Sunday, April 27, 2008

DRAMA QUEENS


Nouvella by Chris Malone, soft sculpture / Teddy Bears Picnic by Shelley Laffal, oil on canvas

Shelley Laffal / Chris Malone
May 2 - June 1, 2008

Reception: Friday May 2, 6-9pm & Saturday, May 3, 3-6pm

Fantasy and phantasmagoria run through this exhibition featuring the dramatic work of two unique artists, exploring and expressing their mystical selves. Shelley Laffal and Chris Malone, the former a long-time Zenith artist and the other, new to the gallery, make a fine pairing in this imaginative show that will grab your attention even before you walk through the door.

In her new work, Shelley Laffal has painted Drama Queen portraits with her vibrant color and trademark heat, mixing beauty and irony with the darker side. A Washington native, Laffal has been featured in 13 solo and group shows at Zenith since 1988, exhibiting her paintings and sculptures in themed food shows, Humor shows, Anniversary shows, Gallery Artists shows and other exhibitions. An artist of intensity, she has shown her work in galleries in the Mid-Atlantic region, Florida, Illinois and New Mexico, and placed them in private collections in the Washington metropolitan area and beyond.

As for Chris Malone, his endearing, animated large-scale African and New Guinean soft-sculpture creatures’ eyes twinkle and bodies dazzle, all decorated with beads and exotic material. Raised in Ohio, Malone moved from Boston to Washington in 1992 to work at the National Zoo where he cared for the giant pandas Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling. Serendipity, talent and a life-long fascination that started with doll-making soon led this self-taught artist into the art world and since then his pieces have been featured in galleries in New York, New Orleans, Baltimore and our area, and in private collections.


Zenith Gallery
202-783-2963
www.zenithgallery.com
art@zenithgallery.com

413 Seventh Street NW,
Washington DC 20004

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