INTRODUCTIONS
MARC DENNIS | ADRIAN ESPARZA | SHERRY OWENS | ROBERT SAGERMAN
EXHIBITION DATES
June 24th – August 26th, 2017
OPENING RECEPTION Saturday, June 24th from 5 – 8pm
Adrian Esparza, Sunroof, 2017, sarape, nails, wood, enamel, 82 x 164 inches
1845 LEVEE STREET, SUITE 110 | DALLAS, TX 75207
Cris Worley Fine Arts is pleased to introduce four new artists in this Summer’s upcoming exhibition, Introductions. Marc Dennis, Adrian Esparza, Sherry Owens, and Robert Sagerman display radical and unique talents in sculpture and painting. A reception will be held Sat., June 24, from 5 to 8 pm. The exhibit continues through August 26.
Marc Dennis (Brooklyn): Hyper-realist artist Marc Dennis brings levity, humor and virtuosity to his sumptuous oil paintings. The artist cites Southern European figurative masters such as Caravaggio, Velasquez, and Manet, and Northern European still-life masters, such as Bosschaert, Davidsz de Heem, and Rachel Ruysch as influences. Dennis’ paintings often depict subjects from the art historical canon infused with contemporary themes to form a critical perspective. The juxtaposition of pop-cultural iconography and artistic masterpieces subverts our sanctified views of art history’s most noble subjects.
Dennis received his BFA from The Tyler School of Art of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his MFA from The University of Texas at Austin. Over a dozen high profile private and public collections across the U.S. possess works by Marc Dennis. These include the collections of Larry Gagosian, Larry and Marilyn Fields, Bill and Maria Bell, and Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman. Public collections include The Rockwell Museum of Western Art, The Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, and the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University.
Adrian Esparza (El Paso): Adrian Esparza explores material culture by “re-instilling lost value in found objects.” Esparza has inspired international attention through his deconstruction of the Mexican sarape. The artist reconstructs geometric forms using colorful thread from the sarape. Drawing inspiration from modern architecture, physical landscapes, and mid-century minimalist artists, Esparza depicts dramatic one and two-point perspectives to form striking dimensionality and volume.
Adrian Esparza received his BFA from the University of Texas at El Paso and his MFA from California Institute of the Arts in 1998. Artist residencies include ArtPace in San Antonio and the Border Art Residency in La Union. Esparza’s creative reinvention draws international appreciation from Mexico City to Berlin as well as in the U.S. Most recently, the Dallas Museum of Art featured Esparza’s pieces through the Center for Creative Connections Visiting Artists Project. Esparza’s works reside in the permanent collections of multiple museums including the Dallas Museum of Art, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Perez Miami Art Museum.
Sherry Owens (Dallas): Sherry Owens is a prominent sculptor in the continuum of contemporary artists in Texas. Owens is known for her exquisite sculptures made from repurposed crepe myrtle branches. She constructs dense and often chaotic forms through a labor-intensive process of carving and composing. Entwined branches transform light to expand and shift perspective. This interlacing technique mimics the delicate intricacy found in nature.
Sherry Owens received her BFA from Southern Methodist University. Owens won the Moss/Chumley North Texas Artist Award in 1999, the Artist/Craftsman Award from the AIA Dallas in 2014, and was chosen as the West Texas Triangle Artist in 2010 with a comprehensive survey at five West Texas museums. She co-founded the Emergency Artists’ Support League and served as president of the Texas Sculpture Association. Owens recently completed a large public art project for the Love Field Modernization Program at Love Field Airport in Dallas. Her work has been shown throughout Texas and the southwest and internationally in Peru, Germany, Greece, Turkey, and India.
Robert Sagerman (Jersey City): Informed by his academic studies in art history and Kabbalist Mysticism, Robert Sagerman creates pieces that awe and impress. The artist mills his own oil paint to build layer upon layer on canvas with a palette knife. The title of each piece then corresponds to the number of strokes made by the artist. Repetition as a form of meditation gives way to a mystical experience.
The artist received his BFA (1990) and MFA (1998) from Pratt Institute. A published scholar, he also holds an MS in Art History from Pratt Institute as well as an MA in Religious Studies and a PhD in Hebrew and Judaic Studies from New York University. During this time, he recieved two fellowships, one grant, and a certificate of excellence from NYU and the Pratt Institute. Sagerman’s work has been reviewed by Art in America, NY Arts Magazine, Kunstforum International, Art News and the Atlanta Journal Constitution among many others. He is in the public collections of the Portland Art Museum, The Karl Ernst Osthaus-Museum, and the Museum Für Konkrete Kunst.
Cris Worley Fine Arts is located at: 1845 Levee Street # 110, Dallas, TX 75207
Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Saturday from 11am – 5pm and by appointment.
214.745.1415 | inquiries@crisworley.com | crisworley.com
The Mesquite Creative Artists Association’s mission is to cultivate an atmosphere of learning, creativity, and arts through monthly art programs and art shows. You can see the fantastic array of artistry offered by the artists of the Mesquite Creative Artists in our Main Gallery now through June 30!
