Of Brush and Lens
Paintings by Rachel Egeberg and photographs by Michael Wetteland
July 20 – August 19, 2017
Please join us for an Artist Reception on Friday, August 4 from 7 – 9 pm, with Artist Talks at 7:30 pm. Refreshments will be served.
Rachel Egeberg Artist Statement:
This show encompasses work I’ve made over the past two years. The earliest work is 2′ x 2′ foot masonite boards, followed by the cut paper and acrylic on mat board, and most recently the small works on mat board with graphite and acrylic. Several months passed between each body of work, yet they all represent my interest in mark making, color, composition, shape and movement through a space.
These paintings are about movement – the way that line and form traverse space. They embody the energy and looseness with which I work. I paint rapidly and instinctively, keeping my eyes sharp and my brush strokes confident, which in turn provides great freedom to play with the subtleties of color in an evolving composition. This way of working requires trust. Letting go. Embracing the raw and “unfinished” and compelling all that builds up in the body to egress.
They are about finding and trusting in the flow of your life. Trusting in the darkness and the light. Experimenting with line and color and pace and movement and letting it all come together to create something that feels alive and expansive. A manifestation of the powerful creative force that is within each of us.
Michael Wetteland Artist Statement:
There is something elusive that touches and captivates me in the blossom’s detail, the magnificence of a grand landscape, or the minutiae of the forest floor. It is there in the fragrance of lilac, the oblique light of an autumn afternoon, or the wind moving through prairie grass. It is palpable yet eludes concept and description.
Experienced, I wish to express and share it with others. My endeavor to do so utilizes the medium of digital photography to capture the raw materials for an image. I do not use the medium to document an event or moment in time. I use it to capture a moment that will become the foundation for an image that will move beyond a photographic document. Creating the image, that is to bring the raw digital file to completion, I use the wonderful artistic tools the photographic medium offers today.
My intent is to create a bridge of light, color, and form between myself and the viewer. If I am successful the image becomes an invitation for the viewer to enter, participate in, and hopefully enjoy what the landscape has shared with me.