Abstract painter and Kolman & Pryor Gallery artist and co-owner, Patrick K. Pryor, extends his investigation into the evolving mysteries of mutable landscapes with an exhibition of new paintings. Shifting Horizons runs from October 31 to November 28, 2015 and includes a free artist reception on Saturday, November 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. During the reception, which takes place during Art Attack 2015, the Northrup King Building’s fall open studio weekend, the gallery will also celebrate its 5th anniversary with an ice cream social.
With his new series of paintings, Pryor ventures into a slightly broader color palette and sense of representation with work inspired by Lake Michigan. More specifically, the work reflects his recent visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which President Obama signed into law as a wilderness area on March 13, 2014. “I’ve been visiting the area since childhood,” says Pryor, who grew up in Michigan, “and have recognized a newfound desire to paint the sand dunes because of their shifting, blowing, eroding, desolate beauty and metaphoric capacity to illustrate the ever-changing ever-losing qualities of things we hold dear.”
Each work began with digital image Pryor captured with his iPhone. His journey began in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where he boarded the coal-fired SS Badger to reach Ludington, Michigan. From there, he traveled to the towns of Manistee, Frankfort and Empire, while spending time on the beaches and trails of Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes.
“The wild and primitive area is a place of quiet solitude, spectacular views and abundant wildlife,” Pryor says. “The work includes dunes, shore, lake and clouds rendered in the same technique I’ve been using, but without the ‘viewfinder’ perspective. I’ve used a lot of panoramic shots and composite shots stitched together using an app called, Photosynth, as the basis for the paintings.”
Pryor has been the gallery’s curator since its founding by Anita Sue Kolman in 2010, but joined Kolman as a gallery partner in 2013. Art Attack 2015 will be held Friday, November 6 from 5 – 10 p.m.; Saturday, November 7 from 12 – 8 p.m.; and Sunday, November 8 from 12 – 5 p.m.