"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!

Tattoo influence art show opens at Paris in Plantsville Saturday

Paris in Plantsville
15 West Main St., Plantsville, (860) 426-1149
Skin Deep: Tattoo Influence Art Show
Oct. 30—Nov. 13, 2010.
Opening reception and Halloween Costume Party: Sat., Oct. 30, 7-11 p.m.

Press release

A chance for tattoo artists to show off their skills outside of doing tattooing. The show is up through Nov. 13. The opening reception is this Saturday night and includes a Halloween Costume Party.

Paris in Plantsville opening Saturday night

Paris in Plantsville
15 West Main St., Plantsville, (860) 426-1149
House Call: A Resident Artist Show
May 22—June 30, 2010.
Opening reception: Sat., May 22, 7—11 p.m.

Press release

Paris in Plantsville Art Gallery and Studio will be hosting the first show displaying solely the resident artists from Paris In Plantsville. The reception is on May 22, from 7—11 p.m. The show will run through all of June. We will be holding a symposium during the exhibition reception to explain our artwork as well as inform people about the Salvador Dali etchings.


Paris in Plantsville Gallery and Studio is an emerging arts space located in the village of Plantsville in the suburbs of Southington, Connecticut.

We aim to promote the arts in all forms, in the village, the town, the state, and eventually nationally and globally.

We are six friends; five of us are alumni of the University of Hartford-Hartford Art School, and the other, is an alumni of the University of Connecticut BFA program. Our passion and belief in the positivity and energy of the arts has brought us together at Paris in Plantsville, where we are all resident artists continuing our craft.

A wide variety of new art ranging from paintings to media art and conceptual works by:

• Sean Michanczyk

• Jordan Deschene

• Andy Morrow

• Steve Rand

• Andre Rochester

• Joe Bun Keo