Info via www.galateafineart.com
Dominick Takis,”Dunbeacon Stone Circle, 2014, 12″x 12″ tempura and acrylic paint, silicone sealant and lichen, paper cutout on canvas
Symbiosis: A close prolonged association between two or more different organisms of different species that may benefit each member.
When I began to incorporate lichen onto my surfaces as a weight and balance for composition, I was mostly interested in its textures and patterns. Lichen has an ancient and weathered look; it makes me think of civilizations that revered the circle as a symbol of the connection between the harmony of nature and the cosmos. The patterns of the lichen appeared on man-made Dolmens and portal tombs as well as naturally on stone.
I began to read more about lichen and its symbiotic relationship to algae; how they create their own existence, yet are attached. I found parallels in my own life; the distance that comes from independence, yet still remaining attached to my ancestors and culture. An outcropping of land, a farmhouse, a church, or a graveyard may take on greater significance when it contains some familial connection. This became apparent when travelling through my ancestral Sicily and in my wife’s native Ireland. Whether drawing inspiration from the Cathedral mosaics in Monreale or through the neolithic stone of Drombeg, this work resonates with a desire to come full circle. What began as physically travelling back to the land has left an impression, influencing my work’s narrative. Whether figuratively or intellectually, I have this symbiotic relationship with my ancestors and culture and it informs my art.
GALLERY II
LISA REINDORF: sHIFT
Lisa is both an artist and architect. She received her MArch from Columbia University in NYC and has taught at RISD. Her work concerns the depiction of architectural space and how we experience the world visually. Environments are composed, using exaggerated perspectives, architectural shapes, flattened planes, aerial views, and the language of maps.
These works can be rearranged, reoriented, and recombined into various constructed landscapes. This system conveys that our perception of the world is not static but encompasses multiple viewpoints simultaneously. These are painterly constructions that act as metaphors for imagined spaces.
Lisa grew up in a community of artists in San Miguel Allende, Mexico, where her father was a well known artist. The remembered intense color and light imbues the works.
In addition to teaching, she has run an architecture practice in Boston for many years and curated numerous group exhibits. In her spare time, she is an avid traveler of the world with her family.
GALLERY III
FRANCIS DOMEC: Linear Expressions
My new artwork, Linear Expressions, explores elements of transformation. Playing with lines and figures by means of drawings and linocuts are all figments of my imagination.
Some pieces are simply drawn using permanent ink markers. Other pieces are enhanced with linocuts, impressions carved on linoleum plates, and ink pressed onto the paper, unveiling multiple layers of shapes through the transparency of the original drawing.
This simple technique is an early printing method that goes back to the duplication of images by means of stamps or seals and later used for the reproduction of newspapers. It is also a means of artistic expression for children.
There is also a chance element to the creative process, because the saturation of pigments and contrasts between the print and the existing drawing always create a unique image. The transformation of two different images through this immersion creates something new and intriguing and in a way for me a spiritual experience.
