Hatch Art Gallery is pleased to announce a solo show by local artist Melissa Jones! Melissa's show "Turn and Face the Strange" opens October 11th beginning at 6pm. "Turn and Face the Strange" will be open for Art Detroit Now's Third Thursday on October 16th followed by an Artist Talk on the 18th at 2pm, gallery hours from 1-6. The closing of the show will be on November 1st, gallery hours will be from 1-6pm!
Here is what Melissa has to say about her work:
"My paintings usually start with a spontaneous mental image of what I would like to capture. Next I begin searching out reference material that fits the mental image I am trying to recreate, including the photographing of models. After assembling these materials I begin to weave the disparate pieces into a believable whole. Often during this course of this process the image is significantly altered from the original concept I began with.
My work is usually figurative, for me figurative works evoke an emotional response that is rarely attained in landscape or other genres of painting. Humans are, by nature, voyeuristic. Figurative painting sanctions this urge to stare, allowing us to see without being seen and satisfying the natural curiosity we all have about other people. The indication of a human presence in an image, even when merely implied, is like a magnetic force, drawing us in and pulling our thoughts towards the possible implications of narrative within a scene. I personally find figurative work enigmatic and intriguing and enjoy the challenge of trying to evoke a similar response in those viewing my work."