Michele Mikesell
Bread & Circus
December 9, 2011 – January 7, 2012
Santa Fe – Chiaroscuro Contemporary Art is pleased to announce Michele Mikesell’s Bread & Circus, an exhibition of ten new paintings running December 9 through January 7. There will be no opening reception.
Mikesell’s newest characters range from Little Tack Spitter (old circus vernacular for ‘one who posts bills’) to the impressive and ethereal The Ring Master. Mikesell explains, “In these ten paintings I have returned to my favorite subject – the circus. The title for the body of work, ‘Bread & Circus’, is taken from a quote by the Roman writer Juvenal in reference to the government staging elaborate spectacles and passing out food to pacify the public: ‘Two things only the people anxiously desire — bread and circuses.’ “
Her new technique incorporates brushing, wiping, scraping and sanding paint, resulting in a beautifully textured surface which adds depth and personality to her characters. This surface is a marked departure from her high gloss paintings of recent years and ties in nicely with her thematic constructs. Mikesell explains, “Irony, contradiction, humor and tragedy are recurring themes in my work and are illustrated not only within the image, but in the actual paint and surface of the painting. These new paintings illustrate a profound departure from the animal iconography I have used in the past, but I continue to feel I am speaking to the individual viewer about universal human experience.”
Michele Mikesell
Bread & Circus
December 9, 2011 – January 7, 2012
**In calendar listings please list exhibition as “no opening reception.”**
Location: Chiaroscuro, 702 ½ & 708 Canyon Road on
Gypsy Alley, Santa Fe, NM 87501, 505-992-0711