SOUTH GALLERY:
SOMATIC ALCHEMY: SAMARA JOHNSON- SEPTEMBER 2024
Inner workings of the human body and mind gather throughout the space,reflecting a desire to see beneath the surface. Amorphous shapes represent fascia, the vagus nerve, and internal tissues, capturing the visceral reality of both human and non-human bodies. Through techniques like ripping, layering, and stitching, the forms embody the Polyvagal Theory, suggesting healing of trauma through safe connections that reshape the nervous system’s response to perceived threats.
Incorporating organic materials from prey and herd animals, such as sheep’s wool and horsehair from equine therapy sessions, alongside inorganic elements that abstractly mimic bodily tissues, the network of pieces symbolizes the interplay betweenvulnerability and danger. This blend challenges conventional thinking, inviting viewers to engage with an inside-out perspective that draws on the heightened sensitivity of prey animals, whose instincts are finely tuned to survival.
By merging these diverse materials, a hybrid landscape presents where life anddeath intersect, reflecting the dual experience of being human and animal. The work embodies a psychological topography, evoking both the ancient and contemporary understandings of trauma and survival. It navigates the beauty and horror found in exploring the unknown, from the depths of our own bodies to the mysteries surrounding our mortality.
Samara Johnson:
Samara Johnson was born and raised in Moose Pass, Alaska. She holds an MFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Colorado at Boulder, a BFA in Drawing and Painting, and a BA in French from Sonoma State University. Samara’s work is deeply influenced by her upbringing in Alaska, where she developed a profound connection to the natural world, inspiring her use of organic materials such as wool and horsehair in her art. She believes that creating art with these materials allows for a deeper connection to the emotional intelligence of animals and the artistic communities that have come before us. Beyond her artistic practice, Samara engages with her community as both an academic and a volunteer. She is a dedicated educator, having taught at various institutions, including the University of Colorado at Boulder, Metropolitan State University, and the University of Wyoming, where she currently serves as an Assistant Lecturer. Additionally, she volunteers as a horse handler in equine therapy and has taught numerous community art workkshops. Her work has been exhibited nationally, including at the Arvada Center for the Arts, the Healdsburg Center for the Arts, and the Center for Visual Arts in Denver. Samara now resides in Laramie, Wyoming, where she continues to teach at the University of Wyoming, create, and contribute to her community.
STUDIO 64: MEGAN LESAGE AND LAURA CARUSO
Opening on September 13 in Studio 64, a Pop Up Exhibit featuring works by Laura Caruso and Megan LeSage.
Megan LeSage
“Art helps me find peace and joy in this world. Most of my art is inspired by nature with a kiss of magic, but sometimes I choose to explore deeper ideas, as in my Cages series, which I started just before Covid hit as a result of feeling trapped by a variety of personal situations at the time. I abandoned this series due to extenuating circumstances, and when Covid arrived, I had the opportunity to remove these paintings from their cozy closet (or cage) and give them the attention they needed. Although the paintings initially were meant to explore the metaphorical cages that hold us back in life, they took on an interesting personality having been produced in
confinement during lockdown.”
“I have spent the last 13 years as a middle and high school Visual Arts teacher, and am dedicated to making sure my Art muscles don’t get too rusty. I am a Longmont native, and a graduate of the CSU Art Education program as well as the UNC Art and Design Masters program. Although I work in many media, I tend to make my home in drawing, painting, and mixed media. My main goal in creating Art is to combine a bit of self-expression, storytelling, whimsy, and intrigue. I strive to encourage viewers to question what they see, to ask why, to wonder, and to use their own imaginations to see things from a new perspective.”
Laura Caruso
Art lives from constraints and dies from freedom.
This quote is attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, and I have found it to be very true in my practice. All the work here is on 8 x 10 cradled wood panels, oriented vertically. When it comes to covering the surface, however, anything goes—I use watercolor, acrylic, and oil paints; collage elements from various sources including my own photos; oil sticks and markers; and cold wax to seal the surface. What interests me is the shift between recognizable elements and passages of abstraction. Is that a flower petal or the ruffle of a skirt? I like changes in scale and contrasts between clarity and blurriness, flatness and dimensionality.
Laura Caruso majored in studio art at Middlebury College, but she spent her career writing and editing books about art rather than making it, first as an art critic for the Boulder Daily Camera and the Kansas City Star, and later as director of publications at the Denver Art Museum. A few years ago, she began making art again in earnest, with a particular affinity for combining collage and oil paint. She lives in eastern Boulder County.
“Blue Whispers”, “Somatic Alchemy” and “Recent works by Megan LeSage and Laura Caruso” open on September 13, 2024 at 6pm, with artist comments at 6:30pm.
