FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2016
Contact: Tamar Russell Brown, Gallery Sitka — 978.425.6290
Adventurous Abstract Painter Invites Viewers to Explore Their Own Memories and Dreams through Her Artwork
FITCHBURG, Mass. — Kellie Weeks wants to make you think. More than that, the painter wants her viewers to remember, to dream, and to take another look at how our memories and our dreams communicate with each other.
Ms. Weeks will be presenting her new “Memory Series” of abstract paintings in an attempt to explore that sometimes mysterious world of memories that undoubtedly change over time and which take on something of a life of their own in our dreams. The work seeks to explore “what’s lost and what’s remembered,” to seek out that tension between our thoughts and feelings that may always be near the surface and those that may remain deep within us for long periods.
“This series of work provides the viewer with the space to contemplate the connection and conversation between dreams and memories,” Ms. Weeks tells us. “So often we experience common realities in our dreamscapes, where memories and feelings that lie dormant drift to the forefront of the mind and remind us of things long past.” Looked at in this way, memories are not the static “record” of what we’ve seen, heard and felt in our lives, but rather they are powerful forces within us that continue to affect us long after the original memory first entered our consciousness.
“These abstract paintings from the Memory Series are the jumping-off point for our exploration into things buried and forgotten,” Kellie says of her new pictures. “They are a stimulus for personal investigation.”
Ms. Weeks’ paintings could be about harmony among different kinds of mental states, or they could be about stress and conflict among those states. For example, one of the new works, “Reverie,” displays bold colors that seem to be harmonizing with each other or could, perhaps, be fighting for the viewer’s attention within the limited space on the canvas. The dominating white breaks up along a very ragged edge, as if to suggest a kind of reality that might be imposing itself on the vibrant blue and yellow fields, or which might be losing ground to those more dynamic colors, feelings, memories or ideas.
Ms. Weeks received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Bradford College in 2001. Kellie’s work has been exhibited nationally in many juried and group shows, and is included in many private and public collections. She has produced many commissioned pieces. In October 2011, Kellie was honored to be included in a group show entitled “Imagination” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The artist will exhibit about 20 new works at Gallery Sitka, 454 Main Street in downtown Fitchburg, Mass., beginning on Saturday, Sept. 10, 1 ─ 4 p.m. This reception will launch the show at the Gallery, and the exhibit will continue through Oct. 31. (Gallery Sitka will also feature a special exhibit of flower photos by 10 local photographers during September and October.) Visit gallerysitka.com, kellieweeksart.com and kweeksart.blogspot.com for more information about Kellie Weeks and her artwork.
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