VAL presents Eilene Carver: Targets, opening June 23
Exhibits & Events
June 21, 2017
by webmaster
June 21, 2017
The Visual Arts League of Lewisville Presents Targets; a solo show featuring the works of Dallas based artist Eilene Carver.
Flyer: Press Release_MCL Grand VAL_Carver Targets Series
Website http://houstoncarverfineart.com/targets/
The MCL Grand Main Gallery will feature the paintings and drawings of Eilene Carver from June 23- July 29, 2017, with the opening reception Friday, June 23rd from 7-9pm. Gallery Hours T-Sat 10-5pm.
Eilene Carver is a South Texas native. She earned her BFA in Design from Baylor University and
her MFA in painting from UC Berkeley. Her pieces have received awards and been included in
national and regional exhibitions since 1986; including such venues as Laguna Gloria Museum in
Austin, The Berkeley Art Center, Women’s Museum of Dallas, San Antonio Museum of Art,
Michael Himovitz Gallery and the Graham Horstman Gallery.
Her work is included in public and private collections throughout the United States.
Eilene has taught drawing and painting at, Napa Valley College and the Richmond Art Center, as
well as conducting artist workshops in Thailand and Russia. She is currently a professor at Collin
College.
The works of this artist are particularly relevant given the almost daily occurrence of violence
directed at individuals or groups in public venues that in previous decades would be considered
safe; schools, concerts, public rally’s, nightclubs and sporting events. Her message regarding
these issues is, “if ignored, we are all possible “Targets.”
Artist statement:
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. “
-Aristotle
This series is a departure from my illusionary still lives, more graphic in quality and addressing
an overtly controversial topic. Remaining is the use of symbolism to address subjects in a
surreptitious manner.
Sandy Hook served as a sort of ‘final straw.’ I sat quiet long enough after Columbine and
various similar events unfolded. I was compelled to express my feelings regarding the effects
of these experiences. The thought of ‘Small Targets’ originally came from the heartbreaking
stories of the Stockton school shooting, which took place a mere thirty minutes from UC
Berkeley where I was a graduate student. An ever-growing occurrence, I remain as shocked at
the thought of children as “targets” as I was that day. As I researched, google maps of school
shootings are filled with drop pins too numerous to count. Overlapping pins block history of
previous events, a parallel to overloaded consciousness, we collectively forget the impact of
each personal loss.
The Target was an obvious symbol to represent the random acts of violence that have become
all too commonplace. It is immediately recognizable and universally suggests a predator setting
aim on a focused subject. When I began my research three years ago, the intended topic was
school shootings – unfathomable small targets. However, as I worked through the initial
concepts, the series evolved into a broader depiction. I started to consider the more expansive
concepts of targeted violence such as: Black Lives Matter, the Pulse nightclub massacre, the
July 7th Dallas Police shootings, the Holocaust and other forms of religious persecution.
The layering of content is as interesting to me as the layers of brushstrokes. This combined
focus is ever engaging for me as a painter. Expressing the effects of light and color on forms is
a constant in my process, no matter the subject. Specific to this series, I purposed strong
physical surface texture to suggest a subtext of tumultuous movement and mood.
Aesthetically, the works that represent a specific shooting are intentionally uncomfortable,
many of these developed over a collaged target. Concerning myself less with a formally
pleasing composition, instead blatantly displaying the message over a target or ‘X’ form which
extends from one end of the canvas to the other. Unintentionally, these works developed
much darker palettes than planned, possibly due to the level of emotional involvement in their
creation. Some of the small Targets works treat the subject symbolically. These works evolved
into a more static, calm, formal space; some even contain pleasing colors and imagery.
As always, I strive for my work to be visually interesting while inspiring an introspective search for meaning. I very much agree with Max Beckman who stated, “In order to get something universal you must be very specific.” I don’t presume to provide solutions to this complicated dilemma. I desire to stir awareness to the tragic losses and hope these works spur open dialogue regarding what can be done to prevent the excessive incidents of gun violence. If ignored, we are all possible “Targets.”
About the MCL Grand Theater & Center for the Creative Arts The MCL Grand is a multi-purpose facility supporting numerous arts groups in the Greater Lewisville area by providing state of the art spaces for artists to perform and display their works. In addition, each year the Grand hosts regional & national exhibits. The arts community benefits from the availability of generous classroom space for artists workshops and meetings.
The facility features a 296-seat theater with acoustics designed for both speech and music, a 2,200-square foot professional art gallery, a 2,400-square foot dance recital hall, 3,000 square foot black box theater and 1, 750 square feet of classrooms. The MCL Grand is in the heart of Old Lewisville, a newly revived destination spot with numerous trendy eateries and taverns surrounding Wayne Ferguson Plaza, urban park with easy access to Dart Rail, yellow line and I-35. MCL Grand 100 N. Charles Street, Lewisville, TX 75057.
Tags: Dallas Police Shooting, Lewisville TX, social commentary, solo exhibition, violence, Visual Arts League of Lewisville