The Asheville Area Arts Council will be exhibiting the work of Melanie Norris at the Refinery Creator Space in its Hall Gallery, through Wednesday, Nov. 23. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
In her artist statement, Norris writes:
I observe the originality, purity, and honesty of each subject’s being as a whole and subsequently make a physical translation of these things onto the canvas.
I focus on the quiet chaos that is the mind. At times, my paintings signify the pain or oppressive anxiety that comes with existing in a physical world. There are impulsive gestures layered overtop a subdued background as a means of depicting an appetitive, animalistic self. Yet the fluidity of the watercolor maintains that the body itself is not existence; it is only a vessel animated by the soul within. The body and soul are invariably linked in a constant pushing and pulling relationship. As one ages, weight and gravity cause the body to fall slowly back toward the earth while the soul reaches ever higher, seeking lightness.
My work is a constant evolution of personal life mixed with a study of psychology. My subjects represent an ambiguity that allows the viewer to relate with the raw emotion in each painting – to connect abstractly and viscerally to something that lives somewhat repressed in all of us.
WHAT: Melanie Norris exhibit
WHERE: The Refinery Creator Space, 207 Coxe Ave
WHEN: Friday Oct. 21-Wednesday, Nov. 23.
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