Toward a New Nostalgia solo exhibition

This body of work is inspired by the serene moments of my life - the scent of crisp autumn air in the Ozarks, backpacking in the rugged New Mexico mountains, the soft glow of a full moon upon towering clouds far from shore in the Bahamas, or simply laying in the shade of an old pine tree in the South Carolina hills, watching sunlight filter through the leaves.

The style of works are inspired by moody bokeh photography, the gentle romance of French impressionism, and excitement of JRPG-inspired pixel art, with a dash of Mary Poppins’ sidewalk chalk adventures, where each piece offers a window into a nostalgic world of vibrant joy. To do this I utilize non-representational abstraction, expressed with subtle colors through a hazy, defocused lens of memory, collected into a narrative of pixelated squares that are built up with multiple layers of paint, creating an easily-understood visual language that emphasizes the organic textures of impasto painting and constructing a grammatical structure for framing the more energetically-applied marks. Together, these contrasting methods instill both order and dynamism, stillness and motion, bringing the pieces to life and giving them a unique voice of their own.

These works also change with the viewer: each piece can be appreciated from a distance, but the maximalist level of detail and texture pulls the viewer into the piece, setting them upon a journey of exploration and discovery as their eyes are led around the canvas. In addition, the textures of the paint add a tactile dimension that changes with the light; golden-hour sunlight highlights the textures, creating otherwise-invisible shadows that create new, striking adventures for the viewers to discover.

Schedule:

Friends and Family Thursday Nov 13th: 5pm-8pm
Grand Opening Friday, 11/14: 5pm-10pm.
Saturday 11/15: 3pm-9pm
Sunday 11/16: 3pm-7pm
Monday 11/17 - Thursday: 1pm-3pm
Closing Friday 11/21: 4pm-7pm

Other times available by appointment. For more information, please contact [email protected], or visit the artist's website at http://jspell.net.
This event was made possible by the Regional Arts Commission of Saint Louis.

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Host or Publisher James Spell