hidell brooks is very excited to open two exhibitions of new paintings by sarah helser and charlie hanavich this friday night for the october gallery crawl. no wrong season new paintings by sarah helser continue to explore the childlike ability to imagine anything without boundaries twisting the world into the realm of the imagination. sarah"s paintings are laboriously layered with oil, acrylic, gold leaf, encaustic, and resin. the circle shaped canvas intrigued sarah another reminder to look through the keyhole into another world.
more than 15 new paintings by charlie hanavich is a selection of popular icons who pay homage to the celebrity of an individual or phenomenon. the reference is used in popular culture and originates from andy warhol who was quoted as saying "in the future, everyone will be world- famous for 15 minutes." the portraits included in the show are recognizable images and are loved for their remarkable lives. they are known by first name only jackie, mick, keith, mohammad, elvis. charlie hanavich is a self-taught painter who has learned through his process and honed his skills with every painting. charlie is greatly influenced by the painter chuck close. while close's work is very organic in the grid he made famous depicting his artist's friends and his own family, charlie's grid is more angular in nature.
one of the most extraordinary things about being a child is the ability to imagine anything without the boundaries of knowing what is and what is not true about the universe around us. as an artist my goal is to take hold once more of that view. the challenge is to use fully the disciplines i have learned with my craft and simultaneously maintain he childlike scope that sees a world not defined by the structures of reality. each piece is a reminder to both me and the viewer that we are more than allowed to break the rules. even the most ordinary subject can be made extraordinary if we reshape it through the whimsy of imagination. using a variety of mediums, these pieces are formed and reformed until they come into their own organic completion. each tiny detail makes itself equal in importance to the main subject, a discovery of beauty in unusual places.
-sarah helser 2017
the expression "15 minutes of fame" was inspired by andy warhol's famous declaration "in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes". more than 15 is a selection of icons, painted by charlie hanavich, who've caught our attention on the world stage for more than 15 minutes.
charlie hanavich is a self-taught artist from atlanta georgia who's artistic output has been generated in absence of any formal art training. he states that through his process “new insights, lines, and personalities evolve leaving a greater appreciation for each subject”.
-charlie hanavich
all available paintings are on the website under each artist's image. both artists will be present for the opening friday, october 6th from 6-8 pm. please call the gallery if you need any further information,