Sandra McRae’s multi-layered, highly reflective acrylic-and-paper collages explore the artist’s passion for pattern, rhythm, and the visual flexibility of depth.
Working with an almost fragmented kind of composition and a palette that is often limited to one or two contrasting hues, McRae probes the deep-rooted ways in which shape and texture evoke emotional responses and conjure sense memories in her viewers. Her specialty is creating the paradox of an organic-looking grid: her imperfect rectangles and triangles clearly bear the trace of a human hand, yet are never explicitly anything more than geometric constructions.
This tension comes from the artist’s own inspiration, which ranges from silhouettes of winter tree branches to city skylines. Born in Australia and now living in the United States, McRae has also spent ample time aboard planes studying topography from an aerial perspective. The resulting imagery provides a feast for the brain while declining to give any conclusions. As McRae explains, “By looking ‘into’ the shapes and marks on the canvas, the viewer is free to imagine any possibility.”
Exhibition Dates: June 12, 2012 – July 3, 2012
Reception: Thursday, June 14, 2012, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, New York City
Gallery Hours: Tues – Sat, 11a.m. – 6 p.m.
Event URL: http://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Sandra_McRae.aspx
About the Exhibition:
This summer Agora Gallery’s elegant exhibition space comes to vibrant life, with refreshingly beautiful artworks. In Pulse of Abstraction viewers are inducted into a world where almost anything seems possible, with forms displaying unsuspected powers of mutability and vitality and colors moving around the canvas in a way that draws eyes and hearts after them. The Manifestation of Milieu demonstrates the considerable impact that an artist’s cultural heritage and exposure to urban environments and the natural world can have on their work, as each artist uses what they know to combine personal understanding with images that speak to everyone. The hues of The Saturated Palette color our perspective in a resplendent, engaging manner that reminds us both of the beauty that exists in the world and in the importance of viewing what we see in a positive way. The exhibitions open on June 12, 2012 and will run until July 3, 2012. The opening reception will take place on the evening of Thursday June 14, 2012, from 6-8 PM. As usual, art enthusiasts are warmly invited to attend and meet some of the talented artists responsible for these delightful pieces.
Featured artists:
Pulse of Abstraction: Andrea Adka (“Andrea Jones”), Sharon Brill, Michelle Chu, Laila Khan Furniturewalla, Donna Howard, Christine Jaksch, Allen Jones, Todd Krasovetz, Sandra McRae, Kamil Sarnowski
The Manifestation of Milieu: María José Alba, Grace Arledge, Monique Daneau, Eul Hurley, Milena Miteva, Bruce Leslie Thomas, Lone Tratt
The Saturated Palette: Zivi Aviraz, CHAREST, Esther Cruz, Michael Harris, Sally Painter
About Agora Gallery
Agora Gallery is a fine art gallery, established in 1984 and located in the heart of New York City’s Chelsea art galleries district. It is famous for showcasing a spectacular array of talented artists from around the world and around the corner, while providing quality and original art to collectors. Exhibitions are usually group exhibits, presenting the work of a number of artists, but sometimes solo exhibitions focus on the work of one particular artist. The gallery publishes ARTisSpectrum Magazine, a bi-annual magazine that is distributed to museums, galleries, art institutions and art schools around the world. It provides artists, collectors, museums, galleries, art organizations and enthusiasts with access to the work of international talented artists as well as feature articles, reviews and interviews. Agora Gallery is the proud sponsor of ARTmine, one of the most comprehensive resources available worldwide to view and purchase fine art. The gallery also runs Agora Art Blog, a blog designed to provide helpful information and advice for artists while providing a forum for artists to help one another by sharing their experiences and thoughts.
Sandra McRae. Stained Glass
