I receive dozens of packets containing exhibition proposals each year. They sit in a box next to my desk, waiting for a day that I find some time to explore their contents. I've begun opening only a few in a sitting, which allows me to fully focus on the work and to consider the appropriateness of the content for the upcoming exhibition season at Gallery 180.
Well, Frances Cox sent me a proposal—back in March—which highlighted some of her new work. Being familiar with her imagery—I have a piece in my personal collection and have acquired another for the school's collection—I was intrigued to review the current paintings. After a review of the enclosed CD, I sent off an email expressing my interest and scheduled a future studio visit.
Well that meeting happened this morning... and it was refreshing. As I entered Cox’s new studio at the Greenleaf Art Center, I looked around the room and saw that there were some new things happening. Cox seems to be exploring some new color palettes as well as variations on her two-dimensional compositional format. She has begun creating some flat color areas, which offer the viewer a place to rest before moving on to explore the next area of pattern. And on some of her larger canvases, she seems to be playing with space to produce a three-dimensional, environmental quality. The work is evolving and it’s wonderful. Keep an eye out for an upcoming solo exhibition at Gallery 180 in 2011 or 2012.
