hidell brooks loves a great pairing of two artists who go about the creative process completely opposite. the hands of both windy o'connor and virginia scotchie have made paintings and ceramics respectively that speak to one another. neither artist spoke to each other during their creative process over the last year and somehow they have produced work that together sings. while viewing the two shows a viewer gets the sense the ceramic vessels came out of the paintings and vice versa. the tie binding the two artists is their focus on organic forms.

we'll always have paris

painting and creating is an intuitive process for me. i must trust that when i stand in front of my easel, that i will find my destination without a map. most of my work is void of subject. relying on visual memories to set a tone. a simple emotion of an event or time period will transform into color and composition. my latest work has been inspired by my travels to paris. the wonderful display of art and architecture as well as the beautiful gardens that accentuate the romance of the city have been muses for artists for centuries. the contrast of quiet and fanciful create a joy i can't describe. the light on the Seine is a haunting beauty. all of the senses are called to stand at attention in this great city.

along with color and composition, i am drawn to the process and action of my work. i am a lover of experimentation. the multitude of mediums and paints calls me to constantly research and play with new materials. the paintings do a lot of the work and act as a partner while working. they dictate what comes next like choice of medium, brush stroke, a mark, drips and pours, the use of ink, and or graphite. It is a sometimes beautiful dance and i must respond and follow or lead in every step. it is only when an emotion is stirred inside of my soul that i find the finished work in front of me. in this body of work i am seeking to find paris within me.

-windy o’connor, 2015

pollination

pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred from the anther (male part) to the stigma (female part) of the plant, thereby enabling fertilization and reproduction. pollination takes place in the flower bearing plants and is a necessary step in the reproduction of flowering plants. in our natural world, the pollination process is an interaction between flower and pollen.

my new body of work addresses the subject of pollination, through minimalist abstraction and repetition. in my ceramic sculptures i use duplication of form and color to address the variety of pollen colorations and the concept of our critical need for this process in our lives as humans living on this planet. using the cylindrical form as a springboard for this work i add repetitive shapes and movement through these shapes on each piece.

repetition seems fundamental to existence…the very process of pollination is a repletion of action and forms. all living things, both plants and animals, respond to the familiar, and seek repeated experience. similarly, the work i create is predicated on repetition. each iteration in repetition will seemingly be made up of a certain percentage of sameness, and a certain percentage of difference. it is this divergence from replication and the concept of pollination that my work addresses.

-virginia scotchie, 2015

both artist will be present tonight at the opening from 6-8 pm at the gallery. we also have a group exhibition hanging in gallery three of new work by gallery artists including david kroll, amanda talley, ron porter, selena beaudry, sally king benedict, kate long stevenson and geraldine neuwirth. rick beck and jenny nelson have new work displayed in the viewing room as well. please call the gallery if you have any questions. see you tonight!