sinuosities exhibition at breathe art gallery, Davidson NC
PRESS RELEASE:
breathe art space in Davidson, NC recently opened an exhibition entitled “sinuosities” featuring thirty-three new paintings on paper and canvas by Charlotte-based abstract painter, Monica L. Hancock.
During the opening of the exhibition on Friday, March 12, 2004, an audience of seasoned collectors, prospective first time art buyers, local artists and other friends of the arts, gathered to view work, listen to her speak about the artistic process and participate in an open dialogue which revealed some of her visions and secrets and opened up the interpretation of each piece to the viewer.
In a very personal and engaging breathe art-talk session, Hancock addressed questions from the viewers on a range of topics. When asked, ”How do you know when a painting is complete?”, Hancock replied quoting French poet Paul Valéry, “I once heard that ‘a poem is never finished, only abandoned.’ I try to follow that same principle and let the painting lead me along until it is time to abandon it. And if I go too far? Well…I just keep painting and it always comes back to life. There are no mistakes in stream-of-consciousness painting.”
-more-
To Hancock, painting is a process of actions and reactions based on her daily observations and imaginations. Light, color, texture and pattern play significant roles in her approach to a blank canvas. Without ever pre-planning her work, every painting pleasantly surprises her in the end.
She lets the painting lead the way making marks in the wet paint with found sticks and drawing tools and reacting to that mark with abandon, not allowing conscious thought to interrupt the flow. Ultimately, Hancock is left with documentation of a sinuous journey that reveals a very personal layering of thoughts and secrets. Often those secrets are revealed by looking closely at the layers of marks and letters that appear just below the surface of the paint.
Hancock has been invited to do solo shows and participate in group shows at the Smith Van Every Galleries at Davidson College, The Light Factory, Blue Pony Gallery, Spirit Square and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she earned a B.A. in Fine Arts.
With an initial degree in Journalism and a concentration in Photography at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, writing continues to be an underlying part of work, revealing itself in partially hidden layers of words and letters bringing pages of her journals to life underneath the layers of textured paints.
On Saturday, April 10th, Monica will return to breathe art space to talk about Observation and the Artistic Process. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.
The emphasis at breathe is on human connection and art as part of the community. We aim to achieve an experience where artwork is a catalyst for illumination between the artist and the viewer. Through fostering a greater understanding of art, it is our hope more people will support emerging artists by buying their work.