D’art Gallery is proud to host “Surface Tensions” January 16 through February 9, 2025. “Surface Tensions” brings together three artists who examine the interplay between solidity and change. Each artist explores the shifting boundaries of our world, inviting viewers to see these transitions in a new light.
Artists in the exhibition: Deborah Carlson, Alanna Peters and Benjamin Stanford.
Opening Reception: Friday, January 24 6-9PM
Deborah Carlson
Deborah Carlson works primarily with glass, delving into multiple techniques and layers to create her art. Choosing to express her ideas through naturally occurring visuals, she settled on glass because it flows in an orderly rhythm, expressing the light in life. When glass moves, when it is hot, it has a mind of its own and becomes not what you want it to be, but what it wants to be. Glass is nature. It has its own rhythm and responds to the atmosphere. Nature inspires everything she does, and glass allows the ability to express depth, layering, and dimension. Nature is perfect. The color combinations are perfect. The symmetry is perfect. If you stare at a flower long enough, you will find the rhythm of the universe.
The theme of “Surface Tension” matches Carlson’s works by describing the emotional strain between the subject of the piece and the release of breaking through to show the inner depth of softness, clarification, and tranquility. She will often include her drawings, representing the outward wall of protection that encircles the true nature of the subject.
Alanna Peters
Inspired by the idea of impermanence both in the moment and in our lives. Alanna uses oil paint on wood panels to capture her emotions and experiences. She explores the interaction between the abstract qualities of the environment and the detailed realism of the figure. There is a focus on light and movement and how they distort and interact with the human body.
Alanna’s work often incorporates the female form in water. She captures polarities in her work between the intricate details of the figure, lace or floral dresses and the abstract qualities of the reflections on the water. Alanna begins the process by sewing the dresses and then taking reference shots underwater before beginning to paint. Her paintings are built up through many thin layers of oil paint and glazes which allow the colours below to interact with the layers above. She captures weightlessness and reflection through illusions of transparency.
Benjamin Stanford
Benjamin Stanford is a figurative painter currently living in Denver, Colorado. Working primarily with oil, Ben makes tightly rendered, multi-figure paintings, placing figures in surrealist dreamscapes. By drawing inspiration from classical painting and religious iconography, he uses painting as a process where tradition and craftsmanship serve as a touchstone for the creative process, allowing for self-imposed constraints to act as a catalyst for exploration. While capturing the likeness of his subjects is of high priority, Benjamin’s work strikes a balance between the deliberate rendering of form and intuitive response. This open-ended process of translation creates a unique vantage point to engage with the strategic ambiguity of his imagery.
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Banner: Alanna Peters, “Delicate Cadre.” Oil on aluminum panel; 24 x 30.
