This holiday season, RJD Gallery celebrates the gift of art with a new group exhibition featuring work by some of the gallery’s most recognized artists. The show, Sharing Art Lights Up Your World, will be on view December 2 through 31 and includes both original paintings and limited-edition prints. There will be work on view by Emily Copeland, Aneka Ingold, Alexander Klingspor, Geoffrey Laurence, Tor-Arne Moen, Rachel Moseley, Carrie Pearce and Daniela Werneck.Daniela Werneck, Sound of Home, watercolor on panel, 6 x 6"

Pearce’s painting Super Nova, which will be available, is about fulfilling dreams. “This centaur figure has long represented man and nature,” the artist says. “It is human nature to have a boyhood dream. The boy is dressed in a Napoleonic military suit ready to conquer anyone who gets in his way, like the small police figure, holding his hand up, at the bottom of the painting. For centuries, the horse has assisted humans in plowing new fields, pioneering across the country, and riding into battles and war. This boy needs the help of his horse to fulfill his dream. Through hard work, determination and help from others, anyone can fulfill a dream and become a supernova. The dream could be anything—I like people to fill in the blanks.”Carrie Pearce, Super Nova, oil on panel, 24 x 18"

There will be several works by Copeland, who creates drawings of any number of objects silhouetted against a white background. Among the pieces is Columbia Bowling Ball, which she says, “was focused around challenging myself with the most difficult reflection and texture layers that I have yet attempted. It is the only piece I have ever needed to walk away from and then come back after thinking about how to approach the process.Emily Copeland, Columbia Bowling Ball, charcoal on Stonehenge paper, 12½ x 22½"

“Within the composition is the bowling ball texture along with its imperfections, scratches and dents, the galaxy gradient layered on top, the mirror reflection along with the lighting,” Copeland continues. “This was the most complex technical piece I have worked on, and I’m beyond grateful for the inspiration to fulfill the vision.”Rachel Moseley, He’s Never Touched Dirt and He’s Never Been Hurt, oil on wood panel, 24 x 24"

Werneck’s Sound of Home is a figurative work that is reflective of the natural world. “I was born and raised in a tropical country in a city surrounded by the Atlantic Forest where birdsong is constant,” the artist says. “On the last visit I made to Rio de Janeiro I was very impressed with such wealth, as it had been a decade since I had visited my hometown in the summer. The birdsong starts very early, at dawn, and goes on until the end of the day, enveloping you in beauty. My painting Sound of Home is one of the paintings I made that represents the sound of this beautiful nature that surrounds us and that we sometimes forget—the sound of life. The divine sound that makes us happy with the calm of feeling at home.”Tor-Arne Moen, Change of Weather, egg oil tempera on canvas, 51.1 x 35.4"

Tor-Arne Moen, Encounter in the Woods, egg oil tempera on canvas, 39.3 x 39.3"

Berlin, a painting by Laurence, is about time and memory. Laurence explains, “When I first thought about my painting Berlin, I was studying the Weimar period between the two world wars. It was an exciting time of cabaret, free social and sexual mores and acceptance of LGBT gender way ahead of its time. I imagined my grandparents who lived in the city being young and exploring the Berlin scene. An art renaissance had been taking place across Europe and I believe it has never fully recovered artistically from what might have continued in the creative arts. The creative flow was broken, especially for Jewish artists. I imagined a woman, perhaps my grandmother before she was married, going out on the town in the evening with her feather boa and pink pearls and provocatively wearing a shiny top hat. As the artistic zeitgeist of the period was completely destroyed by the Nazis, I decided on the simple and vibrant solution of using flames in the middle ground and a female skull from my bone collection.” Geoffrey Laurence, Berlin, oil on canvas, 28 x 22"In the background of the painting are the faces of a popular cabaret act from the era, The Rocky Twins, who performed with stars like Mistinguett and the early Marlene Dietrich. They are painted in monotone purples to complement the orange flames.

Two skiing paintings by Moen, Change of Weather and Encounter in the Woods, will be featured. “It is a widely used saying in Norway that Norwegians are born with skis on their feet. That is of course an exaggeration, but what is true is that most Norwegians enjoy ski sports. I myself live in Telemark, which is considered the cradle of skiing, due to, among other things, Sondre Nordheim (1825-1897), who is considered the founder of modern skiing. He developed skis, poles and bindings and new ways to use the skis. He emigrated to the United States and took his skis with him. Sondre Norheim is honored with his own statue in the town of Minot in North Dakota, where he lived,” says the artist. “I, who have used old photos as references and inspiration for many of my series of paintings, have looked through quite a few family albums, and I have yet to see one without photos of happy people on skis. In my retrospective paintings, I have been charmed by skiers in the ’50s—the equipment, the clothing and more importantly people’s attitudes.”Alexander Klingspor, Cult of Delusion, limited edition hand signed print, 54 x 60½"

Sharing Art Lights Up Your World is timely for the season with gallery director Joi Jackson Perle saying, “Art, like the holidays, bathes us in the bright light of happiness and positivity, while we are with those we love. Giving art is the act of sharing a moment—captured on the canvas—that lasts a lifetime for both the giver and the receiver.” —

RJD Gallery
227 N. Main Street • Romeo, MI 48065
(586) 281-3613 • www.rjdgallery.com 

Powered by Froala Editor