Green Monster
by April Odell
Flappers
by April Odell
Loco Lin
by April Odell
"Nostalgia"
June10- July 19, 2009
Opening Reception Sat, June 20, 5:30-7:30pm
April Odell has decided to name her new visual arts exhibit at the Firehouse Center for the Arts gallery ‘Nostalgia” though she is only 23 years old. Her collection of interiors, architecture and landscapes all serve as historical documentation and reflect her discomfort with mass production as well as the beauty she finds in the design of previous generations.
“In today’s harried society,” says April, “people fail to notice the charming idiosyncrasies of the objects and places surrounding them. In documenting these areas of fascination I hope to both record and shed light onto these wonderful locations and their colorful past.”
As surprising as her emphasis on the past, are her startling and unexpectedly beautiful paintings of machinery from a historic engine room at Pratt Institute, where she received her B.F.A. in 2008. The obvious passion for machinery seen in canvas after canvas would cause many gallery viewers to suppose her male. All the machines in her paintings date from the early 1900’s, but Ms. Odell’s excitement about them provides contemporary contrast: “they are all fully operational and in daily use, which I find incredible considering how that compares with the shelf life of an average computer.”
Firehouse patrons will be able to view this fresh, youthful interpretation of historic structures starting June 10 and continuing through July 19 at the Firehouse Center for the Arts gallery. While the initial appreciation may be for the history represented on the gallery walls, viewers who take the time to learn a little bit about April Odell will gain a far greater appreciation for a talented young artist who went back in time for her inspiration. Perhaps this look back is part of looking forward at the same time, and reflective of the growing recycling and renewal resource movement in this country: “people took pride in their machines and technology; it was not taken for granted as it typically is today” laments the artist, with a nostalgia and respect for a generation of craftspeople she never knew.
About April Odell- April lives and paints in Newbury, MA..She is expecting to receive her M.A. from Lesley University in 2010 and is a recipient of a Newburyport Art Association Budding Artist Award, two Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards, and a Pratt Institute President’s Award Scholarship.
The Firehouse Center for the Arts Art Gallery
The Firehouse Center for the Arts features twelve gallery shows a year. Each show is selected from submissions each Spring for the following year’s shows. Gallery exhibits have included local, national and international artists and have given our community the opportunity to view a variety of artwork including photography, paintings, monotype and sculpture.
Call for Artists
Artist Submissions now being accepted. Contact Kimm at 978-499-9931 or send her email for details and an application.
To download an MS Word document describing the Gallery Submission Procedures, click here.
