June 2011

Elder Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Offers Exhibit of Abstract Works

Elder Gallery in Charlotte, NC, will present the exhibit, Abstraction Volume 2, on view from June 3 - 29, 2011. A reception will be held on June 3, from 6-9pm.

There is a lingering question in the art world that asks if abstract painters see the world differently. Elder Gallery will explore this concept by featuring the paintings of six artists from around the nation including Ralph Turturro, Javier Lopez Barbosa, Anne Raymond, Cheryl Johnson, Cheryl Chapman, and David Peterson.

Artists were selected based upon their unique styles. New York painter Ralph Turturro incorporates a variety of media into his work which culminates in a highly-textured, gritty feel. His work is greatly influenced by his love of writing and by his life in and around New York City.

“The one thing that all my paintings have had in common over the years is some distinct level of truth and though this truth has evolved over time, there are still intrinsic elements that remain the same: things that are real, have a smell, a texture; things that are honest, clear, straightforward, make you laugh; things that wake you up, scare you, make you think,” says Turturro of his work.

Listening to classical music and operas while he paints, Javier Lopez Barbosa translates that aura experience into abstract visual equivalents of phrasing, tempo, rhythm and dynamics. His paintings are filled with the bright colors of his childhood surroundings in Guadalajara, Mexico and his current home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Through her paintings Anne Raymond of East Hampton, NY, seeks to guide the viewer to a new way of looking at art. “I’m interested in the evocative power of inferred space and energy beyond the edges of the surface of my paintings. My goal as an artist is to create powerful images that invite the viewer to move away from certainty and experience something new…even years after the first encounter.”

Cheryl Johnson’s paintings are colorful and textured and speak to the influence of nature in her work. “I walk in the forest close to my home every day with my dogs and I love the forest and how it changes. Interpreting its color and how it all makes me feel is always so exciting to me.” Johnson spends her time between North Carolina and Hawaii.

Many artists are reluctant to verbalize the intent of their art creations. Cheryl Chapman of Louisville, KY, is one of those. “I strongly believe in the power of visual art to speak in its own voice. Visual art, and painting in particular, has its own vocabulary of color and form. Whether or not there are representational images involved, the manipulation of these elements has the ability to, through all their associative properties, communicate; and if truly successful, commune with the soul of the viewer” says Chapman.

Atlanta, GA, artist, David Peterson has created his own painting style after years of experimentation. “My style of art is influencing itself. Each piece that I create finds something new in its own visual playing field. I stopped trying to mimic my heroes and have created my own visual dialogue. I think that the work is unfolding naturally and as it molds itself, I will have to understand it and be able to articulate it. I hope to have 50 more years to create paintings; each piece is part of the puzzle. Maybe at the end, I will see what the puzzle looks like” says Petersen.

Petersen’s use of epoxy resin on wood panel has become the basis for his current body of work which is called “Smears.”

For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 704/370-6337 or visit (www.elderart.com).

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