Oct 11, 2018
Two galleries will be occupied starting tonight as artwork from a new member of GO ART! and pictures submitted by the Batavia Photography Club are put on display for the art enthusiasts.
In the upstairs Rotary Club Gallery, viewers will be able to see paintings and drawings by Clarence resident and artist Christopher McGee. His exhibit is titled “Rhythms of Nature.” Downstairs, in Oliver’s Gallery, the Batavia Photography Club will have its exhibit. There will be a reception for both exhibits from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 18.
“The Rhythms of Nature” is an ongoing art series that I started in 2008. This series was inspired by observing the landscapes during road trips and around my own surroundings in Western New York: fields, forests, waterfalls and of course, snowstorm,” McGee said Wednesday.
Mixed-media is the perfect flexible visual tool to portray the physical effects of the natural world.,” the artist said.
“I utilize splattering, layering, washes and smearing together many materials such as spackling, charcoal, oil pastels with acrylic and latex paint. These processes emulate the erosion, flooding, textures, color, light, shadow and changes of season of the physical landscape,” he said. “As this series progressed, I gradually expanded into other areas of nature such as interstellar phenomena and the psychological effects of color. My past experiences playing drums in experimental and improvisational noise bands has helped me to visually express some of the more mercurial, unpredictable elements in the universe: earthquakes, meteor showers, supernovas and black holes.”
McGee, said he leans toward “experimentation and abstraction” with the artwork in this exhibit.”There’s not too much storytelling. Just the process and the depiction of nature itself is supposed to be the story.”
There are probably about 35 pieces in the exhibit, McGee said.
“Most of them are medium sized ... Some of the smaller ones, they’re maybe 8-by-10-inch, 9-by-12, 11-by-14. Most of the show is 16-by-20-inch or 18-by-24 (paintings). These are all mixed-media paintings.”
McGee said he applied for a solo show at GO ART! after entering a national juried show and getting at membership to the Batavia organization.
“I applied a few months ahead of time, in the summer. I think I heard back after a few weeks,” he said. “I show all over Western New York, in the suburbs and in Buffalo and also online. It’s mcgeeartgallery.com.
“I feel like they’re really appealing paintings with the color and the patterns are really dynamic,” he said. “It’s going to be a unique show - a unique take on abstraction and combinations of composition. Usually I have a mixed bag of a show. This show has more continuity,”
GO ART Executive Director Gregory Hallock said McGee’s show will close Dec. 8.
Hallock said there was another group originally scheduled to have an exhibit rather than the Batavia Photography Club.
“When they backed out, we already had the photography (exhibit) booked, so we reached out to the Batavia Photography Club and asked if they would do a show. They put it together on short notice, in a couple of months,” he said. “We’re hoping they’ll become an annual show. They’ve got some incredible pieces.”
Hallock said GO ART! is working on making the Rotary and Oliver’s galleries’ shows annual shows. The hours for GO ART! are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Saturdays.
“I encourage people to come anytime, but the reception (on Oct. 18) is a great time to come because you can meet the artist and talk to them,” he said.
