Grey Art Gallery to present “Here Be Monsters” exhibition in January

Starting Thursday, January 5, the Grey Art Gallery will be unveiling new work by local artist Liz Parrish as part of the “Here Be Monsters” exhibition. The name “Here Be Monsters” was crafted by the featured artist and references the days when explorers thought of the world as flat and would draw maps with monsters surrounding the edge of the world. An opening reception is planned for Thursday, January 5, from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Liz Parrish, a former Bloomsburg native, now Williamsport local has been busy working away at her studio on a new body of work. Liz is a 2008 Lycoming College graduate with a bachelor’s degree in art, and a 2010 graduate from the Pennsylvania College of Technology with an associate degree in nursing. Liz has previously shown at numerous spots in downtown Williamsport, at her studio in the Pajama Factory, and in Woodstock, New York, at the Varga gallery.

Liz’s work starts with an ink drawing on paper, which is then added to wood. The drawing is then enhanced with various colors of acrylic paint and finally coated with mod podge to seal everything in. Subject matter for her creations are based on her own experiences that visually reinterpret her surroundings, the people she cares about, and whatever else comes to mind at the moment. Figures in Liz’s work often feature wrinkly faces and saggy, odd-shaped bodies.

William Blake, Edward Gorey, and Ralph Steadman are some of Liz’s favorite artists that she draws inspiration from. Blake often points out the conflict between imagination and joyless reason in his writings.  Liz tries to keep this idea in mind when making art and let imagination outweigh the mundane as much as possible.  Liz says that the minute she takes her work too seriously is the precise moment when it begins to fail to be a representation of life as she sees it.

For this opening, Liz will be unveiling several larger pieces in addition to her normal intricate drawings. Liz likes doing larger, full-sized pieces as they give her a chance to combine different ideas and drawings together.

Artists making their Grey Art Gallery debut for this opening include Matthew Ryan Sharp, Tyler Coey, Yosiell Lorenzo, Paul Kostabi, E. LaCerra, Lawrence Charles Miller, Dean Landry, Jennifer Gunlock, and Daniel Bilodeau. Returning favorites include Kurt Hermann, Rick Prol, Matthew Parrish, and Aaron Meyers.

Matthew Ryan Sharp is a senior graphic designer and college instructor. Sharp will be making his gallery debut with a variety of smaller pieces, art prints, toys, and originals designed to find a collector in all of us. Sharp’s work is loaded with people we all know to some degree, sharing a colorful and lighthearted view into the American soul. Sometimes it’s part Harvey Pekar given the appearance of Sharp’s browbeaten characters. Sometimes it’s subtle soapbox material saying the things we don’t, but rather, we think. His images can exist in opposition between the subject and statement, the irony painted on found object canvases such as “Laugh” in which a clown is holding a butcher knife insisting that the viewer laugh. Or “Free Hugs” in which a frazzled, orange-haired man wears a badge offering free hugs. The man in the painting is desperate perhaps but in need of sharing connection with anyone. Sharp offers truth in these images, a reflection of our own humanity laced with sarcasm and humor. He does it in brutal cartoonish fervor, like something Chuck Palahniuk sees in his mind before writing a story. He does it with the common man, the buried emotions, with skeletons and arrows, and little ghosts.

Tyler Coey is a Kansas City born and raised artist. After studying at Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio, Tyler returned to KC and settled in the Crossroads District. Attention was quickly directed to the local gallery scene, which in turn lead to national, and international exhibitions. Coey's pieces combine the brush work and technique of traditional painting with contemporary subjects and icons.

Outside of fine art, he works days as an illustrator for C3, a children's marketing agency. In 2008, Tyler started "MUTT," an art-focused company that produces limited edition toys, accessories, and home products.

Yosiell Lorenzo is an Oakland, CA, artist and graphic designer. Yosiell’s work fits into the saying: “never judge a book by its cover”. At first glance, his artwork is all cuteness: cupcakes, cherries, and candy. But beneath the facade of frosting and the rainbow sprinkles camouflage, a sadness is stirring. Yosiell uses sweetness to reel us in. Once he has us in his saccharine net, we settle and see beyond the surface: these are cheerless creatures. They are all searching for love.

Paul Kostabi is an artist, musician, music producer, and audio engineer from New York. He is the brother of artist Mark Kostabi and was a founding member of White Zombie. Paul’s paintings are present in the permanent collections of the Paterson Museum in New Jersey, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the New England Museum of Art in Brooklyn, the Millenium Museum, the Whitney Museum of Art, and the Museion Museum in Bozen, Italy. Paul will be unveiling a few pieces this show in preparation for a larger, solo show in February.

E. LaCerra is an academic, an artist, and a musician living in Northcentral, PA. E's fascination with human psychology, relationships, travel and cultures continue to inspire her creative disposition. The characters exhibited in “Here Be Monsters” are representative of existential, psychological, and sociological pondering of the artist. With the help of writer and editor, A. M. Wertz, these creatures will be the first prototypes in a local handmade toy line.

