Laura Bigger: Elements and Thomas Matyas: The Lever of Reference - Crary Art Gallery, Warren
The Crary Art Gallery will feature two artists in two upcoming exhibitions, which open on Saturday, April 2, 2022, from 12 pm – 6 pm, and run through May 1, 2022.
Artist Laura Bigger of Kirksville, MO, presents, Elements – a collection of prints, drawings and sculptures exploring the relationship of raw materials and the periodic table of elements to contemporary home construction and furnishings. As Laura Bigger explains in a statement, “my work explores the relationships that exist among humans, animals, and ecosystems, particularly in terms of the food chain, raw materials, and the human tendency to exert control over natural systems. It considers existential quandaries such as what it means to be a human today, how we can live in the world responsibly, and what our obligation is to do so. As a multimedia artist, I question anthropocentric viewpoints and interpret the man-made environment primarily through print, drawing and installation.”
Explaining her process, Bigger says, “each two-dimensional work I create for this project is based on a single element or raw material, such as lead or gypsum. I see this project as a continuation of my previous work on self-sustenance; it delves into primal necessities but also moves beyond into the realm of luxuries. The first iteration of Elements focused on the bedroom, in particular. The pieces pay homage to cozy materials such as wool and down that clothe and warm us. These works, while based in research, poetically and reverentially portray their subjects.”
Bigger is an Assistant Professor of Art at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO. Originally from Boulder, CO, she received her BA in Studio Art and Hispanic Studies from Colorado College (2008) and her MFA in printmaking from the University of Minnesota (2013). Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions nationally. Learn more about the artist and her work at: laurabigger.com/elements
Thomas Matyas, of Buffalo, NY presents, The Lever of Reference - three-dimensional collages using wood, steel, cast concrete, pencil drawings, and monoprints. The resulting geometric and architectural shapes are meant to evoke feelings of mystery and nostalgia. Matyas will be on hand to greet guests and discuss his work.
In a statement, Matyas says, “the first word that might come to mind when viewing my work, abstract, is not quite accurate. Although I’m not concerned with depicting the world as it is, I do use some of the tools of representational art. There’s a kind of perspective (although not rational) and sometimes a suggestion of light falling on surfaces. Objects pass in front of other objects. Maybe a better word is metaphoric. Geometric and architectural structures stand in for mysterious states of mind. This visual language probably evolved unconsciously in the margins of my school notebooks, where I obsessively doodled lines, boxes, and curves that somehow calmed my anxieties and conjured a more sensible world. I believe I was constructing a mental refuge that saved my life and ultimately became the foundation of my artistic practice. As a composer might take inspiration from a small, pregnant motif and develop it into a larger musical structure, I often begin each painting or sculpture with a single, striking shape and carefully grow the work from it. Though one might expect the results of such a process to be full of movement and improvisational freedom, my work depicts a place where time stands still. Like many of the artists I admire, I’m unapologetic about trying to make beautiful objects. Not a decorative or facile beauty, but an uncanny and ultimately inexplicable type connected to long-held feelings beyond reason.”
Matyas, who received a BA in Art History from Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, has exhibited in numerous galleries nationally, including the Carnegie Art Center, North Tonawanda, NY, Kenan House Gallery, Lockport, NY, and the Grey Cube Gallery, Denton, Texas. To learn more, visit: thomasmatyas.com
Please join us for the opening of these two exhibitions, and to meet artist Thomas Matyas. The Tabouli middle eastern food truck will also be onsite during the April 2 opening. The Crary Art Gallery is a private non-profit art museum, located on the corner of 6th Avenue and Market Street in downtown Warren, PA. Exhibition hours, after the opening, are Fridays and Saturdays from 12 to 6, and Sundays from 12 to 4. Admission is always free. For more information on this and upcoming exhibitions, visit: craryartgallery.com.
