Freezing Moments

"Cultivate an ever-continuous power of observation. Wherever you are, be always ready to make slight notes of postures, groups and incidents. Store up in the mind... a continuous stream of observations from which to make selections later." - John Singer Sargent

Works by Ned Axthelm Sponsored by Dean and Mary Harris Gallery sponsored by Dr. Michael Neste / Family Health West August 7-29 View reception details on The Art Center website

Freezing moments in time and enlightening our perspective on human interactions through his paintings, artist Ned Axthelm will be exhibiting his work at The Art Center this August. Axthelm currently lives in the San Francisco Bay area, but was raised in Grand Junction, CO. He began his journey with art through a love of comic books as a child; he continued his appreciation of artwork by going to museums and galleries as an adult. He had a rooted history in appreciating the storytelling quality behind the artwork which directly influences his paintings today. He received his Masters of Fine Arts from Academy of Art University. Axthelm is a teacher at the Richmond Art Center and the San Quentin Prison in their Arts in Corrections program, and he offers private lessons and travels for workshops. He exhibits his work nationally and was recently juried into the Oil Painters of America’s National Exhibition.

Ned Axthelm’s Artist Statement:

Empathy is the foundation of my work. My current paintings explore interactions in public spaces and how what we see shapes our understanding of one another. There is a temporal element to the work, a moment of time snatched from everyday encounters, trying to unpack flashes of connection to strangers in public. The bustle of a crowd may be depicted in frozen clarity, yet not all is clear. The view is often obstructed, our desire to fully see and understand is frustrated. The viewer is left with a visceral sensation that there is more to the moment, more to the scene than can be understood. We share intimate experiences and spaces with strangers daily; how we see each other, or fail to, is complex and often unexamined. These paintings reframe common occurrences, bringing fresh attention to everyday interactions. The distinction softens between viewer and viewed. Relationships between figures within a painting draw attention to our shared experiences and the connections between us. In exploring empathetic responses to people, dwelling in simple moments of being human, we see the vulnerable parts of ourselves.