Theme

This theme of similarity and yet great difference underlies Secor's selection process for all the artists featured in Thunder Within The Earth, a title once again chosen from the I Ching. Thunder Within The Earth specifically refers to the hexagram 'Fu' (Return or the Turning Point) and conjures up an image of a quiet but powerful force. 'I took the image from 'Fu/Return' because each of the artists, at one time or another has lived in Houston, and I imaged this exhibition as symbolizing a return to the city. When I initially selected them, I hadn't come up with a profound theme or a thread that would hold the show together, but had simply thought of people whose work I strongly admire, and who draw in one fashion or another- whether it be in gouache or silverpoint or floor wax and ink, It wasn't until I began to receive images for the show that I realized all the works have a certain powerful quietness to them, a most fortuitous coincidence. None of the works shouts or screams, but all of them possess some quality that resonates strongly upon the psyche,' says Secor.