Join us in Wallflower at the Shooting Gallery, where we feature an artist's show in coordination with the West Seattle Artwalk. This month we present: 

Elena Cronin
Artist's Statement:

The human figure was the first thing I ever fell in love with drawing: it was the perfect simplicity with which a single effortless line could capture all the tension and balance in a form, and the beauty of a single careless mark on paper that somehow suggested everything there was to know about the human body. I figured out early on that your own self was the easiest subject there was to draw because you were always available and always willing to sit for however long it took to finish the piece. I spent countless hours drawing my own face throughout school, and eventually began to explore the possibilities of full-figure self portraits.

A large portion of my recent work centers around a first-person perspective of my own body. This concept is something that is rarely seen in art, even though any second-person rendering automatically detaches both the artist and the viewer from the artist's true perspective. I am intrigued by ways of capturing the artist's perspective, in both the visual sense and the mental sense. Compositions based on everyday situations - taking a shower, putting on a sock - and on expressions of feeling - outstretching a hand to someone beyond the composition - convey a sense of living in my body to the viewer.

Another focus of my figural work is in capturing tension and strength. One of the aspects of figural artwork that fascinates me is the ability to evoke a very visceral sense of tension through the physical illustration of the body. Many of the positions that I find myself drawn to involve torquing, twisting, or stretching the body in ways that evoke the same acute sensations in the viewer's mind.

Betsy LeVine
Artist's Statement:

As a young woman I found joy in sketching the human form, often finding inspiration in family photos and magazine ads. I relished in my natural ability to bring out the essence of the person I was recreating on the page, to catch his or her expression and personality with my pencil. I experimented with pastels and charcoal and finally found myself melting into oil paints, allowing my brain to wander as the colors seemed to blend themselves, the brush to create the exact colors that I desired without much thought.

I found myself, however, consistently thinking of these paintings as 'exercises', as opposed to true art. How could this be art? All I was doing was painting what I saw, exactly as I saw it. No creativity involved, I decided. And so, labeling myself as a non-artist, or at best a mediocre one, I set aside painting and used it as a hobby to be brought out only on the occasional rainy day.

My inner artist whispered in my ears for years, though, pulling me towards my photo albums and guiding me to my grandmother's wrinkles, my niece's round nose, my sister's pregnant belly. I found myself on my back porch last spring working through a rough emotional Sunday by letting my brain rest and allowing myself to paint one of my favorite photos of my grandma, watching her appear on the canvas. Through the process I found myself shedding the idea that these paintings are not art...on the contrary: I took the photographs, I interpreted the pieces, and, most importantly, I found joy in painting them! Epiphany! I started painting for myself, for the love of the shadows and highlights.

This show started as a celebration of the children I met in Fiji this summer while leading a community service trip. They ran through the village calling everybody mother, and their laughter rang in my ears the whole month. I loved capturing their faces on film and later on the canvas. In the middle of painting my Fiji pictures, however, I took a break and painted the picture of the other two artists that is now hanging in the window, and I was overcome with wiggly inspiration. Squishy faces! Oh, the shadows! The contrast in colors made me laugh out loud, as did asking my friends to let down their guards and smush their faces together as I photographed them for the paintings. I allowed myself to follow my intuition and continue on with that which inspired me most fully. What a journey of silliness and joy!

Jennifer Mercede
Artist's Statement:

Jennifer Mercede, an artist originally from the east coast is inspired by graffiti, color combinations and little kids art. Her process is spontaneous and expressive; she paints cause its fun and cause when what’s inside gets out, it’s joyful for everyone.

This series for Three Faces is an exploration in figurative art, which she finds both intriguing and intimidating. Please enjoy witnessing the beginning of her relationship with painting figuratively.

To learn more about Jennifer Mercede and view more of her work visit:
www.jennifermercede.com