July Exhibition at Plus Gallery

July’s exhibition at Plus Gallery fully immerses itself into cutting edge conceptual artwork with Tsehai Johnson’s Disorderly and Andy Miller’s Flat and Empty. The gallery space has been opened up to allow these powerful pieces to unfold from the walls and floor. Both artists have chosen to show sprawling ground pieces that effectively give the show an undeniable kinetic energy. In addition to the layout of sculptural works supplying vigor to the exhibition, saturated hues also elevate the shows presence. Andy’s subdued red, yellow, and orange intensify Tsehai’s bold palette. The juxtaposition of Tsehai’s highly articulated forms are strengthened against Andy’s large bulky biomorphic shapes. Additionally, the motives in creating the art sharply contrast one another as well. Andy is driven by material and his personal perception of ambiguous organic shapes. Tsehai uses her art to create tension through personal responses from her audiences by presenting seemingly identifiable forms in asymmetrical patterns. The two shows crescendo each other wonderfully and create a powerful exhibition.
When looking at Tsehai Johnson’s pieces, one can see her demonstrate an impeccable skill with working porcelain. The layouts of the pieces illustrate an amazing sensibility in creating interesting compositions that allow for “discovery”. Her inspiration sites her intellectual insight to personal discourses as she teases out individualized reactions through loosely identifiably objects. Her wall shifts draw from Baroque wallpaper and organic forms pulled from chaotic instances that occur within nature. By creating a hybridization of these two ideas, Tsehai calls to question where the fine line lies between organized beauty and anarchic occurrences. At first glance, her wall shifts appear to be somewhat symmetrical; upon closer inspection one can find each individual piece is actually asymmetrical. It is only through visual balance and subtle similarities that these pieces appear to be a set pattern.


Tsehai choose shapes that can distantly be affiliated with actual objects pending on the viewer. This creates a dynamic tension through utilizing shapes that fall just short of something actual and something imagined. In turn, each individual is forced to carve out his or her own understanding to the piece and how the series relates as a whole.
The color palette, placement of components, as well as the organization of the pieces has evolved in this series in comparison to previous bodies of works. Tsehai states that these aesthetic choices are meant to illustrate the playfulness of these wall shifts. The magnetic bright colors are used to highlight how these works draw from a childlike imagination. The hues also helps generate visual interest by making the viewer question what mediums where employed to create the pieces. Another intriguing aspect to these works are the “floating” components which hang from fishing wire and hover above Exploding Carpet.

The surreal effect is somewhat nerve racking as these obviously weighty pieces of porcelain are suspended above the cement floor. By employing these approaches, disorderly creates a deeply personal experience that leads to endless exploration.
Andy Miller’s current show Flat and Empty is by far the artists most conceptual body of work to date. A divergence from his prior exhibitions is evident as hard edges and industrial materials give way to biomorphic shapes rendered in a muted organic palette. The majority of the pieces hang from the walls in large drooping sweeps that allow light to play on the surface to create intriguing curvaceous shadows.

Along with the work itself, the process used to execute it has undergone a transformation as well. Similarly to the pieces, ridged formatting such as intense preliminary sketches and blue prints have been abandoned for an intuitive methodology. With these incorporations, the pieces move into a naturalistic fluidity which creates an in depth dialogue between the audience and the work.
Organic shapes and hues have always been a focal interest for Andy Miller; however, they have not been fully expressed until now. All aspects of life have the capacity to bleed into an artist’s artwork and frequently do. This statement holds true for Andy as his fabrication and design work has visibly taken root within his pieces prior to this July’s exhibition. He sites his strong architectural design; sheen industrial materials and the symbolic references where derived from his fabrication work and had been subconsciously interjected into his pieces. This seemingly deviating exploration of biomorphic shapes was spurred to center stage by a recent proposal devised by Andy for a public sculpture. He made it a point to gravitate away from precise angles and highly saturated colors and towards macrobiotic allusion. This conceptual design subsequently then segwayed Andy into the current series Flat and Empty. Andy’s concerted efforts to maintain to naturalistic attributes found within the environment can be considered successful ones. However, structural motifs seem to inherently emerge in the diptych piece Flat and Empty #4 (green and yellow). Andy stated that these where the last pieces to be created within the series and his will to create strictly organic designs must have began to wane.
With out a doubt Flat and Empty exercises Andy Miller’s ability to manipulate unusual materials that create ominous forms that weld a commanding presence. This series has certainly opened doors to new ideas for the future not only with the process and installation but with the media as well. However, Andy states that he never feels truly finished with any series and always has the intentions of revisiting past series to expand upon them. On this note, it will be beyond interesting to see what is on the horizon for this exceptional conceptual artist.
Both shows will run from July 18th through August 23rd and are must to see in person to experience the full impact the exhibition.

