8

Annex Gallery
July 21 - October 6, 2007

The Eight are painters John Bavaro, Geoffrey Beadle, Rachael J. Burke, Malcolm Christhilf, Steve Emmett, Ben Gibson, Terry McKelvey and Michelle Vitali. The work of all eight is firmly rooted in tradition, as evidenced by their common affection for traditional subject matter, especially the human figure and the still life. They are also united by the medium of oil painting and its long history, and by a common embrace of the discipline necessary to the craft.

These painters have other shared traits: they all teach at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, and they all possess a passion for the act of seeing and the creation of images.

Eight Quotes:

“The real joy in this series has come more from catching these fish than painting them.”

“I want to create a picture that cannot be taken with a camera; a picture that is wholly invented, yet seamless and real.”

“I continue to be interested in mixing the sensuous fleshy nature of the human form with the formal sensuous nature of abstraction.”

“It has become clear to me that truth and beauty are revealed to the artist not created by him, and through the act of painting my images celebrate this fact.”

“Improvisation and accident can be as important as intention in the expression and character of the work.”

“In the broadest sense, my work is about obser-vation, illusion, magic and mystery…”

“I use painting to examine things that scare me, or situations whose solution eludes me.”

“My infatuation with staring at the material world has always been present and found early expression in drawing detailed, obsessive studies of things.”

Taking a deep study of the tradition of painting as their starting point, eight different personalities, each with his or her own distinct style and artistic philosophy, take flight.

Sponsored by Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

www.edinboroeight.homestead.com