The Loft Artists Gallery Presents

KAREN V. NEEMS

“Deconstructing the TIMES”

396 daily creations from the NYTimes

and other recent works

June 20th – July 26th, 2015

The Loft Artists East Gallery

575 Pacific Street

Stamford, CT

Opening Reception

Saturday, June 20th, 5:30-7:30 pm

Gallery Open Saturdays and Sundays 1-4:30 pm

Free admission and parking

“Deconstructing the TIMES – 396 daily creations from the NYTimes” is a project began by artist Karen Neems as an exercise and challenge she gave herself. She established certain parameters for each collage, incorporating the date somewhere in each 4” x 4” piece. Everything she used had to come from that day’s paper, and she could use no advertisements. It could be news related, or just graphic images. The decisions she made as to what to include or eliminate gave voice to her mood or happenings in her life that day. Sometimes it was an event or story on the front page that inspired her, other times she was moved by a blurb hidden in the folds, or just a color or shape. She became engrossed in the process and committed to the challenge of continuing for 13 months. This journey was about much more than the news; it became a ritual that she looked forward to every day, promoting contemplation and introspection. Because of this, the work seems timeless.

“At a time when the printed paper is disappearing into the digital world, it is very refreshing to see the newspaper celebrated in this way” says LAA President Ellen Gordon. All 396 pieces will be displayed in a linear chronologic order in the front gallery.

The other mixed media work in this exhibition also incorporates pieces of the Times

as well as some photographic images. Karen has a consistent fascination with layering, merging and repeating images to create engaging compositions. Whether looking through the viewfinder of a camera, creating collages digitally or manipulating materials, she states “I am drawn to the aspects that contain and formalize a space. In a society where we are constantly bombarded by loud, disparate and raw imagery, I aim to create a calm and enchanting world, both within and outside the frame.”

Karen Neems is an award winning photo collage and mixed media artist based in Stamford, CT. She has had solo shows at the Westport Arts Center, Westport, CT (with her Unmade Bed series of photographs), the Mayor’s Gallery in Stamford, Ct, and the Mamaroneck Artists Guild in Larchmont, NY. Her work has also been included in many selective exhibitions juried by curators from major museums; among them, the Faber Birren National Color Award Show, the Images show at the Fairfield Museum, CameraWorks at the Ridgefield Guild of Artists, Art of the Northeast and other exhibitions at the Silvermine Artists Guild. She is a member of the Silvermine Guild of Artists, the Stamford Loft Artists Association, and the Pound Ridge Artists Guild.

In addition to this exhibition, the Loft Artists West Gallery will be featuring the works of Claudio Altesor, Shirley Binin, Lucienne Buckner, Liz Squillace, Oksana Tanasiv and Pierrette Wagner in a group show entitled “A Mix of Six” .

The Loft Artists Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to building connections within Fairfield County’s visual arts community and exposing the general public to culture and artistic work. Their events attract thousands of visitors throughout the tri-state region and have been recognized by funding agencies including the Connecticut Commission for the Arts, corporate and private sponsors, the city of Stamford and visitors who support year after year.

For directions and more information please visit www.loftartists.com or call 203 247-2027.