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The Forest & The City
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Two parts of our world often
thought of as opposites find themselves inter-connected in this
exhibition. The influence of growing up in Chicago is
evident in the cityscapes, but moving to Grand Rapids has given
me an appreciation for the beauty and fragility of our wooded
surroundings in West Michigan. The exhibition entitled
Between the Forest and the City explores how nature is
increasingly forgotten in the midst of our modern world. The
paintings have either a landscape or a cityscape theme intended to
contrast each other with their natural or urban inspiration. The
forest remains timeless and central, yet still provides for us a sense
of rebirth and hope for the future, and the city represents both modern
hopes for some, and problems of our society for others. Like the title
of the show Between the Forest and the City some of my work
displays a more otherworldly view between these two extremes.
I often include poems I have written,
or phrases into my paintings. Using image and text
together is a method that is very modern as well as very old.
I explore
how today’s commercial images and objects mingle with traditional
forms, from an austere and natural intent to a fresher approach
for my content driven work.
© 2007 Curtis Frillmann
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