Studio Montclair presents “Dreams & Archetypes” to run from July 26 through September 20, 2018, at the Studio Montclair Incubator at Academy Square Galleries, 33 Plymouth Street, Montclair, NJ. An opening reception will take place Thursday, July 26, 2018, from 6 to 9 pm.
Studio Montclair Incubator at Academy Square Galleries
33 Plymouth Street,
Montclair, NJ 07042
HOURS:
Monday to Friday 7am – 7pm
Studio Montclair’s Incubator Program, directed by Kathryn Waggener McGuire and Lisa Diamond Rosenthal, seeks to mentor new and emerging artists and provide them with a space for what is often their first solo or small group show exhibit.
In “Dreams and Archetypes,” the Studio Montclair Incubator at Academy Square Galleries presents work by two local artists, Jorge Larrea and Jamie Samul, whose art expresses archetypal forms and symbolic images, inviting viewers to explore their own conscious and unconscious experiences.
The works in the exhibition reflect the words of thirteenth-century German theologian, philosopher and mystic Meister Eckhart: “When the soul wants to experience something, she throws out an image in front of her and then steps into it.” Certain symbolic images have recurred in artwork created by human cultures throughout time— the rock as permanence and strength, the flower as spring and rebirth, breath and wind as life force, fish as sustenance and bounty— cementing themselves as archetypes, revealing a universally human psychology.
Larrea’s large charcoal drawings use elemental lines and connections to explore his innermost psychic imagery. The resulting drawings of monumental root-like structures evoke, in his words, “visceral, emotional, and abstract interpretations.” Larrea’s forms mirror both the complexity of the natural world and the landscape of human psychology. These symbols suggest a deeper connection between biological forms and universal archetypes such as those detailed by Swiss philosopher and psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung in his studies of the collective unconscious.
Jamie Samul’s energy-infused paintings provide a powerful artistic and psychological counterpoint to Larrea’s methodical lines. A discourse “between chaos and consciousness,” her work pulls personal images, colors, and sensations from her own dreamscape, yet are rendered with a such a vigor and intensity that “the work itself becomes a portal for dialogue.” Samul’s unplanned process reflects the organic unfolding of human experience, giving the artist and the viewer access to “truths that words cannot express.”
Participating Artists: Jorge Larrea, Jamie Samul
Jorge Larrea was born in Quito, Ecuador, in 1967, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 22, after two years of theological studies. He obtained a BA in Fine Arts and Art History from Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, and a few years later an MA in Education. He is now an adjunct lecturer in the Fine Arts Department at Saint Peter’s University, and a full-time art teacher at Northeast School in Montclair, NJ. He has exhibited his artwork in group shows in New Jersey and New York for the last 20 years.
Jamie Samul began painting 15 years ago after previous careers in telecommunications and real estate. She graduated from Monmouth University and received her BA in Psychology. She has exhibited her work in New Jersey and New York.
CURATORS
Directors Kathryn Waggener McGuire and Lisa Diamond Rosenthal; Guest Mentor Gayle Mahoney
Kathryn Waggener McGuire is a painter, art historian, museum educator, and host of the Montclair Figure Drawing Group. She moved to Montclair after working with special exhibitions in the Education department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art for many years and completing her Master’s degree in Museum Education and Historical Research at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has since written and curated extensively on American Artist A.B. Jackson, and focused on developing programs for museum audiences with Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
Lisa Diamond Rosenthal is a painter and sculptor. She is also the former owner of Montclair’s Nandi School of Art, a local art hub where she employed more than 20 area artists and art teachers to support year-round classes in painting, ceramics, fiber arts, animé, and sewing. Each year, Lisa assists various non-profits by facilitating acquisitions and curating large-gallery art shows for fundraisers. She was recognized by U.S. Congressman Bill Pascrell and the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA) for raising significant funds for NJCASA’s crisis hotline for women through Montclair’s Rock ‘n’ Art Ball, an event she spearheaded, developed, and oversaw. A graduate of Cornell University, Lisa now owns and operates a life-and-health coaching business in Little Falls, N.J.
Gayle Mahoney is a professional artist and art business advisor who works with individual artists, museums, galleries and arts nonprofits to increase their revenue through art sales, grants and other fundraising efforts. She was formerly a creative director in advertising, creating ad campaigns for many Fortune 500 companies including Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Subway Restaurants, Target and Walmart. Mahoney studied art at San Francisco State University and graduated from Skidmore College with a degree in “Art in Society.”