JOY : by Artist Byron Spicer January 21, 2012

Exhibit runs January 3 through March 2, 2012; Artist reception Saturday, January 21, 6-8pm

Market Street Gallery is pleased to kick off 2012 with JOY, a solo exhibition showcasing layered works by Byron Spicer, a colorful, happy collection of smiles of all shapes and sizes, which inspires joy from those who observe the works. The exhibit will open January 3, 2012, and run through March 2, 2012. The artist reception will be held on Saturday, January 21, 2012, from 6 PM - 8 PM.

About JOY
by Byron Spicer

They look so simple. Smiley faces like our kids paint in second grade. Look closer. Take your time. Perhaps you are having one of those typical frazzled days having yet again circled for parking far too long and arriving late to another item on the to do list. Maybe your workload bogs you down juggling all those texts and emails. And let's not even get started about the decline of the middle class and catastrophic environmental collapse.

Put it all aside and take a moment. Maybe there is more behind those childlike smiles than simply whistling in the wind. The world of art has always given voice to simple unabashed joy. Think of Matisse's circle dancers and Miro's swirling forms in black. All of this comes into play as I pare my painting down to something immediate and essential. Like the minimalists of previous decades, I resist my desire to embellish. Now is a good time to get back to the basics.

So I invite you to take some time to seriously consider your own joy, both on the surface of things and the joy that holds the world together. Delight in the combinations of colors, imperfect line, and quirky smiles. Find that face with the glint in the eyes. Relish all the imperfections. You are here, right now. And if you are feeling it go back out there and do what most needs to be done with a little skip in your step.

Official Website: http://www.marketstreetgallery.com