City Gallery Present PRAXIS: An Exhibition of Clay Sculpture, Collage, and Paintings

[Jen Payne]

Featuring the work of Roberta Friedman, Joyce Greenfield, Sheila Kaczmarek, Kathy Kane

 

By definition, Praxis means “the process by which a theory, lesson or skill is enacted, embodied, realized, applied, or put into practice.” It is the act of engaging, applying, exercising, realizing, or practicing ideas. In City Gallery’s July show, artists Roberta Friedman, Joyce Greenfield, Sheila Kaczmarek, and Kathy Kane share the theories, lessons, and skills they each use in their work, which encompass a wide range of styles, materials, and applications. PRAXIS will be on view at City Gallery from July 5 – July 28, with a Closing Reception on Sunday, July 28, 2-4pm.

 

Of her work in this show, Bobbi Friedman explains: “There are always new discoveries and ways to play with light and textures. The spontaneity of the printing process on a hot surface, the vibrancy of encaustic wax paints, and the richness of oil pigments and cold wax produce a cacophony of color and expression.”

 

Painter Joyce Greenfield relies on the practice of observation for her work. “I spend time observing elements in live intense sessions of looking at my subjects in person, and in sketches, videos and photographs.”

 

For painter Kathy Kane, inspiration often comes from bright colors and the use of unconventional tools, while painter and clay sculptor Sheila Kaczmarek’s finds hers in an ever-present fascination with nature and its fantastic and other worldly forms. “I try to present a doorway through which the viewer is invited to enter and come away with some questions and new way of looking at life.”

 

PRAXIS is an opportunity to see the work of these four distinct artists and to learn more about their approaches to and practice of art. The exhibit is free and open to the public. It runs July 5 – July 28, with a Closing Reception on Sunday, July 28, 2-4pm. City Gallery is located at 994 State Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Gallery hours are Friday - Sunday, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m., or by appointment. City Gallery follows New Haven City’s mask mandate policy. For further information please contact City Gallery, [e-mail], www.city-gallery.org.