http://www.flickr.com/photos/54520006@N03/5050469432/
“I too saw the reflection of the summer sky in the water”
20x24 oil on canvas jeff felker 2010
CSUS UNION GALLERY FEARTURES PAINTINGS BY SACRAMENTO ARTIST JEFF FELKER
Jeff Felker
The Poetics of Music at Sea
Solo Exhibition
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 14, 6pm-8pm
Show runs through October 4th -November 4th, 2010
Sacramento, CA –The Poetics of Music at Sea, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Jeff Felker, opens at the CSUS Union Gallery, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, on Monday, October 4, 2010. The public is invited to a reception on Thursday, October 14, 2010 from 6pm-8pm.
For his first solo show at the Union Gallery, Jeff has created a series of new, original, paintings in oil on canvas and board. Reflecting Jeff's strong passions for literature, painting and music these works tie the three art forms together to create a string of individual narratives. When taken together, these paintings attempt to confront an often repressive environment.
Inspired by the romanticized interpretations of music and water that emerge as major themes and influences in Walt Whitman’s poetry in Leaves of Grass, Jeff uses quotes from Whitman’s poetry as a central catalyst for his narratives. Each piece is titled with a quotation that speaks to/gestures toward a desire for a sense of harmony, balance or quest within a dystopian landscape. The music and instruments within the paintings communicate each figure's relationship for that desire and become their apparatus for survival in an otherwise emotionally complex and overwhelming world. In a reversal of the typical oppressive dry wasteland, the paintings position water as negating life and as challenging the figures in a frenzy for self control and self identity. These conflicts are purposely left unresolved as part of a continuous and ever present struggle for life.
About the artist
Born in 1980 and raised in a world of latchkeys, comic books, and urban exploration, Sacramento-based artist Jeff Felker weaves those early inspirations into the visual narratives he creates today. Exploring themes reformulated from life and his formal background in literature, he creates narrative paintings that blend reality and dreamscape--the human figures within are located in conflicted worlds of emotional isolation. Using oil to juxtapose bright and muted color schemes, Jeff executes his paintings on canvas and board.
Jeff has been interested in writing and literature from a young age, which shows in the narrative qualities of his paintings, as well as his scholarly pursuits. He received an MA in English Literature from California State University, Sacramento in 2009, and currently teaches English at American River College. The themes he encounters in literature continue to permeate throughout his simultaneous pursuit and love of painting.
For further information about Jeff Felker and to see more examples of his artwork go to:
www.studiologica.com
Public relations contact:
Alison Kranz
alison.kranz@gmail.com
Gallery info
CSUS Union Gallery
2nd floor University Union Building
6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95819
Hours: M-F 10:30am–3:30pm / Wed & Thur 5–8pm
http://www.union.csus.edu/gallery/
Open parking will be available on the top floor of Parking Structure III (near hwy 50 entrance) on the night of reception.