D’art Contemporary Art Gallery, in Denver’s Santa Fe Art District, Hosts Dual Solo Exhibitions, Featuring Gabrielle Shannon and Jean Smith
The first exhibition cycle for 2020 at D’art Gallery, “Elements” featuring member artists Gabrielle Shannon and Jean Smith, opens on Thursday, January 30 at D’art Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive. The exhibition runs from Thursday, January 30 through Sunday, February 23. The two artists host an Opening Reception from 5–9 p.m. on Friday, January 31. Three more receptions are scheduled beginning with Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe First Friday on Friday, February 7 from 5–9 p.m. On Valentine’s Day, there is an Artist Reception on Friday, February 14 from 6–9 p.m. followed by the gallery participating in Third Friday Art Night on Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe on Friday, February 21 from 6–9 p.m.
Elements Exhibition
The complementary work of Gabrielle Shannon and Jean Smith co-exist organically as if forged from the universe simultaneously. At play in the exhibition is the fluid interchange between the physical & conceptual, the visual & tactile, and the dance of the Elements of Life themselves: Earth, Air, Fire, & Water.
Throughout the exhibition, Shannon and Smith celebrate nature and invite the viewer to explore the Elements in their work. Jean Smith’s stunning ceramic work is playful, colorful and as organic as the earth itself. Gabrielle Shannon’s paintings ebb and flow with the Elements at every level from the cellular to the cosmic.
Gabrielle Shannon
Much of Gabrielle Shannon's work is an exploration of the states and stages of the dynamic energy that surrounds and fills us. Our connected universe—constantly shifting & transforming, or the growth that takes place in Spring after experiencing the death of Winter. Too small to see and too vast to comprehend. She is compelled to capture these fleeting patterns of change that are the only constant we have.
Gabrielle paints in a liminal state. It’s a glimpse into that space of disorientation, of order, of ambiguity that is occurring in the very small threshold between where she has been, and where she is going. It’s all about being in the present moment and surrendering.
"My artistic process is an organic layering of pigments, fluids & shapes interacting dynamically. I watch and tend the canvas as my creations develop. The process takes days, sometimes months with many layers. It’s all very intuitive and I never know exactly what will happen. I let the shapes that emerge drive my brushes as I finish each piece."
Gabrielle Shannon has lived her life in the Arts, working as an artist as a sculptor, pen and ink artist, and abstract painter. Originally from New York, she has done everything from exhibiting internationally, sitting on the boards of non-profits, including Eyebeam Atelier in New York, and curating for the Manhattan Children's Museum. In 1994, she created the first online art and culture magazine Urban Desires. She ran Urban Desires for over 8 years and it won numerous awards. Her work can be viewed at www.gabrielleshannonstudio.com
Jean Smith
Jean Smith’s work reflects all the natural elements. With the clay coming from the earth, Jean adds water to make it palatable. Then, she applies fire to the clay in a kiln to change it into a solid form where the piece exists in the here and now surrounded by air.
Clay is Jean's main medium expressing through abstract shapes her response to Nature. Many of her pieces join unusual shapes together to emerge as a single ceramic sculpture in the minimalistic style of Alexander Calder, Joan Miro, and Carmen Herrera, in what she refers to as Mid-Century Modern, a timeless art movement that is still popular today. She groups many of the pieces together to create a feeling of energy, passion, or calmness. Some pieces are placed on a wall, while others are suspended from the ceiling and a third group seem to be sprouting from the ground.
Jean has been a working artist since 1986 with exhibitions at many Denver area galleries. Her work is on view at https://www.jeanbsmith.com/
Gallery Hours are Thursdays, Noon to 5 p.m., Fridays, Noon to 9 p.m., Saturdays, Noon to 5 p.m., and Sundays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.