Robin Schaefer Interview

Robin Schaefer



Brittany: You stated at your artist talk that you paint both from life and photo references. As you are executing your works, are there stages where one is used more than the other?

Robin Schaefer: While I am painting I use photo references. This is partly because my paintings develop slowly over time and the subjects I like to paint would decompose. I also like to capture a certain quality of light in my paintings and by taking photographs of the object I can capture that moment.

Brittany: Why do you choose to work using both of these approaches?

Robin Schaefer: I think both are helpful and challenging in different ways. I appreciate the spontaneity that comes from working from life. It is important to change your approach at times and experiment as an artist.

Brittany: Light seems to be another heavy factor within your works as well. Do you see the reflective images that have emerged within your recent pieces as being an extension of this fascination with light?

Robin Schaefer: Light is important in my paintings and I feel it is still a factor in the reflection pieces. I am continuously fascinated with how light can evoke emotion and the reflections add a new element to that. The type of light I use in the reflection pieces is actually very specific. It is from an exact time of day just before sunset and it created this really beautiful ghost like reflection. I studied the way the reflections changed through out the day in various sources of light until I found the right time and effect that I wanted.

Brittany: A large number of your pieces have a very dark if not black background. Do you do this as a stylistic choice, a tool to emphasize your highly saturated hues, or is it apart of a symbolic reference?

Robin Schaefer: The black background is a stylistic choice. It emphasizes the object in the painting and intensifies the fact that the object is isolated. It is dramatic and it makes the space feel infinite. It recedes back. As if you could reach your hand into it. It also references Dutch still life, which use primarily black backgrounds.

Brittany: Predominately in historic still life paintings the viewer is placed a good distance above the objects and looks down upon them. In contrast, your works seem to move the viewer right at or ever so slightly below or above eye level. Is this motif an intentional one? If so, what are you trying to evoke from your audience when you place them at this viewpoint.

Robin Schaefer: I choose a viewpoint that is meant to be engaging and somewhat unsettling. The subject matter is always blown up to be much larger than life and tends to dominate the space on the canvas. I also really want the viewer to notice the details of the subject and its unusual characteristics so I tend to place the object more at eye level.

Brittany: When looking at your body of works as a whole, it is clear that you are continuing with more or less solid thematic ideas that involve organic items and the play of light. The bottle cap paintings appear to be a slight divergence from this due to their synthetic makeup and their reflections that make them a little ambiguous to the viewer. Do you possibly see these as opening a new door to your next series?

Robin Schaefer: I definitely feel that the bottle caps opened up a new door for me and I intend to use them in my next series. I like the ambiguity that they evoke and it is interesting that they still have an organic feel to them. I am also really intrigued with how they seem to fuse realism and abstraction.

Brittany: When choosing your subject matter, are you more interested in the significance that the object can carry or the color and surface quality of the item?

Robin Schaefer: Both of these are a factor in the subjects I choose. However, initially I am drawn to the texture and color of the object. I like to choose subjects that are sensual but also unusual and a lot of that has to do with their texture and color. The white asparagus is a good example.

Brittany: Within your pieces it seems fairly evident that you are attracted to organic forms and the symbolic connotations that they can carry. Can you elaborate how you draw this connection between the chosen imagery and the thoughts, feelings, and ideas that you are trying to convey?

