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September 23, 2008
Nines Gallery Reception this Friday
"Modernscapes - Near the Edge" opens this Friday night with a reception, 5 to 8 PM.
The Nines Gallery,
17 West 10th Street, Suite 13
Downtown Holland, MI 49423
616.392.3239
theninesgallery.com
Here is a preview of the work in the exhibition: click here
Check out the story on MLive
My statement about the exhibition:
In this exhibition I hope to expand my vision inside and outside of modern interior subjects, and into the landscape and architecture that surrounds them. These works feature my unique compositional tool of creating important elements “near the edge” of the picture plane. In this sense I am designing my compositions with the same attention to detail as the architects and designers of the modern furniture and buildings I admire.
Furniture and objects have always been familiar subject matter within my work. I see the items personifying the human elements in the compositions. A chair, for example, not only personifies the body with its arms and legs, but can move and pose just as a human can. So I hope to create visual conversations and complex metaphors within these interior environments.
In the last few years I have been able to visit Palm Springs California for my gallery exhibitions. There, I am able see first hand many of the mid-century modern architectural masterpiece homes and the dramatic desert landscape. The simple shapes of modern architecture contrasting with the sculptural landscape inspired these paintings. Homes designed by Richard Neutra, Craig Ellwood, Philip Johnson, Pierre Koenig, E Stewart Williams, and Albert Frey are some of the inspirations for the architectural paintings in this exhibition.
While traveling throughout Michigan I often paint and draw the landscape. These Northern Michigan inspired landscapes celebrate the vibrant colors, unique buildings, and man-made paths we make through nature. By leaving hints of modern man in my landscapes I am able to create a distinct viewpoint and steer away from picturesque scenes. This is one of the few times these landscape paintings and drawings have been exhibited.
A new series of terra cotta ceramic potted plant sculptures, teapots, and vases also inspired by modern design, colors, and desert plant life compliment the two- dimensional work in this exhibition. These works also utilize asymmetry as a compositional element to express movement and keep them near the edge.