Showing in November at Davidson Galleries
Showing November 6-28, 2009
First Thursday reception: November 5, 6-8pm
Robert E. Marx Recent Paintings
Abigail’s Reverie, 2009. Oil on linen. 42 x 34 inches.
Rochester artist Robert E. Marx’s recent paintings on linen are rich and varied. Small to medium in size, these thoughtful images address the “exclusivity of the institutions of church and state, abuse of both spouse and child, and our own and others’ personal fears and insecurities.” The distended and sometimes bound figures he portrays wear symbols of subjugation such as masks, chains, hats that cover ears and eyes, and clothing that restricts movement. Marx mourns the autonomy humans give up and sees many people as scared, willing pawns. Some of his figures gaze out with a hollowness, a vessel drained of heavy emotion. Others challenge the viewer with an intriguing ambiguity of intent.
Marx’s painting process is fluid; it involves a constant reworking of his subject and his surface, painting and completely repainting each successive layer. The result is a subtle but complex surface where line and color is animated by the barely-visible underpainting. Marx works with a paintbrush thick with oil but employs crisp lines. He often works into the wet paint by etching with metal stamps or drawing with a sharp point.
Marx’s long and illustrious career includes recognition as a master printmaker, an illustrator of more than a dozen books, a distinguished professor of art, and a Fullbright scholar. He has had over 40 solo exhibitions of his prints, sculptures, and paintings around the world. His work is included in the permanent collections of numerous public and private institutions including the Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Corcoran Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Dallas Museum, Los Angeles County Museum, Philadelphia Museum, Whitney Museum, and the Seattle Art Museum.
View previous work by the artist.
Jonelle Johnson New Works
Finger Printed Circular, 2009. Intaglio. 12 x 24 inches.
Northwest print artist Jonelle Johnson’s new body of monotypes and intaglio prints continue the artist’s interest in pairing and grouping images in a way that reveals contrasting and harmonious relationships. Johnson does not attempt to deliver a literal, didactic message, but prefers to see her work as vehicles to transmit feelings and ideas. Recurring images, which are a part of the artist’s daily life, include boats, birds, and botanical shapes. Also included in this body of work are figurative images, a new area of interest for the artist.
Johnson uses intaglio and monotype printmaking methods because of the unexpected results that can occur. These “surprises” inspire the artist to explore new avenues and enhance the dialogue between the artist and the printed image. The unique intaglio process that Johnson has developed gives her the ability to improvise and adjust gestural elements when making the plates. With her monotype method the artist layers colors until the image finds resolution.
Jonelle Johnson is a native of Washington State. She received her MFA in Printmaking at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu HI. This is Johnson’s fifth exhibition at Davidson Galleries.