Local Art Seen: Rachel Hayes at the Joseph Nease Gallery

The title of the current show at Joseph Nease Gallery in Duluth is Affinities. It features the work of Rachel Hayes and Eric Sall (whose work I shared here yesterday.)

"Mirage Panel"--144'x 108"

Rachel Hayes is a nationally recognized artist who creates fabric structures that vibrantly explore painting processes, quilt making, architectural space, light, and shadow. When you check out hr website (link at the end) you'll discover that she has a love of scale. That is, it would appear that no space is to large for her imagination to fill.

Hayes grew up in the Kansas City region, and went to college at the Kansas City Art Institute where she got her BFA.  I'm guessing that she met her husband Eric there because he also got a bachelors there. Later the both got MFAs at the Virginia Commonwealth University.

"Swift"--22.5"x 23.5"

Her love affair with color is self-evident. The brightly colored fabrics sing. 

The title of the show is Affinities and you can definitely see how her

works have an affinity with her husband Eric Sall's paintings.

Check out the black and white stripes in this piece below, and

compare to Eric's Deluge 3.

"Cryptic"--61.5"x 38" 

"Dark Light"--36"x 11"

"Open Vision"--59"x 59"

The materials she selects to work with varies. A straight up list would include fabrics of different kinds, thread, cotton binding, acetate, canvas, fiber, binding, acrylics, wood, chording, paper, ribbon, wire and polyester. In short, whatever feels right for the project at hand.

Sall and Hayes currently reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma with their two children, a son and a daughter.
To see more of their work, visit their websites.

http://www.rachelbhayes.com/
http://www.ericsall.com/about

The Joseph Nease Gallery is located at 23 West First Street here in Duluth.
For Gallery Hours or to see work by their other represented artists visit http://www.josephneasegallery.com/

Local Art Seen: Eric Sall @ Joseph Nease Gallery

"Citrus Twist"--84"x 60"

Fans of large abstract designs and color will enjoy the new exhibition at Joseph Nease Gallery titled Affinities. The show features work by Rachel Hayes and Eric Sall. Sall is a painter and Hayes a nationally recognized artist who works in fabrics and tapestry.

As with many of the other shows featured at the JNG, Joe & Karen Nease continue to draw upon their well of connections from their Kansas City gallery. Both Hayes and Sall received their MFAs from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA

The paintings featured here are all by Eric Sall. Tomorrow I will share Ms. Hayes' work.

Eric Sall was born and raised in South Dakota, and started oil painting when he was 15. Living in a tiny mountain town in the Black Hills he found solace in the culture of skateboarding and snowboarding which still resonates in his graphic paintings today. He moved to Kansas City when he was 18 to attend the Kansas City Art Institute, and felt as if he moved to the 'big city.

"So Close and Yet So Far"--84"x 60"

Compared to some of the Black Hills communities, KC really is a big city.  When our family did a ten day vacation in the Black Hills of Western South Dakota, I was struck by the numerous small towns within the network of hills. In the Western tip of the Badlands there was a small outpost of cabins and homes with a population of 15. I used to imagine that if I ever wanted to run away from it all, that might be where you'd find me.

Sall's work is energetic and vibrant. Some canvases are 12 feet across, so the effect is quite striking.

"Deluge 3"--60"x 72"

"Temperature Control"--48"x 36"

"Blind Spot"--16"x 20"

"Strange Mirage"--16"x 20"

"Moontides"--16"x 20"

In the back of the gallery you will find a video playing in which Eric Sall shows how he produces his work. For students of art and artists alike these streaming stories can be instructive.

I will be sharing Rachel Hayes' work sometime in the next few days.
Sall and Hayes currently reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
To see more of their work, visit their websites.
http://www.ericsall.com/about
http://www.rachelbhayes.com/

For Gallery Hours or to see work by other represented artists visit http://www.josephneasegallery.com/