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August- October 2006 Exhibitions Flatlanders Art Galleries proudly presents three solo exhibitions! These exhibits are free of charge and will be open to the public from August 29 th through October 1 st . A reception with the artists is planned for Sunday, September 24 th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. |
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Tom Humes new paintings take on a narrative of both personal and worldly issues, drawing you in to a nearly physical relationship with the work. Tom reluctantly identifies himself as an imagist with a passionate need to begin something, in order for something else to happen later. Tom says of his work: "My artwork has two aspects; technique and vision. Neither is primary. Neither comes first, they are inseparable. How the paintings start is through physical impulse. I may start by wanting to draw something that I saw that day; a flower, a house, a grouping of trees in the evening sunlight...or something purely imaginary. Something or anything that struck my heart or eye, it is only important that I begin. The intellect does get involved, what is going on in the world, and how do we deal with it, collectively and individually? But mostly, how do we feel about it? So I do a painting to convey a feeling. When I see a mark that conveys a feeling, I fall for it every time. And I wonder...why does that work so well?" Born in 1949, Tom Humes has exhibited extensively in both group and solo shows throughout Michigan, and continues to work out of Detroit. |
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Mary Fortuna's recent work comes in the form of dolls, "the weirder the better," as Mary puts it. Several of her dolls draw from recognizable literary characters, while the rest could incite Grimm fairy tales of their own. Mary says of her dolls: "They hang from the ceiling, which makes them a little like puppets. They refuse to sit down, shut up and behave themselves. I have nothing important to say about dolls or puppets, except that I spent a lot of time making them when I was a goofy little kid. Playing with the things that made me happy when I was a kid is pretty much the whole reason I'm an artist." Mary Fortuna received her B.F.A from Wayne State University, and is currently the Exhibitions Director for the Paint Creek Art Center in Rochester Michigan. Mary's work has been featured not only in solo and group exhibitions throughout the region, but also in numerous publications. |
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Michael Arrigo's recent paintings have been inspired by an interest in investigating how the image prefigures and shapes personal identity, cultural master narratives and cosmologically mythic forms. Michael states: "I came to painting by following a rather elliptical path that began with an early interest in physics and philosophy. My current work uses mostly animal imagery to speak about the complex interrelationship between nature and culture. I see parallels between contemporary spirituality and these "cyborg" animals that I paint; both are hybrids. By combining elements of Eastern and Western mythic/ philosophical traditions with modernist art practices, these paintings couple popular hermetic iconography to explore how such hybridization informs our cultural and religious mythologies." Michael Arrigo received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Ohio State University and is currently Associate Professor for the School of Art at Bowling Green State University. In addition to numerous regional and national exhibitions, Mike was the "first award" recipient at the 86 th Annual, Toledo Area Artist Exhibit, and served as director for the Young Artists at Work program. |
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