December 6, 2018 - February 18, 2019

‘Gesture & Geometry: Navigating the threshold between observation and abstraction’

Assembled in the Minarovich Gallery at The Elora Centre for the Arts, the work of award winning artists Chris Ahlers, David Brown and Laurie Skantzos calls your attention and requests your presence. Dawn Owen, Curator at Guelph Museums describes the show best in this excerpt from her critical essay (see attached): “‘Gesture and Geometry’ features the work of three abstract painters. They share a mode of expression and have parallel interests in materiality and process, as well as techniques. This exhibition marks the first instance in which the paintings of Ahlers, Brown, and Skantzos share physical space, where the distinctions in their practices supersede the similarities. Challenging the reductive notion that abstraction can be distilled into its formal parts, these paintings occupy the in-between, offering a kind of call-and-response within each composition and from painting to painting.”

“This show is perhaps one of the most beautiful that I’ve experienced at ECFTA – an incredible array of colour, shape and texture – large open canvasses that attract the eye and hold your attention. This exhibition is a fabulous promotion for the power of creativity and collaboration.” ECFTA Board Member

About the Artists:

Guelph artist Chris Ahlers’ acrylic and mixed media paintings employ geometric and geomorphic abstraction, colour play and the exploration of materials to invite interpretation both as scenes and surfaces. Toronto based artist David Brown’s abstract encaustic paintings utilize beeswax, oil, and spray paint to construct a multi-layered, multi-sensory experience. Guelph artist Laurie Skantzos’ process driven painting is largely inspired by the interactions of colour, shape and application. She works with oil and cold wax medium, layering shapes upon shapes, adding richness and textures to the surface.

Dawn Owen, Curator of Guelph Museums visited each studio and wrote a thoughtful and insightful piece about the work in the Gesture & Geometry exhibition.  To read it, please click here.