Opening Reception: Saturday, April 25, 5-8 p.m.
Artists' Talk: Saturday, May 9, 3pm
Southwestern Sojourn, Anne M Bray
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| Anne M Bray, Dawn: Reeves County, TX, Oil on canvas, 24 x 48", ©2001 |
Anne M Bray's core subject is the American landscape as seen from the highway. It's a modern take on the Hudson River School's devotion to the sublime beauty of nature. In her current exhibition, Southwestern Sojourn, Bray limits her focus to the southwestern region of the US. “The stark beauty of sky and earth stripped down to their core elements pulls my soul.”
For more than twenty years, Bray has taken “on the fly” research shots and then later interpreted them in the studio. She’s not satisfied with keeping the images as photographs – “that format seems too cold and detail-laden”. She distills the information manually through paint or modifies it digitally, simplifying the compositional elements and adding her emotional response to the place and time. “My roadscapes are a celebration of fleeting moments frozen in time. Urban, rural, and the roads in-between -- I share with the viewer windows for contemplation.”
Precarious, Michael Knight
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| Michael Knight, Badges? Badges?... Acrylic on paper, 23 x 31 in |
Life is a balancing act. We walk tightropes over familial issues, current affairs, societal pressures, work politics and the like. In Precarious, artist Michael Knight illustrates the journey; the process by which we make these journeys. Knight’s interest in process has generally been about the technique and execution of his art. In this exhibition, it is also about the subject matter. He creates imagery to match our realities. The work forces us to evaluate how we deal with the intricacies of our lives. Michael Knight works in a wide range of media to create art that questions and challenges perception of society, culture and the individual.
Back to Nature, Ellen Starr
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| Ellen Starr, Ballona Wetlands, Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 in. |
In her latest exhibition, Back to Nature, Ellen Starr explores the endless possibilities of subject matter presented to us in the natural world. Using acrylic paint on canvas, she strives to clarify the visual intricacies of every-day subjects, primarily landscapes. Starr’s work brings the viewers into the landscapes and enables them to feel as though they are seated next to her as she paints. Composition – the delicate balance of numerous details – is a major concern, but even more important is communicating to the viewer a deep love of Nature.
