STUDIO MONTCLAIR PRESENTS “IN DEFIANCE OF WINTER,” AN EXHIBITION VIA SMI’s INCUBATOR PROGRAM AT ACADEMY SQUARE GALLERIES,
33 PLYMOUTH STREET, MONTCLAIR, NJ 07042
December 6, 2018–February 7, 2019
Opening Reception: Thursday, December 6, 6-8pm
“In Defiance of Winter” presents work by three local artists, Madalina Blanton, Gigi Garcia, and Jade Alycia Webber, whose colorful aesthetics focus on the use of recycled and repurposed materials, nature, environmental positivity, and the transformational way mixed-media materials can elevate into fine-art objects.
Romanian-born artist and Reiki practitioner Madalina Blanton explores nature’s healing modalities through mandalas born from a practice of contemplation, nature, walks, meditation, and yoga. Her small-edition prints and unique artworks feature elements of photography, watercolor, and collage, all having received a bath of Reiki and sound vibrations prior to display. Unlike traditional, symmetrical mandalas, Blanton’s interpretation incorporates her own nature photography and watercolor, emphasizing the larger, less-considered aspects of the natural world within more complex compositions.
Collage artist and illustrator Gigi Garcia meticulously composes collages from hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of pieces of cut magazine paper. With careful consideration of color and texture, her tightly-rendered animals and naturescapes evoke a sense of tenderness and whimsy, all while manipulating recycled materials for a painterly result.
Montclair native Jade Alycia Webber pulls from her expertise in fashion design to create sustainable couture hats and handbags from natural, upcycled materials. Her covetable masterpieces incorporate fragments from nature, fusing her expression of Parisian street style with handmade etiquette to create wearable accessories that double as artwork.
Through interpreting and employing materials from the natural world, each of the local, female artists featured in “In Defiance of Winter” come together to create a visual respite from the cold, offering viewers an intimate conversation with both our environment and the creative minds that utilize it.
