If paintings with names like "Pegasus" and "Modern Dream" pique your interest, you might want to check out the artists' reception at Tansey Gallery, occurring as part of the ARTWalk at Gallery Row (www.tucsongalleryrow.com) next Thursday, Sept. 10.
The reception will welcome brand-new art pieces by the gallery's in-house consultants, Kristy Lynn and Andrea Peterson. The evening will include all of the usual party favors, finger food and wine, while the artists make themselves available for discussions.
"It's just a nice little thing for people to do," Lynn says about the reception.
The artists will each show about 15 original pieces that range from 8 by 10 inches on up to 48 by 48 inches (the size of the world's largest firework shell, incidentally). The artists also collaborated to make 12 art pieces, each a foot square, employing encaustics—basically, painting with hot wax.
"It's kind of a fun process," Peterson says.
All of the works have been created within the last year and haven't yet been shown. While Peterson regularly shows her art professionally in New York City, this will be her first full-blown gallery show since she moved less than a year ago.
The two artists share similar histories, yet they produce work that is quite different. They both studied art in college before moving into public showings on the East Coast. Both say their time in New York City was inspirational—and that they've also found new inspiration in Tucson, where the artists tend to be more endearing and open-minded than those in the competitive, fast-paced world of New York art.
"Here, it's easier to pay rent," Lynn says.
OK, that's true, but what about the inspiration?
"I just liked it as my home base," Peterson says. "I liked the exotic landscape instead of skyscrapers."
Deborah Tansey, the owner of the gallery (formerly known as Mountain Shadow Gallery), says that she is pleased that the exhibit has created a unique blend of artistic style, colors and personality.
"They don't fight each other," Tansey says about the art styles. "The color schemes complement each other."
Peterson considers herself an idiosyncratic surrealist, and produces dreamlike oil paintings that encourage viewers to pay attention to the interwoven subtleties. She also describes her work as "fantastical" and says she often integrates mythology. She likes to think of her images as moments that suggest stories.
"Pegasus," an oil painting, features a nude woman resting her head against that of a horse. The woman's body is covered in sea-related tattoos. In the background is a lighthouse.
"It is sort of suggestive of dreams with an emphasis on figures and dreamscapes," Peterson says about her art.
Lynn's artwork is abstract; she says that many of her pieces begin as sketches in her notebooks, and that she has recently been experimenting with brighter colors. She works with mixed media and oil to create odd and interesting art pieces.
She says she likes to watch the reactions of viewers.
"I like to see what people think," Lynn says. "My stuff is abstract, so you can see what you want."
The focal point of her "Twins" is a pencil-drawn robed body with two heads. The faces are simple; she defines the eyes and mouth with dashes. Heart shaped, hat-like objects protrude from the tops of the heads. The rest is shapes and lines, in colors including baby blue, lime green and yellow.
