The ‘About Face’ Exhibit at Village Arts features a variety of styles and media. Courtesy photo
A sampling of art on display at Village Arts for the About Faces exhibit. Courtesy photo
VILLAGE ARTS NEWS RELEASE
With 43 muscles the human face is capable of over 10,000 expressions. Let’s face it- that means the possibilities are practically endless- and that’s just in the human species. For Village Arts’ newest exhibitartists were asked to start making faces at us in all their forms!
A face is the most recognizable part of a person, and most of ouremotional cues come from reading people’s faces. That’s why when the staff at Village Arts decided to feature faces for their newest exhibit, they were worried that artists might not rise to the challenge with their usual aplomb. Fear not! With 53 pieces and two dozen artists,the Village Arts gallery space is almost completely faced with faces!
Local spaces like the Step Up Gallery and Los Alamos Co-op are also highlighting shows that feature themes of personality and connections alongside Village Arts to mark the beginning of Los Alamos County’s Arts and Culture Month and to celebrate the breadth of community talent.
Speaking of community, if you pay attention to several of the faces on the walls like Kathi Geoffrion Parker’s “Caem” and “Olive”, you might notice them in line at the grocery store or at a Friday night concert!
Other recognizable portraits include oils of “Dali” “Einstein” and “Marilyn” by Jerry Beguin, tape portraits “Edgar”, “American Gothic”,and “Carlos” by Fred Jones, and the oil paintings “Lestat” and “Dali” by Edgar Shrum.
In talking about the show owner, Ken Nebel, said “I am really impressed with the way so many artists used faces as the medium to tell a deeper story”. Baylen Parada employs facial features to comment on addictive substances in his vibrant “Grass Roots” “I’m on One” and “Liquid Courage” colored pencils. Trish Foshi’s “Native Melting Pot” tells histories often as different as two faces of a coin, and Peggy Durbin’s “The Manner and Cause of Death” invites us into the mystery.
A theme of human connections made through time is also evident in Katy Korkos’ continuous line sewing machine drawings as well as Sue EllenHains “Remember”, “Sisters” and “My Mother’s Eyes”. Jeannie Gibson’s trio of mixed media works also tell stories through time and her “Hope and Endless Possibilities” looks to the future through a young girl’s eyes.
Photographs such as Jeanne Bowles’ “Morocco Man” and Trish Foschi’s “Peanut Vendor From Bus Window, India” will take the viewer around the world, while Rosalia Olivas and Bridger Dickman’s sketches bring the viewer back home. “About Face” is also filled with a menagerie of creature features from spiders to birds, cows, frogs, dogs, cats, and donkeys, and Gloria Sharp proves that even trees and
landscapes have various faces.
Village Arts is the only place in town where when you check out the you can be sure the walls are gazing back at you! Take a trip to Village Arts to keep an eye on features exotic and familiar. Did you know that it takes more muscles to smile than to frown? Let Village
Arts give you a work out, and put a smile on that face! You can even vote on a special piece to ebarrass an artist, or give a favorite work new home.
Village Arts exists to provide inspiration and tools for artists and hobbyists from start to finish, and custom archival framing for all the memories Los Alamos is busy creating! Village Arts is located at 216 DP Road and is open from 9 AM-4 PM M-F and 10 AM-4 PM Sat. Find out more
on social media or www.villageartsframing.com.