Tonight we had a different kind of opening, a collaboration between two artists. The exhibition is called "Patterns" Art, Mysticism, & Science "An Escape into Reality", and the artists are David Levy and Paul Hansen. One thing they have in common is a love of pattern, which show up in the paintings of Hansen, the optical art and photographs of Levy, and a few things they collaborated on.
Perhaps because of this common theme, the work was all hung side by side, with only small number tags to specify what was being seen. Sometimes common colors helped to unify the collections of works.
The large paintings and multimedia installations come from Paul Hansen, and include such common themes of heads and of the Vitruvian Man made famous by Leonardo da Vinci. Bold colors and shapes are also typical of these pieces. There are 13 works from Hansen found scattered throughout the front and back galleries.
Meanwhile, David Levy's pieces tend to make use of moire patterns, a kind of interference pattern that results from layering one pattern over another with some transparency or spacing, creating odd optical effects. Included are some early experiments that go back to his teen years involving wood frames and carefully spaced thread, but most involve wooden backs and painted patterns on both the wood and plexiglass suspended in front. Every small movement of the viewer's head results in new optical patterns as the lines in different directions visually intersect. There are 28 such pieces scattered between the two galleries, along with 8 photographs of industrial scenes- mostly architectural items that display strong patterns.
Shows with just two artists can be a risk in terms of attendance, but this one worked out. The artists had many friends and fans who showed up to enjoy the bold art.
Over in the Lounge Gallery, another show, this one featuring work from the Fiber Fridays group, which meets monthly to try materials and processes related to fiber based arts. 20 assorted pieces.
Which leads to this large installation on the stage, involving furniture, a mannequin, quilt and geometric themed wall hanging. Was it a Levy, a Hansen, or part of the Fiber Friday show? Seemed like it could have been any of them. Answer was none of the above. Turned out to be a collaboration between our two main artists, and the Friday people not involved in any way, though I'd guess they admired it.
This exhibition built around the idea of patterns, painted, constructed, or just optical, remains on display at the Boatworks during posted gallery hours through December 21, 2019. As of now there are plans for a closing reception on December 21st from 5 to 7 pm, but you don't want to wait that long to see this fun and thought provoking show.
