|
November 2016
Review Dragonfly Gallery, Tucson Allies Jo Andersen and Maria Lee Reviewed by C.J. Shane |
|
Occasionally we are gifted with an art exhibition in which the artists are so perfectly attuned that it seems we are hearing the heartbeats of a single heart. Such is the current exhibit Allies at Dragonfly Gallery on 4th Avenue.
The artists are Maria Lee and Jo Andersen, both print makers, both painters, both book artists, both with a deep affinity for the natural world and with Buddhist imagery.
The artists are Maria Lee and Jo Andersen, both print makers, both painters, both book artists, both with a deep affinity for the natural world and with Buddhist imagery.
|
In the Allies exhibit, Jo Andersen shares a selection of her artist’s books and a collection of new paintings. As always, her facility with printmaking is on display. Take, for example, The Snake Book, an artist’s book with compelling imagery, unexpected color interpretations, and actual snake skins. We feel an urge to touch this lovely work, a response not typically associated with snakes.
|
Jo Andersen_The Snake Book_
|
Jo Andersen_The Snake Book_
|
Jo Andersen_Power_
New works by Andersen feature a collection of paintings on totem animals. One large-scale and very stunning piece is her portrayal of a raven which Andersen describes as “an ally of great dignity and singular alertness.” Another subject in this collection of paintings is the American bison. The artist reveals to us that this iconic animal is a powerful and intelligent species that still survives despite nearly two centuries of human assault. Andersen tells us, “These bison remind me to be present to my life, right where it is at this moment, to stay in the unknown.”
Maria Lee_Prasad_
This adherence to life in the moment is a very Buddhist thing to say, and it’s not surprising that Andersen has included numerous print images of the Buddha as part her artistic output.
Maria Lee also has an affinity toward Buddhism plus a strong connection with the natural world. She is a transplant from Hawaii to Tucson, and she travels frequently to Province in southern France where she paints. All three of these places are filled with light, and artists have frequently made comments about the unique nature of light in each location.
Lee, who teaches at Pima Community College, shares with us her artist’s books and prints in this exhibition. Two examples illustrate both the spirituality and concern for nature that she shares in her work. Her print Prasad shows a whale as the focus of a mysterious circular labyrinth. The word “Prasad” is a Sanskrit word for food given as a religious offering. Humans seem to hold the future of the whale quite literally “in our hands,” and the sacredness of the Prasad is undeniable.
Maria Lee also has an affinity toward Buddhism plus a strong connection with the natural world. She is a transplant from Hawaii to Tucson, and she travels frequently to Province in southern France where she paints. All three of these places are filled with light, and artists have frequently made comments about the unique nature of light in each location.
Lee, who teaches at Pima Community College, shares with us her artist’s books and prints in this exhibition. Two examples illustrate both the spirituality and concern for nature that she shares in her work. Her print Prasad shows a whale as the focus of a mysterious circular labyrinth. The word “Prasad” is a Sanskrit word for food given as a religious offering. Humans seem to hold the future of the whale quite literally “in our hands,” and the sacredness of the Prasad is undeniable.
Maria Lee
Whales make frequent appearances in Lee’s work. That the artist came originally from Hawaii is an easy explanation for this attachment to the whale. Going deeper, we realize that the whale is a huge, benign seagoing mammal species which is greatly threatened by human intervention and by our disregard for the whale’s ocean habitat. Lee’s stunning print of a blood transfusion leading tenuously from humans to whales seem to express the stark dangers to whales, and the potential humans have to keep them alive. – if we will only recognize the eminent threat and take action.
Andersen and Lee come together in a collaborative project, a large-scale artist’s book titled Buddha Book. The accordion-style binding with panels 32” high has a dramatic and compelling set of colorful Buddhist images. Tying this imagery together is the Sanskrit word “Om” – a word that is a sound in eastern religions. It is the sound of an oscillating and reverberating universe, the sound of cosmic harmonics, the Ultimate Reality.
Andersen and Lee come together in a collaborative project, a large-scale artist’s book titled Buddha Book. The accordion-style binding with panels 32” high has a dramatic and compelling set of colorful Buddhist images. Tying this imagery together is the Sanskrit word “Om” – a word that is a sound in eastern religions. It is the sound of an oscillating and reverberating universe, the sound of cosmic harmonics, the Ultimate Reality.
Buddha Book
|
Om
|
We come to view these two artists truly as “allies” who share a common perspective on the world. In this art exhibit, Maria Lee and Jo Andersen share that perspective with us.
This art exhibit will close with a celebratory concert at Dragon Fly Gallery, 721 N. 4th Avenue, on Saturday, December 17 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Musicians John Coinman, Larry Cobb, Blair Forward, and Neil Harry are featured in this benefit concert. Donations go to support Amnity Foundation’s Dragonfly Village transitional housing.
For more information about Dragonfly Gallery, go to: http://dragonflyvillage.org/gallery/
For more information, go to Amity Foundation. http://www.amityfdn.org/
To see more of the artists’ works, go to:
Maria Lee http://www.marialeeart.com/
Jo Andersen: http://joandersen.com/
