OTHER PASTURES

Group Exhibition

September 8 - December 31, 2023

OPENING EVENT: September 8, 2023 | 5 - 9 PM

Mike McConnell, ***Queen's Garden (triptych)***, 2017, 40 x 90 inches, wax oil crayon and ink on paper

Imagination defies all bounds. The act of imagining can absorb us for a fleeting moment or capture an entire world through its physical creation. It is the critical ingredient of innovation, allowing for new possibilities and progression. We imagine because we are hopeful. We dream because we are eager. Other Pastures highlights four artists who are engaged in manifesting their imaginations based on their realities. These worlds reflect aspects of the artists themselves, allowing us insight into their individual practices.

Inspiration takes many forms. Mike McConnell utilizes personal experiences in nature to reconstruct his own surrealistic landscapes. His brightly colored patches are pieced together to make shapes that are familiar while abstracting their context. Humor and life radiate through each; portals to appealing beauty that is both welcoming and adventurous.

Mixed media artist Heidi Leitzke similarly constructs landscapes based on nature, however these inspirations manifest as illustrative, mindful spaces. Snapshots of intimate scenes are overgrown with lush flora that spread and sparkle across her surfaces. While personal to Leitzke, each work feels dreamlike and magically perceptive.

More personal introspections are a through-line to painter Kiara Florez, who composes dynamic narratives in abstract landscapes. Figurative beings interact with environments in unexpected ways, evoking Florez’s investigations into spirituality and other dimensions of thought. Blazing color and bold brushstrokes reveal a distinctive style while conceptually provoking reflection.

Figures completely transform in work by Annette Monnier, who replaces humans for animals in her alternate universes. Highly detailed scenes host these creatures in both domestic and natural spaces, showcasing delicate moments of interaction. Surprising and fun, each evokes a theatrical set with the beings as actors. Monnier masterfully captures all of the nuanced life through her dimensional detail and charming creatures.

Participating Artists: Kiara Florez, Heidi Leitzke, Mike McConnell, Annette Monnier

Carole Bieber & Marc Ham Gallery