Kingdom
| 10.29.2020 - 12.05.2020 |
Artists: Adonna Khare
Adonna Khare is an American master carbon-pencil artist. Her style has been compared to the photo-realistic illustrations of Audubon, but the surreal worlds and strange inhabitants she creates can only spring from her imagination. Khare’s life-size works possess the scope of a painting, but with enough detail and realism to give viewers the impression they can step through the paper and into Adonna’s worlds. Though she stays steadfast to her chosen mediums, pencil and paper, her work spans from 8” x 11” to massive murals covering entire walls. She says of her process, “I draw how one might sculpt,” and the final artworks contain far more layers of pencil than the surface belies. A review of her in-progress pieces reveal hints of skeleton, almost as if she is drawing her fictional subjects from the inside out.
Against Nature
| 10.29.2020 - 12.05.2020 |
Artists: Rachel Denny
We surround ourselves with elements from nature in the form of manicured lawns, sculpted trees, and our domesticated companions. We bend the natural world to our tastes and create a comfortable place from which to appreciate its unpredictable beauty. My sculptures weave every day objects with the animal form to create new layers of information. I use tactile materials to create beautiful yet absurd creatures that are half wild yet domesticated by human intervention. My work approaches topics of femininity, domesticity, and our perceived place in nature. My animals are transformed by the texture and colors of human detritus into poetic creatures that reflect our conflicted desire for control over our environment and our search for a feral beauty. We sometimes move through this life at a frantic pace, and my creatures are a reflection of the ebb and flow of our actions.
Modern Animal Fables
| 11.23.2020 - 01.01.2021 |
Artists: Johnny Defeo, Anne Lemanski, Tim Berg and Rebecca Myers, Gretchen Woodman, Humberto Ramirez, Dave White, Penelope Gottlieb, Robin McCauley, Taryn Boals, Luke Anderson, Robin Whiteman, Karen Rosencrantz, Kollabs, Anne Siems, Julia Lucey, Robert McCauley
As the days get shorter and the nights stretch out their arms, we approach the season of myth and legend. We see dark woods and dark skies and are immersed in a sort of Grimm fairytale. The holidays approach and we act out ancient stories, cutting Christmas trees and lighting candles to the days. There seems to be a force in the winter that pushes us towards our roots, towards the stories and fables that comprise our cultural bedrock, and across every culture, every fairytale, like a great unifier are animals. They flit in and out of some of our most beloved and significant stories, from the tortoise and the hare, to Greek gods masquerading as lions and owls, to the snake biting its tail. Animals give us a personification of life, death, rebirth, strength, and power. They teach us important life lessons as children and bring color, interest, and wonder to these stories. Cuddling up in our cultural memory they hold a special place in our hearts- the fox, the wolf, the rabbit, the horse. We dress up like them, we learn from them, we honor them, and in our upcoming show at Visions West, we make space for them to be loved, appreciated, and contemplated in the realm of contemporary art. Join us as we look deep into the eyes of a bear with Robert McCauley, explore shamanistic relationships to animals with Anne Siems, climb through the bramble with coyotes in new work from Julia Lucey, and delve deep into animals in art history with Shelly Reed. In this show, as ever, animals serve as an important unifying force in the fabric of each artist’s story spanning a wonderful diversity of new work with ancient roots. In addition to the aforementioned artists, we will be showcasing new work from Johnny Defeo, Anne Lemanski, Tim Berg and Rebecca Myers, Gretchen Woodman, Humberto Ramirez, Dave White, Penelope Gottlieb, Robin McCauley, Taryn Boals, Luke Anderson, Robin Whiteman, Karen Rosencrantz, and Kollabs. Don’t miss a chance to see contemporary interpretations of art’s most timeless and beloved subject in THE MODERN FABLE.
Pioneer Project
| 12.11.2020 - 01.22.2021 |
Artists: Jennifer Nehrbass
Landscape paintings once used to romanticize and to politicize notions of manifest destiny, are now recreated. The landscape images are created through the use of various locations combined to become idealized vistas. They are moments in time captured for posterity. In the time of climate crises these idealized landscapes may present to future viewers a skewed version of past environments.
Mothers & Daughters
| 12.11.2020 - 01.22.2021 |
Artists: Madeleine Bialke
Madeleine Bialke portrays the American landscape through bright colors, cartoonish characters, and shifted perspectives. Her work reflects the threat of climate change¬¬—known characteristics of the natural world are altered. Her surreal works exemplify the power and changes in American landscape painting. Her works have been featured in Harper’s Books and the Boston University Art Gallery.