Icons & Illusions: Solo Exhibition in Decatur, IL - Part II

Welcome to  "Icons & Illusions", my solo exhibition in Decatur, IL. (March 2-28, 2018)

The Anne Lloyd Gallery staff has done a beautiful job arranging and hanging artwork.

This painting of Kartikeya was a good choice for the centerpiece.

Kartikeya on Peacock

65 x 58 inches (64” rods)

acrylic on hand blocked Kalamkari fabric

A painting of Buddha is flanked by River Goddesses Ganga and Yamuna on the end wall.

Another diptych occupies an adjacent wall.

Three images of Ganesh fill another wall.

Golden Ganesh

26” x 20” image

conte and acrylic on paper 

printed with metallic ink

Tables are set up for an Indian themed spread of food and a wine bar as the staff prepares for the opening reception.

An exhibition preview appeared in the newspaper, Decatur Herald and Review, March 1, 2018. I hope this brings attendees to the reception.

People start arriving.

Two featured pianists are scheduled for tonight. 

Larry Wade, first pianist of the evening, starts his performance as the crowd grows.

It is fun meeting everybody. I even have the chance to discuss curriculum with faculty from the local art college.

All gather for the Artist Talk and a series of speeches to celebrate the Decatur Area Arts Council's 50th Anniversary.

Sue Powell, the gallery director, gives me a nice introduction before I say a few words.

Perhaps I should hold this sign while I teach classes at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee! 

The second pianist, Mike Waltenberger,  plays some of my favorite melodies and ends the evening with a lovely rendition of "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess.

SOLD!

Teaching Buddha

49 x 43 inches (48” rods)

acrylic on hand blocked Kalamkari fabric

Thank you Decatur Area Arts Council's Anne Lloyd Gallery for the memorable event and the opportunity to exhibit in the Madden Arts Center!

Icons & Illusions: Solo Exhibition in Decatur, IL - Part I

I am currently preparing artwork for a solo exhibition in Decatur, Illinois.  Icons & Illusions will be presented by the Decatur Area Arts Council in the Anne Lloyd Gallery at the Madden Arts Center. March 2 - 28, 2018. 

This is the poster for the show.

I will be giving an artist talk at the opening reception On Friday, March 2. Two featured pianists, Larry Wade and Mike Waltenberger, will be performing at the reception. I'm looking forward it. It sounds like a lot of fun!

My next post will include installation photos and pictures from the reception.

Depictions of Vishnu : "An Exclusive Expression of Indian Mythology"

Several of the paintings and drawings I recently exhibited in Kolkata, India depict statues of Lord Vishnu, one of the most significant Hindu deities.

Lord Vishnu’s role is that of protector and preserver of the universe. He is a gentle, omnipresent god who is believed to have descended to earth at least nine times in order to save the world from evil and restore balance.

Vishnu I

48 x 36 inches

acrylic on hand blocked fabric

In sacred texts, Vishnu is described as having a dark complexion like water-filled clouds. He is often depicted as a pale blue being in paintings, as are his incarnations Rama and Krishna.

Vishnu’s incarnations, known as avatars, have taken animal and human forms. A tenth incarnation is yet to come. The main focus of the statues depicted in these paintings is Vishnu, not as an avatar, but in his primary spirit form.

Four-Armed Vishnu

30” x 20” image

conte and acrylic on paper printed with metallic ink

Vishnu's stance in the image above is stiff and rigidly formal in the samapada (feet together) pose. Shri Devi and Bhu Devi stand on either side in sensual, curving contrapposto. In many instances, as seen here, Vishnu's wife the goddess Lakshmi manifests as two separate goddesses, Shri Devi denotes energy and Bhu Devi represents fertility.

Vishnu II

48 x 36 inches

acrylic on hand blocked fabric

Depictions of Vishnu adhere to a set system of iconography. Vishnu is represented as a human male with four arms symbolizing his power. The arms in front relate to his activity in the physical world while the rear arms signify Vishnu’s power in the spiritual world. As a symbol of his sovereignty, Vishnu wears a crown. The two earrings worn symbolize opposites inherent in creation.

This Vishnu is elegant in its simplicity and graceful proportions. The broad shouldered figure is softly modeled. His fleshy face has a serene expression with eyes almost closed. Along with a tall cylindrical crown, Vishnu wears armbands, bracelets, necklace and a belt but appears nearly nude as the transparent drapery covering his legs is his only garment. 

Vishnu with Attendants

26” x 20” image

conte on paper

He holds a conch in his forward left hand and a war discus in his rear left. The conch shell he holds is a symbol of the sound of creation. The discus is a weapon reminding the devotee that Vishnu protects the world from evil.

A lotus in his right front hand represents divine spiritual perfection and purity. 

Vishnu also holds a mace (gada) in his right rear hand which signifies divine power in addition to the conch (shankha), lotus (padma), and discus or chakra.

These two sculptures (in the Southeast Asian Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago) served as inspiration for the four artworks above. A simple aureole backs both statues carved in high relief. 

Another statue of Vishnu from the same collection was my model for the mixed media drawing below.

God Vishnu Riding on His Mount, Garuda

26” x 20” image

conte & acrylic on printed paper

All of the paintings and drawings above are for sale. Price available upon request. I am able to supply higher resolution images to interested buyers. If inquiring, please leave a comment with your email address. I will immediately contact you and hide your info from public view.

Or email me at Cynthia.S.Hayes (at) gmail (dot) com 

An Exclusive Expression of Indian Mythology - Part 1 (of 3): Preparations

Finally I am in India at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport after a very long flight.  It is a relief to find that the roll of paintings brought as checked luggage has also arrived in Kolkata. 

This trip and exhibition would not have been possible without a generous grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation's Mary L. Nohl Suitcase Export Fund for Visual Art. I am grateful for this exciting opportunity to have a solo show of my artwork abroad!

I came a few days early to approve the brochure design. It is more elaborate than I had imagined and will be printed on beautiful paper.

Now to get the work ready. Thirty pieces need to be framed...

The roll of paintings is unwrapped at the Anjan Art Framing workshop. Stretchers must be constructed and sixteen large canvases stretched before they can be framed. 

Fourteen drawings will be matted and framed under glass at this table. Anjan, Ayan Mukherjee and their crew have a week to complete all this work. As we discuss framing style options, they seem experienced and knowledgable. I leave them with some archival quality mounting tape and the directions that they may not under any circumstances cut or glue down any of the work. Now I must trust that they will be careful, and do no irreversible harm to the paintings and drawings. 

I enjoy the warmth on a sunny January morning the day of the opening reception as I wait for the doors of the Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata to open.

Three hours before the inaugural ceremony, the gallery walls are still bare. YIKES. The gallery staff assure me that this is the way they always hang shows and that everything will get done.

The framed paintings are delivered to the gallery just in time...

Rapidly the paintings are shuffled around the room, arranged  and rearranged. Finally the spacing, and placement looks right.

Can all these pieces be hung and the lighting adjusted before the doors open? I really hope so. My job is done. Now it is time to let the gallery staff go to work...

As the paintings go up, the sound crew delivers and installs the stage and speakers for the musical recital that will follow the inauguration ceremony.

Suddenly a brass lamp appears in the center of the gallery surrounded by a ring of flowers and flower petals. How exciting - I've never had one of these! It is beautiful, but I suddenly feel anxious because I'm not exactly sure what I am suppose to do with this during the ceremony...

The members of Bihaan Music and Sunam Communcations, who have organized this exhibition, take a moment to pose before the doors open.

The guest book is ready.

I'm ready too!

The next post will feature photos of the opening reception and exhibition.