Sharon Kopriva: Illuminations

May 17, 2014 to June 26, 2014

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 17th 6:00 – 9:00 pm

Deborah Colton Gallery is pleased to announce, Illuminations, a solo exhibition featuring new paintings and sculpture by Houston artist Sharon Kopriva. Illuminations introduces a new series of self-portraits and surveys Kopriva’s artistic evolution as inspired by her Catholic upbringing and primitive culture, awe-inspiring nature, and the spiritual journey within that is marked by her recent foray into self-portraiture. The exhibition opens Saturday, May 17th with a public reception for the artist from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

Included in Illuminations are examples of Kopriva’s earlier works, which the artist calls Terra (of the earth). That period involves an exploration of the Catholic religion and primitive culture, especially Peru. Following this period was a reexamination of the artist’s own religion and a search for spiritual meaning, which eventually evolved into what the artist calls Verde. Of this greener artistic period inspired by the experience of nature, Susie Kalil writes:

“Kopriva’s Verde paintings take their cue from the mountain forests of northern Idaho, where she has a summer home. These images map the vaulted interiors and stained-glass windows of Gothic cathedrals onto the forest. The monumental Cathedral Green (2012) is loaded with cascades of meticulous brushwork and vertiginous build-outs of actual tree branches. All baroque curves and flickering light, the work bristles with a newfound energy that is primal and perpetual.”

Susie Kalil, Art in America, March 2013

In 2013, Kopriva was invited by the Art Museum of Southeast Texas to participate in the exhibition Mirrored and Obscured: Contemporary Texas Self-Portraits, which prompted her to address her physical image in her art. The results are the first series of self as subject in the artist’s career.

Of this time Kopriva writes, “Fate found me emerging from a 30-year survey exhibition. It became a time for reflection. In the same period, I had become more conscious of my physical condition. In November of 2011, I hired a physical trainer, chose a healthier diet and have become more fit. Time Traveling was the first to be completed and Metamorphosis is the most recent.” In this series of self-portraits Kopriva continues her exploration of universal themes from nature, life and death, and the human relationship with the spirit and the self. Kopriva, in life and in art, is in pursuit of illumination – a spiritual enlightenment achieved only through the exploration and expression of the self and the soul.

Of this time Kopriva writes, “Fate found me emerging from a 30-year survey exhibition. It became a time for reflection. In the same period, I had become more conscious of my physical condition. In November of 2011, I hired a physical trainer, chose a healthier diet and have become more fit. Time Traveling was the first to be completed and Metamorphosis is the most recent.” In this series of self-portraits Kopriva continues her exploration of universal themes from nature, life and death, and the human relationship with the spirit and the self. Kopriva, in life and in art, is in pursuit of illumination – a spiritual enlightenment achieved only through the exploration and expression of the self and the soul.

Deborah Colton Gallery is founded on being an innovative showcase for ongoing presentation and promotion of strong historical and visionary contemporary artists world-wide, whose diverse practices include painting, works on paper, sculpture, video, photography, performance, conceptual future media and public space installations. The gallery aspires to provide a forum through connecting Texas, national and international artists to make positive change.