January Issue 2001
At Center of the Earth Gallery in Charlotte, NC
The Center of the Earth Gallery, in Charlotte,
NC, presents the exhibition Pleasure Places from Jan. 16
though Feb. 24. The show celebrates the 2001 reopening of the
gallery after renovations and includes works by Robert Azank,
John Comito, Jacob Cooley, Page Laughlin, Ruth Ava Lyons, Thomas
Paquette, and Wilfred Spoon.
Pleasure Places is a cornucopia of still life, landscape,
and special places of sheer mystery and beauty. The exhibition
was curated with images of solace and escape as a visual refuge
during the bleak winter months.
Argentine born Robert Azank paints in the realism genre. He uses simple objects that are immersed in rich and intense colors and are presented in elegant compositions. John Comito had an interesting start in his career while working as a security guard in the Metropoiltan Museum of Art. He was inspired on a daily basis by the works of the great Masters. Using a contemporary approach to traditional subject matter, his technically astute paintings reflect the techniques and compositions of classical Dutch and Spanish influences.
Jacob Cooley's sublime and mysterious landscapes stylistically stand out for the use of extraordinary light and inviting North Carolina vistas. Page Laughlin's oil paintings were recently featured in the North Carolina Museum of Art exhibit Interiors. Densely layered images that are reminiscent of Architectural Digest and Home Beautiful make for an intriguing investigation of painterly space. Laughlin is a professor at Wake Forest University and clearly a strong emerging talent in NC. Ruth Ava Lyons presents quiet and contemplative places that suggest a quality of introspection. Her personal iconography speaks of a spiritual and poetic reflection so desperately needed in today's fast paced world.
Maine artist Thomas Paquette explores the majesty of the American landscape as a plein air painter. Capturing the essence of the land through travels here and abroad. He deftly creates paintings of diverse geographic splendor. Wilfred Spoon is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art. After living in San Francisco, he has relocated back to the south. His current work depicts the charm of Historic Charleston through primitive yet sophisticated images of flora and architecture.
For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings or call the gallery at 704/375-5756 or at (http://www.centeroftheearth.com).
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