Sandra’s Smile. Jon Osborne, artist
Art on 7th presents Express Yourself, an exhibition of expressionist works opening on Wednesday, October 11, with a wine and cheese reception at the gallery from 4–6 p.m. The show will run through Saturday, October 21. “As a contemporary art gallery, Art on 7th represents artists whose works naturally lean heavily into expressionism,” says gallery owner Julie Wilmot. “Most often, professional artists are creating work that is aimed at resonating with a buyer. Leaving that objective behind, this exhibition charges them with emphasizing their own subjective feelings and emotions, expressing their mood at the time of creating the piece.”
Express Yourself will feature work in a variety of media from Wilmot, Sandra Bottinelli, Daniel Iyari, Michelle Marra, Amy Casteel, Courtney Hoelscher, Joel Hunnicutt, Barbara Jones, Stephen Hackley, Robin Pedrero, JonQPublik, AnnMarie LeBlanc and Jon Osborne. Wilmot says that the work of JonQPublik is a perfect example of the key tenets of expressionism: “how structured artwork can also give a clear voice to the details of feelings and moods,” she says. “Jon’s work is predominantly linear and layered, often reflecting his need to organize and compartmentalize his varied thoughts and feelings.”
Finding Beauty in Dark Storms. Julie Wilmot, artist
JonQPublik says his works in Express Yourself convey an honest, human range of emotional responses to the past six months: joy, rage and acceptance among them. “In my work I tend to let my feelings fly, but there’s usually a structure grounding it,” he says. “A pattern, a grid, a linear arrangement that holds some familiarity of order. A bit of control that lets the emotions become more manageable. Hopefully that is universal.”
The exhibition promises to present artwork that will affect the viewers in surprising ways. “Many of our artists apply the practice of gestural abstract expressionism, and I’m always intrigued by how the slightest spontaneous stroke, drip or splattering masterfully impacts the piece as a whole,” says Wilmot. “It’s not as easy as one might think. But those who skillfully determine where to place gestural details are able to impact their work in significant expressive ways.”
Art on 7th is located at 330 7th Avenue East, Hendersonville. Learn more at Arton7th.com.
