What is Pentimento you ask? Pentimento is the hidden presence or re-emergence of initial marks, strokes, or shapes, painted over during the process of creating finished work.
AND! *drum roll*
Pentimento is also the name of our next exhibit!
When Covid disrupted the world back in 2020, it also disrupted a group exhibit we had planned. Happy to say though – it’s been rescheduled. It’s happening in August!
Pentimento features the work of five unique oil and cold wax artists – Susan Fey, Rick Ross, Stefan Jensen, Cynthia Lee, and Pam Peterson. Diana (and company) has gotten to know each of these artists though classes and open studio time at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts just down the street.
Each artist will have pieces for sale in a variety of price points. Works range from landscapes and portraits to more abstract images. Pieces will be for sale in a variety of price points.
Below, please enjoy a selection from each artist and read on learn a little more about each artist.
Pentimento
An Exploration of Oil + Cold Wax
Saturday • August 5, 2023
Brewery Pottery Open, 10am-9pm
Opening Reception, 5pm-9pm
Meet + Greet, 5pm-7pm
Susan Fey
“I think of all abstract expression as a kind of subconscious reckoning with the surprising collection of certainties and uncertainties that make each of us unique, remarkable and beautifully human. I have been drawn, unaccountably, to coastlines and little wooden boats since I was a child. Echoes of these embedded influences exist in my work, regardless of my conscious intention. I’m happy about that.
I recently started experimenting with combining photos of my paintings with landscape photos that have been pushed toward abstraction. ‘Pairings’ describes the evocative fusion of these original elements into something new and unique. They are printed on aluminum which enhances their ethereal quality.”
Rick Ross
“Reflection of who I am as an artist keeps bringing me back to one word, evolution. I have always loved art – I drew and painted as a child, and as I got older, the transition into adulthood left me little time for creative expression. In my 30s, another major transition, into parenthood, gave me the unexpected inspiration to return to art. Spending time with my sons and seeing the world through their eyes, moved me to pick up my artist’s tools again and express color with renewed wonder for the world around me.
Nature is my subject matter, whether literally interpreted through landscapes and still life or abstractly represented by the textures and depth of oil and cold wax medium. Like the evolution of my life experiences, I love to explore and imagine the journey of objects and am inspired by history, age, and patina.
The next phase of my personal evolution and the evolution of my work is yet unknown.”
Stefan Jensen
A Keen observer of landscape, portraiture and nature; Stefan Jensen taught her artistic insights to children and adults for over 27 years. Stefan has organized and led a number of mural projects in the midwest and southwest Today she devotes her time to studio series and private commissions.
“I am deeply fascinated with the line of the horizon, the inherent beauty of nature and with human nature. As an independent artist every painting that I create is a study of one of more of these elements. I work with oil and cold wax to layer, scratch, and buff images onto a surface, initially a somewhat hectic and vibrant scene and then over many layers bringing the image to a state of calmness, much like a meditation.
Art has always been an intrinsic part of my life. As a child I breathed in the wilds of Colorado, Illinois, and Montana, awakening in me a love of place and an understanding of the value of the human connection to the earth. I am grateful to continue on this journey of reflection through imagination and creativity.”
Oil + Cold Wax Tools
As a result of adding cold wax to oil paint some very exciting effects happen to the medium. This sets up a texture of visual interest and also allows me to scratch, squeegee, rub and imprint, etc,.. The possibilities are endless.
Additionally with added mediums an opalescent quality can be achieved through fine, thin layers.
A few tools that I like to use are: Kitchen squeegee, hair brush, bubble wrap, cheese cloth, and a metal tube.
“Throughout this life my artistic vision and personal philosophy has been influenced by the creative contributions of Albert Einstein, Georgia O’Keefe, Maxfield Parish, Walter Ufer, and Toulouse Lautrec.
Cynthia Lee
“My background includes work in both the public policy arena and the creative arts. Conceptual abstract expressionism helps me to bridge these analytic and intuitive worlds. I use writing as part of my painting process to help uncover the deeper truth I want to convey visually. I work in oil mixed with cold wax to express layered meanings.
I love to travel along borders, intersections and horizons, and deep into spaces. I often think of
it as wandering inside the upbeat and downbeat of a conductor’s baton. A pulse resonates
there, and I am pulled between form and formless, between order and chaos, looking for
moments of stillness.”
Pam Peterson
“My work is a constant search for the best way to express myself and my relationship to the world we live in. I begin each piece without a plan, tapping into my intuition and the knowledge I have gained over the years. I use multiple layers of oil paint and cold wax to create textured works on paper and wood panels. Inspired by the color and creativity of nature, as well as my midwestern roots, I often reach for muted tones punctuated by black and white. As the painting progresses, I find myself incorporating additional mediums such as pastels, graphite and wax crayons. Each layer informs the next until I reach the point where the conversation between the painting and myself is done.”
Pentimento runs August 5, 2023 through the end of September
