Hilary Nauman and Michael Boyd began their joint artistic endeavors more than four years ago, when they first started dating. After a few years of working the local and regional outdoor craft market circuit together (City Flea, Second Sunday on Main, Hyde Park Art Show, etc.), they decided to open Shrewdness of Apes, a brick-and-mortar gallery/craft boutique on Seventh Street in Covington, Ky.
Shortly after they signed their lease in April 2013, Nauman’s mother got sick and passed away, so the gallery “took a back seat for awhile,” the duo says. Boyd and Nauman traveled, using the time to commemorate the life of Nauman’s mother and to make art to work through those feelings.
As part of a photographic series they began during their travels, Nauman took photos of her mom’s housecoat, which Boyd would toss into the air so that it would look like the garment was flying over the horizon.
When they began planning their wedding, the series evolved into photographing a cut-out photo of Nauman’s mom placed around Cincinnati landscapes, which they called “Tiny You.” The couple decided that they wanted to continue to incorporate art into their honeymoon travels, and You & Me Across the Sea was born.
You & Me Across the Sea is on view at Shrewdness of Apes, 32 W. Seventh St., Covington, Ky. More info: shrewdnessofapesgallery.com.
