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Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

440 Gallery Present Step by Step new work by Janet Pedersen

Brooklyn, NY – 440 Gallery is pleased to present Step By Step, a solo exhibition of figurative paintings by Janet Pedersen.

Everyone will agree that the past year has been uncommonly difficult. For Janet Pedersen, fate added the complication of a fractured ankle. During that slow healing process, a body of artwork emerged, and Step by Step is the result.

Janet’s indomitable spirit is reflected in her choice of theme for these works: the joyful exploration of dance. Restricting her own body’s movements in the interest of recovery, she turned her attention to the human body’s potential for movement. “I’ve always been drawn to this subject in art, and am particularly interested in movement and gesture with regard to form.” Using isolated frames from you-tube dance videos for reference, she has constructed compositions by playing with angles, pattern, line, and color. Through this process, she creates a dynamic visual dialogue between dancing figures and gestural backgrounds. Her compositions are inspired by work with live models (via zoom), as well as dance videos of the Netherlands Dans Theater and Alvin Ailey Dance Company, and her influences range from Martha Graham to Matisse.

Step By Step is Pedersen’s second solo show at the gallery. Working through physical healing, lockdowns, and the politics of the day, she has used her remarkable eye and hand to respond with grace and beauty, and we are fortunate to be able to enjoy this achievement.

A graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Pedersen currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. Before turning to fine arts, she enjoyed a successful career as an illustrator of 17 children’s books, including four that she authored. Clients included noted publishers Candlewick Press, Clarion, Random House, and Penguin Books. Pedersen is an online instructor of figure drawing through the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. When she is not painting in the studio, she is on her bike with easel and paints in tow, on that never-ending pursuit to chase the light in her Brooklyn neighborhood.

On view: November 18, 2020 – January 3, 2021
Outdoor Opening Reception Saturday, November 21, 3-6 PM
Rain date: Sunday, November 22, 3-6pm

440 Gallery
440 6th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Website: https://440gallery.com

Janet Pedersen