EXPERIENCE THE HARMONY OF ART THROUGHOUT PARK CITY
Research reveals many reasons why humans are so innately drawn to balance—it signals an embracing sense of wholeness, along with a satisfying form of completeness to our brains. Even newborn babies are immediately drawn to symmetry in both faces and objects as they learn to focus their gaze. In our modern divided world, art can fill a craving for reprieve in our ongoing search for unity and relief from chaos.
Finding Your Center of Gravity
In art and science, gravity becomes a powerful force that attracts our eyes and attention toward a mystical center, making a welcomed state of balance achievable.
MATT DEVINE
Julie Nester Gallery
Achieving balance is absolutely central to Devine’s work on both a practical and artistic level. Each intricate sculpture must rely on his expertise with the dynamic principles of gravity to both literally and figuratively stand up. He has spent years refining his process of welding, cutting and forming all types of metal including steel, stainless steel, aluminum and bronze, often mysteriously making the metals appear as light as paper, while still retaining their strength to support the weight of his mesmerizing sculptures. He has described his artistic desire as wanting to “contain chaos while pushing out the discord of our information-saturated culture.” Demonstrating a mastery of form, intertwined with his spectacular sense of spaces and shapes, Devine’s work presents an excellent example of the stability and harmony that a balanced, symmetrical form can achieve. According to Devine, “There’s a balance I’m trying to achieve in every single piece—I’m trying to make these heavy industrial metals appear weightless…or like they could almost have been blown in the wind or stuck together by happenstance.”
CHRIS BROWN
Trove Gallery
Brown’s landscapes present an ideal opportunity to experience the soothing power and mystical beauty of balance and symmetry in art. The mirroring effect of his striking depiction of trees is simultaneously stunning and blissfully peaceful. His skillful use of line, form, space and especially value delivers a pensive, dreamy feel to his work. Brown explains, “When I start to draw, I have already spent a lot of time exploring my subject, whether it be a barn, chapel or snowy river canyon. I have noticed many details, touched every piece of wood, and stubbed out pencil after pencil to bring depth, dimension and atmosphere to the scene. For me, every drawing is an adventure starting with the first mark and finishing several thousand marks later with a complete view.”
Understanding the Role of Tension
Tension carries the power of excitement and movement, allowing passionate objects to seek and find their desired state of balance.
HEATHER BLANTON
J GO Gallery
She’s often aptly described as capturing the dynamic, electric spirit of the human condition. Blanton’s “Sports” series features engaging, almost hypnotic groups of skiers, surfers, football players, golfers and cyclists. Crystallographic balance is defined as a captivating state where objects can appear scattered or even disordered, yet instead create a relieving sense of harmony within an organized chaos. Blanton’s work uses the buzzing energy of this type of balance to draw you into her captivating, action-packed scenes. Her intriguing use of line, shape and space alongside vivid, acrylic color make the athletes in her paintings appear positioned and ready to jump right off from their canvases. Blanton has described her desire to portray both individuality and team spirit, excitement and alienation, along with speed and endurance through her hundreds of images and paintings.
LAURA WAIT
Gallery MAR
“My work is an affirmation of the human spirit and the mark of the hand,” explains Wait. “In our modern world, the influences of the computer are everywhere. Handwriting is an antidote to that and connects strongly with people today.” Influenced by her experience as a bookbinder and also a book artist, her techniques are inspired by her expertise and history with paper, mono-printing, collagraphs, calligraphy and paste painting. Often beginning with paper attached to her first layer on a canvas, she then follows up with layers upon more gorgeous layers of expressive paint and imagery. Combining her skillful use of line, form, color and dramatic texture, Wait creates reflective images vibrating with energy and exploration. Her art language uses words and letters to create marks and symbols that all combine to provide a complex and fascinating sense of balance.
Supporting the Balancing Point
To maintain balance, an object’s center of gravity must remain supported.
CHAD BARKSDALE
Mountain Trails Gallery
Barksdale describes his early background as being raised in a household of artists where he was exposed at a young age to the visual vocabulary of shape and color, as well as its potential intuitive psychological impact. Communicating his desire to bring his viewers along on the journey, he said, “When you look at one of my drawings, I want you to escape into the world I’ve created, hearing the creaking of a rustic door, or a startled pigeon in the rafters, or perhaps just the peaceful dusty smell of days gone by. With my landscapes I enjoy creating a place for your eyes to take a walk down the river, or fence line to a distant grove of trees or quiet place to sit and take it all in.”
The ability of objects to appear as uniformly radiating from a central axis is a principle seen throughout the natural world as with flowers, spirals and snowflakes, also known as radial balance. While drawing the eye to the center, it also creates movement and momentum. With vivid, realistic color, texture and value, Barksdale’s paintings often provide viewers not only great examples of radial balance, but also a glimpse into his genuine affection for the land he depicts.
DONALD YATOMI
A Gallery/Allen + Alan Fine Art
Demonstrating his deep love for contemporary realism and urban themes, Yatomi discovers captivating charm in all sorts of unexpected places. From such diverse subjects as a series named “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” to “Arcades” and “Laundromats,” Yatomi captures the essence of the raw and transforms them through his brilliant use of color, mystifying texture, form and value—all serving to bring beauty and balance to places where it was once hard to imagine. His luscious oil strokes can often be seen in intriguing paintings demonstrating an asymmetrical type of balance, meaning the visual weight on its sides are purposely not equal, but perfectly complement each other, generating a reassuring balance and immense appeal in the once unappealing.
Following Nature’s Example
One of the reasons we are so attracted to balance and symmetry is because we are born into a natural world abundantly overflowing in it.
WILLIAM KRANSTOVER
William J. Kranstover Fine Art Gallery
Sitting right off the road, just minutes from the breathtaking Rockport Reservoir in Peoa, Utah is Kranstover’s studio gallery, surrounded by nature’s magnificence in its full glory. Well worth the short 14-mile drive from Park City and giving new meaning to the phrase “open door policy”, you’ll also find a charming general store, and likely Kranstover with his studio doors wide open creating his latest work. With a delightfully whimsical use of bright, brilliant color, Kranstover’s construction of symmetry and balance pulls you right into the dynamic atmosphere he creates. Patterns of appealing, rich texture and a sense of energetic movement also serve to draw you into his mutually refreshing and stimulating paintings.
LUIS SOTTIL
Thomas Anthony Gallery
His fascinating process involves an art form called “Naturalismo” representing art that is alive, vibrant and inquisitive. He considers his paintings an instinctive extension of himself and his affection and appreciation for the natural environment of his birth. His childhood in Tampico, Mexico was surrounded by the beauty and richness of his native country’s lush tropical interior. Full of energy and luminous color, each of his dazzling paintings demonstrates a profound respect for the subjects they depict, as well as the inherent narrative of balance within the natural world they characterize. His paintings also exhibit exquisite symmetry and an exciting combination of form, color and pattern. After a rich coat of gold leaf, the second layer on his paintings makes use of natural pigments from the land’s rich natural resources. Some of the sources he uses most include vegetable roots, mother of pearl, minerals and the rare cochinilla beetle shell found only in the tropical, high-altitude areas of Mexico.
In our quest for balance in a complex world, art provides a peaceful resting stop for our overworked eyes and mind, as well as opportunity for enticing wonder. Take a moment in Park City to breathe in the wonders of our natural environment along with the diverse array of artistic talent on display. In and around Park City, our outstanding assortment of art galleries continues to draw both national and international attention alike.
