The Walter Art Gallery is proud to present our new show “Elemental Figures” featuring the work of three impressive local artists. Amanda Adkins, John Tuomisto Bell, and Abbey Messmer all share an affinity for the human figure and the ways in which humans interact with, affect, and are affected by their surroundings. These artists use fire, water, and earth to illustrate, manipulate, and create their images and sculptures.
“Ten Years Gone”, watercolor and gouache on cold press paper, 24x30
Amanda Adkins’ love for animal folklore, health and homeopathy is reflected throughout her artwork. Her figurative work in “Elemental Figures” unites the female form with natural growth and transformation. The images are both disturbing and reassuring. Mother Earth is a part of us and we of her. There is no separation.
Abbey Messmer’s paintings use water as a tool to explore varying perspectives and contemplate the nature of reality. Messmer dives to the bottom of desert pools to snap liquified versions of the landscape, including expansive skies, curving horizons, distorted human forms, and emblematic props like ladders and umbrellas. The resulting paintings aim to echo the inevitable state of flux, breakdown, and reconstruction that we as modern humans endure daily.
John Tuomisto Bell examines the issues of aggression, violence, and intelligence in the context of the human condition. As an artist he is conflicted about the cruelty of human nature contrasted with the beauty of daily acts of courage and kindness. Voicing these observations thru simple icons such as the lone figure, an isolated head, or a fist is a way to communicate on a visceral level an understanding of truth and what is real.
Elemental Figures will run from September 17 to October 15, 2020 with a virtual reception on the Walter Art Gallery Facebook page September 17 from 6:30-7pm. If you are interested in a private in-person showing (with appropriate masking and social distancing) please contact us at gallery@thewalterproject.org or on any of our social media.