Coven Reject , 2006, acrylic, marble dust, enamel, glitter on canvas, 48 x 25"

 

LAUREL SPARKS : CHRISTMAS IN JULY
March 9 - April 3, 2007
Opening Reception FRIDAY: Mar. 9th 5- 7pm

For Imediate Release

Howard Yezerski Gallery is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition Christmas in July by Laurel Sparks. Sparks' vividly colored abstract paintings address the "freakish" in the beautiful. Attracted to imagery that is both ornate and biological, her paintings reference organic patterning found in nature, decorative patterns in textiles, jewelry, Venetian chandeliers as well as contemporary Goth culture. Her dramatic centralized forms embody the glamorous as well as the grotesque. The forms sparkle and undulate on the canvas their spectral quality refusing any fixed identity as they crack and melt into apparitions.

Alternating between brushwork and pouring the paint directly on the canvas, Sparks achieves the right amount of fluidity and chance creating richly surfaced paintings that are both playful and physical. For Sparks the process of discovery is very important to the work, too much control can become a liability. As the paint starts to ooze and slide in unpredictable ways she mixes in chalk and marble dust thickening the paint. The result is paint that has a physicality that is almost sculptural with it's cracked hardened surfaces. Incorporating other non-traditional material such as glitter, pieces of glass, fabric, and pom poms she creates a seductive concoction of glamour and decay.

Laurel Sparks received her BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA and Tufts University. She received her Masters in painting from the Milton Avery Graduate School of Art, Bard College. She is currently in Big Bang: Contemporary Abstraction in the 21st century at The DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park. Sparks was the recent recipient of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Alumni Traveling Scholarship for 2008

 

 

For further information please contact Alexis Dunfee at Howard Yezerski Gallery 617.262.0550 Tuesday - Saturday 10-5:30pm