Art Exhibition: "Secret Gardens" by Sheila Elias

Description

“Secret Gardens” is a celebration of the joy of creativity and the splendor of nature, in spite of its many possible meanings; the collection opens up the subject spectrum to a repertoire of reflections and emotions intersecting the labyrinth of the human condition and the possibilities of each epoch. Brash bursts of flowers and busily textured passages of collage crowd the paintings and drawings in this series. In other words, these works are my answer to immediate stimuli. There is a visual challenge by the power of its enormous sunflowers, almost at burning point, the hallucinating labyrinths of rose petals and the green of climbing vines. An exuberant world that emerges from the surface of the canvas and also from the papers that I used to execute, by using collages to achieve some of these elaborate background such as photocopied bits of fabric and handsomely printed Japanese papers. These works, a constant combination of reality and spontaneity of perception, are both strong and delicate. They can be deeply aggressive and kind at the same time. Exuberance is at both ends of the expression range. Whatever the approach may be, the encounters and execution are a testimony of something that may forget, a tremendous joy of painting. My art, whether it is photography, sculpture, or paintings, has always been a visual interpretation of my internal landscape, which is significantly influenced by external, landscapes specially those of Miami, my home.
***Exhibit is closed Mondays***