In The Wild
Featuring: Cycle,Scott Belcastro, Nicky Davis, Melanie Pruitt, Sam Flores, Vanessa Foley and Amanda Gordon Dunn
OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday, November 1st
6-11pm
Free & Open to the public
From prehistoric to modern times the influence of nature on our visual lives is profound. Some of the earliest paintings in existence on cave walls from Africa to the America’s typically featured animals and nature related scenery. From abstract paintings of flowers, to black and white photographs of mountains, nature has inspired iconic pieces of art found in museums and galleries across the world. In advertising and entertainment, animals are often used to communicate in place of humans. Our love of nature is one of our best inherent qualities; it inspires people to devote their lives to protecting, promoting, representing and enjoying it on every level imaginable.
“In The Wild” is the first in a series of exhibits featuring nature interpreted through varying contexts and mediums. Highly detailed, stark and vibrant representations of the realistic and surreal natural world will definitely provoke your imagination and curiosity.
We are introducing 4 new artists to gallery: Cycle(US), Scott Belcastro(US),Vanessa Foley(UK) and Nicky Davis(US) while welcoming back Sam Flores(US) and Melanie Pruitt(US)
Exhibit runs November 1st – November 23rd
Please contact us for a preview of available artwork
Cycle:
CYCLE grew up writing graffiti and skateboarding. He received his BFA from George Washington University in Washington DC and then his Masters from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. CYCLE makes his living producing Fine Art, Illustration and Graphic Design. He has shown his fine art in galleries in New York, Washington DC, Paris, San Francisco, and Los Angeles as well as Art Basel in Miami. Cycle most recently has had a design piece inducted into the permanent collection at the MoMA in New York as well as shown at the “Art in the Streets” exhibit at the MoCA in Los Angeles. He has also produced exterior murals and installations in New York, San Francisco and Miami. CYCLE has been commissioned by Kid Robot, Think Skateboards, éS shoes, and Disney XD for projects. CYCLE’s work has been profiled in publications such a Juxtapoz, Mass Appeal, Complex, and Time Out New York as well as in numerous books including “The Art of Getting Over”, “Definition, The Art and Design of Hip Hop” “Up Until Now” by Upper Playground and “Fresh Paint NYC”. CYCLE currently lives and works in New York City.
Scott Belcastro:
Using acrylic paints and wood panels, this Los Angeles based painter brings element’s from the wooded area’s of New York’s upstate region into view.With meticulous detail and colorfully explosive skies Scott pushes toward familiar places many of us remember through childhood experiences , And at times creates a place of silence for observation and reflection.
Vanessa Foley:
I am a self employed artist based in Newcastle UK, close to the vibrant cultural quarter of the Ouseburn Valley. I have always lived in the city, and love it, but I also love getting out into the country where my real passion lies.My love for wildlife and art are inseparable, and I could never imagine one without the other. I am currently working on a series of paintings exploring traditional British wildlife.
Nicky Davis:
Nicky Davis is an artist that works and resides in the suburban sprawl of Houston, Texas. Nicky Davis has been a prominent member of the Houston art scene for more than a decade. His illustrative style and vibrant color choices occasionally hint at a cautious optimism, the absurdities of life and love and the damage done by man’s ecological irresponsibility. Amongst the Polar Bears and grinning children are subtle suggestions that all is most definitely not well. Nicky Davis’ style roots itself in the low brow / low brim art movement with a fun mix of color, character, and imagination. He received his Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Houston and likes long walks on beaches.
Sam Flores:
Sam Flores combines unique and disproportional creatures with vibrant landscapes, intense color combinations, and fine detail.
Melanie Pruitt:
Rural southwestern Nebraska is where Melanie Pruitt was born and raised. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Fort Hays State University. Denver, Colorado is now her home. Melanie finds solace in studying the beauty of human history. The details of its emotional complexity to the organic patterns of the Rocky Mountains that surround her inspire an obsessive love of line, form, and movement. These intricacies translate both realistically and abstractly into her creative process.
Amanda Gordon Dunn:
Amanda Gordon Dunn lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Formally from Denver, Colorado, her work has been presented throughout the United States including such institutions as The Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, and a solo show at The Louisiana State Museum. Her work is housed in numerous private collections including The Fredrick R. Weisman Foundation in Los Angeles, California. Dunn completed her BFA in Textiles from The Maryland Institute College of Art in 2006 where she received several awards, including a presidential scholarship for her undergraduate work.
Her sculptures reveal her years spent in the metal fabrication industry and her fixation regarding American muscle cars; Dunn’s paintings are derived from her manipulation of pattern, color and her childhood obsession with the animal kingdom.
Black Book Gallery
555 Santa Fe Dr., Denver, Colorado 80204
Friday at 6:00pm until Saturday at 1:00pm