Exhibition sponsored by George Orban & Rae Ramsdell.

Virtual Artist Talk Brown Bag Lunch Series: Thur., May 13 at noon

Artist Meet & Greet: Sat., May 15, 2021

Artist Bio
“These works are an ongoing pursuit focusing on my Chinese cultural background. I make dreamscapes out of memories. By juxtaposing different elements – childhood memories, Chinese traditional fabric textiles, old legends, or the fragments from a vase – I tell stories of childhood fantasies and childhood wonderlands. My drawings are visual poems drawing the viewer into an open-ended story. I create images that ignite the imagination and give a sense of delight. Colored pencils on layers of mylar allow me to work on the sense of depth from the transparency.” – Luzhen Qiu

“My art practice has transitioned from working with thin layers of oil paint on canvas, to handweaving and layering large panels of linen. In the process of making, I am always thinking about screens and the act of seeing through many layers. These screens could be thought of as our layers of past memories and experiences, our pasts affect how we see the world today. Likewise, in the visual world, I have found that what is behind always affects what is in front. Seeing the world through fog, looking through long blades of grass, or seeing the sky through the thatched branches of a forest, I find the beauty in these layers.” – Cathy Jacobs
Artist Statement

Both Luzhen and Cathy focus on color and the layering of semi-transparent elements. Memory plays an important role in their artistic processes, and their works complement each other visually. Luzhen works in the two-dimensional realm of colored pencil and translucent papers, while Cathy works in the three-dimensions of fibers and weaving.

Underlying themes for this exhibition is color, layers, fragments, fantasies, memories, visual dreaming, daydreams, the mystical.