Two solo exhibitions: Erika Osborne and Daphne Sweet

LOCATION: Visions West Contemporary - 2605 Walnut St

CATEGORIES: Art Events | First Fridays

UPCOMING DATE AND TIME:

• Fri, Feb 7, 2025 - Fri, Mar 14, 2025  

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Visions West Contemporary is thrilled to announce the opening of two solo exhibitions: Erika Osborne: The Love Language of Fire and Daphne Sweet: She Rides the Sky. These exhibitions explore themes of environmental resilience, mythic landscapes, and feminine power through dynamic and thought-provoking works. Opening Reception: February 7, 2025, 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Daphne Sweet: She Rides the Sky

In She Rides the Sky, Daphne Sweet delves into the mythic landscapes of the American West, where starry horses and golden cows serve as symbols of feminine power and transformation. Drawing from personal narratives and Western mythology, Sweet's works traverse boundless skies and endless horizons, presenting themes of freedom, resilience, and self-discovery. Blending intricate detail with expansive, contemporary compositions, Sweet reimagines archetypes through the interplay of myth and reality. The starry horse embodies untethered grace, while the golden cow offers a grounding presence, together creating a visual dialogue that celebrates the enduring strength and complexity of women within vast and storied spaces.

Erika Osborne: The Love Language of Fire

Erika Osborne's The Love Language of Fire examines the evolving relationship between humanity and wildfire in the forests of the western United States. Once a vital force nurturing ecosystems, wildfire has become catastrophic due to a legacy of fire suppression, poor forest management, and human-induced climate change. Yet, Osborne's work reveals the astounding resilience of these woodlands-how they heal through the emergence of plant medicines and the regeneration of flora such as Aspen, Fireweed, and Lupine.

These paintings serve as Osborne's attempt to reconcile the dominant Western narrative that categorizes fire as destructive, rather than restorative. Through detailed observation of burnt forests, Osborne takes on the role of apprentice to nature, presenting wildfire as an alternative remedy for ecosystems in need of healing.

(image: Erika Osborne, First Responders, 2024, oil on canvas, 45 x 60 inches)