MARCH – AUGUST 2020

Statement by Artist Norma Moore:

Hiking with camera in tow, more often than not the lens is aimed at the ground. The cycle of life and death is played out – as the flower dies, its seed matures and seeks fertile ground to begin the cycle again. This is part of the ground’s ever-changing surface as the earth transitions from season to season. A quiet, dynamic force is always present. Its intimacy is much more complex than traditional panoramic scenes that include a distant view with a horizon line separating the land and sky lending the viewer to feel a larger encompassing view of space/nature. By focusing on the space under our feet I am able to explore the transformations of this biological ecosystem.

There is an interplay between consciousness and the natural world. The reality is that there is no separation between the world and ourselves. Our culture and our use of language continues to remind us that we are external observers, but the physical reality is that we are the same atomic structure and properties found in the pecan trees, grackles and the moon. We are not at the center of the universe but a small part of a continuum of expressions. This sense of being a part but not the center of activity is most evident to me when I am painting.

There are strong references to leaves, rocks, water, and flowers in my work. For “Within and Without,” I have expanded the forms in my paintings to include specific seed heads, leaves, and flowers that I have found in my backyard. Using a jeweler’s loupe I am able to view and find inspiration in the microscopic forms. These small tiny fragments of life are wonderfully beautiful and monumental for me.

Statement by Artist Brian Wedgworth:

This work was created while I was undergoing chemotherapy. The reflection series became a way to frame moments and thoughts. The shapes for me became a way of gaining control and creating happiness and peace in a very frightening and chaotic situation. The work became a way to recalibrate and to document my anxieties and my mortality.

Some of the components are objects that I had gathered for quite a while; others were given to me while I was in treatment. Using the simple formula of a circle on a pedestal, I found beauty and peace using this very rigid and dense material.

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Works in the Exhibition

TIM BEARD

CONAN CHADBOURNE