Zoe Hawk: Out of Doors & Travis Walker: Park Life

LOCATION: Visions West Contemporary - 2605 Walnut St

CATEGORY: Art Events

PAST DATE AND TIME:

• Thu, Mar 14, 2024 - Fri, Apr 26, 2024  

Visions West Contemporary is pleased to announce concurrent solo exhibitions of Zoe Hawk and Travis Walker. Both artists invoke nostalgia and atmosphere to examine the lasting impressions of childhood and influence of place. Please join us for an opening celebration on Thursday, March 14th, 6:00 - 8:00 pm.

Missouri-based Zoe Hawk represents the triumphs and difficulties of adolescence through her intimate portrayals of girlhood, friendship, and play. Posed in a variety of playful scenes, such as by pools, forests, or at home, Hawk's subjects are imbued with a sense of childlike wonder. Underneath each idyllic surface, however, lingers an atmosphere of uncertainty. Feelings of nostalgia permeate Hawk's paintings, conjuring up the innocence, anxiety, and curiosity of growing up.

The landscapes and interiors which form the backdrop for Hawk's paintings accentuate the atmosphere of familiarity and discomfort. Lush woodlands tempt the viewer with the mysteries that hide amongst the trees' shadows, while glimpses of suburbia represent the constraints of societal expectations.

Stylistically inspired by storybook illustration, Hawk's paintings explore the liminality between girlhood and womanhood, juxtaposing impressions of comfort with apprehension.

Travis Walker combines expressive landscapes with references to the art historical canon and media of his childhood to explore the atmosphere and ambiance of the American West. Born in Tokyo, Japan as an Air Force brat, Walker spent a lot of his free time reading comic books, consuming science fiction, and drawing the world around him. Currently living and working in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Walker continues to be inspired by his childhood passions, now incorporating them into his love of western landscapes.

Painting on location, Walker captures the open skies, sweeping prairies, and towering mountains iconic to the West, while simultaneously adding a fresh perspective into each composition; Walker often inserts motifs from popular culture into his landscapes, whether it be Darth Vader or Uncle Rico of Napoleon Dynamite. Other works juxtapose wildlife, such as moose, bear, and deer, with urban life, creating comedic reinterpretations of classical western symbols.

(image: Travis Walker, Dark Side of the Canyon, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 47 x 60 inches)