Connection
with Nature and Emotion Unites Seemingly
Disparate Artists
 |
| Jennyfer Stratman and Javier Lopez Barbosa at Mirada Fine Art: CONNECTION |
On
July 31st, two artists living on different continents with vastly
different cultural backgrounds and life experience will convene at Mirada Fine Art. Their common
ground? A profound link with the
natural world and its effect on us, and an overwhelming desire to express that
through sculpture and painting.
“Connection,” opens at Mirada with an artist reception from
6-9pm on Friday, July 31; the exhibit will run from August 1-23. Both artists featured are shown
exclusively at Mirada in the state of Colorado.
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| Javier Lopez Barbosa and Jennyfer Stratman at Mirada Fine Art |
Born
and raised in Phoenix, AZ, during her high school years Jennyfer Stratman’s
natural creativity collided with an interest in Earth Science and Astronomy.
This collision started Stratman’s 25-year personal journey contemplating the
landscape of the human psyche and how it is intrinsically linked to interaction
with the exterior world.
Representative human figures and the roots and branches of trees feature
strongly in Jennyfer’s multi media sculpture, often intertwined, demonstrating
the bond between Nature and our physical presence. Stratman depicts how
surroundings impact our sense of identity, and conversely how we impact the
environment. Having migrated to
Melbourne, Australia in 2001, Jennyfer now divides her time between studios in
Australia and Arizona.
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| Jennyfer Stratman at Mirada Fine Art, 'Spired Anatomy,' Bronze, Mahogany and Redwood, 41" x 31" x 12" |
Javier Lopez
Barbosa rarely approaches a canvas with a definitive idea of what will
emerge. Typically he begins with a
splash of bold color, allowing emotions he’s feeling or the memory of a scene or
experience to dictate how a painting develops. The vibrant and energetic color, music and culture of his
childhood surroundings in Mexico are frequently depicted in the vividly-hued abstracted
impressionistic landscapes he produces. Like Stratman, the external world
combined with internal feeling guides what appears in his art. With an
impressive arsenal of technical ability, Barbosa skillfully plays with the
effect of color and intrinsic light. Very much based in the present, his pieces
nonetheless reflect his ‘inner child.’
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| Javier Lopez Barbosa at Mirada Fine Art, 'Joyous,' Mixed Media on Canvas, 24" x 24" |
Together, the two artists prove to be the perfect complement, combining
the spare and eloquently simple sculpture of Jennyfer Stratman and the
gloriously bright and joyful images of Javier Barbosa. Their connections to the earth and
human experience ultimately pull in each viewer. Both artists have been featured in national art publications
and can be found in private and public collections worldwide.
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| Jennyfer Stratman at Mirada Fine Art, Together By the Sun and Moon, Bronze, 29" x 53" x 2" |
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| Javier Lopez Barbosa at Mirada Fine Art, 'Meditation,' Mixed Media on Canvas, 42" x 46" |
