GEM MYT HS JAMES MC NEILL MESPLÉ PRINTWORKS GALLERY SEPTEMBER 9–OCTOBER 15, 2016
GEM MYT HS
H
uman beings have been attracted to stones of different colors since the beginning of time. We know this because of the great variety of stones, sometimes drilled as beads, that are found in archaeological digs of all ancient cultures. They are even found in Paleolithic sites. Over the years, our love for stones and gems has grown into a major industry supplying jewelry, and of course Birth Stones, for personal adornment. During the 1990s, I studied lapidary and jewelry making with John Ferguson, whose insistence that I cut, grind, and polish my own stones allowed me to increase my knowledge of powdered pigments and expand my palette of hand-made mineral paints. Some of these “gem” powders are included in these works. A great deal has been written about stones and the myths surrounding them. The recent explosion of “New Age” publications since the turn of the century would probably fill a library. Although these myths about gemstones provide interesting and sometimes amusing reading, as far as this artist is concerned, it really comes down to only one point of interest – the same one that attracted the earliest humans many millennia ago. That point of interest is color.
FRONT COVER:
GEM GARDEN OF THE SUN AND MOON (APOLLO AND ARTEMIS)
BURIED TREASURE
AQUAMARINE
PEARL
JET
HELIODOR
JADE
GARNET
AMBER AND OPAL
TOURMALINE
TURQUOISE
CITRINE
AGATE AND PERIDOT
ZIRCON
RUBY
SAPPHIRE
DIAMOND AND CARNELIAN
MALTESE FALCON
MALACHITE AND LAPIS LAZULI
EMERALD
AMETHYST
TOPAZ
VINCENT AND AARON
A
ll works were created during 2015–16 and are mixed-media: ink, watercolor, gouache, casein, acrylic, carbon pencil, Prismacolor pencil, egg tempera, mica, and mineral powders in a binder. The majority of works are on Arches Grain Satiné 100% cotton watercolor paper. Several of these works incorporate a monoprint process, with no proofs or editions. James Mesplé is a Chicago artist who has exhibited his art for over 40 years both locally and nationally. His work is included in numerous public and private collections.
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