Sept. 27, 2013
Brackenwood Gallery is doing something particularly interesting for its October show.
“Dreaming” is an exhibit that features the works of Karin Bolstad, Danielle Hendrix, Sara Saltee, Bergen Rose and Michael Stadler and opens with an artists’ reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 with the first Saturday artwalk in downtown Langley.
Take a word like “dreaming” and it’s certain artists will rise to the challenge of its various connotations. Surrealist artists such as Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh and Francisco Goya all experimented with images they derived from their dreams. The intrigue of what these local artists revealed through their experiments with dream-induced images is in on full display with this show.
Photographer Michael Stadler’s collection of surreal images, which were brought to life over time add a completely different interpretation of “Dreaming” to the mix. These images are a composite of puzzle pieces put together as photographic illustrations.
“There are places that exist beyond the closed door,” Stadler said.
“Sometimes you will find magic worlds where the mind’s eye can be released and explore the mystery within. I can create a space that is my own and only share its allure through the images found there.”
Stadler has let his imagination roll, inviting the viewer to get lost in his creative sandbox of images.
Bolstad’s process started by creating collages from a subconscious level where images or objects are chosen simply because they resonate, before she places the images/objects together based on her intuition. The visual collage snippets are then converted into a mixed-media painting. Bolstad’s inspiration often comes from vintage photos or postcards. The three paintings in this show are part of a larger body of work entitled “Lucid Dreaming.”
Painter Danielle Hendrix strives to act as a prism to the continuous dialogue between her subjects and her viewers. The question, “Are we the dreamer or are we part of another’s dream?” inpsired Hendrix to play with the concept of identity. Fascinated by the topography of the body, specifically the skin, her painting titled “Dream of Blossoms” captures the body’s details and minutiae in a dreamlike portrait of a figure flowered with rose petals.
Bergen Rose used two mediums in this show, including her lovely layered landscapes that might signify the setting of a dream. Bergen is also a textile artist and photographer and has combined those two passions to create multi-dimensional images that explore her personal history of daydream travels.
“Whether in a trance over a landscape, or over some interior-scape, images arise that captivate me,” Rose said. “My intent as an artist has been to navigate and translate those images into a form that can relate to another dreamer.”
Assemblage artist Sara Saltee delights in collecting wonderful bits and pieces of materials which she combines into textural assemblages of various dimensions. The artist draws the viewer into each little world in which she has explored dreams formed of longings and visions, of dreams as stories that uncover meaning along the paths of every life lived. Along with the tiny worlds she creates, Sara adds literary quotes, which add an element of deeper meaning to her pieces.
“The thematic contrasts in my work mirror contrasts inherent in the “dreaming” motif: between sleep/waking, day/night and reality verses just a dream,” the artist said.
The exhibit continues through Oct. 28. Visit www.brackenwoodgallery.com for more info.