The vibrant colors and confronting gaze of the creatures engage viewers pressingly. The cute exteriors of the creatures are misleading. Each creature holds a dark question whose answer has likely been hidden or repressed. In her studies in psychology, and her experience in life, the artist has found that repressed thoughts never remain hidden, especially in dreams.  

Lawrence Charles Miller was born in Harrisburg, PA. Throughout his career he has worked in Pennsylvania and New York as a medical illustrator, illustrator for the New York Times, and even did military and technical illustrations. He presently resides in Bellefonte, PA and will be debuting some dark, but literally titled pieces. Lawrence’s art has been associated with the New Fluxus and Pop Surrealism movement.

Dean Landry is an artist who hails from Harlem NYC. His clients include Anna Sui, Cosmopolitan Magazine, The Strokes, and Nickelodeon to list a few.  In 2003, Landry's Tromp Loeil designs were featured in two major art museum exhibitions. His Anna Sui illustrations can be seen in the book Fashion & Graphics published by Harper Design International. Landry's illustration artworks have also been used in major and independent movie releases.

In addition to his work as a commercial artist, Landry is a painter, photographer, and musician.  His vibrant paintings have been exhibited in the US and internationally.  His photographs include a large body of Polaroid work, which spans the spectrum from beautiful to the grotesque.

Based in Lost Angeles, Jennifer Gunlock is a traveler who imbeds her wanderings into the artmaking process. Greatly inspired by a recent photographic trip to New Orleans, a majority of the drawings completed this past year reveal the city's gnarled oaks, cemetery crypts and iron gates. A summer 2010 residency at the Pajama Factory in Pennsylvania saw the incorporation of the region's moss-covered slate rock into her pieces as well as a new venture into digital collage.

Jennifer has earned a BA at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona followed by an MFA at California State University, Long Beach in 2003. A current member of the Lost Angeles Art Association, she has exhibited in such venues as Acuna Hansen Gallery, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Angels Gate Cultural Center, and Orange County Center for Contemporary Art.

Daniel Bilodeau is presently studying at the New York Academy of Art. Daniel has a bachelor's degree from Ringling College of Art and Design. He has also studied at the Studio Art Center International in Florence, Italy and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. He has participated in the summer 2010 Artist in Residence program at the Pajama Factory.

The subject of Daniel's paintings are pictures frozen in a moment of creation. They are orchestrating an identity, a result, a future for themselves, just as we do all the time.

Returning favorite Kurt Hermann will have a new series of work titled “Mugs.” Kurt is a painter from Lock Haven who has exhibited nationally and internationally since graduating from Lock Haven University in 1995. The pieces in “Mugs” are loosely based on actual mug shots and blend truth and fantasy, the comical and tragic. Often riffing on the actual crime, these paintings tap into the absurdities of life.  

Rick Prol was born and raised in New York City. He graduated from Cooper Union College in 1980 and started showing his work in 1982. He was a major contributor and icon of the burgeoning 80’s East Village Art scene. Rick will be unveiling a few more pieces as an intro for his solo show in April 2012.

Matthew Parrish graduated with a bachelor's degree in literature from Lycoming College in 2006 and with a master's degree in painting from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 2008. He is now the arts and entertainment editor at the Williamsport Sun-Gazette and maintains an art studio at the Pajama Factory. Matt will have a few new pieces that differ drastically from what has been shown previously in the gallery.

Sculptor, mathematician, and Bucknell University student, Aaron Meyers will have a new interactive sculpture on display. The piece, titled “Ebbing,” features a large-wheel crank and ten plaster copies of the artist’s right foot. The piece moves in a walking motion when the crank is turned. As the feet walk, they hit each other and chip apart. The person cranking is unable to see the decay. Aaron uses this form of decay to relate to the various scars and accidents he has received from tools and mechanisms.

Williamsport-based Key of V's music will supplement artwork at the opening reception. Along with performing their signature slew of gritty acoustic pop-punk-psychedelia, both members of Key of V self-identify as grateful admirers of featured artist Liz Parrish's work.

The opening reception starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 5. The Grey Art Gallery is located at 140 West Fourth Street, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, next to the esteemed Plankenhorn Stationery shop. If you are unable to attend the opening, the gallery will continue to display the work for the month of January with regular hours being offered Wednesday – Friday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Extended hours will be available during First Friday. Additional hours by appointment can be setup by calling 570-435-7080. For more information on the gallery, and to see the gallery’s entire art inventory, check out www.greyartgallery.com

Also slated for January, the gallery will be extending their hours on Friday, January 13, for another night of spoken word. The first night of spoken word was an amazing success with over 65 people in attendance and a good portion of attendees participating. Rappers, poets, lyricists and more are welcome. The event runs from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to arrive at 6:30 to reserve your spot. More information can be found on the gallery’s Facebook page.