#ArtLitPhx: Papay Solomon Artist Talk

Join a free in-gallery artist talk with Artist Grant winner Papay Solomon at 6 p.m. on June 19 at the Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N. Central Ave

Papay Solomon’s body of work aims to tell the stories of young refugees through a universal, visual medium. Solomon is active within Arizona’s refugee community, having moved to Phoenix with his family from Africa when he was a teenager. His paintings reject stereotypes and inaccurate depictions of immigrants and refugees in American culture, providing a more truthful, human experience instead. In order to effectively convey personality, emotion, and narrative, Solomon interviews each individual before painting them. His use of hyperrealism and the classical technique of non-finito (not finished) bring attention to the displacement that these individuals may feel and the hyper-sensitivity towards such sentiments. Solomon graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s in Fine Art. In addition to painting, he is also currently working on a documentary series. 

For more information about this event, click here.

#ArtLitPhx: Barbara Kemp Cowlin Debuts New Work “Upstairs & Around the Corner” in Scottsdale

#ArtLitPhx
(Acrylic painting on panel 10×10)

Date: July 12

Event Description:

The Balcony Gallery at London Gold presents the solo exhibition of Barbara Kemp Cowlin, Upstairs & Around the Corner. Kemp Cowlin’s new exhibition showcases a vibrant and dynamic selection of acrylic paintings of stunning original imagery from her “Askew Series”. Her current work offers viewers a quirky interpretation of architectural details from a skewed perspective. The “Askew series” features abstract paintings inspired by architectural details reduced down to essential shapes from emphasizing ambiguous perspective, pattern and simultaneous contrast in colors.

“In these paintings I explore the relationship between abstraction and representation, creating tensions between the pictorial and actual space,” states Kemp Cowlin. Who goes on to say “I manipulate the colors until they spark off each other and become luminous.” Evident throughout each series of work the artist seeks to capture the light, shadows, reflections, movement, as well as all things ephemeral. Her paintings showcase rich surfaces of texture and layers that create depth and complexity within each work. Kemp Cowlin’s works on multiple paintings at a time, allowing her to keep her work fluid and energetic as she moves back and forth among paintings an the artist relishes the “happy accident” which she says is an integral to her art making process.

Barbara Kemp Cowlin was born in Georgia and has lived around the United States as well as abroad in Germany and Australia. She has spent most of her adult life in the southwestern United States. She earned her Bachelors of Fine Art in Printmaking and a Masters of Art degree in Community College Education with a minor in Printmaking from Northern Arizona University. She completed her post-graduate work at Arizona State University in Letterpress Printing and Bookmaking and she is a certified Golden Artist Educator. She currently resides and works in Oracle, Arizona painting in her studio and teaching workshops around the Southwest.

She has exhibited her work both locally & internationally in solo exhibitions at such prestigious venues as Powell Museum in Page; Rancho Linda Vista Gallery, Oracle; Yuma Art Center in Yuma; Agua Caliente Ranch Park Gallery in Tucson; Willo North Gallery in Phoenix; and the @ Central Gallery, Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix and the Blue Dome Gallery in Silver City, New Mexico. From 2015-2017 her paintings were shown at Aqua Art, Art Basel, Miami, in the Projects Gallery Square Foot Exhibition and “The Art in Embassies Program” exhibited her work at the Bolivian Embassy.

Kemp Cowlin’s work can be found in art collections throughout the United States and Canada, including the City of Phoenix Arts Collection; the University of Arizona Special Collections; Providence Medical Center in Everett, Washington; Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio; First Bancorp Headquarters in Troy, North Carolina; Baylor University Medical Center, Houston, Texas; Edison & Sprinkles Architecture & Design, Vancouver, British Columbia; Grafix, Maple Heights, Ohio.

Join the artist for a special reception being held Thursday, July 12, 2018 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm with an artist talk by Barbara Kemp Cowlin at 5:15pm. Kemp Cowlin’s solo exhibition Upstairs & Around the Corner will be on display through August 27th at the Balcony at London Gold (the newly renovated London Gold Showroom) located on the second level. The Balcony at London Gold is located at 10441 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 85253. The exhibition may be viewed at London Gold during regular business hours: Monday 10:00am to 7:00pmTuesday-Friday 10:00am to 6:00pm, Saturday 10:30 to 5:00pm, Closed Sunday. For more information about the exhibition or artist visitbarbarakempcowlin.com or contact the artist by email at barbara@barbaracowlin.com.