"Sophisticated Absurdities" opening at Paris in Plantsville this Saturday

Paris in Plantsville Gallery and Studio
15 West Main St., Plantsville, (860) 426-1149
Sophisticated Absurdities
Jun. 18—29, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sat., June 8, 6—9 p.m.

Press release from Paris in Plantsville

Curator and participating artist – Clinton Deckert of Southington. Featured Artists: Jon Eastman of Bloomfield, Barbara Hocker of Coventry, Florin Ion Firimita of Winchester, Joshua Smith of Farmington.

Beginning June 8, five Connecticut artists will join forces to display artwork that varies widely in mediums, styles and techniques. The exhibition, Sophisticated Absurdities, creates a stunning visual harmony that can be appreciated by any viewer who enjoys the liberty of the imagination.

The show’s curator and participating artist, Clinton Deckert, believes the work is an exploration of process. The end result is a visual documentation of that creative journey. It is honest art produced by artists who push the limits beyond the usual and defines some of the best fine art in our region.

Sophisticated Absurdities features a variety of artistic styles from local artists. Florin Ion Firimita is a dada-esque, although intentional, mixed media artist whose collage work seems to reflect an altered lens of a kaleidoscope. Jon Eastman is a constructivist mixed media artist who rescues and repurposes random found materials into new relevance as post-consumer modernism. Barbara Hocker is a mixed media/encaustic artist who uses photography in motion and sometimes blizzard conditions to capture fleeting moments, then encases them in encaustic. Joshua Smith and Clinton Deckert are both oil painters. Deckert collides abstract and surreal imagery in an alchemy of fluid thought. Smith paints a "never seen that before" type of dreamlike imagery that evokes distant memories.

Deckert states, "These artists have carved out their own niche by building the foundation of their skills upon the influences of their forebears. The artists and their work seem to echo the influences of Automatism, Dadaism, Expressionism, Bauhaus and the Surrealism. I can't go back in time to those historic periods, but I can select living artists within my realm who remind me of the type of work that solidified my love of the visual arts in the first place. I trust that you will enjoy the resulting exhibition."

Featuring Special Guest on Opening Night: Guitarist, Steve Rutledge!