Seeds of Metamorphosis
Michael Howard
Drawings, Paintings and Sculptures
Gallery 345
April 4 -26, 2009
Reception: Saturday, April 4, 5 - 9 pm
Creative Conversations: Saturdays, April 4, 11, 18 & 25 at 7 pm
Open Saturdays and Sundays, 1- 9 pm
April 4/5, 11/12, 18/19, 25 /26
345 Warren Street, Hudson, NY
Metamorphosis is not merely change of form; it is the transformation from one form into another. We encounter metamorphosis in plants when we behold a seed becoming a shoot, followed by leaves, flower and fruit. Likewise, we encounter metamorphosis in the bodily development of animals and the human being beginning with embryonic development and continuing through adulthood.
Metamorphosis can also refer to an inner transformation in the human being, for example, when we experience a change of heart in the way we look at and think about the world or other people.
Exploring the phenomenon of metamorphosis has become a central aspect of my creative work in drawing, painting and sculpting - a window into the mystery of all life, and in particular, our potential to develop and transform ourselves. I see metamorphosis in the arts as a way we can develop new capacities for understanding and meeting the social and ecological challenges of our time.
My efforts are best characterized as artistic research, compared to the more familiar view of artistic expression. The drawings, paintings and sculptures in this exhibit are for me the seeds of a new art of metamorphosis founded on the exact perception of color and form qualities.
My striving is to create forms that inwardly move us in the way music moves us. I invite the visitors to this exhibition to inwardly participate in the visual music of these drawings, paintings and sculptures. Living in the music of form and color quickens the seeds of our own metamorphosis, transforming the way we see and think about our selves, other people and the world.
During open hours I will be present at the Gallery working on one or more creative projects so visitors can experience something of the creative process behind the finished works. I welcome conversation about art and the challenges of our time.
Beginning at 7 pm each Saturday evening, all are warmly invited to participate in a creative conversation about art and the transformation of our selves and the world. Each conversation will include conversing through the playful medium of rice drawing.