Realist Art: Sherry French Gallery - Contemporary American Representational Painting and Sculpture

The written word and the painted image- two such distinct art forms and yet, one is easily tempted to perceive them as one and the same. It cannot be denied that in our minds, an image always carries a name and a word always evokes a corresponding image. One defines the other and both have the consistent capacity to generate an emotional response. The two, image and word are, in fact, eternally interconnected and in unison, they epitomize the world, as perceived and experienced by us. Taking this phenomenon into account, one must agree that it would not seem a fanciful mission to take two superior art forms as painting and poetry and place them side by side on the same wall, viewing and reading them as one. This March 29 - April 22nd, 2006, the Sherry French Gallery in Chelsea is proud to undertake this very mission. In its annual Painting=Poetry exhibition of recent representational artwork, the paintbrush and the pen will unite to form a contemporary realist art collection that embodies the joined workings of the mind and the soul. Participating Contemporary American artists include: Janice Anthony, Theresa Bartol, Randy Ford, Marcel Franquelin, Glenn Kessler, Janet Laird-Lagassee, Kimberly Meuse, Nancy Bea Miller, Cora Ogden, Daniel O’Leary, Tom Ouellette, Dean F. Thomas, Jeffrey Vaughn and James Whitbeck. In this symbiosis of painting and poetry, participating representational artists will be given the opportunity to utilize these two art forms as vehicles towards a broader horizon and will invite the viewers to join them on this enchanting ride through their realistic painting. While some Contemporary American artists will choose to collaborate with poets of similar artistic sensibilities, others will allow words and mental images inspired by specific poetic works, be their guide. This show will feature two artists who are new to the gallery: Randy Ford, Marcel Franquelin. Marcel Franquelin’s works are the only nudes in this show. His female nudes are classically inspired and extremely sensual. Franquelin’s drawings are obvious choices for this show as the female nude has inspired some of history’s most honest and poignant paintings as well as poems. Randy Ford, a photorealist with an emotional side, has made it his personal mission to preserve the personality of America through painting. The focal point of this show will be his painting “Townehouse,” which is a shockingly realistic image of letterbox neon signage; a sight that Ford believes to be uniquely American. Ford’s works are accompanied by the mystical poetry of friend Ivan Ortiz, who is the National Poet Laureate of poetry.com. This show will also see Nancy Bea Miller’s and Kimberly Meuse’s second appearances at the gallery. Miller’s works are relatively small and rather lovely, yet they remain powerful. Miller, who has three sons, describes herself as “calm by nature” and explains that she has “the temperament of a poet.” In fact, Miller graduated with a degree in poetry and her paintings have an inherent lyrical quality making her an ideal participant in this show. Kimberly Meuse’s exquisite still life watercolors are in-depth visual explorations of the world of shimmering light on rich fabrics, intricate silver pieces, and vintage china and glassware. Meuse’s works, full of a vast array of shapes, colors, shadows, and reflections never cease to be intriguing and visually stimulating and thus lend themselves remarkably well to the rich imagery of poetry. Painting=Poetry will celebrate the affinity between these two ancient art forms. Its representational art collection will be the testimony to the marvels that are born when “the ear and the eye lie down together in the same bed.” But even more so, it will be a testimony to the perfect harmony that is born when such marvels turn up on one wall. For further information contact Sherry French at 212 647-8867.