Come join artists and art lovers during Area 61 Gallery’s May First Friday open house from 6-8pm for the final month of their latest Featured Artists’ Show: “Perfect Pairing”, the Art of Melissa and Mark Gates.
Two hearts finally creating as one, Mark & Melissa Gates have joined forces to collaborate on lively pieces that juxtapose Mark’s textural distortions with Melissa’s steady-handed realism.
Melissa’s two great passions – wildlife and trees – dominate her subject matter. A wildlife conservation advocate, she says “This latest body of work focuses on nature that is very familiar. Often, we concentrate on the exotic nature that is threatened but it’s just as important to remember the nature we see almost daily also deserves respect and to treated with kindness.”
Mark describes his abstract art like music without lyrics – colors, patterns and texture performing together as a visual concert. He adds, “My own art is most like improvisational jazz. When I start a piece I may have a basic framework in mind, but it’s really just the point of entry. Decisions are made on the fly and next steps are determined by the previous, until I can’t stand to alter it any further. I feel the finished composition is a series of visual riffs performed audience-free within my studio”.
The monthly First Friday open house event is an opportunity to mix and mingle with many of the gallery local artists It’s also become a social event to catch up with friends within the local art-loving community.
Area 61 Gallery is located at 721 Broad Street, Suite 100 (black awning left of the Tivoli Theatre). Learn more online at area61gallery.com
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