Date:
9/27/2011
Contact: Wendel Sloan at 575.562.2253
PORTALES — Runnels Gallery in Golden Library at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales will host a free solo exhibition, "Sleeping in the Forest, Waking in the Desert," by Jessie Dodington beginning Tuesday, Oct. 4 through Friday, Oct. 28 during normal library hours (call 575-562-2624 for hours).
A reception will be from 5-6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28 in Runnels Gallery.
Dodington has been making art since she was young. "I think I may simply be a complete addict," she said. "When I'm engaged in making art or producing something creative, the troublesome parts of living gets set aside and I am the most happy."
The artist was born and raised in southern Ontario, Canada. She spent the last eight years in Sackville, New Brunswick, where she earned a bachelor of fine arts at Mount Allison University. Then the painting and photography major moved to Portales last December to join her husband. According to Dodington, she familiarized herself with New Mexico by producing landscapes "en plein air" (outdoors).
"I've always been an outdoor-oriented person, so it makes sense to me that I'm really influenced by my outdoor/natural surroundings," she said.
Some of the paintings in this show, Dodington explains, describe the sense of comfort one can get in a certain environment. "Creating them was a way for me to voice my longing for the climate and landscape I missed — a lush, wooded one," she said. The other paintings describe my discoveries in my new surroundings.
All of the paintings for this exhibit have been created since her arrival in Portales.
"I think in another year each group of paintings, forest and desert, could have been developed into their own shows," said Dodington. "However, by exhibiting them now as one body, I reveal the transition I've been going through and the show is possibly more interesting for the viewers."
The exhibit will include a selection of still lives and floral pieces as a bit of dessert for viewers as they leave the gallery. "I thought I'd provide a little taste of something different to exemplify how I work on many different themes/subjects at a time," said the artist.
"Many people in the community have relocated to Portales from somewhere else in the country or further abroad and I hope they'll find something to relate to in my expression of my own experience. Those who have lived here their whole lives may enjoy seeing the contrast of the place I just came from," said Dodington.
To view more artwork or contact Dodington visit her website http://Dodington.ca, or follow her blog at http://Dodington.wordpress.com.
For more information, call Bryan Hahn at 575.562.2778.