ART

Artists have a long history of self-portraiture and these artists have chosen to stretch the theme further to encompass both the traditional and the hidden self ~ the self that doesn't present itself on first glance. This promises to be an enlightening view into what lies beyond obvious form and into a glance of the inner life of these artists.

Both Belinda Chlouber and Jeannine Redon of Atherton create work that reflects their inner feelings. “I know too well what I look like in the mirror,” states Redon. Her series uses black and colored pencil to create a delicate yet complex portrait of her inner self. Belinda Chlouber is exhibiting a series of monoprints created shortly after her first daughter, Ava, was born. The pieces are playful dramas that explore and reflect the beauties, demands and challenges of first-time motherhood. Some pieces incorporate her daughter Ava’s drawings. These elements add a child-like freshness and vitality that help the viewer to realize the integral connection between mother and child.

Cheryl Shepard states, “Some of my work is literal but most of it is an interpretation of how I see the world and myself in it. I have explored how I relate to and fit in with the world at large as well as my own small space in it.” Shepard’s photography tends more toward the abstract but for this show it is more personally revealing.

Nagging internal fears dominate Ginger Slonaker’s mixed media self portraits. For this series she has used large blocks of color without detail and a darker palette, which help convey her internal state. The paintings work through the dramas that adhere to denser places of the self. Slonaker writes, “Unlike what my own shell can project, I hope these works will arrest the viewer’s sensibilities and open a self-reflection/discovery dialogue.”