1996




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Facing the Desert , Installation View:



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Facing the Desert , Installation View:
Foreground: Untitled (Welding Pot), 6" H. x 31.5" W. x 11.5" D., Steel, ink, and chalk, 2001
Background: Untitled (Carpenter's chalk pile),
15.5" H. x 45" W. x 45" D., Chalk and beeswax, 2002



Installation Photos: Ann Sherman


Last edited by: dl6603 02/25/09 15:06:39. Edited 10 times.