Artists Leigh Ann Van Fossan and James Van Fossan have been married for 13 years, have shared studio space and have constantly encouraged one another’s artwork, but until now they have never had an official gallery exhibition together. On March 25, Abend Gallery in Denver will open From Sea to Sky a duo for the artists that focuses on the light, atmosphere and beauty of the natural world.
Leigh Ann Van Fossan, The Answer, oil, 24 x 20"
Leigh Ann was born and raised in the mountains—living now in Colorado with James and their children—but she has always been pulled toward the ocean. “I dream about it, and crave it, and visit it whenever I can,” she says. “It holds a special power over me—it calls to me, and yet it terrifies me at the same time. I wanted this body of work to speak to the magnificence of the sea in coordination with the even more vast magnificence of the sky (captured in James’ works).”
Seascapes and beaches remain the subject of her paintings for this show, however there’s a technical focus that has captured Leigh Ann. “I’ve been able to really focus on my favorite aspects of those pieces; how the colors in the sky reflect in the water, how the boats in one piece relate to the boats in another, how man and nature interact harmoniously in these compositions,” she elaborates. “I really wanted to communicate ‘calm’ and ‘dreamlike’ in this body of work. I think we can all use a little more of that feeling these days.”
James Van Fossan, Sky 43, oil, 72"
Leigh Ann Van Fossan, Sweet Dreams, oil, 12 x 12"
Her paintings, such as Sweet Dreams and The Answer, have what she calls a “unique mood” and they exemplify the subtleties of light and color shifts that inspired the new work.
James has been painting skies for many years, but recently tried a looser approach. “I found that I am able to achieve the same levels of depth and movement (and sometimes even more now) if I relax my brushstrokes and play with the application more freely,” he says. “In this new body of work, I also dove into a ‘mixed media’ approach—adding some metallic leafing and charcoal sketching to some of the paintings.”
James Van Fossan, Sky 60, oil on board, 12 x 12"
In each of these paintings, James hopes the viewers “sense a new energy” and “feel the freedom I felt while painting them.”
The tondo Sky 43 has brilliance in color and light, but there’s a movement in the clouds that comes with James applying the paint in a new way. The large circle, he says, “creates a really exciting effect. It feels like you are laying down and looking up at a bright sky, and the clouds are moving.” A smaller work, titled Sky 60, is a mixed media piece that shows raw panel, charcoal mark making and his usual application of paint. It brings about the highly realistic details and emotion that he’s trying to elicit.
From Sea to Sky will be on view at the gallery through April 23. —
Abend Gallery
1261 Delaware Street, Suite 2 • Denver, CO 80204
(303) 355-0950 • www.abendgallery.com
Powered by Froala Editor
