Page 28 - the NOISE July 2015

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28 • JULNYE2015 •• NOISISEaartrsts&&nneewwss •• tthenoiisse..uss
ARTSBRIEFS:
THE SPACE BETWEEN
From observing the horizon of desert and sea, Prescott artist Jan Marshall will display her paintings in her latest exhibition “The Space Between,” in The Jewel Gallery at the Coconino Center for the Arts this summer.
Evolving from smaller watercolors on handmade paper, Ms. Marshall began to develop her series on canvas with inks and acrylics. As she experimented, the canvas grew larger and the inks more transparent, capturing the landscape images she imagined.
“I am intrigued by the horizontal line that forms where a receding landscape creates a crisp intersection at the horizon of earth or sky, and the lyrical play of color and light that occurs above or below that line,” she says.
As a young child, Ms. Marshall remembers her attentive personality towards nature; including her first Grand Canyon river trip at eight years old. Through meditation and exploring the southwest’s distinctive light and landforms, she strives to convey a feeling of space or inner experience. “Observations of the natural world and insights in meditation are the greatest influence on my work,” she shares.
Artistically, the painter views herself as one who explores the relationship between nature and mankind. Through her paintings, she uses abstract concepts to communicate landscapes in their psyche and physicality. With the help of oil, pastel, watercolor, and ink, she expresses her art through subtle transitions of color and minimal form. Another way she communicates is through the size of the canvas or paper, whether that is through small individual pieces or large triptychs of up to 17-feet-wide.
“I often work in a series of three or more pieces concurrently, as I explore a multitude of variations on one theme over a period of time,” Ms. Marshall explains. “Each series comprises multiple works and follows a concept through related expressions of time, space or place.”
Most of the work in the exhibit has been inspired by the “high desert landscape” and she considers it an honor to share her work with the Northern Arizona audience.
“I hope that the viewer finds the work engaging and contemplative, experiencing both energy and tranquility in ‘The Space Between,’” she says.
Ms. Marshall applied for the chance to exhibit her work in the Jewel Gallery and was selected last year. When she first began the series, she started creating small-scale watercolors that then matured into increasingly large canvases. A canvas measuring ten-feet in length is the greatest sized landscape in her exhibit. She takes this experience as an opportunity to learn and grow through the exhibition of her artwork and says from the interactions with the gallery curator, director and staff, to the responses of the viewers, it is a chance to mature in her art as a whole.
“It all contributes to my understanding of my work and appreciation of the process of art,” Ms. Marshall says.
As an artist for the last 45 years, she continues to direct her focus towards painting and drawing. Her passion for
nature and the arts is clear throughout her canvas horizons.
“Through the paintings I investigate the fleeting moment that we, as a species, occupy in the timeline of the world,”
she says. “Suggesting that which existed before us and lies beneath us, and that which exists beyond us and above us.” “The Space Between,” will be open to visitors from June 23 to August 15, 2015 in the Jewel Gallery at the Coconino
Center for the Arts, Tuesday through Saturday from 11AM to 5PM. janmarshallart.com
RENDEZVOUS WITH THE BUNNYMAGGOT
Creator of psychedelic work and the Bunnymaggot, Flagstaff artist Pedro Dia will display his work on the wall of the Hotel Monte Vista’s Rendezvous at the First Friday ArtWalk in July.
Growing up with artistic parents, Mr. Dia watched his mother paint over the carpentry work done by his father. “They both had a great interest in interior design.” His home environment was inspirational with lithographs, prints, posters, and sculptures throughout. At a young age he read comics, motivating him to draw his favorite characters or invent his own through pencil, ink, layout, writing, and printing.
“I guess I’ve always been on the pop-type side of art,” he says, “Or just doodling has kept me inspired.”
Since the ‘90s Mr. Dia has maintained a consistent style with his work. Bold lines, vivid colors, or black and white remain his primary methods. Evolving from new age or spiritual images in the ‘90s to depicting an interest in the supernatural, his work expresses his feelings and beliefs.