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RUSTIC DESIGN: OBJECTS BY JASON HENDERSON & WAYNE IGNATUK WALL WORKS: DRAWINGS BY MARY REILLY & VIVIANE SILVERA
511 Gallery Lake Placid at 2461 Main Street, is pleased to present its new exhibition: RUSTIC DESIGN: Objects by Jason Henderson & Wayne Ignatuk and WALL WORKS: Drawings by Mary Reilly & Viviane Silvera from August 13th - October 16th with an opening reception on August 13th from 6 to 8pm.
RUSTIC DESIGN: The use of wood and natural materials brings to mind the long history of furniture. The combination of natural branches, stones, and other elements further enhances this change from purely functional and primitive to highly decorative. Rustic furniture artists Jason Henderson and Wayne Ignatuk have been creating innovative furniture using traditional methods and materials for a number of years. Their use of old-school techniques to create modern art objects that also have functional uses has transformed the idea of "rustic" furniture.
Jason Henderson's furniture stands out for its ability to alter the traditions of Adirondack- style furniture and transforming pieces into new and experimental design objects. His Dining Chair (2003) received the Most Original Design award at the Adirondack Museum's Annual Rustic Fair and was acquired by the museum for its permanent collection Henderson took his BFA degree in furniture design from the Rochester Institute of Technology, now lives and makes work in the Lake George area.
Wayne Ignatuk's early practice was the fashioning of Adirondack chairs and tables from twigs. What had begun as a hobby evolved into complex designs that he describes as "organic arts and crafts." The artist's work is greatly influenced by the early arts and crafts movement in America. In the Adirondack Museum's Rustic Tomorrow project, Ignatuk was paired with the architect David M. Childs. The result was a postmodern Child's Desk complete with birdhouse. Ignatuk is the owner of Swallowtail Studios in Jay, NY. His work has been profiled on HGTV's "The Good Life," in the book, Adirondack Home, in Adirondack Life magazine and other publications.
WALL WORKS: Drawing artists Mary Reilly and Viviane Silvera make realistic representations of sites and scenes from their presents and pasts, respectively. Both work exclusively in the drawing medium.
Mary Reilly's drawings are of landscapes that at first glance appear to be of wild natural habitats, but in actuality are en plein air drawings of urban "wildernesses" such as Central Park ponds, Jamaica Bay swamplands, and Nassau County beaches. Reilly makes precise renderings, using eight layers of graphite to produce a variety of lights and darks, such as might be associated with early photography. Her drawings, Urban Woodlands, were on view this past May at The Arsenal, the gallery in Central Park operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The artist is represented by DFN Gallery in New York City.
Viviane Silvera was born in Hong Kong and spent her early childhood in that city. Her current body of work draws on her memories of that place and its people. The drawings are both "realist" and "semi-abstract", the way that memories can often be. She uses charcoal and white, black, and green chalk to create large scenes with enormous tonal range. Silvera took her BFA from New York Academy of Art and has exhibited in New York City and Long Island since graduating. She also leads tours and art history seminars related to the contemporary art world in Chelsea. The artist is represented by 511 Gallery in New York and Lake Placid.
