Time for the second of the two summer SOLO X2 exhibitions. This time we are featuring the retro future work of Karen Waller. The exhibition is called "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", and the paintings live up to that title.
The artist writes, "I celebrate New Jersey highway architecture painting the remains of the days when Americans could afford to be whimsical in their plans, individual in their pursuits and optimistic about their prospects. These buildings, still wondrous yet fading like a dream come morning, serve as my own personal metaphor of aging."
These kind of sights once filled highways and city streets all over our state and nation, as well as in our shore towns, but times have been changing. Anyone who has been around Belmar for several decades can talk about all the businesses that have come and gone, many of them still missed by those who appreciated the bold space age styling, the colorful neon, and associations with good times. This exhibition includes over 20 paintings (done in acrylic, which she feels is most appropriate to the style and time period of the subjects), in which she has attempted to "capture the past that once symbolized our future." The Freedman's Bakery sign is gone from our yard, but it's not too late to enjoy this view of our past.
The opening reception for "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" is Saturday July 16, 2016 from 5 to 7 pm. the show remains on display through August 6th, admission free as always.
artwork photos provided by the artist
