IN THE EYE OF
with Jean Koeller and Beth Edwards
Dates: November 1st - December 15th
Opening Reception - November 1st, 7pm
Gallery Talk - December 15th, 1pm
Jean Koeller
Statement
My current body of work engages landscape. With views of my surroundings employed as a starting point, the paintings express ideas representing the self and the experience of the moment, rather than serving as a way to capture place.
Working from both life and memory, these ordinary, dense views redefine the boundaries of landscape and beauty. I move between experience and thought, representation and abstraction, distilling information by observation and recall. I explore, physically and psychologically, the essence of life of the interior – the “interior” of the landscape, and the interior self.
Art and nature draw me equally into their respective worlds. I find that my painting is seamlessly about both, since long ago I lost any ability or desire to separate the two or to regard one over the other. In the end, the painting tells me what I need to do. The process constantly presents new possibilities, both from and away from nature.
By exploring color; coming from many places, and often the starting point, space and time through paint, I engage in the real – the intractable variables and delights of the landscape, material and the body. As these meld in my day-to-day painting experiences, I invite the viewer into my world of art and nature.
Bio
Jean is a native Ohioan and has spent most of her adult life working as a painter.
Jean did her undergraduate in painting at Wright State University here in Ohio and her MFA in painting at Parsons School of Art and Design in New York City. Jean studied with Leland Bell, Paul Resika, and John Heliker. Jean also attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture where she was most influenced by Milton Resnick.
Jean is a 1998 Ohio Arts Council Individual Arts Grant recipient, two Montgomery County Culture Awards recipient for Individual Artists and three-time Travel Grant recipient from the University of Dayton for Italy, France and New York City. She taught in Italy and France for the study abroad programs during her stay. Jean Koeller was commissioned by the Ohio Arts Council to create the 2009 Governor’s Awards for the state of Ohio. She was also awarded Outstanding Alumni in 2005 by Wright State University College of Humanities.
One person shows will include University of Memphis, Springfield Museum of Art in Springfield, Ohio, Purdue University, Wittenburg University, Keny Galleries, Duveneck Gallery in KY, Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts in PA, University of Mass Lowell, MASS, Kirkland Fine Arts Center, IL, Doris Ulmann Galleries, Bera, KY, Lakeland College, WIS, Xavier University in Chicago, IL, Austin Peay University, Clarksville, TENN, Carnegie Arts Center in Covington KY and numerous group shows nationally and internationally such as France, Tokyo, Hungary and Russia. She has received many awards and her work is found in many collections such as the Evansville Museum of Art, Springfield Museum of Art, Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, Sinclair College, Stien Galleries, Wright State University, Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts in Columbus, OH, Deloitte & Touché, Mallincordt Corp, MO and Aileron Corporation.
Jean has also served on the Board for the Dayton Visual Arts center from 1999-2004 and was Chair from 2002-2004. Was a member of the Zeuxis Still Life Group, NY, NY and currently is represented by the Dana Wiley Gallery in Dayton, Ohio.
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Beth Edwards
Statement
My paintings are comprised of small sections of the natural world represented at an enlarged scale. They are usually complex images and are slow to create. Each piece records a steady, meditative painting process – hopefully imbuing the traditional subject matter of flowers with what art historian Norman Bryson termed a “meticulous particularity.” I seek to make something that is commonplace – a flower blossom or clover patch – resonate and endure. Due to the life cycle embedded in the representation of flowers, these are vanitas images symbolizing the fleetingness of life. But with an emphasis on the beauty of nature, they are also meant to communicate joy. I hope this work provides a connection to, and awareness of, the natural world’s vitality and vulnerability.
Bio
Beth Edwards was born in Alabama and lives and works in Memphis. She received a BFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and an MFA from Indiana University. Edwards has had an active 33-year career painting, exhibiting and teaching. She taught painting at the University of Memphis for 21 years and the University of Dayton for 12 years. Recent awards and honors include the Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship; Distinguished Research Award from The University of Memphis; Arts Accelerator Grant, ArtsMemphis; Alumni Association Distinguished Achievement in the Creative Arts Award, University of Memphis; and the Emmett O’Ryan Award for Artistic Inspiration from ArtsMemphis. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions in galleries, museums, institutions and organizations across the United States, including the Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL; the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis; the Contemporary Art Workshop, Chicago; Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, OH; Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock; and the San Francisco International Fine Arts Exposition. She has had artist residencies at the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo.
