M A R A Art Studio + Gallery presents “Grace Howl: Intersections” featuring three series of works never before shown. The exhibit runs February 22-March 10, with an opening reception on Friday, February 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m. The gallery is at 1421 5th Street, Rosemary District, Sarasota.
OPENING RECEPTION
Friday, February 24, 2023
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
MARA Art Studio + Gallery
Sarasota, FL
Howl’s “Altare de Asana Tantra” series is comprised of large-scale, mixed-media paintings. The artist says that she has “always been intrigued with ancient civilizations, traditions, stories, rituals, history, etc. So, for this series, I integrated repeated imagery of erotic Hindu bas-reliefs on the Khajuraho Temple in India. I had always wanted to create a consistent series of pieces with a theme, as all of my other paintings are unique and one of a kind. Each piece in this series is unique, however it has elements that bind it together as a collection.” Howl adds that she didn’t understand how profound the series was to her personally “until I had all the pieces hanging together on my studio wall and I realized the large central ground figure in each piece is not a distorted X, rather it represents an intersection; the ‘intersection’ where a 2007 car accident dramatically changed my life. I broke out into tears and cried for over an hour upon that realization. I had never seen this during the creation process of these pieces which took place over a period of a year or so.”
Howl’s “Sui Generis” series comprises small-scale monoprints, including five original pieces and a limited-edition set of five archival prints. Howl explains that each work represents one of the elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. This was the first time the artist attempted printmaking and says that creating the series was “surreal as I had always painted and didn’t have a clue about printmaking.” She adds that the experience was fascinating. “I was amazed at how the printing press operates. I turned the big wheel, and it is actually hard work! What a wonderful and rewarding experience.”
In the “Now And Color” series, Howl explores how colors impact us. “Do colors cause you to pause and be in the present,” she asks. “Do colors make you feel happy, joyful, stir memories, feel energized, stoke your imagination, feel calm? I wanted to experiment and merge the concepts of now and color and see how they influence each other.” Howl adds that she knows from experience that the use of colors can help transform or evoke emotions. “Colors influence our thinking, inspire our decision-making, and impact our moods. I am in the now when I paint, losing myself in the process, being in the flow and in the moment. I specifically chose some of my favorite colors in my paintings for this show to generate the most impact and I hope viewers will find a new way to appreciate the colors used and what emotions resonate within their minds and hearts when viewing artists’ works.”
