Take a piece of fruit, a spool of thread, a wood box, and a plastic cow, and what you have is the makings of a great love story, a torrid affair, or a poetic exploration of social issues, all in disguise as the contemporary still-life.
Sometimes a flower is just a spectacular painting of a flower, but other times it’s a statement of the state of things. Bowersock Gallery's upcoming Objects of Conversation explores the full breadth of the still-life genre, an exhibition featuring eight mid-career and established painters.
Objects of Conversation opens Friday, July 14, 2023, with a reception from 7-9 pm and runs through July 26.
This is a refreshing reset of a traditional genre, the beauty of the ordinary article or widget as poetry with its ongoing revelations of significance where each viewer will take away a different interpretation and feeling from each piece. For some, it will be due to the beautifully executed combination of colors, lighting, and subjects, and for others, it's all of that along with the humorous or heartbreaking story, featured.
The exhibitors include Natalie Featherstone, Noriko Fox, Antonio Lones, Morgan LaPlante, Carey Armstrong Ellis, and Lorena Pugh.
The show's serious mood is balanced with a good dose of humor. Noriko delivers a few more traditional arrangements and some popular humorous works featuring her personified figurines and toys, such as a dinosaur figure running amuck on top of the liquor table. Carey is also back with her charming, funny, kick-in-the-pants quirky items with their own stories to tell.
Pugh's work uses the commonality of the everyday to address relationships and sensuality; LaPlante's florals depict a snapshot in time; Lones delivers silent moments with more traditional treatment and Featherstone returns with her masterfully executed, hyperreal arrangements.
This exhibit runs the realist spectrum and all works are decidedly contemporary in their treatment. Regardless of the subject or the approach, each is an artist at the top of their game. A show not to be missed!
