FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Judith Oppenheimer
740-681-1423; 650-207-0628
oppenheimer@decartsohio.org
Three Voices: Conversations on Life and Conflict is an all-Ohio, all-women exhibition featuring artists Judith Brandon (Cleveland), Leslie Shiels (Cincinnati) and Carol Snyder (Columbus). The exhibition, presenting works in watercolor, oil and porcelain, will be on display at the Decorative Arts Center in Lancaster, Ohio, from May 20 – August 13, 2017. Admission is free.
LANCASTER, OH—April 25, 2017—The Decorative Arts Center will feature Three Voices: Conversations on Life and Conflict, an exhibition by watercolorist Judith Brandon, oil painter Leslie Shiels and sculptor Carol Snyder. Each artist’s unique style and point of view, when experienced alongside the others, contributes to a multi-layered conversation that invites patrons to join in.
Says Elizabeth Brown, acting co-director for the Decorative Arts Center, “Together, Judy Brandon’s emotional, weather-inspired watercolors, Leslie Shiels’ maximalist, place-based paintings, and the orderly balance of Carol Snyder’s white porcelain vessels create a rhythm and a voice that patrons cannot help but engage with.”
While each artist’s work is incredibly different, the passion that drives them is similar. “My work is a lot ‘louder’ and more intense than I am personally,” says Brandon. “I prefer it that way, and I think that’s the same approach Carol and Leslie have.”
Says Shiels, “All three of us have separate, yet synergistic voices; we just choose different vehicles to translate what we have to say.”
The tenor of the conversation, says Snyder, is what the viewer makes it. “Our work is portraying an experience or emotion—that’s what artists do. And it speaks to the viewer more than anything.”
Initially shown at the Canton Museum of Art in a more traditional, white-walled gallery setting, the Three Voices exhibition will take on a new context among the Federal/Greek Revival decor of the historic Reese-Peters House. That is something Shiels, for one, looks forward to. “With the history of the Reese-Peters House, there will be more than just three voices in the exhibition. There is also the voice of the family who lived in the house, the Decorative Arts Center that now has the building, and even the ‘voice’ of the crown molding in the room. It’s just molding, but it makes a noise.”
In conjunction with the exhibition the Decorative Arts Center is planning a weekend of programming July 8-9 that further explores themes of hearing and expressing women’s voices. Art historian and sculptor Carol Boram-Hayes, Ph.D., assistant professor at Columbus College of Art & Design, will offer the keynote address for this limited-space event, while other programming will encourage patrons to express their own voices through poetry, painting and other means. For information about programs and classes associated with this exhibition, visit www.decartsohio.org or call 740-681-1423.
For high resolution images, download via Dropbox: http://bit.ly/2biYtDP
About Judith Brandon: Judith graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1987 with degrees in drawing and enameling. Enameling techniques along with layering opaque colors were the foundation of her paintings. Brandon has had several solo shows and has been invited to participate in shows across the country from California to New York. Her current works are abstract landscapes that explore environmental issues, particularly concerning changes in weather. Oceans, rain, mist and ice, water in all of it's forms and locations are an endless source of inspiration for her. The tides of the ocean, the power of a tsunami or hurricane, the calm of a wetland—each event and waterscape is an opportunity to explore the earth's beauty and fragility.
About Leslie Shiels: Leslie Shiels grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has been painting for most of her life. She received her training from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning where she earned her BFA in 1974. She has exhibited her work in galleries and museums throughout the United States. Her work has become part of numerous corporate and private collections, most of which are located in Cincinnati. Art critics have described her paintings as lush, powerful and skillful works of art. She has used her painting as a vehicle to solve problems as they relate to life experiences. She has traveled and painted in many locations, some of her favorite spots being France, Colorado and Connecticut. The artist currently works out of her studio in the West End.
About Carol Snyder: Carol Snyder currently lives and works in Columbus, Ohio. She uses porcelain for its unique qualities as a clay body—its whiteness and translucency can give the sense of texture and patterning without the addition of glaze color. Her minimal approach allows for light to become part of the pieces. All her sculptures are wheel-thrown and hand-carved. The patterns and textures used within her work resemble nature and are abstracted to become one with the form. She emphasizes the craftsmanship of each work and believes that through this, the true beauty of form is revealed. Overall her work is created to express a sense of quiet, balance and ties with the natural world.
The Decorative Arts Center is housed in the Reese-Peters House, a Federal/Greek Revival masterpiece at 145 E. Main Street in Lancaster’s Historic District. Admission is free Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.
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