Spill, New works by donna e. perkins. With Dance Performances by jhon r. stronks and Alexandre Farris Soares

Media Contact

Debra Ford

debra@fordandcompany.com

(281) 415-0673

                                                                   High Resolution Images Available

Archway Gallery presents Spill

Featuring New Works by donna e perkins

With Performances by jhon r. stronks and Alexandre Farris Soares

Exhibition March 2 – April 4, 2019

Opening Reception

DATE: Saturday, March 2, 2019

TIME: 5 – 8 p.m.
          Artist Talk: 6:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Archway Gallery
2305 Dunlavy,
Houston, Texas 77006

Complimentary Valet Parking
& Light Refreshments

PERFORMANCES

the loosening grip, #WorkingWide. Spill. Drip. Slide. by jhon r. stronks

DATE:      Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23, 2019

TIME:      7:30 p.m., Free

vR, by Alexandre Farris Soares

DATE:      Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30, 2019

TIME:      7:30 p.m., Suggested Donation $15

Houston, Texas (January 14, 2019) … Archway Gallery presents Spill,featuring new paintings by donna e perkins, on view March 2, 2019 –  April 4, 2019. The artist will be available to visit with guests during the opening reception Saturday, March 2,  from 5 – 8 p.m., with an Artist Talk at 6:30 p.m.

The word “spill” can be a noun or a verb, although even the noun implies action. A spill can be intentional or accidental. It can reference the serious or the humorous as one can spill blood, tears, milk or the beans.

Works on Paper: These large paintings hang from the wall freely and unprotected, not obscured by glass, not bound by frame. They are of sturdy, heavy watercolor paper primed with gesso both front and back before the painting process begins. They are painted while pinned onto a wall. As the paint spills across the top edge, a spray of water encourages the paint’s downward run. 

Works on Boards: These smaller works on rigid wooden boards have a shallow frame or a defined edge. These are painted lying flat. The artist, perkins, explores the viscosity and translucency of layers of paint and continues until the result pleases her; gravity and chance have an effect here as well.

Deeper Meaning:  perkins is experiencing the world as chaotic and out of control. She feels as if she is a grain of pigment trapped in the spill of political accidents; she finds this both  fascinating and horrendous. What to do? Make calls, contributions, meetings, march. For sanity, go to the studio and make art.

Since 2009, perkins has had the privilege of working with choreographers and dancers. Working with dancers has been important in the development of her approach to painting. She finds the painting process to be a solo dance with the tactile sensuality of paint.

jhon r. stronks:  The Loosening Grip, #WorkingWide, Spill, Drip, Slip, Slide

Survival is the grand plan. Coping. Sense making. Ground gaining. Obstruction moving. Passing. Leaving. Releasing. Brightening. Moving through, onward. Retreat-less. Resilience.

Resistance conditioned with a persistent insistence that existence is not up for debate.

A dancer, a choreographer, a singer, a movement-based performance artist, or “Miss Understood” are all descriptions of jhon r. stronks.  A very magical unicorn, jhon has been described as strong enough for a man and pH-balanced enough for a woman. The choreographic work of stronks combines the fundamental elements of choreography, dance technique, and authentic movement to create dances that speak truthfully.

“I have found a space within the collaboration between donna and me, that allows me to be completely open as I am becoming and developing my artistry/humanity. The space we inhabit together is wide and filled with curiosities that lead me in and out of a lifetime of memories, moments and fantasies. These years spent in collaboration have manifested a world of its own. A world that shimmers and vibrates through all the grit and grime that currently surrounds us,” explains stronks.

Alexandre Farris Soares:  vR

vR is a composition for three dancers exploring identity and the power the “other” affects over “me.” Dancers interact, mirror, and diverge from each other, while contending with how their choices impact their movement. vR is a work inspired by recent social, political, and world events.

Alexandre Farris Soares is a performance artist from Houston, Texas. Alex was born in Salvador, Brazil and is a graduate from the University of Houston. He performs with several local companies and independent artists in dance, dance for film, and site-specific works. A practitioner of Biodanza, Farris Soares is currently researching the link between movement and psychology and studying the impact different lines of dance therapy have on mental health.

ABOUT ARCHWAY GALLERY  Artist owned and operated since 1976. Archway Gallery, one of Houston’s, and the nation’s, oldest artist-owned and operated galleries, is located at 2305 Dunlavy and is open Monday – Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m.  Since 1976, Archway Gallery has been exhibiting the work of the area’s finest artists, providing a great selection of affordable, high quality art including sculpture, pottery and painting in a variety of media and styles. One of the more than 30 member artists is always on site, providing visitors a unique opportunity to meet the artists who created the work, offering a personal insight into the process. Each month features a special exhibition highlighting member artist(s). The public is invited to the monthly opening receptions that celebrate the new installations and work, usually held the first Saturday of each month from 5 – 8 p.m.  In addition to monthly exhibitions, Archway also hosts a variety of demonstrations and monthly readings for local writers and authors, as well as a “Tea and Tour” program, providing visitors with a free artist-led tour of the current exhibition, followed by tea and refreshments.  With 30 artist-members, Archway Gallery is THE destination in the Houston area for affordable art directly from the artist. For more information, visit ArchwayGallery.com or call 713.522.2409. Like Archway Gallery on Facebook.