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| Jeanne Bessette at Mirada Fine Art, 'All I Need,' Acrylic on Canvas, 30" x 30" |
By Jan Thompson
'Tell me facts and I'll learn. Tell me truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.'
So states a Native American proverb. And visual stories are no exception to that ancient wisdom. Often, artists
hesitate to explain the thought process behind their work, preferring to have
each viewer draw their own conclusions.
Frequently, art is a spontaneous expression, with no clear outcome when
begun. In a very unique exhibition
at Mirada Fine Art, however, the story behind the art and its creators will be
on clear display. Numerous works
by many of the gallery’s core artists, including nationally-acclaimed North
Carolinian Jeanne Bessette and Mirada’s newest artist, Coloradan Janice Suggs,
will be accompanied with explanations on how each piece was born, how it was
developed, and why.
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| Michael McGlaughlin at Mirada Fine Art, Squirrel & Oak, Bronze Sculpture |
For instance,
sculptor Michael McLaughlin explains that his whimsical ‘Squirrel and Oak’
piece began as an homage to the furry friends surrounding his Connecticut
studio and foundry. Having
previously fostered two baby squirrels, which when healthy and strong had been
returned to the forest, McLaughlin was inspired to recreate the high-wire
acrobatics of the creatures.
Housed in a steel Quonset style building, a hickory tree has spread a
beautiful canopy over much of the workshop. While working on the sculpture, a
squirrel with a ravenous appetite for nuts lingered in the tree above the
studio and unceremoniously rained a seemingly infinite number of shells
clanging down upon the steel structure. This inspiration/torture lead Michael
to include an oversized nut in his fanciful piece.
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| Janice Sugg at Mirada Fine Art, 'Yellow Light Through the Water,' Acrylic on Canvas, 16" x 16" |
Painter Janice
Sugg will explain how her painting ‘Yellow Light Through the Water’ was
inspired while living on a farm in Longmont, gazing into shimmering light
reflecting from irrigation water on full moon nights, as well as why the
horizon is a reoccurring theme in her work. Throughout Mirada Fine Art Gallery other anecdotal
explanations will be highlighted with corresponding artwork during the
‘Storytelling’ exhibition, which will run October 15 – November 6, 2016. An opening reception will be held on
Friday, October 14th from 6-9pm.
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| William Barnhart at Mirada Fine Art, 'The Point of Relaxation,' Oil on Canvas, 48" x 48" |
