LIVING WITH ART BLOG

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma---JRB Art at The Elms presents works by Janice Mathews-Gordon in her show titled “State of Mind” together with Bernadette Torres in her show titled “Blooming”. Both solo exhibitions open with a reception from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, July 1st, 2016 during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and continue through Sunday, July 30th. Other artists who will be featured in July include Raven Halfmoon a ceramicist, Larry Hefner, Karam and H Holden.

Oklahoma City artist, Janice Mathews-Gordon states her newest paintings are an expression of her daily streams of thought. “Composed of shapes in colorful formations, this series reflects a myriad of longings and recollections, but also unexpected joys and challenges I experience from day to day. As a result, a full, but unpredictable life unfolds. At its heart then, this exhibition strives to understand what it means to be human. Perhaps you’ll see a glimpse of your own life in one of my paintings.”

Using the sketch much as a map, Janice builds the composition on the canvas, first blocking out the shapes with acrylic paint in simple dark and light forms. From there, she applies layer upon layer of paint creating areas of nuanced color and visual intrigue. Mid-way through the process, she will add collage and textural points-of-interest: bits of painted, printed or corrugated papers, even fabric pieces torn from a discarded shirt. As the piece progresses, she strives to preserve the energy and integrity of the initial ink sketch. At intervals, she applies velvety charcoal lines, leaving some well-defined and smudging others. These luscious lines thread throughout each piece enhancing detail and movement, but also emphasizing the structure and unifying the work as a whole.

Kansas City artist Bernadette Esperanza Torres is a storyteller who communicates with her hands, translating stories into clay. Her sculptures are autobiographical narratives sometimes with hand-built soft slap female Mexican/Italian full figures, flower mounds platters and animal imagery in clay. “My ceramic sculptures serve as spirit guides that manifest intentions, relieve anxieties and whisper secrets”, says Bernadette. As a florist’s daughter, flowers are intrinsic to her sculptures. Flowers are always present at monumental life changing ceremonies, and for Bernadette, represent the fragility of life. “I enjoy their bright unique colors in the short life of a dying flower wishing they would bloom forever.”

Bernadette’s technique of throwing on the wheel and hand building female figures and assembling each flower allows the viewer to have a personal connection with the clay and forms. This intimacy is imperative for her to process her emotions and stories into clay and create meaning with images. The manipulating of clay not only creates sculptures, but also “shapes” her as an artist, an educator, and as a woman.

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