| Stephenson and Hooper at Ironton |
| Written by Ken Hamel | |||
| Posted: September 22, 2008 | |||
Retreat, new work by Donna Stephenson and Jill Hadley HooperIronton GallerySeptember 26 - October 25, 2008Opening Reception: Friday September 26, 7 - 10 pmOpen First Friday: October 3, 7 - 10pm 
Donna Stephenson (left) and Jill Hadley Hooper (right) (from the press release) Retreat is an installation of two artists� work, one presenting large-scale monochromatic prints of rustic, decaying buildings, and the other offering expressively painted deep forest scenes. The result is an investigation into impermanence using one place, a forest, through two perspectives. Hooper's dwellings, in various states of disrepair, offer the opportunity to recognize change and natures steady hierarchy. In one painting fragments of Carl Sandburg's poem, "Grass", are woven into the mortar and stones of the edifice: "I am grass I cover all. I am grass, let me work." The forest paintings by Stephenson represent idealized nature. In contrast to the buildings, they are lush and colorful. The forest offers the possibility of both discovery and loss. They are alive and dark and are where all the good stories start. "And, in the end, the woods will reclaim the efforts at constructing in their midst." The Artists: Donna Stephenson (formerly Donna Van Horn) is an accomplished oil painter with a direct and spontaneous style. Jill Hadley Hooper is a painter and illustrator. Donna and Jill met in 1982 at the Kansas City Art Institute. Donna was old enough to buy beer, Jill had a car. Ironton Studios and Gallery 3636 Chestnut Place Denver, CO 80216 303.297.8626 Mon - Fri: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Sat: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM http://irontonstudios.com
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