We are honored that a new exhibit showcasing dearantler’s work will be showing online and in-person by appointment at Avenue 50 Studio from April 17 through May 29. Elements of Existence explores our collective relationship with nature through the lens of the four classical elements -- water, earth, fire, air -- with each element represented on one of the four walls in Avenue 50 Studio's intimate Annex Room. In all, eighty-one paintings, watercolors, and prints offer an homage to nature's therapeutic beauty while also prompting us to examine our misuse of natural resources and our impact on flora, fauna, ecosystems, and our fellow humans in this, our only home. From finding wonder in nature to witnessing catastrophic extremes of rising sea levels and unprecedented wildfires, Elements of Existence offers an array of musings on our past, current, and possible future relationships to all that sustains us on planet Earth.
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To Catch Some Sleep
To Catch Some Sleep | Fairy Tales Reimagined brings two "firsts" to dearantler: the show brings screen printing to our gallery for the first time, and it's the first-ever collaboration between E+J to be shown at dearantler.
The artists split everything about To Catch Some Sleep down the middle: selecting which fairy tales would make the cut, designing the prints, cutting the stencils, blending the inks, and finally, printing. This differs from E+J's usual creative process, where they each run with their individual ideas and pursue them alone, occasionally checking in with each other for critique or to ask for assistance along the way. I enjoy seeing what those two come up with individually for each show, but I must say that this collaboration was great fun to watch. For days and days, the dearantler studio was filled with a rainbow of ink jars, ink-stained aprons and half-finished prints rotating endlessly between the printing table and the drying rack.
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For the Birds
This month we shift our focus skyward, paying homage to our winged brethren. Our fine-feathered friends are the first to greet us with song in the morning, the first to warn us when a storm approaches, and the first to mark the changing of the seasons. Whether migratory or resident, raptor or forager, social or solitary, birds observe the cadences of life closely. It has been my experience that they have much to teach us.
That must be why birds figure so prominently in art and lore. After all, what would the night sky be without Cygnus the swan flying over the Northern Hemisphere? Can we imagine Edgar Allan Poe casting a weasel as the ever-present creature responding "Nevermore"? What would Sesame Street be without Big Bird?
We'll let you, our esteemed Jedheads, ponder these thought-provoking questions.
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