Molly Chopin · Stephanie Elaine Kolpy · Taylor Bragg · Ella Dickerson Blackburn
Opening Reception: October 6, 2023 6-9 PM
A small group invitational exhibition exploring the artists' complex journey of self, science, spirituality and being through intense, often psychedelic visual art works.
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I'm an artist exploring the intersection of science and spirituality, and the healing and evolutionary modalities that are born from this intersection. I paint visions on canvases and walls to inspire love (for this reality), healing (from the trials of this reality), and resilience (to keep moving through this reality), and to provide viewers with visual and energetic ARTifacts of what they find to be meaningful.
Working mainly with acrylics and a combination of direct and indirect painting methods, I build up layers of color, light, and geometric patterns to convey the invisible energies that surround and are expressed by living matter.
In doing so, I invite viewers to reflect upon aspects of reality that are usually beyond what is perceived through the eyes, and to invoke within them a Remembrance of the spiritual nature of this existence.
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My current work is realized through multiple layers of monoprinting, drypoint, and hand-painted high-density watercolor ink. A symbolist in my approach, I’m interested in visual and thematic parallels between apocalyptic mythos and the Holocene extinction, our present and ongoing sixth great extinction event, where ancient species are dying off en masse due to climate change.
The theme of apocalypse—from the Greek word apokalypsis, meaning “to reveal”—has driven me to articulate what the future might “reveal” regarding the natural world. As our ecological crisis intensifies, humanity’s struggle with itself also intensifies through social unrest, toxic polarization, global pandemics, violence, and war. In my work, this conflict and unrest are exacerbated by modern day conspiracy theories and harmful, science-denying myths, and I interrogate such narratives within a broader history of mythology and religion.
Stephanie Kolpy is Senior Lecturer of Art in the focused areas of Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking at the Ernest G. Welch School of Art at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Kolpy has participated in over 100 international, national, invitational, and regional exhibitions with seven solo exhibitions since 2003.Since 2003, she has received over 20 awards based on her own portfolio and has been included in 30 art publications or critically reviewed publications including the book
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I specialize in acrylic painting on canvas, wood panel or found objects. I work in wet on wet style, using thick layers of paint to create bright, bold and textured colors. My style is psychedelic and botanical with an emphasis on ecology and botany.
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As a former designer, most of my inspirations occur when considering the interiors of a space. I imagine what I want to be surrounded by in that specific environment, which usually involves objects or images from my past. I contemplate why these objects are interesting or meaningful to me, and then I destroy/transform them in a way that creates a kind of decadence, whereby it becomes a darkly exaggerated version of itself. Calcified and corroded by candy-like crystals, eaten away by cake icing barnacles, or swallowed by molten malachite with the consistency of dough. Because my vision usually involves transforming the space as a whole, I feel that my progression will lead to immersive art experiences. I am still early in my career and looking forward to this evolution of my art practice.