College of Southern Nevada professor and artist Sean Russell displays photo-transfers of flowers in playful reference to the word "folly." Russell’s photographic transfers of flowers merge nature and technology; imparting a translucent, flawed, yet ethereal quality.
Artist Statement:
The impetus for this exhibition comes from the term “Folly”, which architecturally speaking, refers to something that is often non-functional, constructed for decoration, sometimes strange and playful, but suggests a certain aesthetic or trope from history. As a predominantly two-dimensional artist, I have always wanted to play with that term and loosely translate it to something more my format. For the past few years, armed with a backyard full of random flowers and the camera in my iPhone, I have been snapping pictures of these blossoms whenever I see an interesting bloom, or the sunlight is at my advantage. The pictures are gathered somewhere in the cloud, and I manipulate and edit them to fit my purpose. After being printed by my not-so-trusty home laser printer or at the local FedEx Kinkos, the images are transferred on to prepared and painted wood panels and subjected to various resins, sealers, and stains. Hopefully, in the end, these images exist as decoration and ornamentation, are lighthearted and whimsical, and perhaps conjure something greater in the mind of the viewer. –Sean Russell
Sean Russell earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in 2005 from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. That year he was awarded the prestigious Joan Mitchell Grant for Painters and Sculptors based on the body of work presented in his graduate thesis exhibition. Since that time, Sean has taught courses in painting, drawing, design, and art history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the College of Southern Nevada, and Nevada State College. In early 2010, The College of Southern Nevada hired Sean as a tenure-track instructor of art history, where he currently works as a Professor and Assistant Department Chair. In addition to teaching, Sean has taken part in numerous local and national art exhibitions. Sean has also completed public artwork for the Las Vegas Centennial Mural project, various Clark County Zap projects, the Regional Transportation Commission’s Stop and Glow Bus Stop Design project, and created a collection of paintings for the new Las Vegas City Hall. Recently Sean’s work was included in the Bullfrog Biennial at the Red Barn Art Center, in Beatty, NV and Sean was awarded a 2020 Nevada Arts Council Project Grant for an upcoming exhibition. Sean Russell currently lives and works in Las Vegas, NV.
http://www.seandavidrussell.com/
On exhibit at East Las Vegas Library from April 20, 2021 through June 29, 2021
Monday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Tuesday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Wednesday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Thursday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Friday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM
Saturday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM
Sunday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM
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