MIRROR MIRROR Juried Exhibit
Caitlyn Shea, Juror
On view in our Main Street Gallery* 213 Main St. Huntington NY 11743 November 13, - December 2020.
Inspiration for the original call to artists.... "Speech is the twin of my vision, it is unequal to measure itself, it provokes forever, it says sarcastically, Walt you contain enough, why don't you let it out then?" - Walt Whitman, Song of Myself, Part 25 "What kind of mirror does your artwork hold up to the world? During times of reflection is it a full length, vanity, compact, or a funhouse mirror containing many multitudes? Maybe it is more of a looking glass. Allow yourself to observe and then say, "I contain enough." and let it out." Congratulations to all of the artists accepted into this show: Diane Brown Ardell, Sheri Berman, SÃlvia Soares Boyer, Christie Devereaux De Cesare, Ellen DiFazio, Eliseea Faur, Jim Finlayson, Jan Guarino, Sueey J. Gutierrez, Heather Heckel, Imperfectly Perfect By Wendy, Margaret Henning, Julianna Kirk, Sarah Lambert, Kirk Larsen, Allison Mack, Kristen Memoli, Kasmira Mohanty, Gail Neuman, Luda Pahl, Sophia Pirone, Andrea Rhude, Thomas "TJ" Roszko, Khurshid Saleem, Lori Scarlatos, Meryl Shapiro, Neill Slaughter, Christina Stow, Tracy Tekverk, Amy Goodfellow Wagner, Stephen Wyler, Allison Zhang
About the Juror: Caitlyn Shea, Walt Whitman Birthplace, Director of Events and Media studied painting at Pratt Institute and Skidmore College before graduating in 2011 from Adelphi University with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts. Upon graduating, she received a Senior Thesis Merit Award and an A. Conger Goodyear Award for Outstanding Achievement. Her paintings explore both figurative and abstract representations of humans and animals by experimenting with the tactile relationship of acrylic paint, charcoal, and spray paint. While her palette explores upbeat color interactions, the loosely drawn, often chaotic figures leave a lasting impression of the sublime. Walt Whitman approached the world with compassion and curiosity; many of his poems are about observing nature and people. Similarly, Shea uses her artwork as a vehicle to study animal bodies and portray how awe-inspiringly beautiful the natural world is before human intervention. Whitman "loafed" in the grass and invited his soul, he wrote that every living thing is made of the same "stuff". The chaotic use of abstract, painterly marks and lines in Shea's paintings also allude to how every living being, plant, animal, human, and even stars are connected on an atomic level. She is inspired every day by Whitman's love for humanity, his fascination with everything from grass to the cosmos, his boldness in writing about prohibited subject matter, and his inventiveness in breaking all the rules of writing to create his own style. | 
