New Exhibitions in November October 22 2016
New Smyrna Beach, FL — Arts on Douglas announces the opening of two new exhibitions for the month of November. In the Feature Gallery, a solo exhibition by central Florida abstract painter Audrey Phillips titled Open will be on view from November 5 through 26, 2016 with an opening reception on Saturday, November 5 from 4-7pm. In the alt_space, a showcase of kinetic and static backlit collages by Susanna and Mark Helman titled Weatherscapes will be on view from November 5 through December 17, 2016. The opening reception for this exhibition will also take place on Saturday, November 5 from 4-7 pm. During the reception for both exhibitions, the gallery will be featuring classic reggae, soft rock and acoustic sets by the Funky Volcanoes, giving center stage to Andrew Elliot on guitar and vocals and Tyler Rosenke on the drums.
In the feature gallery:
OPEN
New works by Audrey Phillips
On view: November 5-26, 2016
Opening reception: Saturday, November 5, 4-7pm
Audrey Phillips is known for her fluid and energized abstract paintings that reflect on the ever changing nature of life. Audrey’s latest body of work, Open, was influenced by recent life transitions and opportunities that encouraged her to clear out possessions and complicated thoughts. She then pondered whether she could apply this new openness and simplicity to her painting practice and sought to create new work with a limited color palette and tools. On this process, Phillips remarks that she “toggled between controlled restraint and open-ended exploration – a push and pull of two very different principles,” and that she learned through this exercise that sometimes, “simplicity is not simple.” As she elaborates in her artist statement, “I continue to work on simplifying my life, but in the end, I feel my paintings guided me to the place that provides the most openness and light in my life. As the work came into being, between passages of drawing and painting, I recognized a part of myself that often shows up in my work—the beautiful inspiration of nature, the place where I most often feel open, alive and connected.”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Audrey Phillips has spent most of her life in Florida where the landscape captivated the artist from a formative age. Observing the expansive sky and the far-reaching vistas of the ocean augmented her ability to see in the abstract and also encouraged personal reflection, making her strongly attuned to the beautiful intelligence and power of nature. She received her Bachelor’s of Fine Art from the University of Florida and has exhibited in solo and group shows in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Minnesota, Michigan, California, Texas, New Mexico and New York City.
In the alt_space:
Weatherscapes
by Susanna and Mark Helman
On view: November 5 - December 17, 2016
Opening reception: Saturday, November 5, 4-7pm
In their series Weatherscapes, contemporary artists Susanna and Mark Helman use both static and kinetic lightboxes to explore how the natural elements of changing weather impact various land- and sea- scapes. Inspired by Op Art and sculpture from the Bauhaus movement, these hand-made, back-lit lightbox environments use hundreds of lights, each one hand-soldered to create a custom light panel. Then, using paper, colored plastic and, in some cases, motors, Susanna and Mark explore and visually translate a range of elements such as fog, rain, sunshine, wind and snow.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Susanna Richter Helman and Mark Helman are both Colorado natives that are now living and working in St. Augustine, Florida. Both attended Metropolitan State University in Denver, Colorado with Susanna completing a B.A. in Art History and Mark majoring in Fine Art, with a minor in Philosophy. Since 2009, they have exhibited collaboratively in numerous exhibitions, having been featured in group and solo exhibitions at venues such as the New York Art Expo (3 years), Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art (Jacksonville, FL), the William Havu Gallery (Denver, CO), Setford & Bridges Gallery (Miami, FL and Santa Fe, NM), and the Lurie Gallery (Los Angeles, CA). Their artwork also appears in numerous private and corporate collections including the University of North Florida Library Permanent Collection, Flagler Hospital Center for Caring Community Hospice, Merrill Lynch, Pfizer Pharmaceutical and SAFT Batteries.