About Us
About the Artist
Charles Livingston was born in 1967, Woodbury, NJ. In 1980 he attended the Colorado Institute of Art for graphic
design and received his B.F.A. with an emphasis in art history from Metropolitan State College of Denver in 2000.
During his B.F.A he worked as a custom area rug designer for a firm in Denver and exhibited his paintings and
sculpture with several galleries in the local area. Of these venues he was invited to display in an exhibition
entitled Growth and Decay at the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art, Colorado. The last public exhibition of
his paintings was at Andenken Gallery, Denver in 2002.
Charles received his M.F.A from the University of Connecticut in 2004. During that time he produced a CD of
sound works that originated from his experiences of working in the studio called soundsketches: a compilation of
sound for the experiencer . He also published Accrete: A Compilation of Notes, Diagrams, Drawings, and Journal
Entries, a catalog of his working process on file at The Museum of Modern Art Library /Franklin Furnace /Artist
Book Collection and The Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at The University of Connecticut.
He currently lives in Philadelphia.
email him here
admin@charleslivingstonstudio.com
Charles Livingston was born in 1967, Woodbury, NJ. In 1980 he attended the Colorado Institute of Art for graphic
design and received his B.F.A. with an emphasis in art history from Metropolitan State College of Denver in 2000.
During his B.F.A he worked as a custom area rug designer for a firm in Denver and exhibited his paintings and
sculpture with several galleries in the local area. Of these venues he was invited to display in an exhibition
entitled Growth and Decay at the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art, Colorado. The last public exhibition of
his paintings was at Andenken Gallery, Denver in 2002.
Charles received his M.F.A from the University of Connecticut in 2004. During that time he produced a CD of
sound works that originated from his experiences of working in the studio called soundsketches: a compilation of
sound for the experiencer . He also published Accrete: A Compilation of Notes, Diagrams, Drawings, and Journal
Entries, a catalog of his working process on file at The Museum of Modern Art Library /Franklin Furnace /Artist
Book Collection and The Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at The University of Connecticut.
He currently lives in Philadelphia.
email him here
admin@charleslivingstonstudio.com
select review comments:
Charles Livingston’s installations of accumulated marks and aggregate forms imply the infinite in their endless
repetition. He both seeks and offers an experience of existential expansion as he generates dense pieces from
simple systematic activity. We participate with him in an ironic mechanism; a macrocosm appears out of a
microcosm of specific moments in which time, place, an self drop away.
- Monica Bock, Associate Professor of Art, University of Connecticut, 2004
Charles Livingston’s work is about process. His drawings exist as the byproducts of a series of repeated
actions, conceived and meticulously carried out by the artist. An important distinction exists within his overall
production between drawings that are either internally (coming from the body) or externally (based on limits
outside the body) directed. His “Body Motion Drawings” are generated from the accumulation of marks formed by
the repetition of basic bodily gestures, such as the extension of an arm away from the body or the movement of
a hand in a counter clockwise circular motion. Other works are derived from a predetermined set of parameters;
working from left to right a 45 degree angle is dawn every 1/8 inch on a sheet of paper. The actions end when
the long rolls of paper on which he works run out.
Whether Livingston is working from an external or internal source, repetition is crucial. Simple shapes and marks
are selected that are intentionally void of overt self expression, Meaning, according to the artist, is derived from
the process itself. His accumulative method of creation becomes almost meditative in its regularity. “Working is
about that specific moment, of being mindful of the task at hand, “ states Livingston, “a rhythmic concentrated
engagement to the point of transcending the physicality of the activity.”
Through the physical display of his drawings, the artist attempts to recreate something of the actual moment of
production. If a drawing was created in a vertical position, it will run down the wall, if it was drawn on the floor, it
will be presented as such. Livingston has also amassed an extensive catalogue of sound recordings of his
drawing sessions. With the addition of listening stations positioned next to the works on display, visitors can hear
the tapping of the artist’s pencil on the paper as they view the actual drawings, placing the work in a sort of “real
time.” In this multi-sensory installation, the viewer is asked to enter the work through the artist’s perspective.
