Contact Person: Michael Cunliffe Thompson, 078 582 9885, michael@cunliffethompson.com
SEA & STONE
July 24 through Aug 6 2008
Hills Gallery, Newburyport Art Association 65 Water St Newburyport, Massachusetts
SEA & STONE features two artist and two media - one might call it a mixed-media show since Michael Cunliffe Thompson paints the sea in oil and Jane Sydney takes color photographs of stone. Maybe the most unusual feature of this show is that the work of the two artists is intermingled inviting comparison of these entirely different media. Both artists are immersed in nature. Even though that nature is different, their individual vision has much in common. Michael Cunliffe Thompson paints the sea particularly the water surface and Jane Sydney photographs the slot canyons of the desert. The result of combining their work is a cohesive exhibition of color, texture and the power of the subject. The oil paintings capture excitement felt when looking at the sea.
Michael Cunliffe Thompson is a sailor who keeps a sailboat in Maine and seeks out distant bays and coves where his boat may be anchored alone. These pictures are the result of years of observation and study yet they are inner visions of a sea surface that exists only in the imagination. When we look at these paintings, the canvas can not move but it is the eye that provides constant motion as it explores the depicted reflections of light and the mystery of hidden depths. The photographs are of the slot canyons of northern Arizona.
Jane Sydney has explored these deep cave-like sandstone formations with a continuous ribbon of sky far above. This configuration of nature generates fascinating shades of pinks, purples, magentas, peach highlighted and contrasted against each other. The sunlight creates beams of light which looks eerily like someone is shining a spotlight into the canyon. Due to the formation of these canyons, this phenomenon occurs just once per day. Tossing sand into the beam creates yet another mystical image. The slot canyons are sacred parts of the Navajo nation and one gets a sense of serenity and peace when spending time there. Jane Sydney's photographs capture the essence of that peacefulness -- quiet yet vibrant - a place of contemplation, of reverence for the beauty of this nature.
For more information see newburyportart.org or phone 978-465-8769
