Bradbury Gallery hosts opening reception for 'Este Caballo/Esta Familia' Oct. 14

September 20, 2010 -- The Bradbury Gallery announces the opening of Este Caballo/Esta Familia this Thursday, Oct. 14, at 5 p.m. The exhibition features the work of Shelley Gipson and Kimberly Boyd Vickrey, associate professors of art at Arkansas State University. Gipson will present two new series of work. The first focuses on identity through family, heritage, or choice. The second centers on collaborations with her daughter, Lilia. Vickrey will exhibit a set of equestrian imagery in both book and print form inspired by a recent visit to Spain. The exhibition runs from Thursday, Oct. 14 through Friday, Nov. 19.

Shelley Gipson utilizes a wide range of printmaking processes in her work but is particularly known for her use of intaglio and digital techniques. The first of the two new bodies of work examines memory and childhood, questioning romantic ideals by raising contradictory or unresolved feelings. In discussing it she says, “This series of work began when I heard my mother’s voice coming from my daughter’s mouth. This unnerving, demoralizing revelation prompted me to question my beliefs about family and children. The work reveals my history with affinity and distance, embrace and resistance. It brings then into now and retells the story to understand the past and its effects on the present.”

In her second set of new work, Gipson collaborates with her daughter and creates portraits that are “open, honest and free.” Gipson’s framed prints are overlaid with her daughter’s free-spirited paintings. Loose brushstrokes and marks cover the outer Plexiglas surface, at times almost concealing the face below.

Gipson has exhibited in eight solo exhibitions and nearly one hundred group exhibitions in the United States, Canada, Poland, Ireland, China, Turkey and Japan. Gipson, who was born in Texas, received her Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and her Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.  She taught at the University of North Texas and the University of Maine at Presque Isle before coming to Arkansas State University in 2003.

In the spring of 2010, Kimberly Boyd Vickrey was invited to participate in the First International Horse Photographers Seminar in Spain. This workshop was held in the culturally rich region of Andalusia. This area, in southern Spain, is north of the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar. It is home to the famous Andalusian stallions. These pure Spanish horses, along with flamenco dancing, bullfighting, and the local people were a spectacular photographic opportunity for Vickrey. The close proximity to Morocco also provided the chance for her to photograph lavish Moorish-influenced architecture. The work in this exhibition was inspired by or created during this visit to Spain.

Vickrey’s designs and photographs have received numerous awards. She earned Best of Show for branding and logo design from the American Advertising Federation’s Northeast Arkansas Chapter ADDY Competition, and a Bronze ADDY Award in the 2010 Regional 10th District. Her photographs were named merit winners in the “Creative Quarterly” publication and have been published in the international Ex Art Equinus III Book and in the Rockport Publishing and North Light books. Vickrey believes that a designer is both a fine and commercial artist.  In her creative endeavors, she attempts to balance design elements, type, and imagery.

Vickrey graduated from Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design and a minor in photography. She worked as a designer, photographer, and art director at Chandler Simmons and Company in Memphis and Malone and Hyde in Nashville for 10 years before attending graduate school. She then received her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Memphis and joined the Department of Art at ASU in 1998.

“Este Caballo/Esta Familia” will be on view from Friday-Friday, Oct. 15-Nov.19. Bradbury Gallery hours are 12 noon-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 2-5 p.m. on Sunday. The exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Les Christensen (lchristensen@astate.edu), director, the Bradbury Gallery at (870) 972-2567.




Shelley Gipson
Ary, the Protector, 2010
intaglio, chine collé and hair
 

Kim Vickrey
Wilson’s Boot, 2010
photograph






All photos from top:
Shelley Gipson
Idonea, the Enigmatic Lover, 2009 – 2010
intaglio, chine collé and hair

Kim Vickrey
Spanish Walk, 2010
aluminum print

Shelley Gipson
Ary, the Protector, 2010
intaglio, chine collé and hair

Kim Vickrey
Wilson’s Boot, 2010
photograph

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