Robin Schaefer: I often start with an emotion I want to convey and then I search for imagery that I feel will fit with that. The potato paintings, for example are about shyness. I new I wanted to do a series on the subject of shyness and insecurity but it took me months to find the right subject matter. In fact I stumbled upon the potatoes one day when my friend was cleaning out her cupboard. They were so shocking and bizarre and they had this quality of being extremely ugly and yet beautiful. The fact that they were growing in the dark was also very symbolic to me. This seemed to parallel the feeling of being shy. Wanting to hide but also wanting to break out and transform. I feel it is very provoking to use organic subject matter to convey my ideas and feelings because that are around us and sustain us on a daily basis. So in a way it is more engaging to see them isolated in a space and blown up larger than life. They become very monumental.

Brittany: What is your favorite fruit?

Robin Schaefer: Lychee

Brittany: What is your favorite color?

Robin Schaefer: Red

Collaboration Works By Morgan and Mramor

The two latest pieces that have emerged from an artist collaboration between Jenny Morgan and David Mramor are extraordinarily powerful. The artist’s two polarized techniques crescendo one another not only through paint application but in the eccentric color palette as well. Morgan loosens her tight rendering of the figure in response to Mramor’s broad and bold mark making. A carnal red emerges in the pieces and devours hands, arms, necks, and sections of the torso. The saturated red then morphs itself into accenting spray paint motifs and illusory line work. Thick viscous paint materializes on the canvas, echoing the brash spray paint and gestural marks. Mramor’s strokes seem to resonate the movement of the figure, accentuating it a curvilinear manner. Both of these works can function individually or as a starting point to an exciting and thought provoking series.

The piece She’s Alive is quite remarkable in the entrancing gaze offered by the portrait and in the placement of dynamic color swatches. The figure gives a soul-penetrating stare with her mouth sensually open as she leans forward as if to speak. Diffused florescent pinks and yellows spread themselves over her hair and neck, giving an odd feeling of paranormal luminosity. The larger color sections appear active as they engulf the lower half of the chest region. Bands of vivid blue paint slip in and out of the forefront leaving resonating afterimages. Vibrantly colored lines oriented in reference to the figure gracefully contour the body and convey a sense of movement. The technical execution of this work in conjunction with the unique subject matter makes it an incredible piece of work.


The second painting Enid Ellen is intriguing due to its gender ambiguity, incandescent pink background, and brazen line work that punctuates the piece. The male figure is the focal point as he gingerly caresses his chest while maintaining a highly feminized contra postal stance. His jeans are slung low on his hips and seductively accentuate the s- curve of the spine. The figure fades in and out of a flat red silhouette into a voluminous hyperrealism form. Arching streaks of spray paint create an aura that encompasses the upper divisions of the body. The hair takes on the elements of the abstract gestural marks as it swells, flowing off to the left. Thick medium creeps into the semi circular spray marks, casting a shadow with heavy matte medium. The utilization of the opposing painting methods along with the unusual portrayal of the male figure produces a truly formidable painting.


The imagery and varying treatment of material in these two pieces develop a captivating relationship that translates into remarkable compositions. Both of these works will be on display at Object and Thought for the Visa- A –Visage show. Opening night is June 27th at seven pm.

Visa- A- Visage Press Release

Object + Thought and Plus Gallery present

VIS-A-VISAGE

A group exhibition featuring Sandra Fettingis, Micki Tschur, Jenny Morgan, Douglas Walker and Danielle Zimmerman.

Curated by Plus gallery owner Ivar Zeile and intern Jessica Zewe

JUNE 27 – AUGUST 16, 2008
Opening Reception Friday, June 27 at 7pm


Plus Gallery is delighted to present the intern curated exhibition Vis-A-Visage this upcoming June 27th at the project space Object + Thought. This collaborative effort between interns Jessica Zewe and Brittany Schall under the guidance of owner Ivar Zeile illustrates the various conceptual forms of the female visage within a contemporary context.

The works chosen for this exhibition are meant to exemplify how the fundamental roots of historic female portraiture have evolved over time in response to new mediums, medias, and cultural phenomenon. These attributes are all evident in the works with the incorporation of man made materials, visual commentaries on consumerism, and the exploration of new rendering techniques. The artist’s offer a wide range of styles that integrate everything from pop culture icons to design elements on plexi- glass.

