EXHIBIT DATES: 5 FEBRUARY – 7 MARCH, 2008
LOCATION: MPC ART DEPARTMENT GALLERY, 980 FREMONT ST., MONTEREY
HOURS: TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 10:00AM – 3:00 PM
ARTISTS’ RECEPTION: THURSDAY, february 7, 12:30 – 2:00pm
Monterey, CA (01/25/08) ···· The Monterey Peninsula College Art Gallery is pleased to announce our next exhibition, THE INTIMATE OBSERVER. The exhibit will feature the work of three very fine painters. Wayne Jiang and Christine Hanlon live in the coastal Bay Area and Sharon Wolpoff comes from Maryland. The exhibit will be on display at MPC from the 5th of February through the 7th of March 2008.
Wayne Jiang gives us simple, quiet lifelike compositions that, he tells us, “communicate emotion within the precepts of narrative realism: intimate scenes of family gatherings, unusual renderings of ordinary objects, subtle glimpses of everyday life. These images are collectively reflected on stillness, solitude and mystery---yet with an element of comfort and familiarity.” Many of his small-scale acrylic works are rendered in rich, warm colors that blend to convey a sense of intimacy and tranquility, and are reminiscent of the candlelit luminosity of Baroque paintings.
Christine Hanlon is fascinated by the urban landscape. Political organizing and activism has found its way into her elegant work; other subjects include oil tankers, cargo ships, urban construction and gentrification. She explains, “….the great artists of history understood the narrative power of painting enhanced by great composition. My study of the invisible geometry that was used by the Old Masters made the power of the work comprehensible. I use dynamic symmetry in my own work as a way to harmonize the composition while drawing the viewer into contemplating a subject [like homelessness] that is routinely avoided.” The paintings are
oil on panels and canvas, custom made to exact geometric ratios. They are beautifully rendered, evocative and powerful.
Sharon Wolpoff has “ a desire to find a way of being in this world that illuminates others. I focus my investigation by painting my surroundings when they're lit by sunlight. There are moments when sunlight seems to take hold of whatever or whoever it touches, moments when it appears to grasp, grip, stroke or charge anything in its path. The resulting interplay of light and shadow can unexpectedly ignite the most ordinary setting. This effect of the light, rather than its source, is what I'm interested in exploring through my work. I aspire to bring this mysterious quality of light to my artwork, inviting the light to act not only as a compositional component, but as a metaphysical presence as well.” Ms. Wolpoff’s bright, luminous architectural oil paintings are a feast of color and good design.