Listen to the Land
Jeremy Russell Solo Exhibition
Event Types: Visual Arts
Oct 1, 2024 10:00 AM — Oct 26, 2024 4:00 PM
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Contact Information
Liz Rundorff Smith
864-252-5858
[email protected]https://artandlightgallery.com/https://www.instagram.com/artandlightgallery/https://www.facebook.com/artandlightgallery/Details
Art & Light Gallery is pleased to present Listen To The Land a solo exhibition of work by Jeremy Russell (Asheville, N.C.) launching on the Art & Light website and in the gallery at 10am (EST) on Tuesday, October 1 with an opening reception on Friday, October 4 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM.
Jeremy Russell completed a BFA in Painting at the University of North Carolina Asheville. It was at UNC Asheville that Russell began developing a layered narrative of his life and family history in his paintings. Layered visual contrasts and symbolic concepts eventually led to abstraction. For Russell, abstraction has always been rooted in influential events and defining experiences. Always a painter, Russell’s career has followed multiple paths that have ultimately helped him to develop and progress as an artist. As a movie and theater set painter, theme park ride painter, sign painter, and owner and operator of a mural company for commercial applications, he honed his skills and formed the foundation of his process. The knowledge gleaned through these experiences impacted both his approach to physical application of materials and understanding of the diverse range of mediums that he employs.
Russell states, “The body of work included in Listen To The Land is a metaphorical abandonment of modernity, a surrender to the natural world. Putting this into words is a reflection more than a proposal. While I can break down all the elements that inspire me to commit to this path, the most direct way to express the sentiment is to simply turn everything off and head into the woods. I put down my phone, turn off my computer, power down my bluetooth headset and just sit in nature. There is so much there. The poetry of it all is a refuge for me and I hope to convey these emotions through these paintings.”
Russell’s process is that of an intuitive abstract painter. The way he paints is largely a reflection of his personality. He uses instinctual mark making and a sequence of edits that eventually come together to form a rich and layered painting. Similarly, as he’s painting, Russell allows his thoughts to jump from one idea to another in a fluid stream that follows the ups and downs of the paint’s movement. His approach to painting is based on unorthodox systems that employ multiple mediums and homemade tools. In the end the meaning in the work is hidden in the layers of paint.
