Page 18 - the NOISE August 2012

18 • AUGUST 2012 • the NOISE arts & news magazine • thenoise.us
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Sue Katz’s figure-empowering paintings is at the Jewel Gallery of Coconino Center for the Arts this month.
University of Arizona, and Flagstaff where she received a Bachelor’s in Environmental Philos- ophy. She loves Arizona’s landscapes because they are the perfect setting for her to pursue interests in rock climbing, biking and hiking.
Once in Prescott again, after taking many jobs unrelated to art, she considers those jobs to be stepping stones that led to the creative path she is now on.
It’s been two years since I last checked in with Ms. Gentry who will be featured this Au- gust at West of the Moon.
“A trip to Hawaii and a return to the ocean has inspired me to explore a cooler pallet,” Ms. Gentry tells me. “I’ve always leaned more toward the reds, oranges, pinks and yellows, but lots of turquoise as well. The Southwest influence, I guess. I’m loving cobalt blue right now. I can’t get enough of it. I’ve been work- ing on a series for a year or so now, called the
‘Boulder Series.’ Some of the titles are The Boulder Field, Boulder Lake, Boulder Pond, and The Orchard. They all focus on boulder-like shapes, using a technique I have been devel- oping over the last few years. These paintings are each filled with these very intricately pat- terned, highly detailed boulders.”
“My paintings have changed somewhat in two years,” she continues. “The compositions are more simple, less ethereal, based more on nature, yet still made up of worlds created in my mind. The Boulder Field, for example, is simply a tree, a sun, and a field full of red boulders.”
For her show at West of the Moon, Ms. Gen- try focuses this body of work on the “Bolder Fields Series,” titling her show, “Meet Me at the Boulder Field.” “It won’t be exclusively boulder paintings,” she says, “But a mix of them and some of my other work. There will be original works, canvas reproductions, and archival prints on paper available at the show. The show will be up for the month of August, and opening night is during the First Friday ArtWalk on August 3rd. My work is also on exhibit at West of the Moon year round now.”
“My work is an expression of my love for nature,” Ms. Gentry tells me. “My connection with nature is profound. It is where I go to find peace, clarity, calm, and to help me cope with the craziness of life. My paintings are a view into my inner landscape; or my nature within. It is my hope that, through my paint- ings, I can touch others by tapping into the nature within them.”
In addition to showing at West of the Moon in Flagstaff, Ms. Gentry’s paintings can also be found at Jerome Artists’ Cooperative Gallery, the Ian Russell Gallery in Prescott, Page Springs Cellars Tasting Room in Corn- ville and Arizona Stronghold Tasting Room in Cottonwood. WestoftheMoonGallery.com
FIGURE IN FULL BEAUTY
The Jewel Gallery at Coconino Center for the Arts will present, “Shape,” a combination of mixed media and collage of the figure by Sue Katz, August 14 through September 8.
“I love the figure and always have ever since I took my first life drawing class at 16 years old,” Ms. Katz tells me. “The human form has become a lifelong passion of mine. My pro- cess when I begin a figure is to simply focus on the form and the movement of the body. For me, the gesture of a pose gives the piece movement and that movement is what I try to recreate on paper.
“I take great artistic license with the form: big legs, large breasts and out of proportion hands,” she continues. “This is and has always been, my way of expressing the figure and for me, it is what makes the image alive. I usu- ally draw out the form in pencil and then from there, see where the piece takes me. I’ll start collaging or painting in sections and slowly work my way around the entire piece, con- stantly changing, re-collaging or re-painting certain areas until I feel the work is where I want it to be. Very often, I don’t have a pre- conceived idea in my head of how I want the art to turn out. The end result is usually a sur- prise!”