Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Studio Gallery Group Summer Show: Altered States

Devin Joyce, one of Studio Gallery's summer interns, is a currently pursuing a degree in photography at George Mason University.  "Altered States" runs until August 11th. The First Friday reception is August 3rd from 6:30pm-8:30pm
 
At first glance, it may feel like chaos. Different styles, mediums, and every color imaginable is displayed on the walls of the Studio Gallery this month...but that is the best part of a group show. Altered States does not serve as a superficial title, it is the essence of the show.

Each piece focuses on what “Altered States” mean to the individual artist, but you can't help but feel yourself transform as your eyes move from one piece to the next. Each piece expresses a different emotion or mood that the viewer must react to.

Markowski's “Spring Thaw” is built layer upon layer of metallic and colorful geometrical shapes. With space carved out, it allows you to view the delicacy in which they are placed upon each other. As you circle the piece, you feel as if it is constantly morphing, as you view something new with every turn.

As I moved to the next piece, I was enamored with Suzanne Yurdin's “Roses in the Rain”. I have much respect for painters as a whole, but a soft spot for those who do not try to hide the process, mistakes, and layers of paint the canvas has seen. I view it as a vulnerability, showing a little piece of the artist themselves. Yurdin's combination of light airy creams and whites with blood red blend beautifully together. The drip of paint here or the odd pencil mark there gives it life.

These two pieces have nothing in common, from medium to interpretation of altered states, but only one similarity: a strong representation of each artist. The show presents an opportunity to meet the artists of Studio Gallery. It may not be on a personal level, but their work speaks for them in a way words can not.

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