“By questioning and altering our perceptions of beauty, these works open our minds to accept the nontraditional.” – Devan Horton

"Puff Ball Mushrooms" by Devan Horton, 24 x 24in, oil on panel (2017), $800 | BUY NOW — *"Puff Ball Mushrooms" by Devan Horton, 24 x 24in, oil on panel (2017), $800 | BUY NOW*

The closer we look at nature, the more it can seem alien to us. The word mushroom conjures up a simple shape, earthy in texture and pungent in aroma, with little or no color, yet Devan Horton’s paintings present a range of beauty and organic form far away from that cliché.

“Nature has always inspired my work in both concept and form, therefore the majority of my pieces are environmentally centered and are about naturally occurring phenomena and behaviors. With that said, the direction of my work has seen an evolution. Where the focus was once on live subjects such as swarms of animals, insects, and plants in order to portray an active idea, I slowly transitioned into making work about dead matter and elimination.”

Horton refers to her subject here as “dead matter,” yet there is such vibrant life in these images. However inert the reality, the artist’s viewpoint imbues the organic forms with the same living pulse that she explored in her previous work.

"Orange and Blue Mushroom" by Devan Horton, 24 x 24in, oil on panel (2017), $800 | BUY NOW — *"Orange and Blue Mushroom" by Devan Horton, 24 x 24in, oil on panel (2017), $800 | BUY NOW*

"Pink and Green Mushrooms" by Devan Horton, 24 x 24in, oil on panel (2017), $800 | BUY NOW — *"Pink and Green Mushrooms" by Devan Horton, 24 x 24in, oil on panel (2017), $800 | BUY NOW*

“Today, my work discusses themes of rebirth by portraying new life growing from the source of fallen trees. Pulchritudinous is a series of fungi paintings that displays the sheer variety of species and beautiful patterns that hail solely from our local area. Fungus has never been revered for being beautiful, but by taking a closer look at these magnificent recyclers, the viewer is forced to see the intricate patterns and wide spectrum of color that was there all along. Even the word Pulchritudinous is an ugly term at first sight, but quite literally means “something of great physical beauty”. By playing with techniques that make objects appear more attractive, all of my work revolves around a change in perspective by viewing that which we look at negatively in a new light.”

Horton currently has solo exhibition at Perennial Gallery, 625 Madison Ave, Covington, Kentucky, through August 20, 2017

Age: 23
Hometown: Covington, Kentucky
Education: BFA, Painting, Northern Kentucky University, 2016; while in school participated in a study abroad to Rome and Florence Italy.
Website: http://www.devanhorton.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hortondevan/

"Split Gill Mushroom" by Devan Horton, 24 x 24in, oil on panel (2017), $800 | BUY NOW — *"Split Gill Mushroom" by Devan Horton, 24 x 24in, oil on panel (2017), $800 | BUY NOW*

"Turkey Mushroom" by Devan Horton, 24 x 24in, oil on panel (2017), $800 | BUY NOW — *"Turkey Mushroom" by Devan Horton, 24 x 24in, oil on panel (2017), $800 | BUY NOW*

Are you interested in being on Artebella? Click here to learn more. — *Are you interested in being on Artebella? Click here to learn more.*

Painting

Vignette: Barbara Tyson Mosley

Josh Jenkins · March 2, 2017

"Awakening - Rise and Embrace the Morning" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 24x48in, acrylic on canvas (2017), $1500 | BUY NOW — *"Awakening - Rise and Embrace the Morning" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 24x48in, acrylic on canvas (2017), $1500 | BUY NOW*

We have observed that quite often fiber artists work like painters, but Barbara Tyler Mosley is a painter whose work might put you in mind of some fiber artists. Of course, the comparison assumes the intuitive manipulation of plastic medium is, while not unique to the act of painting, at least a defining characteristic. Mosley’s mark-making application is both organic and highly structured.

Her abstract landscapes are vibrant with color. “These works harmoniously emphasize the relationship between earth, sea, and sky,” it states in Mosley’s Artist’s Statement. “As she quickly works on canvas manipulating the paint to reflect light and color changes, the viewer’s eye sees a playground of color and movement as she expands the scale of color and line.”

In the tightly constructed layers of that color and line we can see the echo of the hand stitching of a textile artist, allowing repetition of the mark to create visual texture in the manner of thread stitched through fabric. This repetition carries through the strict, 12” x 12” dimensions of the individual paintings in the series, so that a perspective from a distance puts us in mind of quilt construction.

"Moonlight is Yellow" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 12x12in, acrylic on canvas (2016), $500 | BUY NOW — *"Moonlight is Yellow" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 12x12in, acrylic on canvas (2016), $500 | BUY NOW*

But Mosley is still, determinedly, a painter, boasting a highly developed point-of-view on the integration of representational and abstract.

Mosley’s current exhibit, "12 x 12 Plus" will be at KORE Gallery at the Mellwood Art Center in Louisville through February 28, 2017. She will then be showing more of the 12 x 12 paintings at the New Edition Gallery in Lexington, KY through the month of March. This fall, she will be exhibiting with Tomisha Allen in September and October of 2017 at the Wayside Expressions Gallery, Louisville, KY.

"Evening Calm" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 12x12in, acrylic on canvas (2016), $500 | BUY NOW — *"Evening Calm" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 12x12in, acrylic on canvas (2016), $500 | BUY NOW*

Permanent Collections:
PNC Bank Tower, Contemporary Ethnic Dolls, Pittsburgh, PA
Heritage Art Center Gallery, Lexington, KY
The University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, VA
The Corcoran Gallery of Art (Evans-Tibbs Collection), Washington, DC
The Fine Arts Institute, San Bernardino Museum of Art, Redlands, CA
The International Multicultural Fine Arts Exchange Foundation, Washington, DC

Hometown: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Education: BA, Studio Art, Painting, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC, 1985; MA in Liberal Studies Degree (Humanities; 20th Century Art History) Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 1990; MFA Candidate, Design George Washington University, Washington, DC, 2002-2004

"In the Night" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 12x12in, acrylic on canvas (2016), $500 | BUY NOW — *"In the Night" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 12x12in, acrylic on canvas (2016), $500 | BUY NOW*

"Morning Coffee and Caramel Tea" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 24x36in, acrylic on canvas (2014), $650 | BUY NOW — *"Morning Coffee and Caramel Tea" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 24x36in, acrylic on canvas (2014), $650 | BUY NOW*

"The 13th of Friday" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 36x48in, acrylic on canvas (2013), $2500 | BUY NOW — *"The 13th of Friday" by Barbara Tyson Mosley, 36x48in, acrylic on canvas (2013), $2500 | BUY NOW*

vibrant

Vignette: Devan Horton

“By questioning and altering our perceptions of beauty, these works open our minds to accept the nontraditional.” – Devan Horton

Vignette: Barbara Tyson Mosley