“REFLECTIONS”

Syracuse, NY – June 1, 2009 – In works displayed in the next feature exhibition at Delavan Art Gallery, three artists reflect on life happenings, while the fourth one shies away from trying to interject meaning into her finished pieces because, in her words, “it scares” her.

“Reflections,” celebrating artists Deborah Walsh, Marna Bell, Carol Osbourne-Ackles and Mary Lou Colgin, opens at Delavan Art Gallery Thursday, June 25 with a reception that night from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm. The show remains up through August 1.

Deborah Walsh says she is intrigued by the way light and color fall upon objects, defining them and creating bouncing reflections of pattern. Her work mostly begins with her own color photographs taken to collect and record information, then progresses to painting the subject freehand in a fluid and open-ended process that manipulates, alters and heightens the impressions of color and light. Motorcycles and classic automobiles, with their expanse of shiny chrome and intense colors are recurring subjects. Car and motorcycle shows provide Walsh with plenty of raw material, and she feels that the emotional impact that these subjects have on American culture is what draws viewers to appreciate her work.

Marna Bell‘s images evolve from reclaimed visions of submerged past experiences, resulting from childhood amnesia that left her with huge voids in early year memories. The artist poignantly says she is able to get glimpses of that loss by retracing her history through her photography. Examples of these acts of recovery are seen in Bell’s first Brooklyn Series, “Brighton Beach: Little Russia by the Sea,” a period of retrospect that she claims brought back ‘visceral memories’ of time spent with her family. And, in her most recent series, “Coney Island on My Mind,” actually photographed last September at the New York State Fair, Bell found an atmospheric connection to the Coney Island Amusement park of years past and the time spent there with her father, riding on the merry-go-round trying to catch the brass ring.

Carol Osbourne-Ackles produces art as a spiritual process and force that becomes of ‘paramount importance’ to her. She says, “For years, I have explored What, Why and How man creates, doing so with increasing intrigue and challenge concerning the relationships between man as creator, and man and his Creator. She adds that her evolution as artist has been moving from expressing her spiritual journey through painting and experiencing that journey through the earth, the air, the water and the fire. The artist likes to think of her sculptural works in clay, stoneware and mixed-media “not only as deepening and enhancing my own mindfulness of my Maker, but also as statements of spirit taking form in ways that invite the viewer to join in the magnificent creative celebration that is Life.”

Walsh, Bell and Osbourne-Ackles ply their talents with a specific focus in mind. Not so for Mary Lou Colgin, the fourth artist in this particular show. Colgin, a self-described ‘late bloomer’ to her craft, reveals that she doesn’t look for meaning in her work. She says, “I don’t know where it comes from and don’t really care. Whatever comes out comes out. It’s kind of wild.” When open to viewers’ comments about her work, Colgin asks herself, “Is this really me?” She adds, “Reflecting on my art scares me.” A writer, publisher, teacher and storyteller, Colgin entered the art world as silversmith and enamellist. Her works in collage, water-media, charcoal and oil stick attest to her interest in intuitive and gestural painting. She says that she rarely begins with an idea but instead starts with a line or shape that nudges her on to conclusion. And if the piece turns out to be ‘fence art,’ Colgin includes the grommets for easy installation.

“PRICE CHECK: SYRACUSE,”

Syracuse NY, June 2, 2009 – On Thursday, June 25, “Price Check: Syracuse” is due to open in Delavan Art Gallery’s Wild Card space where something different typically happens to give the public another perspective in its appreciation of art.

“Price Check: Syracuse” is an interactive curatorial exhibition organized by two former staffers at the Delavan, Courtney Rile and Roslyn Esperon, for a research project that examines the variations of the visual art market based upon geographic proximity to a major art center. Research focuses on the state of New York where the art market ranges vastly from the urban art hub of New York City to the neighboring art town of Beacon, and more distinctly, to the post-industrial city of Syracuse where the exhibition debuts at the Delavan before traveling next to Beacon and then culminating in the fall in NYC.

The interactive part of the exhibition involves the concept of how artists might adjust their pricing depending on the competitive environment, such as an upstate-based artist doing a mark-up to compete in New York City, while an artist from the City finds it necessary to drop pricing in order to sell at an upstate venue. Rile and Esperon hope to determine how the price of artwork directly relates to the geographic location of the sale by installing an exhibition silent bidding process that invites viewers to price the show’s works for sale, indicating what the market trend is for that particular locale. Additionally, each of the works will have a selected price determined by a professional dealer or gallery owner in each of the three locations.

Rile and Esperon say art selected for the exhibition centers on an abstract, organic ephemeral aesthetic and includes a range of media from watercolor, painting to digital art. For the Syracuse show, results of public pricing will be disclosed with announcement of the winning bidders on July 11, following a discussion period beginning at 3:00 pm.

“Price Check: Syracuse” organizers Rile and Esperon both have a track record of notable achievements in their contributions to the Syracuse art community. They worked together at Delavan Art Gallery over the course of several years, Esperon first as an intern, and then in 2007, as Assistant Gallery Manager. Rile joined the staff in 2006 as Gallery Coordinator, later becoming Marketing and PR Coordinator. Currently, Rile continues to work in both the visual and media arts as an exhibition coordinator, curator, journalist, marketer, photographer and video editor for various projects. Esperon is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Visual Art Administration at New York University where she was recently awarded an NYU Dean’s Grant for student research to fund the Price Check project. The grant provides the duo organizers a second opportunity to collaborate on an independent project that follows the success of their Contemporary Gallery, opened in downtown Syracuse for a brief run last summer. For further information on this latest endeavor, visit their web site: http://PriceCheckNY.wordpress.com.

“Price Check: Syracuse” shares the June 25 opening with the opening of Delavan Art Gallery’s featured exhibition, “Reflections” that celebrates artists Deborah Walsh, Marna Bell, Carol Osbourne Ackles and Mary Lou Collgin.

Delavan Art Gallery is a 3,800 square foot showcase and sales venue for fine art created by area artists. Conveniently located in downtown Syracuse at 501 West Fayette St., just a block beyond Armory Square, the gallery is free and open to the public. Off-street parking is available and the gallery is handicapped accessible. Regular Gallery hours are Thursdays and Fridays from noon – 6:00 pm, Saturdays from
10:00 am – 4:00 pm and at other times by appointment.