- Meridith Malone, 2005, Going Through the Motions: Installations and Drawings by Charles Livingston, Peng
Gallery.
PDF Review by Andrea Kirsh for InLiquid, click here.
Charles Livingston’s installations of accumulated marks and aggregate forms imply the infinite in their endless
repetition. He both seeks and offers an experience of existential expansion as he generates dense pieces from
simple systematic activity. We participate with him in an ironic mechanism; a macrocosm appears out of a
microcosm of specific moments in which time, place, an self drop away.
- Monica Bock, Associate Professor of Art, University of Connecticut, 2004
Charles Livingston’s work is about process. His drawings exist as the byproducts of a series of repeated
actions, conceived and meticulously carried out by the artist. An important distinction exists within his overall
production between drawings that are either internally (coming from the body) or externally (based on limits
outside the body) directed. His “Body Motion Drawings” are generated from the accumulation of marks formed by
the repetition of basic bodily gestures, such as the extension of an arm away from the body or the movement of
a hand in a counter clockwise circular motion. Other works are derived from a predetermined set of parameters;
working from left to right a 45 degree angle is dawn every 1/8 inch on a sheet of paper. The actions end when
the long rolls of paper on which he works run out.
Whether Livingston is working from an external or internal source, repetition is crucial. Simple shapes and marks
are selected that are intentionally void of overt self expression, Meaning, according to the artist, is derived from
the process itself. His accumulative method of creation becomes almost meditative in its regularity. “Working is
about that specific moment, of being mindful of the task at hand, “ states Livingston, “a rhythmic concentrated
engagement to the point of transcending the physicality of the activity.”
Through the physical display of his drawings, the artist attempts to recreate something of the actual moment of
production. If a drawing was created in a vertical position, it will run down the wall, if it was drawn on the floor, it
will be presented as such. Livingston has also amassed an extensive catalogue of sound recordings of his
drawing sessions. With the addition of listening stations positioned next to the works on display, visitors can hear
the tapping of the artist’s pencil on the paper as they view the actual drawings, placing the work in a sort of “real
time.” In this multi-sensory installation, the viewer is asked to enter the work through the artist’s perspective.
- Meridith Malone, 2005, Going Through the Motions: Installations and Drawings by Charles Livingston, Peng
Gallery.
PDF Review by Andrea Kirsh for InLiquid, click here.
Charles Livingston Studio
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Education
2004 MFA, University of Connecticut
2004 Performance workshop with Marina Abramovic, University of Connecticut
2000 BA, Art History, Metropolitan State College of Denver
1999 Independent Study, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Tuscan Art History, Italy
1986 Graphic Design, Colorado Institute of Art, Denver
Exhibitions
2007 Private invitation Open Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2007 Muse Gallery, Annual Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA
2005 Going Through the Motions, Peng Gallery, solo exhibit, Philadelphia, PA
2004 Fully Tilted, Side Show Gallery, Williamsburg, NY
2004 Fully Tilted: MFA Exhibition, William Benton Museum of Art, University of Connecticut
2003 MFA Exhibition, CAA co-sponsored exhibition, Hunter College/Times Square Gallery, New York, NY
2002 Growth and Decay, Museum of Contemporary Art, Fort Collins, CO
2002 Caitlyn Gallery, St. Louis, MO
2001 Appaloosa, Denver, CO
2001 Fresh Art Gallery, Denver, CO
2001 Andenken Gallery, solo exhibit, Denver, CO
1998-89 Charles/Kristen Gallery, Denver, CO
1998 Alternative Arts Alliance Open Studio Tour, Denver, CO
1997 Core Gallery, Annual Juried Exhibition, Denver, CO
1997 Common Grounds Gallery, Annual Juried Exhibition Denver, CO
1996 Spark Gallery, Annual Juried Exhibition, Denver, CO
Publications/Catalogs
Accrete, A Compilation of Notes, Diagrams, Drawings, and Journal Entries by Charles Livingston, 2002 - 2004
on file at:
-The Museum of Modern Art Library /Franklin Furnace /Artist Book Collection, New York
-Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, The University of Connecticut
Bibliography
Kirsh, Andrea "Philadelphia Introductions: Charles Livingston” InLiquid 16 May 2007. http://www.inliquid.com/
