ARTS & CULTURE: A Confluence is coming to the Maitland Art Center

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Confluence 1 : a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point <a happy confluence of weather and scenery>
2 a : the flowing together of two or more streams b : the place of meeting of two streams c : the combined stream formed by conjunction

That idea of a coming or flowing together is the central theme for an exciting collaborative art event opening this Friday, September 25 at the Maitland Art Center. Four local artists, Brigan Gresh, Dina Mack, Vicki Jones and Anna McCambridge have decided to combine their vastly different styles and techniques into a multi-media experience in order to inspire and learn from one another.

According to McCambridge, "the goal of the artists participating in this exhibition is to experience an evolution, to allow the viewing public to share in this rich story line and for them to gain some insight into the human condition as shown through the evolution and presentation of the themes."

Guests can expect an interactive experience, progressing through four rooms, which tells a story about how the artists were influenced by each other's work.

Each artist began with a theme of her own choosing, and created pieces based on that theme without any interaction with the other artists. These works will be displayed in the first room, so that you can get a feel for each artist's style and technique. The second room will show the artists working together, as they begin to loosen the structure around each of their themes, giving guests a glimpse into their creative processes.

This is where it gets really interesting. The artists worked on four separate panels simultaneously, contributing to one another's creations, and sometimes even rubbing elbows with each other. As process continued, the images began to morph into something completely new.

The third room will symbolize the climax of the gathering point. Here, all four artists collaborate in an installation, which is the culmination of the dialogue about each theme and personality, and how they influence each other.

The final destination will be the gallery room, where each artist will display individual pieces that will show the change each artist went through, and the goals achieved by the interaction and collaboration experienced by the artists.

This is a first-time collaboration for these artists, who bring a diverse mix of mediums and styles to the project.

Brigan Gresh is working with multi-media on the theme of “Aftermath,” or the process that takes place after an event, and having a cohesive experience from beginning to end. She incorporates a lot of texture into her work, and three circles, representing Gresh, her mother and sister, are always present in her pieces.

Dina Mack is working with acrylic paint and pencil on the theme “Dermis,” or what someone might keep hidden beneath the skin or surface. Her art is ethereal, dreamy and abstract and her goal is to create images that bring out emotions in people.

Vicki Jones, (who also happens to be Anna McCambridge’s mother), has a figurative style and likes to use pencils to sketch her “Arboreal” theme. Jones says that she has “been on a tree kick for about five years now, making tree portraits, pictures of people turning into trees and finding unusual tree shapes.”

Anna McCambridge came up with the idea for this event and for bringing all of the artists on board. She has a very detailed, figurative style and uses mainly colored pencils to convey her theme of the catharsis after a loss and how that comes to happen. McCambridge hopes that the metaphor shows through in a strong enough way that people can relate to. She says, “it might be a potential relief for them to know that someone else went through the same thing.”

Be sure to catch the opening reception of A Confluence at the Maitland Art Center is Friday, September 25th from 6-8 p.m. The show runs from September 25th through November 1st, with a gallery walk on Sunday, October 18th at 1 p.m. and a workshop on Saturday, October 24th at 10 a.m.