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Weird Specialty Studio is delighted to present its summer exhibition 'Upon Further Reflection' with contemporary painter Laura Naples and multidisciplinary artist John Born.

ARTISTS STATEMENT’S

Laura Naples:

My work stems from my experiences of wonder in the natural world. Painting diluted color washes reflects my fascination with the behavioral properties of both water and gravity. Attuned to these forces, I knew that the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 would captivate my curiosity. 

Painting is one way that I learn to work with both fears and illuminations. Through observation, journaling, and meditation - and, ultimately, making something from nothing - I remember my intentions: love, curiosity, and connection.

I watched the sun obscured in totality, and noted with awe that we are composed of the same elements as the stars - and similarly capable of transformation. We embody the same divinely intelligent energy that moved the earth, sun, and moon into perfect alignment. And we contend with shadows that can bring us into or out of alignment with our higher purposes. 

Reflecting on past work, I decided to further emphasize principles that formed its core essence: spirals, petals, ovals, orbs, and geometric angles; rhythmic lines and spaces; opposition of light and dark. I sketched shapes informed by the ceramic compositions of my co-exhibitor, John Born, that I later referenced while painting. I layered earth pigments, limewash, and plant-based medium into this foundation, consciously using only small amounts of acrylic in a practice that aims to be more considerate of its inspired source.

While purposeful in process, the meaning of the work was obscured until completion; then, I could see relationships and understand their connections. The titles of several works in this series referenced writings that particularly moved me during this creative season: Annie Dillard’s essay “Total Eclipse” and Ada Limón’s poem “In Praise of Mystery: a Poem for Europa.”

JOHN BORN:

My work often begins without any real intention beyond asking the question, “What would happen if?”. The meaning of the work is often buried in the subconscious and revealed through the action of making. Over the past few years, it has been an additive process, combining the leftover bits and pieces saved—sometimes for months—from the creation of other pieces. The process began as a way to create order out of what seemed like, and still seems to be, the continual chaos of contemporary life. It was both practical—less waste—and therapeutic.  

One of my favorite Instagram accounts is Black Liturgies by the wonderful poet and writer Cole Arthur Riley. Each post is a combination of quotes that concludes with a kind of grounding exercise. I found this one to be particularly appropriate relative to my own feelings about this body of work: INHALE The whole earth groans. EXHALE Art is resistance. 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Laura Naples IS AN ARTIST BASED IN Clevland, ohio.

Laura Naples’s gestural works in thin acrylic washes probe the space between dissonance and harmony. Laura’s selective application of color offers further investigation in opposition, examining dark and light, spectral tone and monochrome.

Poured marks punctuate graceful linear forms that are by turns deliberate and raw, patterned and variable. Intentional placement suggests a rhythm and offers the viewer a challenge to see connections.

john born IS AN ARTISTS BASED IN brooklyn, new york city.

John Born started Humble Matter in 2014 after escaping from the world of advertising—thanks to his amazing wife. Not a New York native, but definitely a transplant who’s taken hold, John has lived in Brooklyn since moving to New York in 1993.

Humble Matter is based out of Wedge Ceramics, a membership studio and wonderful community of ceramicists located on the reassuringly rough-and-tumble border between Clinton Hill and the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

• Posted In: Open to the Public

• Tagged: artopening, exhibition, opentoall