Professional Experience
2006 Cheltenham Arts Center, PA, Contemporary Art Lecture Series (4 talks) on Duchamp to Present.
2003 University of Connecticut, Spring, Beginning Drawing
2003 University of Connecticut, Community School of the Arts, summer youth program.
2003 Mind Flight Summer Youth Camp, Plymouth State College, NH
2003 - 2004 Gallery Assistant to Barry Rosenberg, Director of Contemporary Art Galleries, University of
Connecticut, in Storrs and Stamford.
1996 - 2002 Textile Designer, custom carpet and area rug designer for Floor Coverings by CPA in the Denver
Design Center, CO
Organizations
1997 - 1998 Member of the Denver, Alternative Arts Alliance, a collective of artists supporting contemporary art
in the Denver region.
2004 MFA, University of Connecticut
2004 Performance workshop with Marina Abramovic, University of Connecticut
2000 BA, Art History, Metropolitan State College of Denver
1999 Independent Study, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Tuscan Art History, Italy
1986 Graphic Design, Colorado Institute of Art, Denver
Exhibitions
2007 Private invitation Open Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2007 Muse Gallery, Annual Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA
2005 Going Through the Motions, Peng Gallery, solo exhibit, Philadelphia, PA
2004 Fully Tilted, Side Show Gallery, Williamsburg, NY
2004 Fully Tilted: MFA Exhibition, William Benton Museum of Art, University of Connecticut
2003 MFA Exhibition, CAA co-sponsored exhibition, Hunter College/Times Square Gallery, New York, NY
2002 Growth and Decay, Museum of Contemporary Art, Fort Collins, CO
2002 Caitlyn Gallery, St. Louis, MO
2001 Appaloosa, Denver, CO
2001 Fresh Art Gallery, Denver, CO
2001 Andenken Gallery, solo exhibit, Denver, CO
1998-89 Charles/Kristen Gallery, Denver, CO
1998 Alternative Arts Alliance Open Studio Tour, Denver, CO
1997 Core Gallery, Annual Juried Exhibition, Denver, CO
1997 Common Grounds Gallery, Annual Juried Exhibition Denver, CO
1996 Spark Gallery, Annual Juried Exhibition, Denver, CO
Publications/Catalogs
Accrete, A Compilation of Notes, Diagrams, Drawings, and Journal Entries by Charles Livingston, 2002 - 2004
on file at:
-The Museum of Modern Art Library /Franklin Furnace /Artist Book Collection, New York
-Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, The University of Connecticut
Bibliography
Kirsh, Andrea "Philadelphia Introductions: Charles Livingston” InLiquid 16 May 2007. http://www.inliquid.com/
Professional Experience
2006 Cheltenham Arts Center, PA, Contemporary Art Lecture Series (4 talks) on Duchamp to Present.
2003 University of Connecticut, Spring, Beginning Drawing
2003 University of Connecticut, Community School of the Arts, summer youth program.
2003 Mind Flight Summer Youth Camp, Plymouth State College, NH
2003 - 2004 Gallery Assistant to Barry Rosenberg, Director of Contemporary Art Galleries, University of
Connecticut, in Storrs and Stamford.
1996 - 2002 Textile Designer, custom carpet and area rug designer for Floor Coverings by CPA in the Denver
Design Center, CO
Organizations
1997 - 1998 Member of the Denver, Alternative Arts Alliance, a collective of artists supporting contemporary art
in the Denver region.