Volar: The Art of Marta Gutierrez

2024-07-23T16:18:37+00:00July 17, 2024|

Volar: The Art of Marta Gutierrez

August 1, 2024 – September 10, 2024
Reception: Friday, August 9th, 2024
Small House Gallery, Goodwin House, Alexandria, Va

Curatorial Statement by Mary Welch Higgins

It is said that an artist notices moments, objects and small details in the world that others do not see. Marta draws on her interdisciplinary background in architecture, furniture design and her personal story to create sculptures and paintings that reveal worlds where the “ordinary is extraordinary”.

She reminds us to look to the world outside of our window and engage nature and the creatures living there – “to see and experience delight in the everyday”.

In her Volar collection of mixed media sculptures, Marta has created birds of different species that express unique personalities and emotions ranging from confident to shy; happy to nervous, curious to reserved.  All are formed through her unique vision and creative skill.

In her biography, Marta describes the experience of growing up in an “inspiring old house in a forest surrounded by friends, family and animals.

When I first read her biography, I pictured an early Miro painting that I saw as a young person in the permanent collection of the National Gallery in Washington DC. It is called “The Farm” and dates 1921-1922.  It shows a magical place populated by array of animals. The lone humans are a woman hard at work and a child sitting on the ground.  There is a even slight hint of a forest in the background. I was drawn to this painting – almost pulled into its world. Today, Marta’s art creates a similar feeling of being pulled into the world of her sculptures.

In the solo exhibition, “Volar”,  we can experience and delight in her birds and reflect on our memories of the winged creatures in our lives.

Enjoy the experience of taking flight.

Marta Gutierrez in her Studio

Robin by Marta Gutierrez

22" x 20", Mixed Media on Sintra

Open Latitudes: Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung at Workhouse Arts Center

2023-07-06T20:13:22+00:00June 7, 2023|

Artist Talk: Saturday, July 15, 2023, 2-4PM

“Through travel, I seek influences, cultural centers, energies, new terrain and the power of both the spoken and unspoken.”  – Alonzo Davis

“The allure of creating is finding places that I do not already know.”     – Chee Keong Kung

Open Latitudes: Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung at Workhouse Center for the Arts
Open Latitudes: Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung at Workhouse Center for the Arts
Open Latitudes: Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung at Workhouse Center for the Arts
Open Latitudes: Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung at Workhouse Center for the Arts
Open Latitudes: Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung at Workhouse Center for the Arts
Open Latitudes: Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung at Workhouse Center for the Arts
Open Latitudes: Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung at Workhouse Center for the Arts
Open Latitudes: Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung at Workhouse Center for the Arts
Open Latitudes: Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung at Workhouse Center for the Arts

Vulcan Gallery, Workhouse Center for the Arts, 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, VA, 22079
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Open Latitudes: Mixed Media Works by Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung  presents the work of two contemporary artists who share a commonality rooted in exploration, discovery and improvisation. The use of geometric forms, gestural mark-making, the exploration of the tension between 2 and 3D, natural and man-made materials as well as working in series are integral to both artists’ studio practices.

An enticing aspect of travel is leaving the familiar behind and experiencing a new place. Upon returning home, what was once familiar is somehow transformed through new eyes. Through their travels—literal and metaphorical–Davis and Kung have absorbed deep multi-cultural influences that have informed and enriched their work and processes. In the details and precision of their work, there is an expansiveness that extends beyond geographical and cultural boundaries to encompass the broader world.

– Curated by Mary Welch Higgins

Slow Light Series by Chee Keong Kung

2023-02-24T18:54:33+00:00February 23, 2023|

Mclean based artist, Chee Keong Kung was born and raised in Singapore where the rich diversity of the culture continues to influence the development of his art. His process defined by exploration and experimentation has resulted in an evolving body of work.

Within the Mid-Atlantic region of the US, he has developed a reputation as a painter whose works display a vast sense of light-filled space and dynamism through the use of geometry and mark making. This body of work was just the beginning of his development.

His work has pushed beyond the boundary of the canvas as he moves his paintings off the wall into the three dimensional space. He works in series where he  extends an idea through multiple pieces. The Slow Light series  are mixed media assemblages that utilize  spontaneous mark-making on the surface of the wood with metal being added as a mark in 3D space.

Works from the Slow Light series are available through distinctstudios.com on Chee’s DS artist’s page.

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