Carol Brookes: "Pulse"
September 25 -October 13, 2012
Reception Thursday, September 27, 6 – 8 PM
Wine And Words reception and meet the artist, October 13, 4pm
Chelsea: Viridian Artists Inc is pleased to present “PULSE,” an ongoing series of mixed-media wall sculptures by Carol Brookes in her solo exhibition at Viridian Artists, Inc. in New York City, opening September 25, 2012 through October 13, 2012. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, September 27 from 6 to 8 PM and on October 13 at 4 PM, a closing event,”Wine and Words”, when the artist will talk about her work. Viridian Artists, Inc. is located at 548 West 28th Street, 6th Floor, in the Chelsea area of Manhattan.
Nails, washers, rope, tubing, wire, rubber mats, dowels, leather buckles, industrial honeycomb insulation, and tacks are some of the materials that artist Carol Brookes incorporates into her work.
Brookes’ frame-like boxes are constructed from wood and canvas and filled with mixed media materials. “The ‘PULSE” series is material-driven and is constantly evolving. I consider the world my art supply store,” says Brookes. “I see the world as layers of structure and surface, one upon the other – a concept that drives my work.”
“PULSE” examines the hemisphere as a structure, the ordinary forms we see each day in their many incarnations, such as an egg, a pod, an eye, the earth, planets, and domes. The various concepts that these forms evoke are explored in the series, including thoughts and insights into life, birth, and the mystical and mysterious.
All of the works in “PULSE” involve repetition, which Brookes considers a visually stabilizing force. In addition to the multiple hemispheres, she has also created repetition of forms in groups of structures that are the same size. These pieces are presented in sets of two, three or larger sets forming rows or grids. The groupings establish relationships between the forms and surfaces – one to the other – and set up visual identities, similarities and differences that can be compared and contrasted.
“My work is spontaneous and controlled, playful and serious, my own personal yin and yang. Creating these constructed worlds is a mystical event for me. Although the ideas flow from one piece to the other, there are always surprises. Art is the magic of my life, and like magic the excitement comes from not knowing what wonderful new ideas, objects or materials will appear and exactly what will happen next.”
Carol Brookes’ artwork has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and cultural centers throughout the United States, including the McLarry Modern Gallery in Santa Fe, Illinois Central College in East Peoria, the Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis, B. J. Spoke Gallery in Huntington, New York, the University of North Iowa in Cedar Falls, the Women’s Center in Los Angeles, and the Miami Metropolitan Museum and Art Center. In addition, her work is in public and corporate collections, including those of the American Cinema Corporation inBoston, Grayco Paper Company inMiami, theMiamiDadeCommunity College, and theWaterlooArtCenterinIowa. Brookes received a B.F.A. in painting and drawing from theUniversityofMiami, an MA in painting from theUniversityofIowa, and an MFA in multimedia art from theUniversityofIowa.
The exhibition will include:
Pulse Axis is based on the symbol “X.” Each of the five hemispherical forms is covered with textured epoxy. An “X” is formed on each structure with the use of a variety of materials, including hardware and found objects, leather and copper tube straps, and buckles.
Pulse Trinity is a triptych that incorporates epoxy, cut nails and washers to create strange organism-like forms. Although at first glance each part of the triptych appears to be the same, they are actually different, challenging viewers to explore and make comparisons. The copper, silver and brass play to the “trinity” concept.
Hive Genesis is made of hemispheres wrapped with cotton rope. Rubber mats and industrial honeycomb insulation material creates a background that is dotted with bolts. The piece creates an illusion that the hive is dissolving into honeycomb but with the promise of re-emergence.
Pulse Hydra consists of four 30″ square boxes, 10″ deep. Made of sculpting epoxy and embellished with nails, tacks and washers, each box is filled with organic forms representing imagined worlds of sea creatures, sea flowers, and tide pools.
Pearl Synergy was inspired by shells and their pearl-like surfaces, contrasting shiny and metallic surfaces against matte, porcelain-like surfaces. The piece explores the notion that in life, something that seems simple or plain on the outside can contain beautiful and wondrous treasures.
Pulse – Small Works consists of four sets of four 15″ square pieces that were either inspired by larger works in the “Pulse Series” or are concepts for exploration in creating new larger pieces.