The individuals selected for this exhibition compose an assortment of diversity both in their works and in their backgrounds as well. The performer/ pop artisan Danielle Zimmermann gives a German take to pop art with “Homage to Andy Warhol”. The multi piece installation incorporates pornographic imagery, glorified American icons, all amusingly juxtaposed with the German equivalent to Wal-Mart shopping bags. Her work threads between the lines of fine art and mass reproduction for consumer consumption. Drawn to this through seductive imagery and alluring colors found in advertisements, Danielle is fascinated how these attributes influence individuals consuming patterns. The prevalent female imagery is then used to illustrate the assortment of roles women are expected to juggle ranging from nurturer to sexual fantasy. This graduate of Stuttgart’s Academy for Fine Arts delivers a fresh approach to the female portrait with the voice of existing media.

The other artist exhibiting who shares a German background both in origin and academics is Colorado Springs resident Micki Tschur. She also addresses female roles though more specifically in relation to motherhood. Her unique, economized, and childlike rendered paintings are a satirical portrayal of the contemporary mother. The pieces epitomize the numerous and demanding facets of a mother through double meanings within a pluralistic society. This is a continuing theme for Micki as her body of work has utilized everything from traditional media to offbeat taxidermy sculptures. The paintings for Vis-A-Visage are more formally driven as they explore the relationships between varying geometric and organic forms rendered in structured color schemes. It is a treat for Plus Gallery to exhibit this ever evolving and promising artist who has had her works displayed everywhere from London, Italy, to Germany.

Sandra Fettingis, a recent transplant to Denver from Chicago, contributes her “Laser and Pattern Heads” which add a chic design quality to Vis-A-Visage. The innovative works are reminiscent of traditional female cameos but employ graphic motifs inspired by ’60’s and ’70’s consumer packaging. Though her works reflect obvious contemporary elements, they draw upon “quiet” historic portraiture mannerisms. This enables a shift in the focus to the elaborate patterning and ornamental aspects versus personal narratives. Her progressive approach to articulating graphic influences through acrylic paints on plexi- glas shows this Columbia College graduate a promising future within the contemporary art realm.

An artist who is personally redefining the traditional techniques of painting is Toronto artist Douglas Walker. For over 20 years Walker has fostered an impressive career that has visually reinvented itself several times and remains ever impressive. Though he has explored various mediums such as photography, etchings, and diverse approaches to painting, his works have has transitioned with fluidity in their conceptualization. Always inspired by the beauty of ambiguity, his works reverberate “pretty” aesthetics with eerie undertones. This exceptional artist has been exhibited in such places as ICA in London and the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art. He will show his distinctive minimal blue palate female portraitures that resonate with Victorian and calligraphy elements.

Plus Gallery is also thrilled to have the pleasure of unveiling a new painting by long-time favorite Jenny Morgan, as well as a recent collaborative piece with fellow NY artist David Mramor. Fresh from completing her graduate studies at New York Cities premier School of Visual Arts, Morgan has delved into works that dismantle the process of historic female portraiture by allowing the startlingly fleshy red under painting to “bleed” through. These paintings illustrate the artists heavily invested relationship and response to the “conventional” painting process, successfully raising the question “when is a painting complete” while challenging the success of her own previous works. Her collaboration piece also presents a fascinating divergence from her preceding paintings by the unique reactions that take place between the two artists. Mramor’s heavy abstract treatment of paint beautifully accentuates Morgan’s tight rendering techniques. Together, the polarization creates a dynamic energy that can only be felt in person.

With the return of one of Denver’s most successful artists of the past decade and the inclusion of talented international artists, Vis-A-Visage is easily one of the hallmark events for the gallery and the art-scene this year.

Object + Thought
3559 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80205
Hours: Monday through Friday, 10am - 5pm

www.plusgallery.com
www.objectandthought.com

Lauri Lynnxe Murphy: Multi- Media Drawing Series

Laura Lynx Murphy, one of this month's featured artists at Plus Gallery is exhibiting her most recent works in a show entitled Unnatural. Murphy has displayed an array of semi- sculptural pieces at Plus, but the gallery has not had an in-depth presentation of her more “drawing” based multi media works. Having a chance to look through these numerous pieces, one can see these creations can stand within their own right. More conceptual freedom is utilized as the works content matter switches from Dada inspired newspaper collages to comical illustrative narratives. Seemingly material driven, the miniature masterpieces offer a range of surface textures, sizes, and unique techniques. The pieces vary from the dimensions dervived from objects such as a ruler, coaster, to a paper back book cover. Unlike Murphy’s other works displayed at Plus Gallery, these works have the ability to act as individuals or components to a larger whole.


