Paintings by Lisa E. Foster and Aura on view at the Sideshow until August 26
The current works on exhibit at the Sideshow (319 Bedford Avenue) will color your world with thoughtful positivity and their use of color. Lisa E. Foster, an artist based in Vermont and Pennsylvania and Aura, an artist based in Williamsburg, paired up for a 5-week show that ends on August 26th.
Foster titles her show: Inside Outsider Outside Insider. Her pieces have texture and all have glow-in-the-dark elements. Foster says, “If a blind person would come to my show, I think they would enjoy it.” She encourages the viewer to interact with her paintings. For instance in “Melting Pot” — a piece that was created for the New Arts Program in Lehigh Valley and Berks, Pennsylvania, where the piece progressed in public, putting the artist’s work process on display — there are books whose covers open and the messages on the banners in the painting convey the public’s participation in offering their answers to the question, “What does Melting Pot mean to you?” One said, “The fusion of the best of us.” Each of Foster’s paintings tells a story that unfolds more details the longer one looks. Her works on view are mostly current, but “A Poet and A Painter” was painted in 1980 and “I Went to See the Gypsy” was started in 1988 but worked on through 2010.
Aura’s show is called: Cosmic Revelation, also the name of one of her paintings. She has been developing her art since she began doodling in Pre-K and learned about watercolors and tempura when she was eleven. She works exclusively in acrylics now. Her modus operandi is “Practice and practice and keep going.” She paints from her imagination and her paintings have a range of subject matter. She says she enjoys painting beach scenes, and they all turn out different from each other. Some of her work conveys a delightful sense of humor, like “Cash Cow” which depicts a Holstein in a field with a literal $100 bill in its mouth. “I want people to enjoy my art,” said Aura.
The show is at the Sideshow, whose founder Richard Timperio began staging work around the neighborhood in the late 80s, such as at Planet Thailand’s original narrow space on Bedford Avenue and at Vera Cruz during its early prime time. He opened the Sideshow in 2000, where it continues his vision “to provide a forum for all art that attains a high level of quality and embodies integrity, regardless of style or approach. A place where the art itself is the only thing that matters.”
Inside Outsider Outside Insider and Cosmic Revelation will be on view now thru August 26th at the Sideshow 319 Bedford Avenue. Gallery hours are Thurs–Sun, noon–6pm. On August 11th the band “Sleep All Summer” will play in the space from 7pm–9pm. On August 26th there will be a closing night celebration with cake, during regular gallery hours. For more info check out: sideshowgallery.com; lisafosterart.com; and auraiam.com.
The Greenline 