Destry Sparks
Everything has a Purpose
February 25 - March 20, 2011
Everything has a Purpose
February 25 - March 20, 2011
Opening Reception: Friday, Feb. 25, 7-10 pm
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Richmond, VA
There Is a Path, Destry Sparks, 30” x 40”
Painter Destry Sparks unveils his largest solo exhibition to
date this month at Art Works Studios & Galleries in Richmond, VA. About 25 of his contemporary mixed media
works will fill the spacious Jane Sandelin Gallery at Art Works, a venerable
institution on the Richmond art scene. The opening
reception is Friday, February 25 from 7-10 pm. The show runs through March 20.
Sparks attaches worn found objects to rough surfaces
including burlap, window screens and wood pallets. This creates a quite visceral effect atypical
of the traditional flat plane. The
objects are usually made of a mix of natural (crushed pine cones, sticks, wood,
etc) and manufactured (plastic bottle caps, wires, rusted mechanical parts,
etc) materials. While all of the things
at hand share the effects of use and aging, their dire state of existence is offset
by optimistic titles and scenarios suggesting an ultimately better end.
Sparks cites a diverse range of influences from modern
masters Paul Klee, & Joan Miro to leading contemporary figures led by
Anselm Kiefer & Gregory Amenoff.
American outsider artists hold equal sway as well, alongside traditional
African & Aboriginal craftsmen. The
French art brut pioneer Jean Dubuffet is key as well, with his insistence on
developing a kind of raw intuitive visual aesthetic.
It’s a busy year for the Greenville, NC artist with solo
exhibitions also scheduled in Charlotte, Miami & New York. For more information about his work as a
painter & curator, visit his site at www.destrysparks.com.
Sparks 2009 mixed media on burlap painting, There Is a Path,
was selected for the National Collage Society’s 25th Annual Exhibit
at Mason Murer Fine Art in Atlanta, GA.
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