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The Enlightening— Now at Principle Gallery, Alexandria
All creative art is magic, is evocation of the unseen in forms persuasive, enlightening, familiar and surprising, for the edification of mankind, pinned down by the conditions of its existence to the earnest consideration of the most insignificant tides of reality.
—Joseph Conrad, letter to North American Review
Well, the work for Continuum: The Red Tree at 25 has been delivered safely and will be soon showing itself on the walls of the Principle Gallery. The exhibit opens Friday, June 14, with a reception that runs from 6:30 until 8 PM and is open to all.
It was good to see the paintings in the space. I can get an inkling here in the studio but it’s not the same as in the actual space and volume of the gallery. Plus, seeing them laid out in a single space allows me to see how they play off one another, connecting and reinforcing the thread that runs through them. The group looked good, even leaning against the walls of the rear gallery, achieving the impact I was shooting for while putting this show together. It eased a lot of the anxieties I have been experiencing and am really looking forward to seeing how they occupy the main gallery space for the show.
The painting above, The Enlightening, is one of two 36″ by 36″ canvasses in the show. It has been a favorite of mine here in the studio for many months now. With its size and the multiple fractal patterns that create movement while still maintaining a sense of stillness, it serves up visual feast.
I seem to find something new or surprising in it all the time. Just the other day while looking at it, I realized how much the tile-like blocks of the water remind me of the clouds in the Georgia O’Keeffe painting, Sky Above Clouds, a painting I have used in a post here in the past.
And just yesterday at the Principle Gallery, I discovered how this painting really pops off the canvas when viewed with Chromadepth 3D glasses. The Red Tree jumps way into the foreground, appearing as though you can put your hands behind its crown. All the while, the landforms seem to hover above the tiled water which has taken on real visible depth. It’s a pretty wild effect.
As striking as it is to see it through those glasses, I think this piece is every bit as potent without doing so. I believe it has a lot more to reveal in itself. And maybe in us, as well.
I see it as being about the hidden forces behind the ordinary. Understanding that the ordinary can be extraordinary is what gives art meaning and is the basis for all enlightenment.
Well, that’s what I think.
Hope you can make it into the Principle Gallery and make your own determination.
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