Drawing number thirty- five is a vibrant piece that immediately grabs the eye with its bold graphic approach with graffiti motifs. The dominant luscious pink resin is accented with a richly saturated gold flat spray paint. The fanatical color choices create an animated relationship, which is heightened by the two rendering approaches. The hard-edged graphic‘ M’ under resin appears to be commercially produced while the spray-painted yellow complements it with a flat surface with a loose approach.



The Dada like paper collage drawing number seventy-three is an intriguing piece with an organic drawing juxtaposed on geometric patterning. The waiting room pink biomorphic shape is sharply contrasted by a background of gray and dingy newspaper clippings. The ink drips applied to the pink area operate to echo the smudged paper backdrop. This attribute then creates a bridge between the divergent imagery to make a cohesive composition.

Next on the list is drawing thirty- four, an unusual work that incorporates a child’s flash card used for learning numbers. This dynamic work can accredit its visual interest to how the piece has been divided. Broken up into three sections, all of numbers play of each other as each segment is shown being divisible by three. Arrows, lines both drawn and cut keep, and repeating numbers keep the viewer’s eye moving.


The following miniature entitled number fifty- nine is notable for its unique surface and seductive reds. A heart appropriately drawn on a former Home Medical Book, The New Illustrated Edition, is both amusing and fantastically grotesque. The reflective resin surface almost entirely hides the object original origin, which makes it a piece of discovery for the audience. Saturated reds deepen as the overlaid glossy finish further pushes them.

Work number seventy- seven continues with the “amoebic” like shapes that frequently arise within this drawing series. The format varies from the rest with this piece due to its elongated and horizontal orientation. The vivacious pink hues appear once again in the organic shapes this time overlaid on a subdued dusty blue. Wood grain peeps through the thin layers of blue paint and sets off the meandering line work of the pink images. The contrasting loose contours superimposed on the unified grain patterning generate a distinctive structure.

Number thirty- five employs a childlike approach both in technique and in subject matter. Happy little birds perch on fluffy cloud like leaves constructed out of collaged magazine clippings. The stylized trees and birds pop with vivid greens, reds, and blue on a neutralized khaki background. A thick white outline encompasses the subject matter adds to the childish look of this piece. Overall, a warm sensibility is created through the economized method utilized in the work.



Murphy has a profound understanding in creating kinetic relationships within her works as drawing fifty- six beautifully illustrates. Her thematic pink biomorphic shapes emerge once again on a synthetic geometric design. The simplified red and white patterning crescendos the unstructured candied pink blob. The clashing configuration of this work creates a fascinating format that pulls in its audience.


A close link between drawing number seventy- eight and Murphy’s most recent work Event Horizon from Unnatural can be easily seen. Slender collage strips from maps, graphs, found mail and newspaper clippings are both motifs used in this piece as well as in one of the larger components of Event Horizon. A cloud like image is overlaid on the horizontally oriented strips creating an unusual juxtaposition. This is one of the numerous works that employs the atypical “ruler like” dimensions.


Another economized childlike rendered work is drawing number seventy- four. This odd octopus image is rendered on an old found file folder. The tattered paper comically conflicts with the upbeat illustrative subject matter, generating a multi- dimensional composition. In congruence with this, the color palette draws on peculiar complementary hues of squalid green and fluorescent pink. The piece invokes simultaneously endearing and disturbing qualities.
Drawing number eighty- one applies both organic and synthetic aesthetics with pipes place on top of a prairie- like background. Sienna colored inkblots integrates the webbed piping with the muted tertiary backdrop. The meandering line work of the pipes perpetuates the viewer’s eye through the composition. This intriguing miniature most definitely adds diversity to this body of work.


These are just a select few of the exciting drawing series that Murphy has produced. These price accessible pieces range from eighty five to twenty five dollars and are small gems to any collection. To see more of these fantastic works, visit Plus Gallery Wednesday through Saturday 11pm to 6pm or by appointment.