Emotional Expressions in Color: Painters Spotlight

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The combination of painted line, ethereal color movement, vivid patterning and sculptural luminosity will blend together for a bold and dynamic visual display in “Emotional Expressions in Color,” opening July 7th from 5-7pm at the gallery. This group exhibition will highlight the work of sculptor Suzanne Wallace Mears alongside painters Stephanie Paige, Liz Barber and Elizabeth Hahn. The painters in the show compliment each other’s aesthetic; Stephanie Paige’s horizontal hues ground us in a meditative color experience while Liz Barber’s bursts of floating forms excite our psyche. Elizabeth Hahn brings us back to reality with her figurative work, which also continues to immerse us in vibrant displays of color but with whimsical patterning.

Paige’s symmetrical compositions typically lend themselves to square and rectangular picture planes, however for this exhibition the artist has produced circular shaped paintings with a similar aesthetic. In “Be True” and “Luna’s Ocean,” variations of a single color tone blend together and are balanced around a contrasting line of pigment. Pleasing for our eye and mind, Paige’s pigment and plaster paintings are representative of awe-inspiring moments found within the natural world.

Barber is similarly inspired by nature and its seasonal rhythms. The Georgia artist favors the springtime when waves of color and intriguing shapes begin to emerge from the environment. Barber’s excitement for the season shows in her work; many of her paintings are named for the spring season’s cool rain, soft light and sweet song. “I typically focus on botanical elements,” says Barber of her work. “Buds popping out on tree limbs, flower petals emerging, grass pushing through the ground…this is the inspiration for this body of work.”

Hahn has a more representational and POP art approach when it comes to portraying her experience with nature. The Santa Fe artist inserts curtailed figures into her snapshot compositions of juxtaposed patterns and bright colors. Most of her work is focused around feet and their intimate interaction with the environment; blue high heels dance across wood floors while patterned cowboy boots traverse a desert environment. “Walking has always been my exercise, my therapy and where all my ideas for art come to me,” explains the artist of her preferred subject matter. Hahn’s body of work is a joyful reminder of life’s simple pleasures and wondrous views, while acting as a welcomed contrast to the otherwise abstract aesthetic of the exhibition.

Are You Late for a 10:30 Class by Elizabeth Hahn at Pippin Contemporary

Are You Late for a 10:30 Class?, Elizabeth Hahn, 30×30″ acrylic

Join us for the opening reception of this exuberant exhibition on Friday, July 7th from 5-7pm at the gallery.

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Emotional Expressions in Color: Sculptor Spotlight

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Desert Dreamer by Suzanne Wallace Mears at Pippin Contemporary

Desert Dreamer, Suzanne Wallace Mears, SOLD

Emotional Expressions in Color opens this July as a powerful display of emotive energy, from meditative abstraction to whimsical realism. Suzanne Wallace Mears is the only sculptor in the exhibition of four artists; her work plays an important role in breaking the show’s two dimensional boundary with a striking display of sculptural luminosity. Stephanie Page‘s soothing yet vivid color palette, Liz Barber‘s joyous abstraction and Elizabeth Hahn‘s vibrant patterns are each physically embodied in Mears’ tabletop vessels and totems, which are infused with the spirited personality of the Oklahoma City artist.

“My totems are flamboyant, whimsically named and conjure up pure fun,” says Mears, who approaches her work in an abstract manner but with a specific theme and color palette in mind. Each piece takes on its own eccentric persona from the artist’s imbued energy, from the whimsical “Alligator Swag” and “Awesome Frank” to the mystical “Desert Dreamer” and “Spirit Memories.” Below are some of the artist’s personal contemplations on her latest work.

“Rain Dance represents how it feels to play out in the pouring rain, while Little Reef Knight is that little elusive reef fish peering out from a hiding place in the coral. The Vegetarian with rust, green and a topknot of handout plasma cut steel seems like it could be a culinary delight. Alligator Swag is a cocky alligator dressed up for a night in the glades, and Amber Waves is about the wheat fields and blue skies, lazy days and easy thoughts.”


Mears cuts flat sheets of glass and layers them to fire flat in her kiln, incorporating embellishments such as copper, wire and dichroic glass into their shapes. Multiple firings at anywhere from 1200 to 1500 degrees are often required for the artist’s desired effect, with pieces remaining in the kiln for days at a time. “It’s a delightful, challenging dance,” says Mears of her process.

Vibrant, luminous color is the driving force of inspiration for Mears and is the common thread that connects the four artists represented in Emotional Expressions in Color. Learn more about the exhibition here, which opens Friday, July 7th from 5-7pm. Browse Mears’ full inventory on her artist page of our website.

Suzanne Wallace Mears Pippin Contemporary Artist

See Exhibition Catalogue.

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