Click to see current work:  KATHRYN DEMARCO   BRYANT HOLSENBECK

WE THE ANIMALS

KATHRYN DEMARCO   COLLAGE
BRYANT HOLSENBECK   SCULPTURE

Durham — We The Animals, a new exhibition featuring mixed media sculptures of recycled materials by Bryant Holsenbeck, and collages by Kathryn DeMarco opens at Craven Allen Gallery on Saturday, May 18, with a reception from 5 to 7 pm. 

“Animals are survivalists. Humans are, too,” says artist Kathryn DeMarco in her statement for We The Animals.  Both DeMarco and Bryant Holsenbeck are inspired by the resilience of nature in the modern world; both are keenly aware of our use of resources, using recycled materials to create their artworks without sacrificing the integrity of their artistic visions. 

Kathryn DeMarco’s new collages range in scale from small, intensely colorful works featuring animals, to several life-size nude self-portraits in black and white in which she  seeks “… to capture some of the feelings of defiance, distress, vulnerability, wonder and power that are universal for all people and animals.”  DeMarco typically begins with a life drawing in charcoal, which she embellishes with two- and three-dimensional materials and paint; text is also incorporated into many of her pieces.  From a distance the works have bold lines and strong graphic qualities which speak to her remarkable skills in painting and drawing; up close the details of the source materials of her collage work emerge, adding layers of meaning.  

Bryant Holsenbeck is an environmental artist who makes large-scale installations and small-scale sculptures that document the waste stream of our society. She has shown her work and taught throughout the United States and Australia.  Her recent book, “The Last Straw” about her year attempting to live without single-use plastic is the subject of a short documentary on WUNC-TV.    

Whether she is making elegant sparrows, herons and bats, sculpted of wire and found paper, or colorful fuzzy rabbits and chickens out of fabric scraps, her work has a vibrancy and life which belies the castoff nature of the materials.  “I make the animals I see around me. They inspire me and give me hope. They are beautiful. They are survivors of our own human neglect and greed. I feel such gratitude for them.”  This is her second show at Craven Allen Gallery.

The show continues through June 29th.

 Craven Allen Gallery is located at 1106 ½ Broad Street in Durham.  Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.  For more information, please call the gallery at 286-4837 or visit www.CravenAllenGallery.com.