Laura Buchan & Rosalie Whitney
March 28-April 23

Laura Buchan carves remarkable sculptures from wood.
She draw from a variety of animal and insect forms, varying from carcasses, skeletal structures, specimens, and creatures such as bats that carry a stigma of fear and horror. “These subjects interest me particularly because of the strong responses they illicit from people. Reactions, whether internal or external, can include an instantaneous, subconscious recoiling, shuddering, disgust, and for some, fear. By specifically choosing to work with subjects that cause responses like this, I am addressing how humans often react to one another within specific contexts, as well as encouraging the viewer to see them with a new perspective. “By recreating these subjects in wood, abstracting, altering, and combining various anatomical shapes, she transform them from something traditionally seen as grotesque and ominous into a new beautiful form. “While I am not trying to eradicate that initial response completely, I am attempting to move the viewer beyond it", says Laura.  

Pictured:  "Araneid" carved wood

Rosalie Whitney medium is oil on canvas.  She works almost exclusively with the model.  “I am most strongly inspired by the Impressionists, Henri Matisse and Gustav Klimpt.  My favorite subjects are the human figure, which I capture on film in various moments of the lives they are living.”
Using the photograph as an idea, she applies pigments in layers of dots producing a rich and vibrant, almost textured, surface, in an attempt to express the depth, essence and beauty of the subject.  “Pure beauty and form as well as aspects of the individual that are beyond the material and cannot be perceived by the five senses are what inspire the voice within me. In my work, I strive for vibrancy and balance, I want my paintings to sing, to shine, to uplift and evoke pleasure from anyone whose attention it has attracted.”

Pictured: "Dancer II" painting

Here's some images from the show: