Arts & Entertainment
Next at Cranbury Gallery, Photos of 'Journeys'
The exhibit will feature one woman's shots from around the world, with an opening reception Sunday.
Artist Lauren Curtis has long been fascinated with the historical. When she was young, she frequented museums, favoring sections dedicated to times and places long expired, reveling in the stories revealed by artifacts of the past.
“Even when I was young, I loved the ancient Egypt section of the museums,” she said. “It definitely started at a young age.
Starting Sunday, the Franklin Park native will share a portion of her own history at the Gourgaud Gallery in . The solo exhibition, “Journeys” will feature images of more than a decade of her earlier travels.
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“Journeys” documents myriad locales in the United States and Europe, spanning Curtis’ artistic expeditions from 1998 to present day. As her personal goal is to visit a new location each year, the exhibit is a continuing process. The major cities appearing in her exhibit include Amsterdam, Budapest, Barcelona and New Orleans. The exhibit will display approximately 13 to 20 pictures, Curtis said, including one of her favorites, a large photo depicting a Native-American family at the Grand Canyon.
Curtis said she is drawn to the ”immediacy” of photography, and conversely, the ability to return to the images with additions and alterations.
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“Something that I always really liked about photography is the ability to capture experiences that you have right away in your own artistic vision,” she said.
However, Curtis is versed in many mediums outside photography, including pen and ink illustrations, charcoals, acrylics, watercolors and oil paintings. Her personal style, “art-centered spiritualism,” she said, springs from her 25-year immersion into Wiccan culture. Many of her fine art pieces incorporate natural and gothic images, culminating in representations of goddesses, mythology, wildlife and nature.
As a full-time freelance artist, Curtis said she is constantly moving from one project to the next. In addition to exhibitions, she works extensively in the realm of commercial art, producing logos, ads and other illustrations for various companies. Currently, she is working on illustrations for a preteen science fiction book. She also offers one-on-one art lessons for young students at her Franklin Park home, an endeavor she hopes to expand from her current three-student roster, as she believes the lessons are “a great way to teach young kids about fine art.” Curtis also boasts her own line of greeting cards, necklaces, T-shirts, postcards and illustrations, available on her website.
Curtis’ reception in Cranbury will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Gourgaud Gallery. The event is free, and refreshments will be sold. Curtis’ photos will be for sale, with 20 percent of each purchase going to support the Cranbury Arts Council and its programs. The exhibit runs through April 25. The Gourgaud Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the first and third Sunday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.
For more on Lauren Curtis, visit these websites:
Commercial and fine art: http://www.LaurenCurtisArt.com (commercial & fine art)
Fine art, photography, and art updates: http://www.laurencurtisart.mosaicglobe.com
Cards, T-shirts, photography and illustrations: http://www.laurencurtis.imagekind.com
