The Strand Center for the Arts is thrilled to host “Inside Out”, artwork created by artist Brianna Forkey, in the Main Gallery. This upcoming exhibit will open in The Strand Center Main Gallery on Friday, August 5, 2022. A free reception will be held from 5:00 - 8:00 pm that night during First Friday Plattsburgh.
About the show:
Color, texture, light and composition are all important tools used throughout “Inside and Out.” Shifting layered colors, add depth and atmosphere to stagnate interior scenes, while quick brush strokes, and thick textured paint calls back to the immediacy of plein air painting, and the fluctuating light of the landscape. These empty fields and quiet rooms evoke feelings of bareness and agelessness. Figures remain faceless, lacking identity or a place in time, while interiors are stripped of defining technology, and simplified into ambiguous settings. Windows play a defining role within “Inside and Out,” as both a source of light and a physical link between the indoors and outdoors. Windows are a common component found within these interior scenes as they transmit light and create contrast in dark environments. This transmission of light is also vital to both Sun Catchers and Dream Catchers, not only to enhance their beauty, but to act as a natural purifying agent.
About the artist:
Born and raised in Northern New York, Brianna studied art locally at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. In 2021 Brianna graduated with a BFA in Studio Art, with a double-concentration in Painting and Drawing. During her time at SUNY Plattsburgh, Brianna travelled abroad to Dingle Ireland, where she studied plein air painting and developed an interest in landscapes. Combined with her interest in architecture and interior compositions, Brianna would continue to shift between quick, small, textured landscapes and large layered interior scenes. During her final years of university, Brianna expanded her artistic interests into the creation of jewelry, as well as leather and crystal art. In 2019 Brianna began selling her art online, creating an online Etsy shop called “BForkeyArtStudio.”