Synthesize: Shape, Surface, Saturation
November 3-25, 2023
Synthesize: Shape, Surface, Saturation
Opening reception: Friday, November 3, 4:00-9:00 PM
Gallery hours: Sat Nov 4, 10 AM – 5 PM; Sun Nov 5, 11 AM – 5 PM; Mon-Fri 9 AM – 5 PM and Sat, 10 AM – 1 PM. Additional hours: Tue Nov 7, 14 & 21, 7-9 PM; Thu Nov 9, 5-7 PM; Fri Nov 17, 5-7 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Wed-Fri Nov 22-24.
This collection of complex, abstract works by Jan Burleson, Carl Gombert, Carrie Pendergrass, and Kelly Spell is a celebration of color and shape. The various media—printmaking with unique process applications, quilting with modern design, oil painting with a relation to collage, and mixed media—combine in a spontaneous union of pattern and repetition that generates vibrant visual energy. With subtle and direct references to pop culture and world events, each artist constructs layers of meaning and representation in their work and creates a sense of place. Taken as a whole, the exhibition seeks balance and order in a broader chaos while also honoring tradition and history.
Jan Burleson holds a 2016 BFA in Painting and Drawing from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. This follows a 1975 BSSW from East Tennessee State University and a 1980 MSSW from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and more than thirty-five years as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She was a 2018-2019 Ann and Steve Bailey Opportunity Grant recipient and a 2015 Chattanooga AVA FRESH Young and Emerging Artist. She received the 2013 Lillian B. Feinstein Scholarship at UTC, along with a 2013 Juried Student Exhibition Curator’s Award and a 2012 Award of Excellence. Her work has been shown regionally with the Knoxville’s Arts and Culture Alliance and Dogwood Arts exhibitions, in Chattanooga’s Association for Visual Arts exhibitions and ChaArtSpace, in East Tennessee State University Slocumb Gallery’s Positive-Negative national exhibitions, and at The Arts Center in Athens. She received a Juror’s Citation in the 2020 National Juried Exhibition, Knoxville Arts and Culture Alliance, and a Juror’s Award in the 2022 Members Juried Exhibit, Chattanooga Association for Visual Arts. Instagram @jan_burleson_ and www.janburleson.com.
Carl Gombert was born in Brimfield, Ohio in 1959. He started taking painting lessons at the age of 14 with money he earned delivering newspapers. He completed a BFA in Drawing from the University of Akron and an MFA in Painting from Kent State University. He worked as a stagehand before earning a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts at Texas Tech University. He has exhibited in more than 300 exhibitions across the US and abroad and his work is in numerous museum and university collections. Since 1993 he has taught painting, drawing, and art history at Maryville College in Tennessee. https://gombertart.com and Instagram @carlgombert
Carrie Pendergrass
Over the past 25 years, she has been a visual artist, art educator and art advocate/facilitator. She holds a BFA degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a MEd degree from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. She has worked in both the non-profit/public and private/commercial sector as a visual arts teacher, freelance artist and small business owner, gallery director & curator. She exhibits her work locally and regionally, and continues to teach. She has received recognition for her printmaking work since her debut show at 4 Bridges Arts Festival in 2017, when she was chosen as the Poster Design Winner & awarded a Juror’s Choice award & more recently, consecutive Honorable Mentions at the 4 Bridges Arts Festival in 2021 & 2022. She was the recipient of an Arts Build Artists Work Grant for her curatorial art project, CHA ART SPACE, an exhibition space at the Chattanooga Regional Airport, which debuted in 2021. Instagram @sewntothesea and @cha_art_space and www.sewntothesea.com.
Kelly Spell’s award-winning quilts have been featured in numerous publications, shows, and museums around the world. The abstract designs feature dynamic color combinations that emphasize contrast in value and hue. Kelly works primarily with solid fabrics, and she enjoys using Procion MX Fiber Reactive Dyes to create her own hand-dyed palettes. Curves are a frequent motif in her work, and in 2020, she began exploring circles and swirls exclusively. Kelly’s artistic practice involves a variety of techniques—some are cutting edge and others are rooted in the time-honored tradition of American quiltmaking. www.kellyspell.com and Instagram @kellyspell.