Current Exhibit:

“Restless Creativity”

Debra Eck

On Exhibit May 27th through July 2nd

Recpetion on Saturday June 25th 5:30-7:30pm

“Like many artists today my work is not defined by any single material. I move restlessly between mediums, letting each idea find its own expression. This exhibition is a survey of works both old and new, that showcases the variety of materials and techniques used in my studio practice and highlights the common themes that run through them all.”

Debra Eck is a book and installation artist who works primarily with thread, text and
fibers. Her work is in public and private collections, both here and in Europe. Originally from Essex in the UK, she has lived and worked in Western New York for
over 30 years. Eck received a BFA in painting from the University at Buffalo, and an
MA in Visual Culture from the University of Northumbria in Newcastle (UK). After many years of working as a college instructor at Jamestown Community
college and SUNY Fredonia, Eck has chosen to focus on teaching adults in
community settings. She is currently the director of the Pearl City Clay House
program at Infinity Visual and Performing Arts in Jamestown, and is a member of
many local arts organizations, including TCAC where she sits on the board.

Past Exhibits:

“Birds”

Samila Sosic

Was Showcased April 16th through May 20th

The “BIRDS” series comes to life through observation and documentation of hummingbird flying patterns. The driving force behind this series is a fascination of non-verbal communication between flying partners. My intention is to embrace and present their graceful moves and striking beauty through elements of color, texture, and movements. By using bracketing photo references and transferring them into paintings, the hummingbirds started to perform their dances on my canvases. I left the curiosity of the viewer’s eyes to create their own patterns and find the personal dance in each of my “BIRDS”.

Samila Sosic is a Bosnian native, who moved to New York City in 1992 after graduating with a BS in Architecture from the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2005, she enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Arts program at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. After obtaining a BA degree in 2011, she continued her art education at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. In 2014, Sosic received her MFA in Painting and Drawing from the Academy of Art and secured the position of Adjunct Professor at University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

For more information on Samila Sosic, visit her website at: http://www.samilasfineart.org/

amanda-o-studio

“Silent Beings”

Amanda Parry Oglesbee

Was on Exhibit Febuary 18th through April 2nd

The larger paintings in this show were made recently and are portraits of trees that I have found walking or driving that call to me.  Primary elements in the paintings are tree trunks, the surrounding atmosphere, and their interior essence.  Scars of lost limbs and forms created through decay and adaptation reveal their unique histories made over very long lives.  Smooth bark displays shadows from the exterior world while rough bark alludes to inner growth and struggle.  Some exist in a golden atmosphere suggesting the infinite while others appear to be posed in a portrait studio or seen against the sky.

The inspiration for the larger paintings came from the making of smaller ones such as those selected here.  Some studies were made working outside directly with the tree(s) and some were imagined.  It was through these pieces that I found a way to express something of what trees and life means to me.

I am moved by the beauty and courage of all things that grow on earth, especially trees.  As I paint trees they become portraits of beings compelled to grow, nurture and survive.  Some of my paintings are made directly observing nature.  My work is sometimes influenced by historical art and other times built entirely from my imagination allowing the piece to grow organically with an equal combination of intent and acceptance.  Most of my paintings are a combination of these different approaches.  While I have painted many other subjects and use different mediums and approaches in my work, I have always painted trees. –Amanda Parry Oglesbee

For more information on Amanda Parry Oglesbee, visit her website at:  https://amandaoglesbee.com/