Monday, September 26, 2011

Butterflies and space time, new art from gallery artists, and welcoming the new Parnassus Books to Nashville--It's all in a night's work...


The Art & Science of Space Time / Tony Breuer



Tony Breuer is returning to The Arts Company in October to present his new artistic commentary on the ways aesthetics and science intersect in space time, based on the leading physical theory of our time, the theory of relativity. This year, he has chosen the annual flight of the Monarch butterfly to demonstrate artistically through his paintings how time, light, and space move in and out of each other in the midst of the annual flight of a fragile but resilient insect.



Breuer's own artist statement about this exhibit sets the stage: "This series celebrates the Monarchs fluttering through spacetime on a wing and a prayer--a miracle--definitely a miracle," noting that "The Monarch butterfly undergoes a complete metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly capable of flying, with no training, within minutes of emerging from its chrysalis." Breuer's attraction to the beauty, fragility, and science of his subject prompted him as an artist to portray the fragile but powerful phenomenon of Monarch butterflies. The canvases in the exhibit offer a progression of studies of the intertwining shapes of physical movement and the movement of light that surrounds the butterflies in their flight.

This series of paintings are best viewed as they were created, in a series from one to eight, with two additional pieces focused on the same subject.



Tony Breuer began his professional life as a magna cum laude graduate at Princeton University, continuing his studies in neurological research at Oxford, and receiving his M.D. at Harvard Medical School. His medical career included the practice of medicine as well as research in neurology. For a few years he practiced medicine in Nashville. In the 1990s, he joined his scientific interests with his training in art, receiving a BA from the University of Southern Indiana in 1998, followed by an MFA in painting from East Carolina University in 2003. Since then, he has continued his medical practice while beginning to develop his style and technique as a painter. His paintings are devoted to his exploration of how two-dimensional paintings can represent some of the more complex multi-dimensional realities of the physical universe.

For years now, Tony has been transitioning from being a practicing neurologist to becoming a full-time practicing artist. Early next year, his time will be devoted fully to his artwork. he particularly enjoys talking about his work and what he hopes to achieve through his painting. Don't miss this opportunity to visit with this emerging artist.


Ann Patchett moves the Mount of Parnassus to Nashville

Friends of The Arts Company will know that new bookstores don't just pop up these days. It takes thought, courage, and commitment to the value of books themselves and to the role of books and reading in the life of a community. Within the last year, Nashville has lost all Border Books locations, plus the independent Davis-Kidd landmark store. Those losses, mixed with the recession, painted a bleak picture for the future of books in Nashville. However, instead of gloom and doom, a couple of folks saw an opportunity to put together a new book store concept designed by Nashvillians for Nashvillians.

Thinking mythically, they went to the higher reaches of mythology to brand their enterprise "Parnassus Books," after Mount Parnassus, a high mountain considered to be sacred by the ancient Greeks, a mountain associated with Apollo and the Muses, symbolizing poetry. Reaching high, they are bringing the mountain to Nashville.

Only famed Nashville-based writer Ann Patchett and her colleagues could pull off such a feat. Her total passion for writing and the inestimable value of books has prompted her to provide the primary financing for Nashville's forthcoming Parnassus Books. Tagged as "An Independent Book Store for Independent People," this new enterprise is making its debut against all odds of the shifting landscape of books and bookstores.

When Patchett and Karen Hayes, an experienced and savvy book professional, met and began to talk about what it would take to pull off a new approach to developing a book store, the gods were moving fast to keep up with them. Patchett made the initial financial commitment to support Hayes' business plan, and when they added another consummate book professional, Mary Grey James, as store manager, the new enterprise was on its way.

Lucky for guests of The Arts Company, the three of them will be at the gallery during the October First Saturday, October 1. Ann Patchett will sign her own books from 6-9 pm, and Karen and Mary Grey will be there to show off the plans and to recruit new Founding Members for the new store. Part of their new concept is an invitation to all Nashvillians to become founding members.

Ann and Karen and Mary Grey are bringing the heights of Mount Parnassus directly to us right here in our own city. And they are inviting us personally to participate in this new venture. Don't forget to thank them. Come join in to show your support for this enterprising new business.




And if that's not enough, the October First Saturday promises even more new artwork and more artists to meet...

Charles Keiger, painter



Charles Keiger's exhibit of his signature magical realism paintings in the exhibit Inside Out will continue through October 15. These paintings are polished, engaging, and deeply southern in their narrative feel and content. They are like reading the best Eudora Welty short stories in a visual incarnation. You will not want to miss seeing these gems. The images will linger in your mind....



Bernice Davidson, sculpture and painting



On rare occasion, we get new work from Bernice Davidson, as her time allows in addition to her responsibilities as head of the art department at Martin College. Armed with a master's degree in art from Yale, plus a long-time residency in Tennessee, she observes nature with a keen eye and wit. She will be presenting six new pieces from her mixed-media sculpture series, 4th Dimension Sculpture.



Edie Maney, painting



While Edie Maney does not regularly showcase her paintings at The Arts Company, we have asked her to share her series of Squares, groups of small, lively abstract paintings based on her travels and observations. They will capture your eyeballs on contact, but do not overlook the titles of each piece. Each one is an intentional abstraction of something she has seen. Her work is adventurous and exciting.



Judy Nebhut, photography



We first showcased Judy Nebhut's classy still life photographs just about a year ago. She has added a few new images to her collection that you will not want to miss. She creates a variety of still lifes using ingredients from marbles to sunflowers to stacks of books and paints them through her camera lens. On first look, you will swear you are looking at a painting. She has a style all her own, and she continues to hone it to perfection. There is a classic sense of joy in her work.

And that is a lot of what First Saturdays are like every month at The Arts Company--fresh, original, and contemporary....