WINTER SHOWCASE: Chaos and Order at The Eickholt Gallery
Kofi Forson
as an idea is first and foremost originated as order. After undergoing a thought
process it is then formulated, however so, as chaos.
The current
show at The Eickholt Gallery is an example of the artist’s imagination as
everyday man or woman who recognizes the beauty in what most people would deem
trivial.
Craig
Cartwright is known for his surreal paintings. In this showcase, he has
manifested into an Abstract Expressionist. He delves into what is chaos and
order. It is not however a philosophy or principle. There’s a merging of chaos
and order within the pieces. The wild colors serve as a symphony. The
composition, given its style, structure, subject and mood, represent a notion
of an orchestra. Craig becomes the conductor in the artist’s vision of a
spectacular voyage.
John Sebastian
is the eye in the storm, literally. One of his paintings creates a scenic view
of an impending storm. His paintings are atmospheric but most importantly they
are cinematic, a cinematographer’s dream. They give off impressions of a
spatial and counterbalancing of what is and what is to come. What’s in between
the present and the future is not light-years away but rather seconds from
transforming, as in a car in the midst of billowing smoke.
Thomas Mitz
celebrates the interplay of chaos and order as fusion, a jazz reference. His
razzle-dazzle display of colors encourages brilliance. The illustrative quality
of these paintings features dancers painted in earth tones. The borders of the
canvas seemingly limit the composition from extending beyond the point of
restriction. In a sense, the images take on a renewed life in the viewer’s
mind. This is living proof that the “thing’ that spells spontaneity is an
artist’s imagination.
Lisa Eickholt
coined the term “Geometric Psycho-Kinetic Expressionism.” She was referring to
the painting technique of Jim Sperber. His colors are at first spring-like,
cool whites, blues and yellows. The end results are swirls of lines and grids.
The “Geometric Psycho-Kinetic Expressionistic” painting that earned Jim the
title was influenced by Jackson Pollock. It is indefinitely Sperber’s own due
to the overlay of elements. The geometric grid serves as a base. It is followed
by the arrangement of lighter colors.
Finally, the layer of psychologically emotive lines circle rampantly.
The Geometric
Abstractions continue with Stephan Fowlkes’ paintings on wood. Unlike Jim,
Stephan is more content with mastering the mathematics of geometry as an
abstraction and not solely as an expression. Stephan’s pieces have the allusion
to game boards, cleverly designed. However important, geometry is not the only
featured style. There’s a knowledge and use of color. Circular shapes emerge
from the center of the paintings. The shapes are multi-dimensional, creating a
chart within the square-shaped painting, connecting all the different angles to
form an abstracted design.
The flag as a
symbol has been prevalent in art. Irma Cannavo incorporates the image of the
flag in her artwork. At times, it’s a subtext that allows her to ponder on
everyday philosophy. With phrases like “What is the meaning of UR life?” “What
do you know about love?” Irma is independently questioning our roles as
individuals, not as hybrids but as people with one foundation.
Kofi Fosu on
the other hand is a hybrid. He stems from the Afro-Euro-American culture. As an
African, he has experienced both the American culture and intrinsically the
European culture. His drawings of Euro American women are similar to those
created by Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka.
Chris
Georgalas has an understanding of chaos and order. At times his found materials
almost place themselves, from a small burnt red convertible to eggshells in a
box. There’s an obvious likeness to Duchamp, especially the works in metal. The
sculptural pieces are innovative. They show a range of ingenuity. He is able to
see the beauty in these found materials by intricately detailing them, leaving
behind a certain contradiction.
Of note are
the digital abstractions of Jordan Rosenberg. He captures nature innocently. As
in any moment, the thing that is experienced visually evokes a thought or a
feeling. They are abstractions, not as paintings. They are imagined and
captured in the mind’s eye. Anura Thamardt expresses more of a
"dreamscape." Whereas Jordan’s images are frozen in time, Anura’s
paintings are full of imagery, colors and the desire to get lost within the red
and blue hues. At the same time, she maintains a palette of minimal purples and
greys.
Chaos is an
abstraction. Order is a resolution. At times they meet to define one thought.
The Eickholt
Gallery Winter Showcase commits itself to the balancing of both principles with
hopes of maintaining control.
For more info
on the Eickholt Gallery please go to www.eickholtgallery.com.
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